I am a relative newcomer and really appreciate the shared knowledge and enthusiasm here. I'm coming off an '01 Miata so the rubber-tread ballet will continue with my upcoming 2013 Cooper S.

Here is my question - the first thing the Mini site hangs in front of you is the "10 million combinations" thing while it gets you ready to build your new car. While the site is helpful, the choices and suggestions are obviously market-driven to some degree. Is there a space on this board where Mini owners can share what factory-installed options they didn't get that they wish they had, or what factory options they did get that they wish they hadn't? It would be enormously helpful. I started a similar thread but think it deserves to be a subject in itself. Then again, maybe the thread exists and I'm too dense to find it here on the boards (wouldn't be the first time ).

Prime example - I am looking at the Xenon lights since I drive a lot of windy country roads at night - lots of animals, occasional potholes by the end of winter. Sort of a no-brainer for me, yet I didn't even think of adaptive light control (the $100 option that also requires a $100 clear side marker option) - but I saw them on a VW Golf and was so impressed that I looked to see if Mini offered it - and of course realized only then that it had been in front of me all along yet I never thought to add it - $200 right there for something I would have possibly regretted missing if I was ever in a position to explore retrofit options (don't even ask the huge package you have to buy with the Golf to get those!). So that's my biggest challenge right now - just knowing what should be on that list of 10 million combinations.

Anyone care to share their prioritized list of required options and why (safety, style, ease of use, other option sucks, etc)? Maybe even a review, like "adaptive light control nice but forget it on bumpy roads unless you like to have them shop-aligned every week." These are things that I imagine many would appreciate hearing - certainly me!

Thanks...

-Lee

 

I see what you mean, a quick search using terms you'd think would work didn't bring up anything definitive as the "compleat guide to MINI options: pro/con". But indeed I've read 4-5 threads on the topic of what did you miss ordering / what could you have lived without.

Here's what I wrote up when I ordered my MCS in Feb 2012 (and lamely, in the Countryman forum, but they didn't seem to mind):

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post3445322

I've put 9k+ miles on my MINI, it's a blast everyday. No regrets at all *except* not ordering bluetooth/usb integration. Supposedly this will be standard on 2013's, with Sirius being an option, versus 2012's that had Sirius standard and USB/BT as an option. It's colossally expensive to install the factory solution afterwards, and it would've been nice to have the BT phone integration plus the ability to have "music on a stick" to play through the USB port. The 2012 version couldn't stream music via BT, so that put me off since I do that frequently.

I didn't order "packages", and saved a few hundred here/there to help pay for indulgences like the Mini Yours leather dash and the JCW tuning kit. The packages *do* save money, *if* you intend to buy all the components anyhow. I didn't, in some cases, so I spec'd them out separately.

 

Well I bought mine used and the PO(previous owner) had selected one option which was the chrome line interior. I had to retrofit in MFSW(multi function steering wheel aka cruise control and radio controls which is now standard). I was thinking of buying new when I was looking at MINIs but, I made the mistake of test driving mine and I fell in love right away and it helped that it was a great deal. Overall I spent 16k on the car in 09 on an 07. If I had bought new, which I still look at the website and play with the configurator from time to time, it would have to have Xenons, auto a/c, JCW suspension, JCW brakes, chrome line interior, and color matching interior pieces. All the rest of the options to me are a waste of time and weight in such a small car. Though there are people out there that want everything or just a certain number of the better options.

 

One more thing, easy to overlook: anthracite headliner. Yes, black instead of white.

You'll get a sort of charcoal-gray-flannel like headliner, and with black trimmed A-pillars. Many prefer it to the off-white vinyl that's standard.

I didn't mention that in my linked post, but it's definitely something I'd choose again, and it's a little difficult to change out after delivery.

Pretty sure that my Motoring Advisor listed just three "had to haves" after my first MCS test drive: traction control, USB/BT, and...anthracite headliner.

 

As far as appearance options go, it is helpful to take a stroll around the dealer lot as they look different in person than on the configurater. Some folks here swear by the HK stereo upgrade, but I wasn't exactly impressed, but YMMV. Maybe they'll let you listen to both? If you're a "car guy" you may want to do the performance upgrades yourself. As has been mentioned, the "packages" don't save you any money unless you actually want/need all the items in the package.

The MAs are pretty good about explaining the variations and possible configurations. Have fun, drink their espresso, and enjoy the experience.

 

Don't forget the rear fog lights . They are handy in bad weather, but the biggest advantage is that you get a full bank of toggle switches, with no blank spots that will look strange and incomplete .
Also, if you really love a great sound system, get the base system and then get the aftermarket system from Integral Audio-you won't be disappointed!

Also for me, the sunroof was a must. It's huge, works great and makes it less painful on those perfect weather days that I didn't get a convertible.

 

Resonance! Thanks - I never considered the "missing toggle space" but that kind of thing would bother me as well - "blanks" for switches just don't seem right (I'm also a pilot so I like those switches). And I fully agree on the aftermarket system (I was also an audio consultant in another life, so good sound is important to me).

In any case, I will get the rear fog if for nothing else than visibility - I am into getting every advantage at night - including adaptive xenons. In small vulnerable cars, it's about safety. But then my last car (Prius) got totaled from behind on a country road at night - he was going 45 and I was dead-stopped in front of a herd of animals and NEVER would have imagined the violence of it. I think in a MINI I may not have survived.

And having had a Miata - I can appreciate the open sky above my head. The probalem wih the Miata was that if you wanted the top UP, you had to stop and get out and pull it up. I like the idea of a very generous dual-pane sunroom instead.

Excellent ideas and thanks!

 

Thought I would add something - we bought two MINI's - one being a Clubman S. Because it is longer and the rear windows offer less visibility - plus a weak single backup light for reverse driving, we decided a must-have option for us was the rear park sensor. Not only does it give audible alerts, but it it integrates with the MINI Connected screen to give a bird's-eye radar trace of obstacles around the car. We left that option off the Hardtop Mini S since the rearward visibility was better in that model.