No more slushboxes for me. Anything less than a proper manual isn't realy driving.

 

We just bought an automatic Mini because after boating for 20 some years, our knees gave out, but it still sounds like a stick (somewhat) when you accelerate. We've both driven manual for years. If you do a lot of in-city driving, manual is a headache. njp

 

The correct answer is to get two MINIs!

 

Nope, the paddle shifters have been fun, I can certainly drive the heck out of it as I want to still, and sure don't miss a stick in the city.

In the end though buy the car that suits you, it doesn't matter what other people's opinions are.

 

Ohhh Please don't tell my husband

 

I don't regret it as neither DW or I have any manual experience. I learned how when I was 15 but never got to practice and get smooth with it. She hasn't ever tried and her family had all auto cars.

We have an '04 MC with the CVT...and I don't see why it's so bad and needed improving...does it have a tendency to go bad prematurely? Ours only has 37k miles so far... But I like the smoothness...

 

i regret not getting an S more that getting a automatic non S....lol....but we were in the same boat.....the fiance' couldn't drive a stick and didn't wanna learn at the time.........now she regrets not getting a stick.......but she did say that when we trade in our 06 cooper for the clubman we will get a Clubman S and a Stick.....WOOT !!!!

 

awesome... I don't think the wife has any interest in stick, but I'd like to practice on somebody's car at some point... the one I learned on in high school was my mom's '71 Datsun 240Z...it was going to be "my" car in high school till she found out how much the ins. would cost...then I never practiced driving it anymore...

 

Truisms....
Driving a stick in commuter traffic daily sucks.... Talking on the cell phone instead of paying attention to one's driving is the second most infuriating thing to other drivers.... Performance drivers like to shift.... My MCSCa gets rubber through two gears and thats just fine with me.... If you buy what you like, you'll like what you drive!

 

I love this thread. Every time it happens. Which is frequently.

If you have aspirations to track the car (HPDEs, etc.) I recommend the manual - because there IS a performance penalty with the auto, albeit small for the street.

If you have a long stop-and-go commute... I recommend the auto. I love mine. As someone else said, I personally consider it an ADVANTAGE for twisty road performance driving, if you learn to use the manual mode with the paddles properly.

A big hint... the tranny behaves MUCH differently (and feels less like a slushbox) in "sport" mode (with the lever moved to the right) vs. plan "auto" mode, which to me feels like crap... in only use that mode on the highway to achieve 6th gear. Around town I ALWAYS drive "sport"... makes a huge different how much you'll enjoy the auto...

I have some old performance driving buddies who are ditching their manuals for autos... to save the knee...

But, when I buy a dedicated "weekend/track car" - and I WILL, it will be a manual (unless they have the dual clutch auto by then...)

 

Personally I couldn't even think of owning an AUTO mini.or an auto in any small "sports" car. the whole driving experience is gone.
I bought a Mazda3 about a year ago as a family car that my wife would primarily drive. I refuse to own a small car without a manual is what I told her, she said I don't know how to drive one. well, I told the dealer that I wanted to try the car for the weekend before making my decission and they agreed. I spent the weekend showing my wife how to drive it untill she was comfortable with it, and now she says, I refuse to drive a small car without a manual!
autos in sports cars are for those who are not "DRIVERS"

 

I guess the real question is do you want to patiently teach your girlfriend to drive a stick? Is she the type with enough interest to pick it up and get good at it? Some people just don't have the interest and you have to consider/respect that. Is her preference really a deciding factor, or will you be the primary driver? Also...driving conditions...would an auto really make sense in a daily driving situation even for you? Forget the sporting crap...get the right tool for the job, I say. There is no reason to avoid an auto, especially on a MINI as the box is so flexible. If I had a need for a more placid driving experience (no shifting) I'd consider one, especially/even w/ R56 Coopers, the tranny and Prince engine's additional torque combine to make the auto as good a manual...unless you like shifting and extracting better mpg out of the car (which I do).

I was motoring awhile back w/ a lady from NAM who has an R53 auto and the subject came up of paddle shifters and how well they work. She said, "You mean like this?" and, without hesitation, her little fingers started flashing all over those crazy paddles, immediately downshifting and blasting off through the gears at her fingertips. Impressive...and it illustrated what I've always suspected: if you have an automatic and really explore the various options enough to get good at it, you can have a great deal of fun on a whole different level.

So look at what you really need and once a realistic determination has been made between you two, go forward and don't look back.

 

I agree ... for the first few days after I purchased Harmini I thought something was wrong with her... and then I found this forum. It seems like the '04 CVT gets really confused sometimes about whether it's a manual or an automatic.

Part of her charm.

Since I bought used, I didn't have much choice - and due to possible future health problems (I have MS) I figured it would be wiser to get an automatic so I have no worries. Basically, I would have got an automatic if I was buying new - and I DO know how to drive a stick.

 

08 MCSa. my license would have been taken by now with a manual. you can raise quite enough hell with the auto in manual shift mode.

 

See, this was a nice, civil thread for a while... then somebody had to make a disparaging comment not about autos, but the people who would prefer them.....

