Cooper or Cooper S (Hardtop)
4th Gear
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 308
Likes: 0
Get the non-turbo. It will be plenty fast and fun for you. By the way, please be careful with whatever you get. These are light cars and they slide very easily in loose gravel left on the pavement.
Do not buy an older Mini that has the CVT transmission. They are prone to failure and it will likely cost more than your car is worth to repair it.
Do not buy an older Mini that has the CVT transmission. They are prone to failure and it will likely cost more than your car is worth to repair it.
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,785
Likes: 0
From: Fairfax, VA
Ok I completly did not see the part that said you just got your liscences. this is a 19 year olds experience so this is kid to kid. if i were you i would buy a justa cooper with an automatic. im saying automatic because i guess these other guys here dont remember how much clutches cost in new cars and how little money kids have. Like when i was your age i was riding on empty everywhere i went in my explorer cause all my money was spent on gas and if your also braking a clutch in there then that will just be another pain in the a** to worry about so yeah im telling you. kid to kid get a justa cooper automatic.. cause believe it or not these cars have very sensitive peddles and all learners have heavy feet and a lack of street awareness. thats just how we all start out. So for your own safety get a justa automatic so your focusing less on shifting and more on driving 
6th Gear
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 3,334
Likes: 4
From: Vancouver Island, Canada
I'd say get a manual if you have someone who can teach you to drive a stick. It's tricky at first but once you understand the principles you will pick it up quick. It's a good skill to have, and many feel it's more enjoyable. I had manual transmission experience on motorcycles but my Cooper wad my first car and I picked it up after a few lessons and a few more days of driving, without burning the clutch.
6th Gear
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,237
Likes: 8
From: Silicon Valley
Some talk of the S as being some sort of difficult to control beast. It's not. Not even the JCW. It's all about how fast you drive for any given set of conditions or circumstances. You can get in trouble just as easily in a stanard Mini as you can in an S or JCW or hundreds of other cars on the road. Recommending somone to not get an S because they're a newer driver is really silly.
3rd Gear
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 204
Likes: 0
From: Evergreen, CO
I'd recommend the non-S. If I had a car this quick when I was a teenager, I might be dead. My advice would be learn how to drive first, then worry about high performance later. Anyone can learn the mechanics of driving, but things like accident avoidance, reaction to unexpected scenarios (ie the guy in front of you laying on the brakes all of a sudden), bad weather conditions, etc, can ONLY be learned thru years of experience and all that stuff actually happening to you. The non-S has plenty of power for its size IMHO. Get the manual if you're willing to learn how to drive one. I think its a skill everyone should have at least, since you never know when you might need to drive one in an emergency or whatever. I've pretty much switched over to the autos these days, but I drove nothing but stick for about 15 years. Its second nature now, and on the rare occasion I use our stick Wrangler, I don't miss a beat in it.
3rd Gear
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 290
Likes: 2
From: Houston, TX
Ok I completly did not see the part that said you just got your liscences. this is a 19 year olds experience so this is kid to kid. if i were you i would buy a justa cooper with an automatic. im saying automatic because i guess these other guys here dont remember how much clutches cost in new cars and how little money kids have. Like when i was your age i was riding on empty everywhere i went in my explorer cause all my money was spent on gas and if your also braking a clutch in there then that will just be another pain in the a** to worry about so yeah im telling you. kid to kid get a justa cooper automatic.. cause believe it or not these cars have very sensitive peddles and all learners have heavy feet and a lack of street awareness. thats just how we all start out. So for your own safety get a justa automatic so your focusing less on shifting and more on driving
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,785
Likes: 0
From: Fairfax, VA
New clutch on Rock Auto runs a little over $300 an amount that is very doable to save up with a part time job. I agree with the justa being the better option for a beginner, but I'd disagree with the auto being better for beginners. Manuals require you to focus more on what you're doing requiring you to be more aware. This promotes better driving habits. I would also recommend going to a few autocross events or better yet a teen driving safety school (most tracks have them, you'll need to look into what is around you though) as these will teach accident avoidance and adverse condition driving, skid recovery, general car control and all around spatial awareness (I really wish these classes were offered when I first started driving) http://msrhouston.com/msrhouston/schools_teen.asp more info on the one held at MSR Houston which is pretty typical of these type of classes.
why do you say this? The automatic is faster in the 1/4 mile then the manuel. No offense but automatics are really advancing alot these days. I wouldnt keep doubting them.
