Hi,

Is it good to have the sunroof? Any pros or cons?

thanks

 

If you're going to race don't get it, it adds weight and makes it so you have less head room. If you don't plan to race get it, It kicks ***. Unless you are super tall then don't get it either way, you'll want the head room.

 

If you are bald and white like me, watch out for sunburn!

 

Yes , yes oh yes. Important for resale too

 

I love the sunroof myself. Even in the winter time when its really cold out I enjoy having it open even a little bit and the sunshine does a body good!

 

My Mini does not have a sun roof and I don't miss it at all. One less thing to worry about, including leaks.

 

Test drive one, it was way to bright for me .

 

I love my sunroof. Its been getting warm here and with both windows and the roof open, its like a giant fan blowing on you. Lots of air for the win!

 

I love mine! In sun-starved Ohio, I'll take every UV ray I can get!

But yeah - Korby (above) is right:test drive on a sunny day. He is in sunny southern Cal.

and Putz is also right: the weight IS a consideration for racing. It's not so much the weight itself, but where it is: it's up top and it thus slightly changes the center of gravity of the MINI. I'm short, so the helmet clearance isn't an issue. If you want to race, take your helmet to the dealer and set up your driving position.

Get what you want! Ain't it cool living in this country and having choices?

 

When I first drove a MINI in 2004 it was equipped with a sunroof. 15 minutes into the drive my bald melon was baking. No sunroof for this Q ball. Had there been an opaque cover available I may have gotten one. Now that I've started track driving my car I'm glad I didn't order one. If I need sun, I drive the Miata.

 

I Love mine, it is almost always open. You really should drive one with a sunroof and one without, then decide what is best for you.

 

I drove a Civic for the past 12 years that had one in it. I wouldn't buy a car now without it.

I'm baffled that Mini doesn't install a solid slider shade, but I ordered the inserts from Stratmosphere. Like TDM, I like to open mine up a bit even in the winter and love the added light during the rest of the bleak season.

And us Oregonians know best.

 

Love the sunroof too. MINI's all-around glass has been described as a "greenhouse." Ability to open all that gives a near convertible experience, but it does get wicked loud at speed. The best is just tipping the back up, combine with manual climate control (which allows for free "vent" air flow through the car). You get speed-sensitive air flow through the car with the roof acting like a vacuum - I hardly ever use the power on my manual climate (fan or A/C).

However, if you live in Florida, I'd rethink a greenhouse sunroof.

 

We've had a few hot days near 90 here in the past couple of weeks and I still love my sunroof! All cars are going to get baking hot if they sit outside in the sun all day, but the car with the sunroof can be vented when it's time to blow all that hot air out! Remember, heat rises! I really like being able to have the roof vented or open and still have the shade pulled - on my old car with the solid shade, it had to be open with the roof, so you couldn't really control glare if it was really bright out.

Overall though, it's a personal preference. Go test drive one on a hot sunny day and see what you think, since that would be the "worst" conditions to have one in. All other days, it's just a way to let more light into your life! I love mine!

 

The sunroof is a must buy, I get complimented on it from random people (along with the car of course). The only con I can think of is that when it's 90 degrees or more it seems to allow a lot more heat inside the car (although our car seems to be 50% glass already) and the AC is underpowered in MiniS so it may get quite hot on certain days. In which you would open up the sunroof to vent the hot air out as doodlez stated in the post above one minute ago.

 

Here here Sowellman! I am moving in a few months and know I will be using the sunshade alot more in Texas but still would not trade the sunroof! I on some of the hot hot days we had last year that with the sunshade in, once I got the MINI cooled down inside it stayed very comfortable.

 

sunroof is an absolute!!! since the mini is a small car, it really opens the interior and makes it feel a lot roomier. plus the view out is great, and it gets compliments all the time!!!!!

 

Here in Michigan the sunroof is great for my mood in the winter - I open just the sunshade which makes it seem brighter Then in the spring, I open the windows, roof and sunshade and the warm spring air is amazing In summer, in really hot weather, I use my remote to open the windows and sun roof to let the sweltering heat out of the car as I approach. Then I put on the AC and close the roof til just the back is kicked up and enjoy the nice cool air. I Love my sunroof

 

I would only own a MINI w/ a sunroof
Joe

 

Same here in Wisconsin! I almost never close the sun shades when I'm in the car. If I think about it I'll do it when it's parked on a summer hot day - never in winter. When I first looked at a MINI I wasn't thinking sunroof at all. Then I drove one with and without. Had to have it! Then I needed to buy a new daily driver to replace my Astro van. A sunroof became a must have in it too (PT Cruiser Turbo). Now that summer is just around the corner I need to make a trip to MINI to get my car/key programmed to open the roof when I unlock the doors. PS I've had no problems, leaks or noises from my sunroof.

My advise, look at your area weather conditions, the condition of your head and hair (or lack thereof), if you like wind blowing in and the associated noise, if you like wearing a hat (my hair is very long and gets sucked out of the roof without a tieback and hat), and as mentioned above if you are planning to race it. Most of all drive them both. I think you'll know what you want after you do!

 

who needs a stinking sunroof??

Go straight hard top, keep it real mang!

 

I live in Phoenix. I love mine but I love sunroofs! It's a nice 'in-between' (hardtop/convertible). The summer sun is intense but there's a company that makes a handy-dandy custom sunshade (one for the front, one for the back). Gives you lots of options. But, as always, it's a personal choice!

 

It's a personal choice...what do you like? I opted out on both my MINIs because of 1) extreme Texas sun and spending all day at the park-and-ride and 2) added weight. I recently had an R56 loaner w/ a sunroof and found I was ambivalent about it...so w/o is a good choice for me. For someone else, it'd be totally different.

 

TanchoGirl wrote:

Quote:

look at your area weather conditions, the condition of your head and hair (or lack thereof), if you like wind blowing in and the associated noise, if you like wearing a hat (my hair is very long and gets sucked out of the roof without a tieback and hat), and as mentioned above if you are planning to race it. Most of all drive them both. I think you'll know what you want after you do!

I think the above sums it up quite well. I opted to go without a sunroof, having previously had a 1st gen Miata (mariner blue ) which sated my sky-hunger. Other factors included my need to maximize headroom, the lack of an integral sunshade (I live in the south), and a regard for simplicity in design.

I almost went the other way due to:

• mood-elevating effect of sunlight
• preservation of resale value
• anecdotal support of long-term reliability (leak-resistance, etc)

Again, test 'em both. If the sunroof feels right to you , then don't be deterred by expense or reliability concerns.

 

I always get sunroofs and rarely open them. On my MINI however, I run with it open a lot. I would get it for sure.