Hi all,

My first post on NAM. I am in the early stages of buying a Mini Cabrio and have lots of lots of questions for you’all. Most of these are probably answered somewhere on this forum, but I’ve been reading for weeks and haven’t run across them yet. So here goes:

I haven’t owned a vert before, except for a beat up Jeep CJ back in the 80‘s. It was a POS and I never considered anyone vandalizing the roof (since it‘s lock was a bungee cord). Obviously, any car is susceptible to vandalism, but is there a need to worry beyond the norm about a convertible? My biggest concern is that I work Downtown and leave my car at the bus parking lot. Is it my false perception or are there more risks with leaving a MCSC in a parking lot all day?

I am looking mostly at the used market in my area so far. How do the 05’s compare to any later year? Are the 06’s or 07’s any better, the same, worse? I notice that they changed the speedometer and dash a little between these years, which I like, but not enough to make a difference. Are there other differences I am not seeing? Based on threads I have read it seems the best/only way to save a buckR2, but I would rather spend the additional money to save future headaches.

Looking at going new, it seems I can stay pretty close to my budget by forgoing the “S” and a few options. Do you think this is insane, or should be considered? I know, I know, I need to get out and drive them and make my own decisions. Actually, getting the better gas mileage sounds pretty good to me (without having the knowledge of how much performance I’m giving up). How about any other options? Are there any must have's out there? I was thinking about the headlights, but don't know much about the others. I guess what I am looking for is feedback on options which you consider are must haves.

If I decide to go with a used one, is there anything in particular I should look for or at? IE, known problems or concerns. I will have a mechanic check the car out, so I’m not worried about the normal stuff. But I’m wondering if there are common abnormalities to watch out for. I did read the threads about the roof and will have many care questions if and when the plunge is taken, but aside from obvious marks is there anything else to be wary of? Possibly something besides the roof, but unique to verts or Mini‘s in general?

I live in the Denver area, so winters are an issue. Anyone drive in snow? Are there tires out there which can handle all weather without sacrificing dry weather performance? Or am I looking at separate winter tires?

I’m sure I am not thinking of things to ask, so any things you may offer which haven’t been specifically asked are most appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Jon

 

I've never had any issues with vandalism of my own, or read anything about it. But I'm sure someone has had an incident here or there. I have an 05', which I'm pretty sure is the first year the vert came out. No problems so far! There aren't any major diffs between the 05,06, and 07 that I'm aware of.

 

I work uptown and don't worry about security -- primarily because if someone is willing to take a knife to the top to get to my stereo or something else, they'd probably be willing to break through a window to do the same . . . so I'm not sure that there's a difference in security between the softtops and the hardtops.

There are no differences between 05 and 07 cabrios (with the exception of availability of certain colors). The dash changes you mention (and the change from a supercharger to a turbo) have only been in the hardtops -- the cabrios won't see a major change until 09.
OR maybe you've seen cars with the chrono package, which does change the look of the gauges (but it's an option for any year and not a change to the standard equipment).

Edit -- the newer cars have a standard Auxiliary audio input, but this shouldn't drive your decision 'cause even if you want one, it's a $40 modification.

As to what are must have options: it really depends on personal preferences and what you intend to do with the car (driving style, etc). I for one, regret not getting a car with limited slip diff., but if you're considering not getting the supercharger, I assume that you're not intending to use this for aggressive twisty-road driving. Many would consider cruise control and the H/K upgraded sound system must haves -- but, again, personal preference . . . so just go to the dealer and have sit in cars with the different option packages.
Most cabrio owners, however, do agree that the windscreen is a must have. Again this should not drive your decision on which car to get though, cause it's merely an accesory you can get after-the-fact for about $325.

Cold Weather -- seriously consider the cold weather option package which includes heated seats -- even if you've never had them 'cause they seemed frivolous, you'll love them once you do have them.

