I'm thinking about buying a Countryman S and trading in my Cooper S. Besides the obvious, like size, weight, etc. I need some feedback from someone who has done the same. Thanks.

 

My wife traded in our R56 MCS for the ALL4 Countryman...Main Reasons...Room & AWD.

Luckily, we have an R52 MCS to make the decision better.

Both cars are night and day...I can do so much more with the Countryman than the HB...More Pros than Cons, when we sat down and did our list.

The ALL4 has payed for itself this winter in NYC area...

 

Suggestions:

I would sit down and do a list...Pros & Cons and compare between the two vehicles...reasons for needing; present & future...I don't have a kid now, but next couple years is maybe, room for family & friends, weather conditions, active outdoor sports enthusiast, pets, etc...

I would test drive the Countryman.

 

inimini, did you have any limitations at all with the All4? Were you running winters?

 

inimini2007 - Which dealer did you trade you R56 into? I assume from your signature you had an 07 too. Do you mind if ask what you got on a trade in? I was actually looking to trade my 07 in for 08 Clubman S. I have two other AWD vehicles already so I'm not really interested in the Countryman (yet) but I just wanted a little more room. Let's just say the trade-in amount that Morristown offered was a joke.

 

I'm actually running stock 17" All Season RFs and they have been great so far...

My wife did the deal w/ Morristown and she got close to 14K on the Trade-In...I wasn't involved with it...the R56 had a little over 40K on the mileage...

 

Thanks for the quick reply. Sounds like we had simliar cars. I'm going to visit Morristown with some cash in hand. Seems like Clubman's are harder to move than R56s so maybe my 07 plus some cash and no loans will equal a deal.

 

I was offered 13K for trade on my '07, which was actually a bit above the Galves auction prices for the car (it was 12.5 when I looked). It was very low mileage (19K) and had 10 months or so of warranty on it. Dealer said he would have given me another grand if the tires were new (they were pretty close to done). I ended up selling it myself.

I swapped the R56 for an R60 because I needed the room and didn't want to give up the Mini driving feel. To a large degree, the R60 does exactly what I hoped it would--it gives me space for four people and their luggage while still being fun to drive. However, it is not as much fun as the R56; it's taller, it's tippier, and it's (noticeably) slower. Given the choice, if I didn't absolutely need the room, I'd stay with an R56 (or maybe buy a Clubman, which gives up a lot less than the R60 in terms of driving dynamics).

 

I don't feel it slower...I have a lead foot...It takes off from a dead spot better than my R52 MCS.

 

That's right I'm winter driving...

 

Once my CM hits 1200. I will race it against my wife 2005 mcs ( 17% CAI, exhust, ) Lets see how the all4 will do in sport mode....