2003 Cooper S with 60,xxx miles. Got it for 11,000 out the door (not including tax). Amazing car. I have been driving my girlfriends 2008 328i for a couple years now and the mini is so much more fun to drive. It honestly feels faster too. Front wheel drive is definitely a much different feel going around a bend under power, but I'm getting used to it quickly.

A couple things I noticed and just want to check on:

The Mini is significantly slower with the AC on. Is this normal?

Sometimes it accelerates faster than other times. Maybe this has to do with the hot air?

I occasionally get a creak when going over a big bump. I have the moonroof.


Are all these things normal?

Also, is there any way that I can get my tach to display speed digitally? LIke in the 04 models?

Thanks!

 

.

 

Well I just got back from a late night drive (for no reason) and it felt extremely fast. It felt slower on my long road trip back from the dealership (100 miles of highway). It is also about 70 degrees outside right now, and it was 90 on my trip this morning.

 

So the big question is:































Are you smiling from ear to ear

 

Absolutely. Ear to ear.

Is it safe to run it to redline often? I read elsewhere that you shouldn't go past 5500 too often.

 

I love redlining it, i was told I should get it tuned first but I still do it. enjoy!

 

Is it safe? I dunno, but it's fun as all get out. I do it several times a week, just commuting. :-)

I wouldn't hold it at redline all day long ... but cars are meant to be driven, and this seems to be a well-designed, well-built engine. Have at!

ps -- yes, AC slows mine down too. Running the compressor takes power!

 

Welcome to the Mini Community.

I can't answer the tac question but to the others:

Slower with A/C on...Yes
Acceleration dependent on cool air...Yes
Creaks and groans...Yes

These things are all normal.

Hope this helps...

 

Minis have their quirks - you are learing -- but we love them!

 

Thank you all for the replies. I honestly can't stop driving it. Coming from a 328i, g35x, and miata, nothing even touches this car in terms of fun to drive. I just completed a racing school at skip barber using formula fords and spec miatas, and have driven a miata for the past few years, and I can honestly say that the mini handles better. And it is so much faster. I don't even know if I need a pulley anymore!

ONE more thing I noticed: The clutch pedal is not perfectly smooth. It is smooth when being depressed, but as I let it back up, it is just slightly gritty. I feel as if that slight gritty feeling is coming from the actual pedal assembly itself, but could this be a sign of a bad throwout bearing or slave cylinder or anything like that? Clutch operating is great other than that, and the trans is smooth as anything ive driven. What an amazing car.

 

Can someone please shed some light on the digital speedometer? I'm curious also. There should be no reason they cant make it happen, it's not like its lacking the sensors to provide the data.

 

If it has an onboard computer you can. The manual walks through the onboard computer option. (see attachment)

 

yours should do this already

 

Pre 2004 Mini's did not have a digital speedometer.

 

really? do you have a display in the tach?

 

Yup we have the display, and it can show 'average speed' so it definitely could show current speed, there just doesn't seem to be a way to display it.

 

Regarding the 'gritty' feel to your clutch, this is a common problem. Poor design and shoddy materials in the clutch throw-out bearing, fork, and guide sleeve. Usually they simply remain 'mechanically unpleasant' but a recent poster experienced complete failure of his throw-out-bearing necessitating transmission removal and replacement of the throw-out bearing and guide sleeve.

 

hmm I was told our clutches dont have a throwout bearing lol

 

You definitely need to get a 15% pulley and CAI. The CAI really opens up the supercharger whine and the 15% makes it scream very nicely and really adds the needed extra power.