2nd Gear
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 70
Likes: 0
From: DC Metro
From a guy who has an MCSa, and remembers what it was like to be a 19 yr old with a new license - get a manual justa.
The manual definitely forces you to concentrate on driving and not be distracted. I STILL think autos are way too easy, and shift with the paddles as much as possible. I learnt to drive in dense city traffic (think NYC) on a manual- it's not a big deal at all. Get someone to teach you or take the driving schools suggested by Ckeffer.
The "S" will probably cost you in insurance premiums as well as original price. The justa has enough power, but not so much that you can be lazy about downshifting and keeping the revs in the power band. Get one, you'll enjoy it, and you can trade up to a JCW later if you wish
2nd Gear
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 51
Likes: 0
From: Monroe, NC
I am with the majority, get a manual justa. The power of the s will beg you to make risky moves (based on personal experince of when I was younger and drove my dads higher powered car.) The manual will keep you focused on driving (stay busy shifting instead of playing with the radio or phone or whatever)
Both my stepsister and I own 2011 "justa's" (im starting to not like that term), but anyways, her check engine light came on (nothing serious) but the dealer gave her a 2011 "S" as a loaner. I asked her what the S was like compared to the regular coop, and said, "ehh, its pretty much the same". Astonished (I knew she was wrong, although I've never driven an S), I was like, ooh ok. I got a text from her earlier today, she must have really gunned it on the highway back to the dealership to return the car and pick hers up because she said "I was so wrong, the S is really fast....like, really really fast".
For you, I'd recommend testing the regular coops first and see how you like them. Again, I've still never driven an S, but the "justa" cooper is better than you may think. Needless to say, my stepsister and I will be upgrading next time though
Also, I'd HIGHLY recommend learning how to drive stick shift before you make your purchase, because, these cars are truly built to be driven that way. It's a quirky car (as once described to me) that you'll come to love, but I can see that it'd be a lot more fun to drive with a manual tranny-I have an automatic, and I'm not gonna lie, it's weird.
For you, I'd recommend testing the regular coops first and see how you like them. Again, I've still never driven an S, but the "justa" cooper is better than you may think. Needless to say, my stepsister and I will be upgrading next time though
Also, I'd HIGHLY recommend learning how to drive stick shift before you make your purchase, because, these cars are truly built to be driven that way. It's a quirky car (as once described to me) that you'll come to love, but I can see that it'd be a lot more fun to drive with a manual tranny-I have an automatic, and I'm not gonna lie, it's weird.
4th Gear
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 391
Likes: 0
From: Bergen County, New Jersey
haha aiight, I will definitely keep a look out! I've been verry disappointed to notice that whenever I waive to another mini owner that I've come across around the bergen county area, I don't get waives back! A lot of the time, the driver looks at me like..."wtf?"
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,785
Likes: 0
From: Fairfax, VA
Thats the problem with us living in the cities.. City folk are pretty much d-bags lmao
4th Gear
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 391
Likes: 0
From: Bergen County, New Jersey
I passed a brand new countryman on the highway the other day on my way to class, I slowed down in the fast lane with someone on my tail just so that I could look directly at the driver and waive, the woman driving didn't understand...
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,785
Likes: 0
From: Fairfax, VA
I will admit that although I don't live in a "city", but more so the "burbs" next to the city, we are d-bags, especially in terms of our driving habits, BUT, the waiving/acknowledging of other mini drivers is what sets us aside from the civic/corolla/tc/speed3/and other similar vehicle drivers. SO, to the OP, whatever mini you do decide to get, MAKE SURE you waive to the other mini's on the road!
I passed a brand new countryman on the highway the other day on my way to class, I slowed down in the fast lane with someone on my tail just so that I could look directly at the driver and waive, the woman driving didn't understand...
I passed a brand new countryman on the highway the other day on my way to class, I slowed down in the fast lane with someone on my tail just so that I could look directly at the driver and waive, the woman driving didn't understand...
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