I was driving home the other night, stuck in holiday traffic......so I came up with some of these:

1. The 2005 tail lights suck. I am sure Matchbox has something to do with the design.
2. Have you seen the new color choices, what did someone have a fun with Photoshop session late night after a holiday party.
3. The cup holder. Ok, it is convenient for the driver, but did they have it make it look like that much of an afterthought....and what if your passenger has a drink, guess they are SOL.
4. They "say" they have fixed several build problems.......well, since they didnt change the plastic risers around the windsheild, i can only wonder what they fixed and how many problems they introduced.
5. No MP3 compatible dash player.....what, are they cheaping out on the license fees. What motivation is there if I am still stuck using the aux jack and fumbling with my iPod. No progress shown here....ie, the iPod connection is joke.
6. They improved the gearbox for MC.....well, since I am CVT-natic, that really means nothing.
7. Upgrade to an MCS.....is that really an upgrade, if I can keep up with the MCS people in the curves, what the heck do I care if I can squeal tires off the line. Listen, I just want a fun commuter, not some mid-life crisis shrunken corvette. I prefer to keep my support of the oil industry to a minimum.
8. Have they improved the folding rear seats, or eliminated them completely and made it more of a 2 seater hauler? No. Well no reason there.
9. Improved the MPG any? No. (see end of reason 7)
10. Color matched the fog/blinker lights to the Xeon headlights? No and wait, I can do that post production. Well, no reason there.
11. Have they found a way to keep the spiders out of the Xeon headlights? No. Well no reason there.
12......and the number #1 reason not to get a newer Mini, what the hell is up with the playstation steering wheel? Not only does it provide less feedback as to what you are pressing in the dark, but it also looks horribly cheap. Add to that, when in traffic and just inching along, it is nicely convenient to grasp the wheel at the bottom. I know some the pre-2004 people hate the two spoke wheel, but the bulge they added in 2004 really made that wheel comfortable. Couldnt they keep the option around?


....well, then there are the few reasons to update...
1. the new bumpers are clean and stylish.
2. wouldnt mind going to a stick for the increase in MPG, although I would regret the choice after several trips across the bridge in summer.
3. a chance to get rid of the sun roof would be nice.
4. the style of the new lights has grown on me.


Happy Holidays from the Grumbler....if you can sing these reasons to the twelve days of christmas, i would throughly enjoy a rendition.

 

Starting with the 05 the stock stereo does do MP3 CDs. I use that feature all the time.

 

bah.

 

Spiders in the headlamps?

 

To make a song of this would take some doing but its doable.

I'm not a muscian

 

The style of the new headlights has grown on me too. . . .

 

My 2003 has nearly 49k miles but right now it is a good strong car and always has been.

If I got a new one I'd have to start all over worrying about scratches and dog fur. . .

Might as well keep it for another 50k. . .

 

Love the list. If I had time I WOULD work it up into a song. But I am already working on a song called about my renovation projects for the Four Seasons Employee holiday party.

I love my 03 MC. She has become my personality now. I will drive her until one day she goes into the driveway and simply can't go out again.

Now, I am tempted by possible 2007 engine changes.....

But I think if I were to sell Isabelle, I would end up buying a Tahiti Blue Classic.

 

LOL - gotta keep your nickname valid, huh? In stock form, I semi-agree... I hate red turn signals. However I MUCH prefer the reverse light to be located in the tail lights, and the fog light in the bumper. In my opinion, this was a correction that NEEDED to be made. As for the red turn signals, the amber-signal Euro tail lights solve that problem. Yeah, but some of the colors are still nice, they haven't gotten rid of ALL the good ones yet.So what? Take it off! I removed mine on the day I got my car, BEFORE I even left the dealership! As soon as the MA was done explaining the features, my screwdriver and Torx bits came out of my briefcase. Every single person who owned a previous year model and upgraded to a 2005/2006 model has said that they can feel the quality difference. That doesn't mean they are perfect (of course not), but they are definitely better made now, on average.Umm... what are you talking about - the stock headunit plays MP3 CDs.Then maybe it's time to switch to stick, to get better control of the motoring experience?Well, that's your call. If you don't care about the power difference, don't get an MCS... true that you may be able to keep the same speed in curves, but it will take you longer to GET to those speeds, after slowing down. So yeah it will still make a difference, even in curves (although less so).There are rear seat delete kits out there if you want to convert the car.Not unless you switch from auto to manual... see reason 6.The cost of going to bi-xenons may be cost-prohibitive... and I honestly don't think it's as big a deal as you're making it. If you hate the fact they won't match perfectly, don't get the Xenons!Spiders? I haven't heard of this problem yet... I certainly don't have them in my Xenons.The wheel isn't so bad - you get used to what the buttons do, so the "feedback" isn't critical before long. Personally I think the three spoke wheel looks better than the two spoke anyway. The only thing I wish they had added to the three spoke is the "mode" button.More than a "few" IMO!Yeah they're OK.Why? I never understood why people hated it, even in traffic... especially with such a light clutch action. It's so second nature I don't even think about it. Now, in my Mustang, which has a VERY heavy duty clutch, it's a different story... you can wear your leg out if sitting in it for too long hehe.There you go.Laser beams!Haha... no, your eardrums would burst...

