I have an extra (it's a long story) brand new Cooper S sitting at a dealership on the East coast. It is Dark Silver with matching roof, Lapis blue leather, Premium package, cold package, DSC, 17" S-lights with all season tires, fog lights.

Price is $25,085 plus a $750 fee to me. Included in the price is a $795 MINI Motoring Package added by the dealer. Although it is mostly added dealer profit, you do get floor mats, acid rain protection package, $100 credit on accessories and a few other small perks.

If you are interested, act fast, On Aug 2nd, I will be there picking up my other MINI and if not sold by then, it will go back into the dealer inventory and sold to someone on their list.

Skip Cannon
scannon@earthnet.net
303-661-9914

 

:???: And why would I want to pay you and the dealer a premium? :???:

 

>> :???: And why would I want to pay you and the dealer a premium? :???:


I too thought something smelled rotten in denmark when i read this...

Rocketboy_X

 

I guess that would depend on whether you wanted an S now or were willing to wait. In this area, non-MINI dealers are asking and gettinga mcuh larger premium than I am asking. The local dealer still has a 2 year waiting list for the S.

Skip Cannon

 

You didn't specify where on the east coast you were talking about, and not to blow up your spot or anything, at Towne (western new york), it only took me a week to get my MCS order into the factory....

Rocketboy_X

 

I don't think this car is available anymore. The spec are very similar to the car I am picking up tomorrow in Albany. If this was your car, I just have one question, why not order the sport package instead of the individual items.

Bonz

 

When I ordered the car, the sport package was not available due to the problems with the zenon headlights. The package was only $10 more than the pieces I was able to order.

FWIW, I also bailed on the yellow S I ordered for me. After attending a MINI event in Colorado and listening to all the complaints about MINI problems (reminded me of an old British car club where the members spent more time discussing and bitching about problems than enjoying their cars), seeing a dead MINI by the road awaiting a tow and all the problems I read about on the forums, I was having doubts about owning one.

I hadn't had a chance to drive an S at this time. A fellow at work just got his 2nd S (more on that later) and I left a note on it asking for a chance to drive it before flying off to NY to pick up the yellow. He graciously allowed me a lengthy drive in his car and I was dumbfounded to discover that the supercharged engine had massive turbo lag! No power at all until 2,500 rpm. Below 2,500 rpm it flet slower than the NA Cooper, probably due to the lower CR. The defining characteristic of a supercharger is instant boost and massive (for engine size) low end torque. The S has neither.

The next AM, I called the head MINI mechanic at the local dealer whom I had met on the MINI event. He confirmed that all S's were like that and that MINI was keeping info on the supercharger system very close to their vest.

All that made the decision to cancel the sale very easy. I'm out a non-transferrable, non-refundable airline ticket to Albany, but that is a price I am willing to pay to avoid the hassles that seem to be associated with owning a MINI.

Oh, and about that fellow's 2nd MINI, it seems the first one wouldn't start the morning after he bought it. About 70 miles on it and nothing he or the dealer could do would make it start. The dealer picked it up and he called the sales department. They gave him another car that same day. This one had 330 miles on it when I drove it and had a flat spot in the power delivery around 4,000 rpm.

After the test drive, I took him for a ride in my turbo Miata. Even at only 8 psi boost while breaking in a new engine, the difference in acceleration was amazing, and my Miata has less turbo lag than the S.

I'm now looking at a WRX wagon to replace the Pathfinder. The '03 WRX's are just hitting the dealers here and there is a new yellow color (Sonic Yellow) available on the wagons that is much better looking that the baby-**** yellow available only on the sedans for '02.

Skip Cannon

 

Turbo Lag? It's a freakin roots supercharger... by it's very nature, it's rather quite lag-proof...