 

A locked rag top will keep an honest person honest. It was a long time before I finally had one of my rag tops cut. $1,200 to steal some change, cd's and a pair of glasses. A lot of folks that have rag tops say to leave the doors unlocked and don't keep anything of value in the car. Locking valueable stuff in the glove compartment ends up with a destroyed dash. Locked back seats and important stuff, even registration and insurance papers, in the trunk is your best shot. I still lock my cabrio if you want to know.

 

I have an 05 cabrio S and honestly have had no real issues that weren't covered under warranty (which goes until 50,000 I think). Some people have had issues with wear marks on the roof at the joint above the small rearseat windows. Also, those windows get etched on the outside. Don't think there is really a fix for those things yet, but just something to look for. The dealership will likely change it out if your car is still under warranty and you voice your opinion about it. So, look for a car with some warranty remaining

I loaded my car up with tons of options. Xenon headlights are nice. The HK stereo I hardly listen to. Most other options I don't really care about now. Two things I wish I had were the LSD (wasn't available at the time) and heated seats. I live in Florida and couldn't understand why I would want to add the coldweather package. HUGE oversight. Topdown early morning drives on the highway at 70 degrees can get rather brisk very quickly.

 

I don't know where you live, but in my old home town (Boulder, CO), the bus station was the favorite place for car thieves and burglars to hang out. There were numerous piles of little cubes of glass where a window had been smashed to get at the contents. I think most people would report that breaking a window is easier than cutting a roof - there is a lot of steel in the bands holding up the 3 layers of fabric.

Options - the biggest option is the rag top. After that, it's all gravy. I would not waste my money on the ipod adapter (you can read about options under the radio thread). I like the convenience package, and the radio and cruise controls on the steering wheel are great. Most of the rest is appearance and performance. Mine is an S, and I admit that I never drove the justacooper. After the first test drive of the S, there was no going back.

Enjoy - the process is almost as much fun as motoring!

 

Thanks for the great feedback and opinions. The two for sale in my area which I am considering are pretty much loaded, so there is no issue with any options on those. If I end up new, I would probably go for the headlight and winter package upgrade anyway, but confirmation of opinion is always nice to hear. 2phun, I have no idea what LSD is???. My current car is a 92 Accord, so I'm guessing even if I went bare bones I am going to feel an enormous difference.

Glad that you all don't beleive I will be incuring any more chance of vandalism with the soft top.

One thing I forgot to ask is about the Mini's longevety. How do they do as far as life expectancy? How about the roof? In my case the majority of time the car will be parked under a roof of some sort, so it won't be in the strong Denver sun most of the time. Assuming there are no mechanical problems, how long do they normally last?

Once again, thanks to all for the responses.

Jon

 

limited slip differential -- you can do a search in the forum for discussions about it, but generally, you won't miss it unless you're concerned with fast/aggresive cornering and handling. (I realize this is an over-generalization, and many may write to bash it -- but there's more about the LSD in the forum if you're interested).
There are 2 reasons for why I mention in post #3 that I wish I'd gotten LSD:
1- I do enjoy "spirited" driving, even in my city commute -- but more so in the Carolina twisty mountain roads, and
2- it's extremely expensive to add afterwards . .

 

I would also think that an LSD would help with driving in the snow as well....if you're worried about that. The cold weather package is a MUST. I live near Philadelphia and I have the top down from March to Thanksgiving, and the occasional day in December/January- thanks to heated seats.

 

I had a 1989 LeBaron convertible and had the same concerns but never any problems. I think you have a far higher chance of getting your roof vandalized in the well heeled suburbs by rich brats than you downtown near a bus stop. That said, you probably want to make sure nothing valuable is visible inside the car. That's kind of no-brainer even if it weren't a convertible.

 

I am SURE the snowy weather out in Colorado is worse than anything we have back east here in MD! I haven't had a winter yet with Cecilia, but with our other MINI, Soulfire, we have had to get winter tires (because we have ultra sticky summer preformance tires) We shall see what Cecilia goes through since she is my daily driver, and I only have one set of wheels for her!

Good luck with your decision! I am sure what ever you choose, you will LOVE your MINI!

 

I think you're on the right track- good questions. I haven't had any vandalism problems, and I often leave my car top down (but locked) in parking lots, although perhaps better neighborhoods than you describe.

