Hi,
I'm interested in buying a 2007 Mini S and have some questions before placing an order.
This is my first post so I wanted to say hello.
I live in Fremont, CA. and have been talking with East Bay Mini in Pleasanton. Are they reputable? Positive/negative feedback? Recommend anyone?
Next: while looking at the Mini website, I'm overwhelmed by the options. My budget is no more than $27k and want to get my moola worth. What packages will make the most sense without the fluff. I've put together 3 Minis online but not sure if that's the best for me and not being redundant with the options.
That's a start and want to take it from here. More later as I begin to explore my "inner child". Hey, I'm just beginning my 2nd childhood at 53 years old! This is my toy.
Thanks all,
olcorral.

 

Welcome and 53 is young!

Well, you got to say whats important to you. You haven't said what are your priorities.

For example ...

Some ppl love sunroofs, others hate them
Some ppl want performance, other dont care
Some ppl want bling, others want it stripped
Some ppl want luxary (like leather), others dont care

What is important to you?

Oh, sorry, I just read no fluff

Then if it were me, I'd get it stripped EXCEPT for:

LSD
Xenons
DSC

Those are the only three things I would consider essential, Xenons and DSC for safety. LSD for better traction. Everything else you can do aftermarket when you can afford it.

 

Wow, this was me last year when I finally put in my order for a new MINI. I also am from Fremont and went with East Bay MINI. They're OK although sometimes I would have appreciated a little more feedback. You could also go with MINI of Mountain View if you can get them to agree to MSRP only. My budget was only slightly larger so I also got the SAT/NAV but didn't get leather seats. I went for a compromise of comfort and sportyness. I didn't go for the sunroof because the sun always shines through and I didn't want to have to wear a hat to keep the heat off my head.
Good Luck with your choices

 

I'll probably pull the trigger on a R56 in a year or so and likely will get a yellow car with the sport pkg, LSD, and not much else. I like many of the other options on the car, but they just seem ridiiculously overpriced.

- Mark

 

Okay, here's what I have so far:
2007 S
Dark Silver
Sport Pkg (DSC, Xenon, Webspoke wheels)
Peformance Pkg (? Not sure what all?) What it this package anyway?
Leather: Punch Carbon Black (fluff)
Dual Chrome Exhaust Tips (fluff)
JCW Drilled Rotors (not fluff)
JCW Carbon Fiber Bonnet Scoop (fluff)
JCW Carbon Fiber Mirror Covers (fluff)
Auto Dim Mirror (umm)
Auto Rain Sensor (again, umm)
Auto Headlamps (yep need um)
What do you think about this package? Anything to add or subtract?
This is going for $27,587 and is in my ballpark.
I'd be grateful for any ideas,
Thanks,
olcorral.

 

Are the clear side lights standard or are they an option that needs to be ordered?

 

I don't see "Performance Pkg" on the configurator. I see Premium, Sport, Cold Weather, Convenience, Hyper Sport, and Audio. I'm not sure what "Auto Headlamps" are either-I'm not seeing them.

You could always do rotors later. Have you visited a dealer and looked/sat in leatherette and the other options? A couple of the things you list are in the convenience pkg-have you checked that out? MFSW-multifunction steering wheel-do you want cruise control?

 

Leatherette is very nearly as good as leather. All the auto stuff you do not need, exhaust tips, I think not. LSD is a must, rear fogs simply for toggle envy, and with the money you save go for MCS. Only 3 MINI's online, I had seven before I finally ordered, with 1 change afterthat

 

Personally, I would buy the Xenons, DSC and LSD ala carte.

ALL the rest is fluff. Why?

Wheels ... you can always go aftermarket later and be lighter and much more variety

JCW brakes ... some people will tell you they are pretty worthless in comparison to aftermarket kits

Save the $4K and use that money later when you review everything available in the aftermarket and then make a decision.

just my opinion.

BTW, if MINI follows the first gen direction, most about anything can be retrofitted later.

 

You're on a budget and you're buying auto rain sensors?