Rocketboy_X

 

>>I have an extra (it's a long story) brand new Cooper S sitting at a dealership on the East coast

I'd be interested in hearing the long story :smile:

 

Sounds like a lot of sour grapes to me. If your not happy with the car why buy a Mini at all? Also, trying to compare it to a Turbo charged Miata is not really fare. I also owned a Miata (traded it in for the Mini S) and they don't come with a Turbo charger so you had to install that aftermarket. How much did that set you back? I seem to recall seeing them around 1600 to 2400 on Jackson Racing's site. Add that cost to the basic Miata's cost of around 22 or 23,000 and suddenly your Miata is the same price as the S but without: Xenon headlights, power windows, power mirrors, automatic AC, Cruise control, multi-functional steering wheel, 17" tires, run flat tires, six speed trans, and the list goes on. The Miata is a great car and I will probably buy another one down the road but it isn't a Mini S. You could get most of the options above on a Miata but it would drive your price to about 27,000 which is over the Mini's price and you would still have less engine. I think you should stop your complaining and move your for sale scam over to EBAY, you wouldn't want to sell this because you put a deposit down your going to lose did you?

 

RocketboyX, I suggest you read my post again. I know exactly what kind of supercharger it is. I even described the nature of superchargers. My point is that this supercharged engine doesn't have that very characteristic that superchargers are defined by. The S has the equivalent of turbo lag. To me, that is totally unacceptable in a supercharged engine.

 

RocketboyX: I suggest you read my post again. I know exactly what kind of supercharger it is. I even described the nature of superchargers. My point is that this supercharged engine doesn't have that very characteristic that superchargers are defined by. The S has the equivalent of turbo lag. To me, that is totally unacceptable in a supercharged engine.

Minimotorin: No sour grapes here, I accepted the loss of the airline ticket, I expect to get my deposits back. I am not trying to sell either car now that I have cancelled my orders. My post was to point out why I decided to cancel the order.

As far as a comparison to my Miata, consider that both have a 1,600 cc engine (mine is a '92). The S is rated at 163 HP at the crankshaft at sea level. My Miata dynoed at 257 rear wheel HP at 4,500 feet. It also weighs 300 lb less. There is no comparison in performance, nor did I expect the MINI to perform on that level. I just find turbo lag (OK,OK, boost lag) on a supercharged engine. BMW/MINI had to engineer that lag in because the supercharger won't do it on its own.

The kit you refer to on Jackson Racing's site is an Eaton supercharger. No one seems to be able to get the HP from them that Oscar does. It is almost impossible to get 200 rwhp from one of his kits.

As I said, no sour grapes here, just very disappointed the the S's performance and the problems that MINIs have shown.

I make no apology for trying to make a small profit on the 2nd MINI, that is the American way. Others sold them for far more than the $750 premium I was asking. The local dealer has a MINI loaded up with accessories: $795 for driving lights, $400 for bonnet stripes and on and on.

Skip Cannon

 

He graciously allowed me a lengthy drive in his car and I was dumbfounded to discover that the supercharged engine had massive turbo lag! No power at all until 2,500 rpm. Below 2,500 rpm it flet slower than the NA Cooper, probably due to the lower CR. The defining characteristic of a supercharger is instant boost and massive (for engine size) low end torque. The S has neither.

I noticed exactly the same thing when I had my S after driving the cooper....but to me the increased performance didn't really kick in till 3500 to 4000 rpms on both cars.....I attributed it to the S being almost 200 lbs heavier and having taller lower gears, plus I could feel the extra weight in the corners, not quite as lively as the cooper in the corners which the Car & Driver critique also noted about the S heavy feel...in any event I was dissappointed as well after finally getting the S and driving it....I did drive the WRX and it is a screamer, but how does one get past how ugly it is in any style or color...one of the ugliest cars I've ever seen which is a shame...cheers

 

What, are you planning on doing some racing in this Mini S? Most Mini owners I know are all about the fun, and not your long list of technical statistics I'd read about in Motor Trend. If you want to beat some coffee can tailpipe Hondas, then by all means stick to your precious Miata, and expensive upgrades.