I have the all-season factory tire package, and after one winter in Indiana, I have no complaints. One morning that we had a good 6-8 inches of snow I was making the first tracks on back roads, and didn't have a bit of problem. I actually thought that was a blast to drive in! The front air dam does act like a snow plow- blasting thru snow drifts, it pushes snow up over the bonnet and windshield in a wave, losing all visibility for a second or so.

The cold weather package with heated seats is a must, especially for the cabrio. There are several threads- more will pop up when the weather gets colder- on "how cold do you drive with the top down?" (my personal record is 25F, but usually 35-40 is my limit).

Others can speak to longevity better than me, but I drove my last car for 13 years and 190k miles. Maintenance will cost more with the MINI, but I plan to drive it for an equally long time. I can't imagine another car providing so much enjoyment for such a (relatively) reasonable price.

Good luck with your search- and tell us what you get.

I sum up how I feel about my MINI with a comment from a co-worker. As we walked into work one morning recently, he said "You must drive to work every morning with a big grin on your face." You better believe I do!

 

Hey all, much thanks for the feedback. When I posted the original thread I was heading to the beach for a few days with limited access to NAM. I was on the beach reading your posts on my phone, but posting turned out to be a chore. Should be starting the test drive process shortly. Hopefully this will answer a lot questions.

So it sounds like LSD is something to look into. Based on my limited "lack of" understanding it prevents one drive wheel from spinning without the other? Sounds like a good thing for the snow. Anyone have any thoughts or experience?

One thing a couple of you touched on that I didn't ask. Are there options out there that are a waste of money?

As always, thanks again for the great feedback.

Jon

 

As for the LSD- If you floored a MINI w/o an LSD pulling out of the dealer parking lot on the test drive the car might go sailing off in an unprojected path because one wheel might be spinning faster (and getting more grip) than the other wheel. (hypothetical situation). If you did have an LSD the car would be more predictable and go where you'd like it to go because both wheels would be spinning more evenly, so yeah, it seems like you've got it.

As for options that are a waste of money- the beauty of owning a MINI is that you can customize it how you want, and they're all unique, so there isn't an option thats a waste of money. If you like the speedo next to the tach, get the chrono package. One could argue that its a waste of money, but to you it might not be. I don't know if it was mentioned above, but if you want the console to feel full so that all of the places where a switch would be there is a switch, get the rear fog light, etc (kind of a waste, but looks good).

 

There was a police officer on the boards who posted some statistics of car break-ins that showed that MANY MANY more convertables (in general, not just MINIs) are broken into through a window then by having the roof cut. Simply because, its so much easier to smash out a window then to cut a roof to unlock the door. So you really don't have to worry about your top being messed with.

 

The LSD is a good but option, but not necessary the answer for snow/ice. I've had a lot of cars with LSD of one brand or the other, I've lived in snow belts and ice belts. Great winter tires like Blizzak tires make more difference than the LSD will.

 

Just test drove my first (used) 2005. It was great! Can't wait until this is an everyday occurance. This weekend I'm going to hit up the local dealer and drive each model to further pin down the needs/wants/crap. Getting closer......

One of the things that came up in discussion on the test drive was regarding LSD. The owner was not sure whether the car had it or not, though it did have the sport package. Anyone know if there is way to tell if the car has it? I can see if I go with a used car, this may come up a lot. It would be nice to be able to check myself instead of taking someones word for it.

 

That was me. Thirteen years in law enforcement: one top cut(vandalism), one or two (can't remember for sure) sunroofs broken(vandalism), more broken windows than I can count (both as vandalism and to gain entry to steal something).

I'm not saying some *sshole won't damage the top just to be an *ss, but if that was the case they would probably do something to the car whether you had a convertible or not. To break into a vehicle, it is SO much faster/easier to break a window.

 

if you provide the dealer with a VIN, they can tell you all factory options/packages on any given car. . . worth doing for any car you consider 'cause the dealer should also be able to tell you warranty work/issues on the given VIN