 

What? No spiders yet?
Wait, did he mean SpiderX in the Xenons?
BTW, a little bit of WD40 keeps the spiders out ... they hate walking on that stuff

 

I completely agree with you on the new 3-spoke steering wheel. I replaced my '03 with an '05, and while it's a far better car overall, the steering wheel stereo controls just plain suck. They are no longer intuitive at all, and I can no longer use them to switch between CD and radio. It's a small price to pay for the improved 5-speed tranny, but it's still completely lame to actually remove such a useful function.

 

I can't believe you forgot to mention the clock! I had to find my own solution to the dumb@ss re-location of the clock.



This move also effectively ruins the handy rallye feature where the co-pilot could easily reset the trip quickly.

Nonetheless, 3-spoke wheel and clock be d@mned, I am still quite happy with my '05 upgrade to the '02.

 

I agree, there are no new features in the 05's compelling enough for most people to trade in.

But I don't agree with your all of your assesment of the 05's-06's. To each his own obviously, in my case... (my opinions in red, and they're worth exactly what they cost ) And I have a 05 so I'm clearly biased too, just the other way...

1. The 2005 tail lights suck. I am sure Matchbox has something to do with the design.

Hmm. I like the 05's lights a bit better. And no mod needed to get adequate brake lights since they made the old fog lamps the brake. Looks to me like they noted the popular tail light mods and did a smart thing. Matchbox?

2. Have you seen the new color choices, what did someone have a fun with Photoshop session late night after a holiday party.

Can't argue colors, you like emm or you don't.

3. The cup holder. Ok, it is convenient for the driver, but did they have it make it look like that much of an afterthought....and what if your passenger has a drink, guess they are SOL.

Yup, it's gross. Took me 30 seconds to take it out, keep meaning to sell it on Ebay... I stick my bottles of Cherry coke in the rear one. Yes, would be nice if the fronts could have been roomier, but...

4. They "say" they have fixed several build problems.......well, since they didnt change the plastic risers around the windsheild, i can only wonder what they fixed and how many problems they introduced.

Sounds like you've got a issue that's been a problem, sorry... But in reading NAM, MINI2... Sounds to me like rattles & other build issues complaints are down overall. Enough to trade in? Of course not.

5. No MP3 compatible dash player.....what, are they cheaping out on the license fees. What motivation is there if I am still stuck using the aux jack and fumbling with my iPod. No progress shown here....ie, the iPod connection is joke.

Umm, even the base stereo DOES play MP3's. It doesn't display the ID3 tags, but I burned the disk so I KNOW what's on it. I agree Ipods are a joke. And if ANYONE is considering buying a new car for a stereo please visit your local Best Buy, Circuit City, etc instead... It's a bit cheaper...

6. They improved the gearbox for MC.....well, since I am CVT-natic, that really means nothing.

Agreed. But if you don't care about accel. just handling then you won't care anywho... It'd be nice if it were a option to get new 6 speed auto with paddles other than S only. That IS a shame I suppose.

7. Upgrade to an MCS.....is that really an upgrade, if I can keep up with the MCS people in the curves, what the heck do I care if I can squeal tires off the line. Listen, I just want a fun commuter, not some mid-life crisis shrunken corvette. I prefer to keep my support of the oil industry to a minimum.

You really are in a bad mood aren't you? Sorry! Ahh, but can you keep up in the turn if you arrive at the turn a hundred feet back! Kidding! Well, mostly

Coolest part of a MINI is awesome handing is a NON S too. I don't know of any post pubescent S MINI driver that 'squeals tires'. Except that one 'fellow' at the Dragon doing burnouts. The throttle may be digital, but it not 0 and 1... Mid-life crisis shrunken Corvette? Jeesh. Where'd THAT come from! Sounds like you dislike S's more than Mini classics dislike 'new MINI's'.

Ohh, & the diff tween the Cooper and Cooper S is qouted as 2-3 mpg. I'd hardly call that supporting the oil industry.

