New member here..

Heres the question

2007 MC with Automatic 6 speed flappy do dads beautiful 2 owner car no dings 75K and 100k warranty

or

2006 MCS 6 speed manual 119K no dings etc no warranty

Yeah I live in a City.. lots o sitting on the bridge in traffic.

What to do.. They are the same price exactly...

 

They are two complete opposite cars. And also auto vs stick. Drive both. You can only be the judge of that. But a lot of traffic sux no matter what with a stick.
I have a manual s and love it.

 

2006 = more reliable

 

What about reliability and longevity of the older more milage S vs the younger Auto

 

How many miles on the '07? As larmini said, two very different minis. The '07 with the auto is a plus in daily rush hour traffic, and has a warranty. But it is a non-S. Would that be important to you?

 

if you plan on driving mostly in the city with limited opportunity to drive the way MINI's are supposed to be driven, then go for the newer auto.

 

Joeygonz are you saying the 2006 MCS with 119K is more reliable than a 2007 MC Auto with 75K ??

Does it make sense to get the 2007 and use a sprint booster to improve the curve ??

 

The 2007 would be the first year of the R56. It seems that a number of the bugs had not been very well worked out of the cars at that point--while some 07s are great to their owners, there are also a good number of them that have problems. Things like the cam chain/tensioners, the vacuum pump setup, carbon buildup in the intake ports, auxiliary water pumps that can catch fire, and so on.

I'd guess that by 75K, most of those issues have been resolved. But that's a guess.

In contrast, the 2006 is the last year of the earlier version. They had quite a few years to get the bugs worked out, and it seems to be one of the more reliable years of the S model.

I personally would not consider an automatic transmission--but that's my own preference.

 

2006 for sure, not even because it's manual. Probably the most reliable cooper S yet.

 

The '07s non-s, so you won't have the maintenance issues that characterize the turbo version of that engine. It's a more refined car in lots of little ways. But the '06, even with its lower HP and torque, is still considered the bomb by a devoted hard core of MINI enthusiasts.

 

Oh, shoot! Sorry, I missed the fact that the 07 was not an S model. That does cut down on the potential problem areas--but it is still the first year of the R56, and may not be as reliable as some other years.

The supercharged 06 S would have more torque and power than the N/A '07. The ride should be harder and more twitchy, but the upside is that the driving will be more responsive.

Drive 'em both, see what you like better.

 

I'm in an S now but my previous two MINIs were both Coopers and I'm a huge Cooper fan. If you check my post history you'll see I'm a staunch defender of the amount of fun that can had with a "Justa" (I hate that term) Cooper.

That said, I'd never buy a non-S with an automatic. With the lower torque of the Cooper you have to rev it up a bit more to keep it "zippy"; unless you're driving around all the time with the automatic in "manual" mode it's going to feel a bit sluggish. If you're going to shift manually, get a manual - it's more fun / a better experience. If you want an automatic I'd seriously recommend looking for an S.

Had I not been financing, I likely would have skipped my '12 S and looked for a nicely optioned '06 S with a manual, navigation and chrono package. The R53 and R56 are both great cars, but the R53 does have a little more "visceral" appeal (little less refinement, supercharger, etc), which I like.

Since I was financing I wanted a warranty and the larger variety of financing options that a newer car offers. Don't know what your situation is there (paying cash, financing, whatever), but if you're just wanting a newer car for those reasons I'd keep shopping for either a Cooper with a manual or an S.

 

I live in NYC so lots of ways to get busted at traffic light when i am being naughty. Also lots of wear and tear on a clutch. But the big selling point is that there is transferable 100k power train warranty on the thing so I can almost not go wrong. With the price I am being asked I could turn around and make a thousand tomorrow. So I am thinking.. that I am just going to go for the more reliable less surprises money. wise Auto / 6 speed.

Its award decision because the 19 year old inside me wants an S but the 56 year old body is happy driving an automatic. I may have to just settle for adding a rally stripe.. thats got to be good for a few extra ponies right... and I guess a throttle booster and enjoy the gas savings.. I had driven a friends 04 manual non S quite a bit and found it pretty nippy around town. I am coming from a 20 year old 325i Convertible BMW on its last legs, so any Mini is going to be a go kart to me.

 

I'm also in NYC. My MINI is an S and it's a manual. Yes...traffic does make driving stick a pain in the butt at times, but I still love it. However, I knew that I wanted to modify my MINI when I bought it and the best platform for me whether an R53 or R56 would have to come equipped with a manual transmission. I think it all comes down to personal preference. Just as much fun can be had in a "Justa" and the added plus is the warranty that will come with the R56.

 

Just found out that the warranty won't continue.. and also have come across a 2006 6 speed auto MCS with 90K for the same price.. So I am going to drive both..

The choice is going to be between Silver 2007 MC AUTO 70K or White/Black 2006 MCS Auto 90K

Same money

 

Oh okay. Well at least now you're dealing with both of them being automatics, so that's no longer factored into the decision. Definitely have to drive them as an '07 Non-S is a totally different feel when compared to an '06 S.

I feel like I should place a bet for what you're going to end up with. Lol

 

You are counting on the 19 year old inside me winning the day... The S is made more attractive by the 6/auto trans not having to replace a clutch.. Its going to come down to what I hear under the hood and what they drive like... The 07 has heated cloth seats the 06 has vinyl sport seats.. little differences here and there.. it really is going to come down to the sound of the timing case and the feel on the road.... And then its going to be all about explaining to my other half why I need to put a Rally stripe on my new car.. Thats kind of like asking her why she wears earrings right ???

 

BTW the 06 MCS has the el cheap steel wheels... so those will have t go

 

Ahhh...heated seats. I think I must be overly sensitive because my heated seats make me feel like I'm sitting on a plate of hot coals. They're a bit too heated for me. Lol

 

I'm not inclined to do a whole lot of leg work on researching it (hopefully someone will chime in here), but I know the first generation autos were a CVT, at least some of which are known to have issues. What I'm not sure is whether those issues were straightened out by 2006 or not. With the model changeover in '07 the CVT went away entirely. If you haven't already, you might do some looking into whether the '06 car might be impacted by that or not.

As for the stripe if she's the type who's inclined to nag you over it you could always either
a) say the dealer threw it in as part of the deal, or
b) just do it and deal with the fallout later (it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission)

 

The S only came with 6 speed auro no CVT in the S so thats not an issue. Saw the 06 my dress was not blown up by it so am off to check out the 07 tomorrow and will see if it talks to me. If I do go for the Sparkly Silver 07 its going to have to get a stripe to at least look a little faster

 

No matter what, it's almost a crime against Mini-dom to not customize it like crazy. For the 07 see if carfax reveals that the thermostat has been replaced yet. Plastic under the hood is one of the notorious weak spots.