Hello everybody,

I've been lurking on your site for a bit as an unregistered user, until yesterday when I went to test drive some Coopers. Wow, these cars are really cool! I drove an 04 S, and an 07 S. Both manual trans. I really liked the crisp lines and center stack design of the 04. The 07 was sweet too, and I liked the grunt of the turbo over the SC. The ride was a bit softer, but I hear they are still as glued to the road as the 1st gen.

I've been a long time Subaru owner, and avid member of subaruforester.org. I learned so much awesome stuff about my Suub, and this car forum is no different. I like to do my own maintenance and small repairs, so learning about SC oil, and water pumps has been good.

Anyway, I haven't bought one yet; I'm still considering 1st gen vs. 2nd gen, and whether or not I really need a supercharger or turbo.

Some initial questions are:

1. Is there a general consensus regarding 1st gen over 2nd gen?
2. Best place to buy a used Cooper or S in Pacific NW?
3. Are the regular Cooper owners happy with power?
4. Reducing SC pulley: good or bad

Thanks everyone!

 

Hey there,
I did research for over three months and found my 1st gen mini in Ft. Lauderdale and had it shipped up to Massachusetts. It is certified by Mini and was $5k cheaper than any Mini up here. My suggestion is to use Cars.com for general searches. Just decide which one you want to narrow your search. I got a 2006 convertible S model.

 

hiya Cooks! Shopping different states is a good idea. Heck, that might even be a good excuse for a road trip. I think buying certified would be smart if I did it this way. thanks for the input. Also, how reliable has your S been for you? any issues or things to watch for?

thanks again!

 

So far my S has been extremely reliable. After taking delivery, I had my local MINI dealership look over the entire car (we had to make up a noise to get the warranty to cover it) to make sure. They were sooooo impressed with the condition of the vehicle and then were surprised how cheap I got it. In Massachusetts, the convertible S minis retain a higher resale value than Florida. One thing to watch out for is the seatbelt scratching the interior panels. Do not let them go on their own as this will make it snap into place but hit the panels first.