After weighing out the options, I'm leaning towards a justacooper, no S. I like their slightly better mpg and the fact that they now get 6 speeds in the manual, so..yeah. I have yet to drive the justacooper, but from what I hear it's not a sluch, by any means. I've driven the 2006 S model before, but none from the new lineup yet.

I'll probably be taking a trip to the dealer in feb to test drive and discuss options...ordering sometime this summer (and crossing my fingers gas doesn't skyrocket again and drive mini prices higher in the meanwhile). Luckily, I'm not in the position where I am shopping out of immediate necessity. My 2005 GMC sierra pickup I have now suits me well, and gets decent mpg for a truck (21 or so highway, I believe).

 

I test drove the MINIs in the opposite order as you. Back in the summer I drove the justacooper and was happy with the peppiness and handling so I ordered one on the spot. About a month into the order, I had some down time and decided to test drive the S. At that point I told my MA that I did not want to take possession of the original order and ordered the S. Damn it's fast!!

 

Thanks for the link. This is what I was referring to in my earlier post. Both of the automotive finance companies I worked for had Retail Contracts that were set up just like a mortgage. I'm in Canada though, so I suppose it could be different than in the US? I have never heard of a Straight Line Loan before...Interesting.