I owned a Clio 1.2 Campus Sport then moved onto a Black R27 for just over 3 years.. My original plan was a Golf GTi, Focus RS or Meg RS.
Golf - Decided against as they were a bit too pricey.
Focus - There are about 15 RS's in my town so i didn't want to be the same.
Meg - Just reminds me of the Astra VXR too much and fancied something different.
Had no intentions of buying a MINI but saw a great deal on a Cooper S even though i would have prefered a JCW.. Bought it, did 1200 miles in 6 days. Loved the MINI and running costs but hated the Cooper S itself so traded it in for a JCW and can't complain!
Reasons for selling? 3 years of R27 and 6 years of Clio i needed a change. Wanted better fuel consumption and cheaper tax since i was only doing running around mileage and also getting in and out of the Recaros was becoming irritating. The JCW has cheaper tax, better to get in and out of, faster and far better consumption so i'm happy!