well, i can finally say i am one of you guys/gals officially.

i went into Motorwerks Mini on Friday around 3pm and saw in real life my baby i've been dreaming about/lusting over for the last two months. SHE LOOKED AMAZING!!!

Prior to my new Cooper S Coupe, i had owned a similar type of vehicle (ie pocket rocket class i'd call it) in a 2006 Civic Si. However i never realized how little torque my Si had in the lower end RPMs and now can already feel it in the Cooper S (being a good boy on my break in and following the manual/recommendations of no sport mode or over 4K revving).

I've put about 180 miles on in the last two days since i really want to get past my breakin period before April so i can really start having some fun. I totally minified my Mini too and like the others in the support thread, had to wait for it to build. I gotta give some mad props out to Gretchen at Motorwerks Mini (my ma) and the finance dept; all went so smoothly. Love the JCW Spoiler in Silver, looks great and my rear visibility is way better than the raisable (test drove the stock coupe).


i've posted these pics on a few other threads but here a quicke of her. these are not up to my par of photos i take but will do until i can clean her up again.









btw, so far no rattles either (knock on wood)! i think the jcw spoiler factor really helps with this! i thought i had a rattle but realized it was just my stupid snow shovel rattling around in the back

Very nice. Good luck with her.

Great stuff there Jimmy! I'm also amazed, you shoveled that whole parking lot just to take some picutres!

Hondas...... Hahaha

hahha!! anything for my NAM peeps.. phew, my arms are tired though hehe..

Cute! Just kidding. Nice Coupe. Welcome to the community.

haha.. thx. loving the NAM community..

today's drive will involve activating the sport mode.. been holding off for the first 250miles and now will gently activate her.. hehe

well i'm up to 350 miles and def can tell my tires are broken in and my suspension is getting close too. brakes still seem a bit stiff but i think thats just how the brakes are supposed to be

finally turned on sport mode and man.. this little girl Burples like crazy!! was driving around lake calhoun to get some looks and would let off on gas and get a nice burple burple.. BANG.. hehe..

the powerband on the Cooper S N18 is amazing compared to my old si, power everywhere.. now to keep it under 90mph and 4500rpms

Update time since its been about a few months and a few thousand miles now

Thought i'd post some feedback after putting on 3500miles on her as a daily driver; not that many coupe owners in my area it seems.

Ride: OMG, i still love my cooper s coupe. i get this kid like grin whenever i get in and go for a drive or even head to work. yes, it is not a cushiony, soft ride but i did not expect one since its a sports car at heart. it does have its moments when turning hard on uneven concrete, but what car doesn't.

there is def a bit turbo lag when initially accelerating, however it is reduced if you go into Sport mode, DSC/DTC off. you can spin the wheels a bit if you over give it though but its a blast.

so in love w/the burple burple POP when in sport mode and de-accelerating. people tend to give you a bit more room in traffic.

Interior/Mini Connected/Harmon Kardon:

would i recommend mini connected and harmon kardon? HELL YES!

sure, you need an iphone or ipod to really take advantage of the mini connected system but its well worth it. the downfall is the fact that even if you get every single tech package for your mini and the arm rest; you still have to buy the snapin adapter for the armrest (about $260 at the dealership). however the snap in is def worth the price; hides your phone in the armrest and still can do all functions that you could w/y cable.

i also have navi and its a very good setup; as good and better than my old honda's alpine based system (acura/honda at the time had the best interface). i do wish the screen was a touchscreen w/the navigation ****. a few weeks back, i had my mini coded remotely and in turn can VIM, do windows up w/keyfob, etc.

the HK speaker system sounds great compared to any other factory premium systems i've heard. wish one could manually override each inputs gain so they are both the same (ie radio is WAY louder than usb/iphone source).


so after 3500 miles i'd say i'm so far sold on my cooper coupe. one big gripe i do have is the IDIOTIC oil dipstick they use. why do i have to read a manual and forum board post to check my oil?? i miss the old school straight metal w/markings on it stick.

anywho, happy motoring!

Very cool! I can't wait to get mine and put 3500 miles on it.

Sweet looking Mini! The breakin is always painful. I went for the connected and HK as well but no Nav, looks like a decent setup. I'm not sure if I'll go with the snap-in yet.

Congrats on your new MINI coupe. Love the color and love the pics. Happy motoring.

Update after my first mod: ALTA JCW 3" Downpipe Exhaust upgrade sounding great!