- Mark

 

With $27K Here's what I'd get:

. One of the metalic paints
. The Sport Package (DSC, Xenon Lights, 17" Crown Spoke Wheels, and bonnet stripes (if you want them)
. Limited Slip Differential
. Manual Transmission
. Rear Fog Lamps
. Sports Leather Steering with Multifunction (incl. cruise control)
. Computer Navigation System (Auto air conditioning mandantory option included)

Total price: $27,050 (if I could scoot just a little higher I'd spend another $550 for the Hi-Fi Sound system.

 

Everyone has good points about the all the options and what they'd order.
I never even thought of going ala carte as opposed to going with just packages. I like all your ideas and have added many to my list and have dropped the Rain Sensors -pretty dumb of me to add them in the first place. Yep, it's a fun idea to have all the choices.
Thanks again.
Oh, what about safety in the Mini?
I'm coming from Tundra, Prius (which my wife just took from me and won't give back.
Is the Mini safe?
olcorral.

 

Is the Mini safe?
Very. Do some googling and you'll see.

 

"Safety of the Highest Standard: MINI Cooper receives Five Stars in the Euro NCAP Crash Test."

http://miniology.com/?p=60

 

My input:
drilled rotors are more fluff than you think
carbon fiber? (JMO, of course, and pricey at that!)
Rain sensor Used to think it was until I drove to The City in a rental BMW on a misty day - they are magic!
auto headlamps - unlike the rain sensor, it only gets dark once a day and the Xenons age with on/off cycles
I'd go LSD - cheap at $500

 

My MSC came out to be about 27,000, INCLUDING taxes, title and license fees, which were a healthy chunk. That's with Sport, Premium and Cold Weather packages, LSD, and a little fluff (armrest, Union Jack mirror covers). Also auto windshield wipers (not so fluffy, IMO). Included in these specs I got the sunroof, DSC, and Xenons, all musts for me. I did not get leather or metallic paint--both big chunks of change. I did change out the 17" wheels for 16" on a dealer trade. It's a good setup and I wouldn't change a thing, after over 5500 miles on the road.

 

I have a 2006 dark silver/pure silver roof MCS that came with an unfortunate pimp-my-ride silver vinyl decal on the hood reminiscent of the big black bird on the 80's Pontiac Firebirds. The vinyl came off no problem, but the pure silver scoop alone is not wonderful. Tried a carbon fiber, but, while I think they look great when there is contrast (silver, red, white, etc.), the colors are close enough to kind of clash. Have the dealer put the carbon scoop and mirror covers on the car so you can decide if you really like carbon on dark silver.
~ Blacky

 

"Packages" are a marketing thing to get you to buy ... maybe ... something you don't need or want. If you want all the things in a package, so be it. But notice in the MINI configurator how it will popup with something like ... for $xxx you can get the sport package. A marketing means to get you to spend money. For example, if you dont want 17" wheels, don't get the sport package. Japanese cars love to do packages.

Well the new Tundra isn't doing to good However, do not get hung up on ppl telling you how wonderful MINI does in safety. It does VERY well in its class of cars ... but that is against cars of the same size. Search for threads on IHSTA safety here or just go to their website and read the reports. Yup, it does very well against the same class of cars. Against bigger ones ... hmm. Hit it with the Tundra and you might not want to see what happens. That does not mean its not safe .... it does VERY well against its peers in class.

Eric is right here about the drilled rotors ... they are fluff and there are much better aftermarket. Read The real deal about cross-drilled and Slotted Rotors. I am guilty of buying the JCW brakes but would never again. They might look pretty but, IMO, bling. Reading that article will give some insight.

 

We talked with East Bay Mini, and they were very nice. However, we got Gromit at Niello in Sacramento for a couple reasons:

Being from Sacramento originally, I new Niello to be very reputable.
They didn't require us to place a $1000 deposit on our order like EBM wanted.
We got MSRP, which at the time, was very hard to get.

Since then, their service has been supurb, and we've been treated very well.

As to your options, I would dump any options that have the word "auto" in them. Save that money for fun mods. Being that Gromit is a factory JCW, I love the brakes. They perform VERY well during autocross events.

