Hello everyone,
I’m a new member here introducing myself and looking for feedback. My wife and I are thinking about becoming mini owners and wanted a few opinions and some advice.

Background:
We are moving to the L.A. area. Believe it or not we have always liked L.A. and work has an amazing opportunity for us. Because of parking, commute and the high cost of gas we will be purchasing new vehicles. Our current stable include a 04 mountaineer, 03 mustang cobra, 69 dodge coronet, none of which would be considered economical in L.A. This will be her first car in the U.S. as we have been able to commute to work together until now. My car is to be determined at a later date but the mini will be enjoyed by both of us at certain times. (maybe we will become a 2 mini household in the future)

Why we are considering the mini:
The first consideration is overall size. My wife hails from overseas and is used to much smaller vehicles. Her car there was even smaller than a mini. My wife is also less than 5 feet tall and feels somewhat intimidated by larger vehicles. We have been to our local mini dealer and had her test out the ergonomics in a 08 model. Overall it is a good fit for her, as good as or better than any other small car out there (with the seat adjusted all the way up). She also appreciated the short overall length.

The second consideration is content:
I have always been a bit of a car guy and the list of what I consider decent small cars is pretty short and the mini is on top of it. I can’t really think of any other car that packs style, handling, sport, economy, and cost into one package more effectively. Mini ownership also seems to build camaraderie. After owning a classic bug and a mustang I enjoy having cars that build bonds.

Other cars considered:
Sure lots of cars are decent transport, the right size, and get good mileage but they really don’t appeal to us on all the levels of a mini. If you are going to spend several hours a day in your vehicle you should have something that you enjoy. We have tried just about everything from Honda, Mazda, GM, Scion, Ford and Toyota. Most companies have cars that meet part of our criteria but none seem to have the total package of a mini. I’ve heard the phrase that “Toyota is building the best Buicks in the world” and after visiting the dealer I agree. Snore fest there. The most serious contender was the mazdaspeed 3 but my wife wasn’t feeling it as much as the mini (truthfully neither was I but I was intoxicated by the power). It also only comes with a manual if I am not mistaken and gets worse fuel economy. I have been burned by late model VW’s so I avoid them like the plague. It’s sad because I was a classic bug fanatic in high school. (I miss my 67 badly)

The third consideration is overall fuel economy:
The mini fits the bill as we are looking for a vehicle rated at 25 mpg or better. I realize real world results with the mini vary but I think with our fairly conservative driving style we should do ok. To illustrate my driving style I average just over 20 mpg highway in a V8 awd mountaineer, most people seem to get around 16-19.

What we are looking at:
We are considering either a low mileage used cooper S or a brand new S. We both slightly prefer the style of the older model but still love the new one. I also slightly favor a supercharger over a turbo, but this comes from a bias built on familiarity with superchargers (from my 03 cobra). I have never owned a turbo car, if I had, the bias may change and I’m not sure it would make a huge difference to me. I love how easy and effective a pulley change can be though. I won’t be doing major modifications (I say that now) but some minor bolt-ons will likely be performed. The price difference between new and used isn’t large enough to be a factor for us.

So a few questions:
Do you see any major cons for cooper ownership in our situation?
The car has to be an automatic cooper s, so that relegates us to a 2005 or newer correct?
What are the pros/cons for an older supercharged cooper s versus a new turbo cooper s?
Are there any common problems with either version?
Anything else I should know?

Thanks for your time and have a great day, glad to be a member here.

 

Welcome to NAM. Regarding the supercharger - turbo thing: the turbo S gets 3-4 mpg better than the supercharger S. If economy is high up on your list of factors, that's something to consider. The turbo also produces more torque and at lower rpms than the supercharged engine.

Yes, the auto was introduced in 2005 for the MCSa - my wife has an '05 and is very happy with hers. I personally would buy new and get a car optioned out exactly as you want it. I'd also be a bit leery on buying used as you never know how much flogging the previous owner gave the car. Plus, ordering the car you can drive yourself nuts for weeks endlessly tracking your MINI through production and shipping.

You will get some very pointed opinions here on which to buy as some folks are very married to their generation of MINI so much so that they can find fault with everything in the other generation. Good luck whichever way you go!

 

Welcome. My advice would be the opposite
You can get a good deal on a used car and save a considerable amount of money. There might be some risk involved, but you could end up saving $10-15k over new.

I like the sound of the supercharger so that is why I went with a used S, vs a newer turbo.

Again you will get a lot of varied opinions, in the end its up to you. I'd suggest trying to test drive both versions and see which one you like.

 

Thank you both for taking the time to respond.

rawhath99,
Fuel economy certainly is a factor, and more so every day, so that is certainly something to consider. 3 mpg can be substantial over the long term and we tend to keep our cars for a while. I was surprised to learn the turbo produces more torque and at lower rpms than the supercharged engine. This is the exact opposite of what usually happens in the mustang world. Looks like I might have to change my thinking a bit. I do see the benefit of buying new, and my wife would certainly enjoy tailoring her mini to her tastes.

Joshamman,
It’s nice to get some different opinions, that’s what we came here for. Minis do seem to hold their value quite well and while $10,000 isn’t a huge difference, it isn’t chump change either. It appears you could do quite a bit to a previous gen mini for that amount. If we bought used we would be looking for a very low mileage example (under 30,000) so perhaps that could allay some of the problems one may have with a used sports car. We have been looking for a previous gen auto Mini S so test drive but they appear to be hard to find. Our local mini dealer has some used manual transmission S models but not autos.

Again I appreciate the input from both of you.

 

I bought a new 07 MCS a couple months ago. If you can find any left the dealership will discount them to move them off the lot.

 

Well guys thanks for all the advice. We have finally pulled the trigger on our mini and I thought I would update this topic one last time.

Today (June 12) we walked into out local mini dealer and ordered our Chili Red/White 2008 MCSa with Tuscan Beige interior. I appreciate all the advice and we are looking forward to getting our car (we are scheduled for week 25). We decided on a new one for a number of factors including fuel economy, warranty, and perhaps most importantly options.

We had a devil of a time finding ANY used MCS with an automatic, Tuscan/tan interior, and park distance control. We could find 1 or 2 of these options on a used car but never all three. All these options are for my wife.

She can drive a manual but prefers automatics. She likes light colored interior and always complains the black leather in my mustang burns the back of her legs when she wears a skirt or shorts. She also likes PDC because she is only 4’10” and even a mini is big to her.

Thanks again for all the advice and I’m sure we will see many of you around.

 

Hang on to that Coronet! Some studio will ****** it up for the next "Dragnet" remake...