Hi all.

I did several searches and was surprised to find little conversation about the relative merits of choosing a base model Mini.

After doing extensive research, asking around, a driving a few cars, it was clear to me that I wanted a base. Here are my reasons, and I'd be interested to hear yours, or maybe your argument against.

Keep in mind, I was shopping for used, in the $10 to $14k price range.

The first reason I chose a base was ride quality. The 17" wheels, run flat ties, and stiffer suspension of the S, although a hoot on the on-ramps, just felt abusive when cruising through town. This is my primary car and i chose the relative comfort of full-sized tires and more "normal" suspension. Also, i would rather not have to spend $1k every time i needed a new set of sneakers. Plus there's a certain comfort in knowing i have a spare tire.

Second was fewer moving parts; i don't need the extra power, and to me, it's not worth the cost and complication of upkeep of a supercharger (in my price range, all the S's are supercharged).

Well, I guess that was it--two reasons, but I felt like they were good ones. Also, when i stopped in to talk to Luke (I think) Zbylut at Zbylut Motors in Hadley, MA (He'll be my tech) he said I had done my homework, and a base is what i wanted which I thought was assuring.

In the end, I found a gorgeous Velvet Red '03 R50 w/45k miles just up from FLA for just under $10k at an independent dealer. It was a good score so far, as it has none of the issues I read about here (squeaks, rattles, shaking windows, stalling, etc,etc. It's tight and happy!)

Anyway. Why did you choose your Base?

 

Did you do enough research not to buy the CVT?

Pretty car - congrats on your new ride, btw!

 

Absolutly avoided the auto. In the end, i took a risk an a car with the pre-Getrag 5-speed, just because everything else about it was right. At the price, even if i had to replace the tranny, I'd feel OK.

Thanks for the kind words.

 

I chose the Cooper because the factory stopped offering the mechanical LSD on the "S." I spent a long time becoming certain the Cooper wouldn't be underpowered, but it as quick or quicker to 60 than every car I've owned in forty years except two: A Lotus Elan and BMW 325i.

 

It's for my 18yr old daughter

It's a chili red/white top, 05 base, manual, though it has the nicer headlights & computer/stalk.

I actually like it a lot... though I'd go for an S.

 

I think the bases are great, and I'm sure in your case you choose correctly, I would, however, like to negate two of your points.

The run flats are seldom replaced by run flats. When our Minis need replacement tires, I'll be replacing them with non-run flats and throwing a can of fix-a-flat in the back. I don't see the point of owning them. In my 30 years of driving, I've needed a spare tire one time. To me, they are a waste of space and weight. I do see the point of people wanting them for a daughter, spouse, etc. But cell phones are plentiful, and we live in an area where help is always close by. Let's be honest, how many wives or daughters will be changing their own tire anyway?

Secondly, the turbo and superchargers are not some mystery that can't be worked on by a DIY type of shade tree mechanic. In fact, they're fairly simply to replace and used parts are plentiful especially when it comes to the 2nd gen Mini as these small turbos make room for larger ones they end up in "for sale" sections of various forums. They are inexpensive and fairly easy to acquire.

Trust me, I'm not saying you made a mistake, but I wanted to let people that are leaning towards the S know they're making a good decision too.

For me, the biggest reasons to consider the base is initial cost and a bit higher fuel economy. Insurance for younger drivers might be an issue too, but I'm not sure about that. I will say that both my wife and I average over 30 (Her 32+ MPG and me 31+ MPH) in mixed driving, and I'm very pleased about that.

Either the base or the S are good decisions in my opinion. It's hard to go wrong if you enjoy a small sporty car.

 

Justa vs. S vs. JCW & Manual vs. Auto to me are all just choices we make. There are financial reasons, mechanical fears, etc and IMHO you can't go wrong. Congrats on getting exactly what you wanted. I hope you enjoy it for a long time. Looks like someone took great care of it for you.

 

I chose a Cooper ("Justa") as well. I decided for the vast majority of my driving it would be great - I test drove both cars. The only times I wish I had an S is during rallies! And the cost savings and better mileage was worth it to me.

 

Velvet Red......rare color. Good choice!! I originally chose my first R50 because quite frankly at the time it was a steal. I picked it up brand new because a guy bought it and then got orders to Korea and didn't want it anymore. That was back in 2003. To this day, I will still say my R50 was more fun to drive in the twisties than my current R53. Congrats on the car and enjoy.

 

Good points to consider. I didn't think of that way of dealing with run flats. Still, the 17" wheels and stiff suspension were too harsh for my sensibilities and that wouldn't change (much) with replacement tires. And I really don't need any extra HP no matter how simple or cheap it is to care for.It's still simpler and cheaper not to have it at all.

