I spent Saturday afternoon at a local dealer. Test drove a Cooper, talked about delivery time and trade-in numbers. Then after talking it over with the family, I've decided to place an order But since it's a holiday weekend, the dealer will be closed on Monday. And on top of that, I took a look at the business card my Motoring Adviser gave me and he's off on Tuesdays .

 

Are you sure they are closed on Monday? It's only Memorial Day. I would bet they're open. I know the dealers around here are open on Monday - it's the BIG holiday weekend SALE!

What's wrong with tomorrow... Sunday?

Go take the plunge... you'll love it! I know the exciting phase your at... enjoy! It just keeps getting better!

 

Congratulations and welcome to NAM. With the extra couple of days you can decide on the color of your new car. That decision seems to take everybody the longest. Let us know what you pick.

 

Hi Funk_Flex....welcome!!!! Glad you enjoyed the test drive...if you liked that, you're gonna absolutely love motoring in your own Cooper as, imo, the experience only improves as you learn over time the nuances of the car. I was out motoring today and am still (after 2.5 years) surprised and delighted by this car willingness to perform when asked to.

So enough about that...have you decided on options, color, and the like? We all understand there is a lot to work through when defining your MINI from among all the choices available, so we love knowing the details. :smile:

 

The dealer I went to is in New Jersey. My Motoring Advisor said there's a blue law in NJ that prevents car dealers from opening on Sunday. And yep, they're closed on Monday for the holiday. I'm just worried b/c I'm afraid a swarm of people came in after I left, placed an order and used up all the dealer's order allocation.

I pretty much know what I want. Should I post my spec now or after I placed my order???

 

Better not jinx it. But you might keep in mind that all those people who went in after you did could have been in the same predicament. Otherwise you'll go nuts between now and Tuesday worrying that the allocation has been used up. Anyway, most of us had to wait a few months and it was made bearable with folks on NAM for company.

 

Hey, Funk! Welcome! Hope you don't hafta wait too long. In the mean time, listen to plenty of JB--like I have to tell ya!

 

A blue law in New Jersey! WOW... I learn something new everyday! I wonder why that is? But then again, NJ is a state where you can't pump your own gas. I used to travel to NJ alot... and the gas thing was a shocker.

Wow. NJ takes Memorial Day more serious than the left coast does.

Good luck! Let us know what you order.

 

No Sunday opening here, either....

As quoted from my dealer's website...

"Sunday We Ride!"

Mini Crowfoot

 

:smile:

 

We test drove one Friday and our advisor takes us out of the dealer. As he is approaching this stop sign, he doesnt hit the brakes and I'm thinking oh oh we are not going to make it... we are not going to make it... and to my surprise the little car stopped with no front end dip... I swear I heard the MCS... giggle a bit, but that might have been the exhaust.

Then we approached a split in the road with a pretty tight left and a long sweeper right. As we approached I thought for sure we were going right but he starts into the left... I stopped mid sentence in amazement as the MCS held its line with no problems. Again I swear the MCS said, pretty cool huh!? At that point I was pretty much sold, a car that handles and stops that great and to top it off talks!!! Where do I sign!!

So now I'm going through the configurator and I swear I have like 20 MCS built in there and downloaded.

But I think I finally decided on this one.

MCS Jetblack
Body Color Roof/Mirrors
Premium Package
Sport Package
Limited Slip Differential
Panther Black Leather
Int. Surface Silver
HK system
Chrome Grilles

Wheew.... Dont give me any ideas or I'll swap it again SHould be ordering next week sometime. I'm told they require a 500 dollar deposit.

~Will
San Antonio

 

We demand details immediately.

 

Great combination! I have a Jet Black 05 with black roof and mirrors, silver interior (I'm no big fan of the anthracite, and do not care for the 'brushed aluminium look' either).

I opted for the leatherette seating for two reasons: You can get black with gray inserts (versus black/black only with leather) and the leather feels thin and of poor quality (which has been backed up by several complaints). The black/black seats are too dark, and don't tie in with the silver interior. I wish there was a leather option that was black/gray leather, but there's not. The leatherette is GREAT, durable, and easy to maintain!

I do wish I got the LSD and the convenience / cold packages though since the homelink remote rearview is totally awesome (I retrofitted it, at not as good a savings). With the homelink rearview, you don't have to carry around your garage door opener on your sunvisor! Also, it's easy to retrofit the rear foglight, but it's cheaper to order the car that way. You'll go insane with that one blank toggle switch otherwise.

Many people love the H/K stereo, but I didn't order it. Now, when we are able to get the DPSM retrofit in the USA, it won't be compatible with the H/K stereo, so I'm actually glad now that I didn't get locked in by the H/K (but that's a personal opinion)...

