Hey all, this looks to be a great community and one I hope to be apart very soon! Been on the look for a cheap 2nd fun and impractical car. I want either a Wrangler, Mustang convertible, S4 cabriolet, or Cooper convertible. Must be convertible and manual. The Wrangler and S4 are bonus AWD for winter driving (I'm in Colorado). I test drove a 2006 Cooper S M6 'vert yesterday and I'm hooked. Unfortunately, it was not in great shape and lacked the options I must have (HIDs, Harmon, Heated seats). Looking across the country, I can get a 2006-2008 for under $8K with 80-100k miles. My budget is under $8K, so I won't be able to get a 2nd gen.
What is the major difference between a 2006, 2007, and 2008 1st gen Cooper S convertible? Should I narrow done on a particular year? Do I definitely want a 1st gen over early year 2nd gen (2009/2010)?
I see Bluetooth was available in 2006. Does this work with new phones and stream music too? Or are people doing an AUX mod to stream music? Curious how well bluetooth works in the 2006-2008 models. I want to keep everything looking factory and be able to stream calls and music if possible (will spend $).
Lastly, the 2006 I test drove didn't have auto headlights. Do auto headlights come with the HID package? These cars are hard to find, so I have to travel to check them out. Sorry for some basic n00b questions!
Just get a 05 to 08 MCS vert, with your option needs as they are really all gen 1s.
If you thought about a 07 or 08 hatch, I would tell you to just look at the 05 and 06.
The 07 and 08 hatch use an engine with questionable lasting power!
I will add that the R52 with the JCW performance upgrades adds massive smiles when I drive mine, the "Burble" it has is fantastic and the performance makes every drive a smile maker.
The trick is finding "your" car with the options you want. Good hunting, and best of luck.
Good luck. If it is as good as it looks, It should be a great deal. Hopefully the NAM community is full of decent people and no one from the forum beats you to it. Let us know what you find when you drive it.
I am am no expert but I believe the Speedo in the tack was standard in the first generation after the first year or so of the coupe.
I'm a gambling man, so taking a chance on buying a 2008 S 'vert sight unseen! Dealer has been great and I'm confident it's immaculate. Even has both keys, which seems about impossible to find on a 10 year old car these days.
From what I can tell, it has all the options except the LSD:
Interior surface body color
White bonnet stripes
Rear fog lamp
Convenience package
Cold Weather package
Premium Package
Sport Package
Going to be a fun 24hr road trip back to Colorado!
Got a fair price, my favorite color combo, and the options I wanted. Only has 53k miles. Hopefully won't need much done to it for a while! I'll be posting a lot of questions soon. Definitely going with a 17% pulley once I verify everything is in working order! Also need to research the best way to stream bluetooth audio and calls from the factory headunit.
What are the small circle lights called that are between the headlights and fogs? Looks like a DRL. I hate how yellow it is and want to replace it with a white LED that matches the HIDs better. I can't find it with a search, so not typing in the correct term.
It looks beautiful! Tell us a bit about it. I can not comment on the lights as you did not provide a front pic. The ones on the top of the bumper are running and directionals.
What are the small circle lights called that are between the headlights and fogs? Looks like a DRL. I hate how yellow it is and want to replace it with a white LED that matches the HIDs better. I can't find it with a search, so not typing in the correct term.
Those are DLR/Front Indicator lights. My headlight are Xenon HID's and I replaced the fog lights with LED. I wanted to keep the DRL retro look, which I think looks really good. You get that Bluetooth unit yet?
