I am thinking of getting a mini cooper hardtop (omg I am sooo excited )...anyway the dilemma now is whether I should be getting Cooper S or not. This is my first car (I just got my license a couple of weeks back!!yay!!) and will be getting automatic transmission.

So what should I do..cooper or cooper S? Pay that extra $$ to get S?

 

Get the "S" !

 

What is important to you about the car?
Low cost?
High performance?

What kind of driving to you do?
Commuting?
City? Suburbs? Country?

Are you looking at a new car, or a used one?

Do you drive solo, or do you normally have passengers?

And finally, why a Mini? What aspects of the Mini are attractive to you?

Best regards,

Charlie

 

I would say with your level of driving experience, you night be better off with the non-S. I don't mean that as an insult in any way.

 

I have to say, I have a garage full of 400+ hp cars. I bought a non-S for the gain in mileage and apparent reliability. I was never one to buy the lesser powered car, but I did it because it seemed like the rational decision. After owning an 08 hardtop non-S with the sport package and 6 speed automatic, I couldn't be happier. Mileage is great and performance is much better than i was expecting. The S will give you the seat in the pants feel, but this non-S somehow keeps you fighting to keep it under 90 mph. I am happy I bought this version and hopefully it won't self destruct like so many that I have seen on this forum.

 

As a relatively new driver I actually agree with this statement. I rode motorcycles for several years, some slow and some too fast, but the MINI is my first four wheeled car.

For a new driver the S may be too "easy" to drive too fast. The Cooper, in my experience, makes you learn to get the best out of it to perform the way you want it to. I've been driving it for about eight months and I get faster and more "tuned-in" to the car every time I go for a spin.

As for the OP, only you can really decide, but many of us are very happy with our non-S models. Maybe take one for a test drive, and if you like it, go for it. You can always trade in for an S when you've got some skills under your belt.

 

Add another vote for a non-S. I personally prefer it to the S aesthetically, and as an inexperienced driver, it's a great first car.

 

Welcome to NAM.

The non-S (Justa Cooper) automatic gives up more in terms of performance to the Justa manual than the S automatic does to the S manual. The latter two are very close in performance; probably due to help from the turbo. If it weren't for that one difference, or if you wanted a manual, I'd recommend a Justa in your case.

When my wife said she wanted to buy a MINI last year, I thought it would have to be a manual S for sufficient fun and performance. She brought home a Justa automatic instead, and it proved me wrong. Thus, we often advise to test drive all configurations you're considering to see which suits you best. High performance comes much easier in the S, so you have to work harder to get it in a Justa. Some consider that extra "work" to be the fun part.

I've been considering a new MINI for myself recently. I already have two high powered performance cars, so I'm thinking that a Justa manual would be a fun change of pace, so to speak. Besides, the Justa is slightly more reliable than the S, and gets slightly better gas mileage.

 

Another Vote for the Non S. Specially if you haven't driven a Turbo before.

Cheers!

 

Another vote for the Cooper non-S if you are getting an automatic.

I would however encourage you to rethink getting an automatic over a manual though. I know when I bought my first manual transmission car, I was a beginner at driving a stick, but had to get better in order to get around. I really am glad I did since I love driving stick. Not only that, but a manual is cheaper than an automatic and usually gets better gas mileage. The one good thing about mini coopers is they have that 2 or 3 second delay before the car will drift back if you are on a hill or whatever that comes in pretty handy at times especially if you are a beginner.

So, I would obviously recommend a manual S, but in your case, keep it affordable and go with the manual Cooper. It's the best of all world's especially with it being your first car.

 

I've had a 2002 Justa and a 2011 Cooper S. While the S is fun, I don't know that it is anymore fun than my 2002 cooper that was bare bones. If you are a new driver insurance might play a part as well. I'm sure a cooper s would have higher premiums.

 

Hey Charlie!

Cost is a criteria but flexible on that...I am not sure how high performance a car I would need since this is my first one...

I'll be driving mostly in the city area....and sometimes from san jose area to san francisco (on the highway)...am looking at a new car and will mostly be driving with 2 people (or so I think)

Mini...well it just is different from all the other cars out there and from what I have understood from the reviews - a really fun car to drive And it fits my criteria of not getting too big of a car!

 

Thanks all for the awesome suggestions!!! It seemed to me like everyone bought the cooper S...you all have helped clarify that misconception

I still have one question though, are there any instances (maybe like going uphill or lane changing on the highway) when I am going to miss the 181hp strength?

 

I'm gonna have to vote for the S on this one...I love my supercharger. knew kids in HS who had the S, was always a blast to drive them.

 

you will miss the power everyday trust me it will be the biggest regret for you

 

You won't miss it that much. Justa does 0-60 in 7.7 seconds with the manual.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...take_road_test

 

but it wont be really the power he misses it will be all the extras that come with the s that he'll miss

 

Whatever you get, avoid the CVT transmission like you would the plague.

 

My 08 MC with an automatic and the sport button is no slouch either. Not the fastest, but quick enough to have fun!

 

My husband insisted on the "S" model to have the extra quickness to get out of the way to avoid an accident.

 

Good one. Why didn't he go all the way, though, and insist on a JCW?

That argument makes sense with respect to motorcycles, but less so with cars. But I like it anyway.

 

Definitely agree with this, and not as an insult. But, I'd also get the Justa with a manual tranny, and learn how to drive. Take it from an almost-old-timer who hasn't really quite grown up yet. I got my first MINI a little over 3 years ago, and I insisted on getting a manual after too many years with a veggimatic, because my better half can't drive a stick. She still can't but I said too bad, my clutch foot is getting atrophied, I'm getting a stick. And I'm loving the pi$$ out of it.

I think all the folks who are recommending the S are probably experienced drivers, and might not be remembering the first time they got behind the wheel. I know the first time I was out on my own, by the second stop light I had to put my foot to the floor to see what that old boat would do. First time I did a burn-out I almost fish-tailed it right into a telephone pole. A Cooper S is not the kind of car you want to be figuring those things out in. JMHO.

The Justa is no slouch ... it does get out of its own way, just not quite like an S. Learn how to drive, get some experience in understanding how a car behaves in all different conditions on all kinds of roads. Give yourself a couple of years, and you'll still get a good big back on a trade for an S by that time. But do it in a MINI, because learning can still be fun.

And learn how to shift ... you'll be glad you did.

 

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.

 

If you have to ask, you probably won't miss the turbo.

But I still say get the S.

 

Personally I've driven a couple of S models (08 Cooper S Manual, 2010 Clubman S Auto.) and while they were quicker off the line, I didn't find them noticeably faster when the road got bendy. Certainly quicker up to speed, but I didn't find them faster out of the corners. Of course this is just my own "butt dyno" experience and I'm sure the numbers prove me wrong.

I'm still interested in getting one, maybe, but I'm not as eager as I was before I drove a couple. I'm getting pretty good with my shifts and rev matching, and I can squeeze more and more performance out of the "Justa" than I initially thought. A couple of hundred bucks more on basic mods into it and I feel like it will really keep me grinning. When I think about "trading up" now I'm thinking more about something RWD