My wife and I watched a 30 minute show on TV about the mini - this was at least 2 years ago.....fell in love with it. But it wasn;t in the budget so we admired it from afar. Well, the time has come for me to get a new car - I have not seen a mini up close and personal yet (going this evening....maybe)

I drive convertibles only (stuck in my ways on this one) and I also like fast cars - which brings me to my first question....how fast are the mini's?

The convertible S is $25,400 -- very affordable but....

Destination 650
British racing green 450
cold weather package 300
convenience package 400
JCW Kit 6,300
Sidewalk Package 4,000
Aero Kit 1,350
driving lamps 400
white bonnet stripes 84

gee....did I forget anything?? Oh yes, 2,400 in sales tax and probably more that I am overlooking.....ugh.

now all of a sudden its a big nut to crack :-(

$42,000 is a lot to pay for a mini...isn't it? If I take the extended warranty its another 1,850...

Is this a car that will hold up to me putting 25K highway miles per year? is the above a bad/good configuration? How is this car on gas ? can children fit in the back well enough for small trips of 30 minutes or less? I have a 9 and 7 year old. I can't think of other questions....but I will and I'll be back.

I am sure I am in the wrong place to see if someone can talk me out of this car.

Oh...thought of another question. How does the top opperate - manual or automatic? if auto (which I assume it is/should be) how long does the motor take start to finish ? My volvo was 25 seconds - kind of sluggish, but could be put up or down when stopped at a traffic light with time to spare.

 

NEVER! You will thank yourself over and over again as you are cruising down the street for getting what you want!

 

Errrr lets see.

First off, before you decide you want it completely decked out, I think you should go to a dealer and drive one stock. If it isn't fast enough for you, then I would add the JCW kit.

Secondly, a lot of those packages you listed are definitely a commodity. The sidewalk package, while extremely cool, is completely aesthetic. The convenience package could easily be chopped. There are lots of better, more offordable options for driving lights than the OEM version. The bonnet stripes can be had much cheaper and installed yourself. This also opens up a LOT of extra possibilities. The aero kit, while also very nice looking, is completely aesthetic. Also, for around $90 you can buy just the grill and install it on the stock bumper if you have a dremel, as seen below:


I have no idea how it would hold up to 25k a year in mileage, but I know that I get approximately 24mpg in mine, but I am far from a conservative driver.

I don't have kids of my own, but from what I've read your kids will be plenty comfortable for short trips.

The top is automatic and takes 15 seconds to raise or lower. You can also make it quicker by opening the sunroof and dropping the windows before dropping the top. Opening and closing at traffic lights is easy as pie.


But first and foremost, definitely go and testdrive one first. I thought I would want the JCW kit too, but once I went for a test drive I was completely happy with the power the stock S had.

Edit: Mine came to a total of just under $30k. I got the chrono package, xenons, cold weather package, Multi-functional Steering Wheel (for cruise control) and bonnet stripes. I've since added about $600 worth of aesthetic mods to it. Blacked out the beltline, installed the Cooper side vents (not pictured), installed the aero kit grill, checkered side view mirrors, checkered door handles (not pictured), boot stripes to match the bonnet stripes and had Lagston wrap my headlight rings in satin black vinyl (also not pictured).

 

Well, first off, the 6300 for the JCW kit can be done via aftermarket for a LOT less (figure about 2K)... I spoke at length about that kit with the sales manager... the new supercharger difference is only the pulley (its reduced about 12%)... he also told me you can go as low as 15% safely before needing to modify the fuel injectors... (it USED to be that the JWC had teflon coated vanes, but now they all do)

otherwise the JWC is a CAI (cold air induction).
The brake disks are the same size in the S as the Works kit too.
(again info from the Mini sales manager).

The sidewalk package is indeed VERY nice, but its also quite pricey...

When I speced out my MCS a year ago, I kept getting it up around 40-42K.
I ended up buying a MiniNEXT (CPO) for about 20K.
Granted it didn't have the sunroof, but I found by skipping the leather, I didn't need the seat heaters either, which killed the cold-weather package.
And as much as I would like Aero kit, I found I liked the $$ better...

Good Luck!

(and yes there is a support group for making these decisions!)

 

Well, I will answer about mileage. I've got a cabrio (non-S) and have just over 51,000 miles in 2 years, 2 months so yea, it'll do the miles. It gets driven in the winter here in Northeast Ohio's snow belt.

I've got the heated seats, Sport package (that I don't think gets offered on the S model) with DSC. To me it's pretty fast (I was afraid of the "S" as I have a lead foot) and will do the freeway to work at 75+ and still gets on average 32.5 mpg.

I did buy the extended warranty from my dealer, because I knew that I'd blow the standard warranty away too fast.

I think you could get that car into the low 30g's and still have a canyon carving quick cabrio.

