Hello All! Around thanksgiving, I got the itch for a second car. I was racking up the miles on my chipped Passat 1.8t and I wanted to save it a little bit. I came close to buying a Mazda3 or Miata but had my eye on a Cooper. I was getting a little discouraged since I live in the SF Bay Area where new Coopers are scarce and used Coopers go for more than new ones.

Well patience and Craigslist came to the rescue as I found a used Cooper just a few miles from my house. It had 35k miles for $15k. More important, it was close to flawless. Red wasn't my first choice then but it is now. I didn't buy a Cooper S since I had visions of this being my commuter car.


On the first drive, it was obvious that this was a special car. Steering was precise with great feedback. The 2006 Miata had great steering as well but was actually a bit too sensitive. The Cooper had the most balanced steering I ever tried. Handling too was amazing. I've spent $2k getting my Passat to handle well but the Cooper beats it, bone-stock with cheap skinny tires. The car seems most at home in corners. It sits on them, plants the power and goes around well. I didn't expect much from the Cooper engine but from the git-go, I've been very, very impressed. The numbers are not much but the car has a lot of go-go. And now with a couple upgrades, it's got some grunt.

And then come the mods. I've had the car less than a month and I've done 20 little things to it. Thank you to NAM and to the cold California winter nights. I just think there's nothing better than getting a good deal on a car and customizing it to one's preferences.

My best upgrades so far:

K&N Cold Air Intake. Power seems to come on a little earlier now with less hesitation. But the real magic is the sound. Oh my, I never realized the engine snarl can be brought out by the intake. $135 at Ebay and it's worth every penny. Another great upgrade was $40 for Sylvania Silverstar headlamps. The original lamps were yellow and scattered. They Silverstars are much brighter with a better beam pattern. Next is the Wheelskins steering wheel cover for $30. The factory steering wheel looked plasticky and was slippery thus not a good match for the car's heavy steering. I took a big chance with this wheel cover since there's a big unsupported flap due to the steering wheel's design. It worked out perfect though as I Shoe Goo'd the flap in place. Red is cool. Yeah


Next MVP mods are the 5-star 16-inch wheels with Kumho SPT tires and painted calipers. Used mini wheels are cheap. Tires are not. I had to exercise a lot of will power to stop myself from getting those pretty S-lite wheels. Heavy wheels and tires are bad for performance, so I've learned. My new wheels are heavier than my 15s but they are way prettier and handle better. They're comfortable and quiet too. While I had the painting bug, I painted my lower grill black and the screw caps on my front plate red. My new Isotta shifter is way cool. It's no Whalen but it was only $20 new at Ebay!


And now that my confidence was building, I went on to harder stuff. I installed a factory Ipod adapter. Nice integration! In my old car, I got so sick futzing with the Ipod while I drive. I always forget to turn it off too when I leave the car. My most daring work so far was installing factory racks. I drilled 8 holes on my roof and lived to tell about it. This rack is pretty and it is solid. It will serve me well during the biking season. Finally, the Borla exhaust is on. I was going to DIY it but then I heard my biking friend owns a muffler shop. I ain't no fool. I had a beer as he installed. Look ma, no spare tire. Saved 32 lbs!!


And so there it is. My love affair with the Mini has begun. Thanks to NAM as your posts here have been invaluable. This post is my little thank you for all your feedback. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. M7 springs and Mintex pads are next in line. I'll post a couple videos I took today.


regards,
francois

 

Sunny day in Norcal! Here's a few shots and videos. Sounds are from a Cooper with K&N CAI and Borla exhaust. Driver is my bud Derek.


http://mtbr.com/author/photos/cooper/mvi_5742.avi

http://mtbr.com/author/photos/cooper/mvi_5747.avi