For Sale:

Passport 8500 X50 Radar Detector.
Blue Display.
In original box, with all the original goodies
(cord, holder, manual, etc..)

8 months old, little used, works top notch.
Reason I'm selling: I'm selling my MCS, and getting a Prius, so I figure I will no longer need the detector. It has worked very well for me!

Direct sale price on web: $339.95
(that's for the blue display, the red is cheaper at $299.95).

I'd like to get $220 for it, but make me an offer if you are interested!

Contact me via PM here on NAM,
or send me an email to:
MG-BGT -at- roadfly.org

 

i think the bigger issue at hand here is why!?!?!?

 

MG-BGT aka Marcus,

Say it ain't so. Selling your eccentric Little British Car for some soulless appliance from Japan? Oh for shame. Why not just lease a Prius and keep the MCS for those days when the commute just isn't enough to satisfy your driving urge (everyday around here). We'll be missing you if you leave the fold.

MGC

 

I know, I am cowering in the corner from shame....
I wish I could keep the MCS, but one of the truths is that as much fun as the MCS has been, as much trouble it's been. With the dealer being 1-1.5 hrs away (one way), every visit costs me a day (or more), and this little car has spent a substantial amount of time at the dealer. I simply did not want to be stuck kwith this car without warranty. For quite a while I was planning on getting an 05 MCS JCW, LSD, etc..., but then the dealer is still as far away as before, and the second issue is that since the car is soo much fun, I drive it like a maniac, and my gas mileage is pretty bad, at best. I rented a Prius in CA, and in mixed driving got exactly twice the mileage in the Prius as the MINI (50 vs 25). So, I will try the tree hugger thing for a while (one of my friends asked me how long this next fad would last...), and maybe sometime in the future there will be another MINI. Maybe when MINI gets a hybrid or they bring the diesel to the US...
Or maybe I'll get a classic Mini as a fun car for the weekends....

 

ditch your MCS and buy a COOPER

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=35921

I respect your decision. Gas mileage is great but I am afraid you will really miss performance in a BAD way.

 

1,081 posts is impressive! I fully understand your decision. Being a baby BMW (Bring My Wallet), Mini upkeep and repairs will be pricey down the road after the generous warranty expires. Because of high service and repair costs, I predict an ample supply of used Mini Coopers in another 2-3 years after the factory warranty expires. I would NEVER have purchased my Cooper if my closest dealer was as far away as yours. You were a trooper!

The base Prius is a true bargain at $20,500 for the equipment, technology, resale, reliability, build quality, and fuel mileage that it offers. Out here in CA Toyota currently has a 6 month waiting list for the Prius (Remember Mini Cooper lists in 2002?). Hybrids and cleaner diesels ARE the future here in the US. Wait until they combine a clean diesel to an electric motor hybrid. The mileage is going to kick some butt!!! Try this link for online talk about the Toyota Prius. Good luck!

 

umm, not if they look like the Prius.

to each their own, I guess

 

Just buy the Honda Accord Hybrid..not as good gas mileage as the Prius but has way more power and to some, drives better, and is a normal looking.

Diesels? Diesel gas is more expensive then premium gas in these parts. And without a turbo these things are SLUGS...

 

Thanks for all your thought folks!

I know, it's hard to believe I'm selling my MCS before reaching 6th gear on NAM. Well, maybe I can reach 6th in a few days...

De gustibus non est disputandum. I know the Prius looks weird to some. I kind of like it. I think part of that is the fact that the Prius does in fact engage you in some way, but a very different way than the MINI does. Yes, it was kind of crazy to get an early MINI with no dealer nearby. It was even worse, when I bought mine from Roadshow MINI in Memphis, TN, there was NO dealer in all of TX!

I have to admit that hands down the MINI is the best styled car IMHO, and also the most fun car. The Prius however is cool in a techno-gadget kind of way. The dash display gives you lots of info about what is happening to the internals, in terms of regenerative breaking etc... While the MINI invites you to step on it, the Prius invites you to see how high the mpg reading can go. Right now I am driving an MC loaner with CVT as the MCS is getting serviced. I have to say I like it, it drives very, very well, is lots of fun, and probably gets substantially better mileage than my MCS. Nevertheless, the dealer is no closer, and I think even for an early biuild date it is sad to have to say that my 25 year old MGB gave me less issues than my brand new MCS, in particular the electrical system. IMHO the highly integrated electrical system of teh MINI is an achilles heel! Toyotas are more modular in terms of their electical system.

There are of course things I dislike about the Prius, most notably the seats and the steering. The seats (no adj. lumbar support available) are less comfy to me. The steering is simply awful, Ford Taurus comes to mind. NO feedback, WAY overassisted. The contrast of course is particularly bad when switching between an MCS and a Prius. The MCS has the best steering I have ever experienced in modern, assisted cars.

In terms of performance, I think that will improve for hybrids in the future. The Prius actually has very decent performance, and if Toyota ever brings out the Prius GT (currently a concept), that one is on par with the MC with CVT!

Anyway, I will keep all y'all posted on the Prius as I rack up the miles with it. Thanks for being so understanding!

Cheers,
M

 

The new Accord Hybrid looks really interesting. The performance is better than the V-6 model and it makes some great gas mileage. While it will not beat the Prius in mpg, it looks better, has better features, and performes way better than the Prius. The acceleration will be greater than the MCS, just won't corner quite as well, and it looks more like an executives car.

 

Wish you all the luck with the new car MG-BGT. I know what you mean about not having a dealer near by. I talk to people in the LA area where they have dealers on every corner it seems and they don’t understand there are people out here who have to drive hours to get to one. If it wasn’t for the fact my 02 MCS has been trouble free I would have done the same more than likely. My closest MINI dealer is a 600 mile trip.

So enjoy whatever you get, but remember you have MINI in your blood now and we all know you’ll be back.

 

Then again, it is an MG we're talking about, though I'm sure that a similar year Triumph would have been much more problematic.

My MGs are quite reliable as well, as has been my MCS.

MGC

 

Are you sure you want to sell your radar? I have heard that the prius has some get up, no joke.