You could opt out of getting leather and H/K stereo, add the comfort/cold packages (that gives you heated seats, heated washers, heated side mirrors, auto headlamps/wipers, homelink rearview), the I-Pod adaptor, rear foglamp, factory alarm, and 18" JCW wheels (and sell your 17" S-Lites) you will be in the same ball-park price. $28K

Standard MINI coopers have a chrome grill. MCS's have a body-colored grill. You can opt for a chrome grill on a MCS as an option. If you upgrade to the Aero kit at some point, your grill changes to a mesh grill (both upper and lower) so if you feel you will go that route later down the road, you might consider saving the money off the chrome grill option...

I have retrofitted the 18" JCW wheels, the John Cooper Works kit, Homelink rearview, factory alarm valve stem caps, JCW door sills, glove organizer, locking lug bolts, oil bag, and tinted the windows.

Also, don't add the floor mats to your order ($100). You can insist they give you a set in your car when you go to pick it up. Don't order the cup holder from the configurator ($50) because it comes on the car anyway at no charge.

And, the configurator won't let you get a white stripe with a black car and black roof, but you can specify it as a dealer add-on. They shouldn't charge the installation cost since one 'should' be included in the package.

Here are some pics before I switched to the JCW wheels:










Day 1, before window tinting...




But I think I finally decided on this one.

MCS Jetblack
Body Color Roof/Mirrors
Premium Package
Sport Package
Limited Slip Differential
Panther Black Leather
Int. Surface Silver
HK system
Chrome Grilles

Wheew.... Dont give me any ideas or I'll swap it again SHould be ordering next week sometime. I'm told they require a 500 dollar deposit.

~Will
San Antonio[/QUOTE]

 

Tarzan: Good advice. Great looking black/black MCS.

I switched colors several times. I liked black, but saw a dirty one and imagined my car like that (since I rarely washed my former car). When I saw JCampos's on NAM I realized white could work for me. But since I got my MINI I have already taken it to the car wash twice in just 240 miles (and I park indoors). Maybe I could have kept a black MINI clean. And I love the gray/charcoal seats even though my old roomie (who has leather in his) told me I will stick to them in summer. Perhaps.

 

And here's a pic with the JCW wheels...

 

OK, here we go:

Cooper S in Hyper Blue w/ white roof and rims.

Premium package

Cold weather package (It gets cold in NYC during the winter months, brrrr...)

Sport package (white bonnet stripes and performance tires)

Convenience package (I was gonna go with just the rain sensing wipers. But after years and years of flipping down the mirror manually, I want it to dim all by itself dammit )

Rear fog light (I promise I won't abuse it and only use it during heavy rain, fog or snow )

Limited slip diff.

Harmon Kardon stereo

Black and grey leatherette

Silver dash

 

Is the material on your doors black or grey? ON the configurator if I select the grey leatherette it makes the material on the doors that light gray. I'd rather have that black.

 

The door panels are the same color as the top of the dash board, which is a very dark charcoal color, (you could just as well call black). The only other panel color there is is cordoba beige. There isn't a "grey" door panel option--it will always be the same color as the top of the dash.



The oval in the door is the same color as the dash panel, either anthracite, silver, or brushed-look.

Regardless of the color of the oval, some pieces are silver no matter what--such as the speaker grills (those don't come in antracite, for example) and the spokes in the steering wheel--they are always silver too.

Recently, MINI began offering body-colored dash panel as an option, on the candy colors. I don't know if the ovals match.

 

Hey Funk,


Great choices... We will be brothers from other mothers. The visuals are the same but some of the packages are slightly different. It doesn't get that cold in Dallas and Ft Worth!!

Motor on!!

ELMANN

 

What have I done???

I just got off the phone with my motoring advisor. He took my order and my deposit

He said we're looking at a mid August delivery date. That's perfect b/c I have some vacation time coming up.

 

Very cool, Funk! Did you go with the blue & white?
I'm proud of you!

 

Yep, same specs as mentioned above. :smile:

BTW, the JCW rims looks crazy!!! In a good way of course

 

Thanks! I'm in love with the 18" JCW rims. They're not as light as some aftermarket wheels, but they're still lighter than the 17" S-Lites they replaced.

And, they clear just about all the brake kits out there without the need for spacers. I like the covered lug nuts, and since I'm zonkers fanatical about keeping my car clean, I love how I can reach my hand through to clean the inside/backside of the rims when washing.

 

Hurray, Funk! Glad you took the plunge! You will NOT regret it! Hang out here on NAM in the meantime, and pick our collective brain for all things MINI that you wonder about!


Clover

 

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I just hope the financing, insurance and all the other nonsense will all go smoothly in the coming months. I'm really looking forward to taking a couple of road trips in my Mini. I'm planning to visit family in Maryland, a friend in Boston and attend the vintage racing festival at Lime Rock Park during Labor Day weekend.