So I'll stick by my reasons. YMMV (so to speak)


Please understand it was never my intention to say that one model or option package was inherently better than another. There are so many ways to have your Mini, no one should limit or diss anyone elses' choices.

I started this thread primarily to hear from people like myself who decided a base was the best car for them.

 

Quoting myself

BTW, great looking MINI!

Velvet Red w/ White holies... so cool. Not sure I've ever seen one like that before.

 

I thought long and hard on the MC v. MCS when I was shopping. While there was a part of me that wanted the MCS, the MC suited my situation better. Yes, the extra HP and 'get up' of the MCS would have been great, but the main things I was looking for was a car that would be great on gas while still having a good fun factor. The MC was more than 'fun enough', it gets better mileage (along with not demanding as much from my fuel dollar) and is an easier payment.

 

For me, (the run-flats and) not having a spare tire just wouldn't have felt right.

 

Beautiful color!

 

I have run-flats on 16s on my Justa. Is that unusual?

I have actually not driven the S. This is my first car after giving up riding motorcycles. I have a 390lb bike with 115HP, and I never use the top end. For me the fun of being on the road is all about handling.

I was worried the Cooper would be a bit too boring for me, but a test drive changed my mind. The salesman took the wheel and showed me it actually got up to speed pretty efficiently. Within the legal limits, of course

Looking at identical models with similar packages, in my area they were selling for $21-23k. Usually with higher mileage and fewer options. My '06 with only 30,000KM on it had just been dropped to $16k because they wanted to get it off the lot. It was loaded with lots of options, which was nice. The price was a big factor. If I take care of it I shouldn't lose much when I sell it down the road, if i do.

The other selling point was fuel economy. I plan on taking it on a lot of roadtrips, so that will be a big benefit for me.

In short, handling, fun factor, cost, and fuel economy were the primary reasons.

 

My reasons:
Save some cash.
I loved the Oxygen Blue color.
Seems to be more issues with the turbocharged engines.
Base has enough power for me.

In the end... it was probably mostly the color.

 

When I was shopping back in May, I had a few things I was looking for... MC with 16s and black checkered cloth interior. Pretty simple, I thought, and I would have bought from dealer stock for that. My MA did a regional search to see if there was one available that they could get for me... there was exactly 1 that came up. I passed on it since it had far too many things that I had no interest in and that had driven the price out of my comfort zone.

So I'll guess that there are some MC that come over with 16 run-flats, but they are in the minority.

 

In another thread I mentioned that I'm friends with the GM of the newly opened (last week) dealer in Houston. I mentioned to him after their Grand Opening soiree on Saturday that it seemed like most of their first shipment of lot cars were Coopers. He said in their factory training leading up to establishing their new dealership, MINIUSA told them close to 50% of MINI's sold in the US are base Coopers with automatic transmissions. Doesn't match the demographics you see here on the forum, but not really surprising. I'm sure price and economy is a prime factor for most people versus the "enthusiast" mentality you see here.

 

I looked at the inventory of the five dealers in California. 50% were coopers, auto outnumbered manuals on both models.

 

Doesn;t surprise me too much since the majority are bought by people who want a nice, small car. The MINI is really in a class of its own when you compare it to similar sized models from other manufacturers so it makes sense to see a lot more autos than manuals and a lot more coopers than other models.

 

I was surprised too when I walked the lot in Hartford, CT and saw all the autos. I guess it shouldn't be too surprising considering many people do buy these simply because they are a "cute car".

A could see (relative) affordability and ease of operation as important qualities to that demographic.

 

IIRC, MINI says that ~36% of all MINIs have manuals. Relative to most cars, that's incredibly high, but still the majority are autos.

Regarding RunFlats, the only 2nd Gens that don't have them are Coopers with 15's. All 16"+ wheels have RFs.

 

I got my base MINI because it was $3500 less than an S and after driving both I found that I could keep up with most S's, just put my foot in it harder. When we go on club rallies I'm right there at the front with Falken Azenis and Hotchkis Comp rear sway bar nobody goes more than 70 thru the corners and so who needs the extra hp, just drop down a gear and you have all the grunt you need. I will concede the 10 mph difference in top speed but we never go to the Bonneviile Salt Flats! And yes I have an automatic and I don't think there are many of manual transmission guys who beat my shifts timewise and certainly not reliability wise, I hear a lot of misses out there.

 

I had a hardtop S, sold it, regretted it, then when I decided to get another MINI I went for a convertible. Financial reasons dictated that I get a base Coop. Even used, there was about a $3k difference. Plus, I was tending to go a little too fast in my S, and wanted a more sedate ride.

 

They don't get much more "base" than my Justa. The only option is the MBM paint. I've driven the S, and it was a blast! But I just needed some fun, efficient transportation. The Justa Cooper gives me that and plenty of opportunity to personalize my ride on my own. And the price was just right.