Hello all. I went truck shopping this weekend with the girlfriend and she fell in love with a Mini Cooper. I don't understand how that happened either. Anyhow, I'm looking for some basic information about the cars.

Personally, I have a 2004 Saturn Redline Ion that I've put a pretty penny into. I like road-course racing and I also do a little dragging at the track. If you want to know the mods I'll list them. My gf also likes to drive fast and aggressively. I told her that she has to get a Cooper-S for this reason.

So they are turbo charged now. Any problems so far? New motor I realize so that'll be hard to tell. What is maintenance cost like on these? I am a service writer for a Volvo dealership so I know they are usually expensive to keep up. Anything to look for or common problems?

 

Best bet is to scan the posts here. The S is definately the way to go, based on your descriotion of your and g/f's driving habits. Most of the problems seem to have been corrected in later production. As far as "common" problems, most were early production runs and not drive-train related. There have been a few posts about transmission (6sp) issues, but, again, seems to be earlier runs. See posts by daffodildeb, tigwantstoplay. First 4 years of regular service is free.

 

If you get her a vert, then you can still have the supercharged engine which at this point is very track tested and reliable.

 

Gotcha. I should have remembered about the paid maint. part. I always thought that was a great idea by BMW. I'll go search for some posts now (I hate it when people don't use search on my forums).

 

I was just making a suggestion, since there are existing detailed discussions. Didn't bother me at all that you asked. Also, I think I meant to add Trinity to the posters to look for, not tig??

 

Get an S and don't look back!

 

Ha. You should visit my forums. We get frustrated when people ask questions that have been answered thousands of times in the past.

So what does this factory stereo sound like? I see that you can up the number of speakers to something like 12? Is that number correct? I don't really remember too much about the sticker. Honestly I though she was joking when she said she liked them (we were shopping for a truck).

I can't wait to test drive this car. I have always thought they were awesome. 1/4 times are mid 14's stock, right? I gotta go look at performance upgrade posts.

 

I have the HIFI Upgrade, so I can't comment on the stock stereo. The upgrade doesn't stink, but I feel is a disappointment for an upgrade. Basically, the speakers can't handle the power of the amp at higher volumes. There are 10 speakers in the upgrade. The sound is inconsistent. Sometimes, it sounds great and sometimes not so great. It is very song/cd specific. As a point of reference, I listen to classic rock, with all tone settings flat, at fairly loud - but not "have to scream over" volume.

 

Kind of what I was thinking. IMO, money for a stereo upgrade is best spent with aftermarket stuff. 10 speakers is a lot of speakers. Where are they located?

What's stock ride quality like? I have about a grand into suspension on my car meaning it rides like garbage but turns like it is on rails. I've heard the suspension on the S is even better than mine. How rough is the ride?

Also, what mods are suggested to start with? I've always been a fan of suspension stuff before power stuff. What do y'all recommend?

These stock BOV's, I'm guessing they are very quiet, right? I know on Volvo's you cannot hear them, and I'm assuming it's the same with the Mini.

Any tips or advice that I'm not thinking about when we go to look at the car? It's been awhile since I bought a new car, and for once I really haven't done too much homework on this. Usually I start way out reading reviews, but she surprised me on this choice.