8. Have they improved the folding rear seats, or eliminated them completely and made it more of a 2 seater hauler? No. Well no reason there.

And worse yet the convertible back seats are close to useless with all the space lost to the top. Knew that of course, and bought it anyway. It's not my only car. Those speedster (2 seater) pics floating around looked cool...

9. Improved the MPG any? No. (see end of reason 7)

No, but I average 29.5 around town, and about 35 on trips. If I go on a spirited drive on back roads and play it drops to 25. Got 17 on the track at Summitt Point. A girl in my office struggles to get 24 normally in a S. I rode with her. Explained not to cruise at 3300 rpm! She was too enterained by the tail pipe noise.

10. Color matched the fog/blinker lights to the Xeon headlights? No and wait, I can do that post production. Well, no reason there.

YUP

11. Have they found a way to keep the spiders out of the Xeon headlights? No. Well no reason there.

Sounds like a good story there Do the high beams fry em?

12......and the number #1 reason not to get a newer Mini, what the hell is up with the playstation steering wheel? Not only does it provide less feedback as to what you are pressing in the dark, but it also looks horribly cheap. Add to that, when in traffic and just inching along, it is nicely convenient to grasp the wheel at the bottom. I know some the pre-2004 people hate the two spoke wheel, but the bulge they added in 2004 really made that wheel comfortable. Couldnt they keep the option around?

Option'd be nice if they could, make everybody happy. And I'm ordering the Parrot so I can use the phone buttons on the wheel too. I don't do video games so don't know if they are 'Playstation' ish. I find em easy to use, in the dark too. They're lit too till you learn what is where.

....well, then there are the few reasons to update...

1. the new bumpers are clean and stylish.

He he. I went for the aero kit. Shoulda kept the originals and given to you! I didn't know enough at the time to ask to keep them. I wonder if they interchangeable to earlier years? Lot's of take offs out there.

2. wouldnt mind going to a stick for the increase in MPG, although I would regret the choice after several trips across the bridge in summer.

Which bridge? WW? If so I grieve for thee! That can't be fun, even in a MINI.

The spec for manual vs CVT in a cooper is only 2-3 mpg diff, S is 2 mpg diff in city and same for highway stick vs. auto. So yup, no reason to go stick for mgp. Only for fun, if you find it fun. If not...

3. a chance to get rid of the sun roof would be nice.

... and get a convertible

4. the style of the new lights has grown on me.

I also actually like the 05 non HID's. They're pretty darn good for 'base lights'. Not as bright as the HID's but better than any other car I've had to date.

From reading (too many hours) here, MINI2, and the like there are S owners trading in for the LSD, new ratios, and widely reported decrease in rattles and such.

There's just another point of view...
Happy Motoring!

 

I haven't heard about spiders in the Xenons.......but I've had the case of flies in the tail lamps! :impatient

 

...the burble pop burble! Now THAT's entirely enough reason to trade in for a 05-06!

 

Can't go through the whole list, but consider Monster iCruze for the iPod thing. Retains MFSW controls, and sounds fantastic. A bargain since they dropped the price by $100.

 

ok, so there have been the usual bashes.......and I am still grumpy after driving around the mall the other day........at some point, I want a train from kent island to the various malls......probably be sunk be some oil baron funding a couple senators, political weinees.

as for the mp3 compliant, it doesnt understand and display the mp3 tagging???....sheesh. someone in europe, slap them(mini radio people) for me...please.......i wonder if the sirrius/XM radio people have anything to do with that.

the spiders in the headlights(note the plural now)....not sure how they got in there, i understand from others, that they get in there during manufacture,.....not sure about the truth there, but it makes for a good story during events. ......just call me SPIDERMAN.

as for the mpg........if i were getting 33, as opposed to 30, i would be happier...and if i were getting 27, i would not be as happy. I actually did analysis on the cost per mile going from my old car, and then going to the mini. I think its my New England upbringing, something about new englanders and mpg.

oh yeah, i forgot to mention another reason to trade in......the traveller.......assuming it meets my aggressive specifications......i could use something a little more utilitarian. althougth, if it did become my little hauler, i would probably keep my mini and just get it in addition.

happy holidays all.......

 

What? No mention of the loss of the Space Grey cloth?

I sat in my 06 MCS last night for 20 minutes with a friend, then we climbed into his 04 MCS. There is a noticeable build quality difference and the interior is much richer feeling in the 06 in the evening... the LED downlights are very cool. LED lighting in the door pulls and puddle lights, too!

 

Happy Holidays Grumbler!