I live in Hawaii and am thinking of buying a fairly new but used mini on the East coast, NY area, and going on a cross-country driveabout for a month or so before shipping the mini home from California. I would welcome any comments on suitabilty of the various models. I know I love the Conv but the lack of storage space would likely make it impractical for the 2 of us on the road for a month. I also heard rumours that the "S" might be uncomfortable due to a more rough ride.
I am open to any suggestions!
Aloha - George

 

Ride depends on the wheels/suspension setup. If you got 16" wheels and standard suspension, you would have same ride on justa-Cooper and Cooper S. I drove a Cooper S with 17" alloys and sports suspension today and didn't find the ride too bad - barely any difference than my 16" alloys and std suspension. If you can ditch the run-flat tires before the trip, I would do that!

Cooper hatch or Clubman or Countryman would be far more suitable than the Cooper convertible. I've done road trips in my justa-Cooper... 2 people, 1 dog, dog items + food and luggage - no issues at all.

IMO if you can afford it, go for the Cooper S. Test drive all the models and see what you like the most.

 

Thanks for the information. What is the used market like in your area? I have a daughter that I need to visit in Ottawa.

 

When I was looking previously... there seemed to be lots of older MINIs in the GTA, like 2007 and earlier, especially the 1st Gen. Have not found anything I like so will be purchasing new.

We used to live in Ottawa and still travel there several times a year.

 

I know I lean towards the Clubman S
I LOVE my Clubman S it is a 2009, I purchased it on July 27 2009.
My parents have worked at Dealerships most of their lives, Here is a thought that you should consider....
I went and made an offer on the Service Department Loaner, it has all the bells and whistles minus NAV.(They want to show people what they might be missing) My car was on loan from Feb 09 untill July 09 when I purchased it. My car had 7,200 miles on it and keep in mind that they can't sell it as a new car anymore, I was able to get $7,200.00 off the list price, and I also got in writing that my warranty started at 7,200 miles.
They usually turn the loaners around 6 months. This was at a time that they were not coming off the price of MINI expecally the Clubman at that time. I have got all of the options I want and the S model.
You might want to check into this, My car listed out a little above $32,000.00, I really got a Clubman S LOADED for around the price of a regular cooper with not many options. The car has been rock solid and I LOVE IT
Keep in mind the car has to be in great shape when they loan it out because they are liable if it is not. You know it has been serviced well and nothing has been overlooked because it represents the dealership.
I hope this helps you in you purchase, before ruling out a new MINI just food for thought.

 

Also forgot to mention I did get rid of the Run Flats when they wore out, and got NON runflats. The Clubman as you know has a longer wheel base and it rides a little smoother than the Shorties
The BIGGEST difference was when I switched to NON runflats, now my Clubman S rides as smooth as a babies backside.
I have pruchased a Tire Plug kit and a Plug in air compressor, I know people have reservations about this, I can plug the tire unless the side wall is damaged, and in that case even run flats would have to be replaced. I put the Tire plug kit and the air compressor in the lower level in the back, so it does not have to be in the way for cargo all of the time.
Good luck with your purchase.