 

For me the key to ordering my 07 was taking the time to figure out what I really wanted. LSD, DSC and Xenons were a must have for me. paying for 17" wheel upgrade seems pointless to me. I am under 27K with lots of options. check my sig for the full details.

 

Being in Fremont, you absolutely DON'T need the Cold Package.

 

OBJECTION!
Don't know what it costs now, but if you have a better/lesser half who is more heat sensitive than you, the CWP is worth it in spades. My wife LOVES having the 'heat seaters' on even if I think it is too warm IMO. Costs a ton to add afterwards, so just a few uses makes it worth the $$.

 

oops - double post

 

Webspokes cost extra. Crown Spokes come with the Sport Package. Since the Webspokes don't provide any perfomance benefits (they are both heavy wheels) I would say they are pure fluff. If you want to spend money on wheels, get some lightweight 3rd Party wheels and improve ride and handling.

I think DSC is a good idea. I pushed the car on some twisty country roads and got into some corners a little too hot. DSC didn't get in the way and may have helped me from some misjudgments. If it came on, I didn't notice, but then I wasn't watching for dash indicators.

I don't like the Xenon lights. Too bright in the area they light, leaving you blind to what is beyond their reach on low beam. Devastating to other drivers if you accidentally leave them on high beam. They may be fine for over-lit cities, but I don't like them for country driving when there are other cars around.

There is a package that has the sport suspension and aero body kit. The car handles well with stock suspension, but the sport suspension should provide some improvement. The aero kit is pure fluff.

Sometime, probably next year, JCW is supposed to have an intake/exhaust/ECU performance package. Not available now.
The Punch Carbon leather looks more like leatherette than leather to me. I went with cloth seats because I didn't like the white piping on the black lounge leather, and the red leather seemed like a mismatch for a Pure Silver car. Might look better with Dark Silver. I'm told that the lounge leather has an adjustable lumbar support. The cloth seats do not.

Totally fluff. They are the same brakes with holes drilled in them to impress 15 year-old girls. Drilled holes are supposed to relieve the air cushion that develops when brakes are applied very rapidly in racing. Whether it actually happens, and whether the holes really help seems to be a matter of debate. If you want better brakes, get a 3rd party upgrade that is less subject to fading.

Seems to work. Now, if only the side mirrors would auto-dim...

Haven't used it yet. So, can't say whether it is useful.

You'll probably be paying $30,000 by the time you are done.

The things I have that I like are:
NAV: Provides an integrated computer center for a number of functions in the car. The GPS guidance and traffic avoidance system seems to function well (got me through San Jose and around several traffic jams).
Parking Distance Control: With the NAV it presents a great graphic of where things are behind you. The back of the MINI is rather high and the rear seat head rests obscure some of the view.
LSD: The MCS has lots of torque. Gotta get it to the ground.
Multi-function Steering Wheel: Cruise control is a must for me, and being able to change volume on the HIFI with my thumb on the steering wheel is a real plus. Changing channels on the radio is also good, but I mostly use an iPod.
Heated Seats: I'm in Carmel Valley, CA and like the heated seats very much. Didn't think I'd need them, but a friend talked me into them. They are just the thing for a foggy morning or cold evening. "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." atributed to Mark Twain (but he probably never said it).
Rear Fog Lamps: For $100 they make the rear look better, may save your butt in the tullie fog if you ever drive through the Central Valley on 5. Also fills a blank in an interior switch panel.

 

if you have at least more than one mini dealership to choose ordering from, ask each one what production week slots they have. but definitely customer service is more important. also, many parts can be ordered afterwards fr many different vendors for possibly cheaper. check some of the vendors listed on the vendor list here at NAM. i wish i didn't put bonnet stripes on my order, because i've seen some really cool, cheaper ones on different sites. to that point, ask the dealer when the latest you could make changes to your order if you need to, and if any of those changes would cause any delays to getting your baby to you...

if you decide you want bluetooth or convenience pkg (which it look like you didn't), test your phone on one of the cars w/ this option at the dealer... something i should have done... since i'm finding some people are having a hard time pairing their phones w their mini...

good luck with the decision... even though you have a hard decision to make, it'll be sooooo worth it once you know for sure what you want!!!