Never mind that the MINI isn't a sports car. Nor is a Mazda 3, for that matter. Sporty, yes. Sports car, no.

 

+1

 

I think you misunderstand me, Im not making fun of those with autos. Im simply stating that a manual is for the true sports car "driver" (i.e.) the same type of person who buys a european car knowing all its rattles and finishing issues and has to maintain the car regularlly and love tinkering with it. the type that gets up 5am on sunday morning on a spring day to blast through a favorite winding road an hour or so away from home, just for the sake of driving. those are the "drivers" im taliking about. they (myself included) would not consider an auto trans, you just dont get that man and machine as one connection that you do with a manual. like downshifting into a turn one hand on the wheel one on the shifter, depressing the clutch at a hi enough RPM to get the car to slightly slide, throw it in the next gear and grin as you know the next turn is moments ahead, and you get to do it again

you cant get that "real sports car feeling" with an auto. thats why Porsche held off on making an auto available for so long. they thought it took away from the "sports car experience" and it does.

I am not claiming the mazda3 as a sports car by any stretch, sporty yes, fun yes, sports car, haha, no!

as far as the cooperS not being a sports car? I would have to dissagree with you there, quick accelleration, nimble handling, fun to drive. I dont know how else to describe a sports car. And have you seen them on the track? beating porsche 911's no less!

 

I agree...I have had arthritis since I was 13, by now I'm in the same boat as many drivers 2 generations older than me. For us the ad hominem comments get annoying. Though I'll be the 1st to say I'm not a real driver compared to most on NAM...this wasn't the comment I'm thinking of, doesn't bother me. I've seen/heard much worse - back when they first brought auto MINIs to the USA. Its not like MINI is going to stop making sticks because they sell a few slushboxes, but you'd have thought that by some of the reactions.

Better watch out if you live in SC, now that I'm getting an auto mini I can start talking on the cell more and put on makeup while driving - not!

 

I went into my MINI dealer expecting to walk out with the automatic, but one test drive of the sweet 6-speed manual ended any chances of that. The manual tranny in my 2008 MINI Cooper S is the easiest, most forgiving manual I have ever driven.

Clutch engagement is just right, very linear. Gear shifts are smooth but positive. And for some reason the car is nearly impossible to stall...heavy flywheel maybe. Anyway, its very, very good and it makes the car even more fun to drive.

I also have a Porsche and even though its 6-speed is made by the same manufacturer as the MINI 6-Speed (Getrag), they couldn't be more different to drive. The Porsche has a VERY heavy clutch and a super-light flywheel which means the engine revs quickly but the car is easier to stall (great on the track, not so great as a commuter).

Having said all this, if I had to drive my MINI regularly in stop-and-go freeway gridlock or in a city like San Francisco I would reconsider the automatic. Not only would continual clutch pumping get old in these situations, your clutch would need replacement much sooner thatn you'd expect.

 

Yeah, my husband's 04 has already had it replaced. It's his daily driver and got a lot of miles in though.

Edit: though after I get my mini, we'll have an extra car, so I'm hoping his poor mini will get less wear and tear.

 

Just diggin the hole deeper.... I (and other automatic DRIVERS I know) drive for HOURS to find the ultimate twisty... and drive them HARD when we get there....

Heh, heh.... quick, nimble... so is a gokart... but it's not a sports car, either... the auto industry (not just me) categorizes the MINI as a "hot hatch"... not as a sports car...

And, with equally skilled drivers, on most tracks... the Porsche wins... but you don't have to be a GOOD driver to buy a GOOD car, unfortunately...

 

I didn't want an Auto S when my wife and I first bought our Mini as I didn't consider it 'real' driving. After 2.5 years of owning it, I don't think I ever want to go back to a manual.

 

I could not agree with you more...

When I first considered the MINI I said (with a certain arrogance) absolutely no automatic - manual only! An automatic is cheating, lazy, and not 'real' driving. Then I realized that would be selfish since hubby couldn't drive it (and might cost us another order ) and conceded on getting the auto.

After driving it (and getting proficient with the paddle shifters) I have to say 90% of the time I am happy I have the automatic. BTW I have a 20 mile commute with one stop sign, one stoplight, almost no traffic (and a few good passing spots if I do see some) and lots of twistys

That being said I probably would have bought the manual were it not for my hubby and would have never know what I was missing (and would have still had a smile on my face when I arrived at work )

Both are good... very, very good!!

 

I again, am not trying to start an arguement with anyone. I am just stating that to me the real feel of a car and unity with it lie heavily on the manual trans. you just have more control of the car, again IMO

if you watch the video on one of the cooper parts I think mini madness, they have a onboard video of 1st 2nd 3rd and the mini was back and forth with a 911 for a few turns then over took it for the rest of the race.

so even though the mini is labeled a "hot hatch" because of its body configuration dosent mean its not a sports car. it means it has a hatch back design.

 

yeah i really wished that i could get a manual for my car but my parents had to be able to drive it as well. the good thing is that its got the triptronic tranny and i can just use the paddle shifters. even though it's not the full manual gearbox experience it still a blast to drive. but as soon as the car gets signed to my name i'm am going right to the nearest dealership with a manual MCS