 

Ack...food for thought ! I am going to the dealership this afternoon (why not, I am excited and I have wife support....no sense in putting it off). I always want more power – dropping it from the configuration is just not an option for me. There is a sunroof? I thought it had a soft top?

Jason – I really like the appearance of the checkered mirror, nice addition in my opinion.

Once I get in the car and drive it then I will sit with the sales-rep and see about making the car more affordable. Once I do that I’ll need to sit with the wife and get feedback. Truth be told I would be most comfortable if I had this car at 37K (35K + 2K sales tax) – I am putting 9K down and financing 28K is my target. I am at work and I will need to read your posts more thoroughly later – I thank you all for the feedback. I’ll keep you posted once I get to the dealership.

 

Totally understandable.

The sunroof mode just moves the top back about 2.5 feet and can be operated while driving. You'll see what I mean when you try it out.

I definitely like it too. It only seems to look good on certain colors though (BRG would be one of those in my opinion though).

I think you could definitely do it for $37k, you can pick apart most of the packages and just pick out what you want to help save some money. Hopefully whoever you get at the dealership will really be willing to work with you to bring the cost down. For what its worth, they'll use the exact same program that you can use at home on the MINI website. The only difference in price will be installation fees for dealer-installed items (aero kit, driving lights, etc).

 

The JCW brake kit has bigger discs. The R56 has the same size as the JCW brake kit, but not the R50, R52, or R53.

The JCW kit is also a slightly bigger SC, and injectors.

 

The JCW package SC is the exact same SC as is on the 05 and later S's. Only difference is the smaller pressed on pulley.

Good luck with your shopping cg1!
And you might be real surprised with the stock power.

 

SC? Oh, is that Supercharger? I know very little about that (well, honestly less than that)....but I know it gives more power :-)

 

Just don't get confused between all the R53 vs. R56 talk. The R56 is the '07 tintop model and is a completely separate being than the '07 cabrio, which has not changed from '06.

 

Some MINI owners like putting all that money in their cars but there are another group that say, you will never get all of that back out. Just something to consider.

I'd go drive a few different ones and see what you think.

As for gas mileage...we are getting around 43. However, we just have a Cooper vert.

GOOD LUCK!!

 

If you are a car/MINI enthusiast, spend the money and get exactly what you want. If you are buying the MINI with the attitude of "what will I get out of it later", then drop most of the packages/options, especially JCW, and go the lean route.

Personally, I think $40K is about right for a sweet 'vert that's fully loaded. I haven't regretted one minute of MCSC ownership. Well, OK, maybe the one regret is that I didn't buy one sooner and spent way too many miserable years in SUVs.

 

43 ?!?! Are you maintaining 1200 RPMs every moment you're driving ??

I never heard anyone come close to that mileage before. I've hear mid-30's, and I was envious of THAT. We have two Just-a-Coopers and both get around 31 with the A/C off and staying out of Sport Mode.

 

Yeah I'm envious of that too! My tin-top Just-a-Cooper averages about 28. Granted, I leave the auto climate on almost all the time, but still!

 

Oh, and for the OP - do the JCW kit, the driving lamps, the stripes, and maybe the Aero kit (this depends on a few factors, like how much you'd be charged locally for painting the kit) aftermarket. You'll save a bundle and probably put yourself well below your target price.

 

Hello again friends.
After speaking with you all today I couldn’t stand it any longer so I took a ½ vacation day and cruised over to the mini dealership :-)
I wasn’t exactly jumping for joy over the pricing :-( For 2008 the colder weather jumps from 300 to 500 and the convenience package from 400 to 500. The Aero kit that I really like is $1,350 but the dealership wants another 1,325 to install it !! the driving lamps are $400 and they want an additional $495 to install them !! Union Jack on the door handle is $115 and they want an additional 685 to install them...thats all additional too, not the total cost on each item !!! there are others that I don’t car to go into. Total cost is now 43K.....I dunno, I just dunno.

 

Brother dont give up...all the stuff you mentioned above can be done much cheaper aftermarket...

 

LMFAO, are they insane?! The door handles aren't difficult to install yourself. Theres a great how-to for installing driving lights on this forum too. Also, there are cheaper, better alternatives for driving lights than what MINI offers. The aero kit, while still expensive, could probably be painted and installed by a local bodyshop for much much cheaper.

Also, here's a much cheaper place to buy OEM parts:
http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...tegoryID=75813

Is 2008 the year the new model convertible comes out? If so you'd probably be better off getting the '07 to avoid potential bug issues since you'll be driving it so much.

 

Would you ever consider maybe looking for a used MINI?

 

Just me but i would avoid dealer install, espeically for aesthetic items.

Get a model and have fun adding things along the way. I started with an 04 MCS. Pulley, CAI, new plugs and wires, lighter wheels, and exhaust. I now have a quicker mini at a lot lower price. suspension...here i come. Even at some of the National events dealers do free install. At AMVIV (A Mini Vacation in Vegas), Alta did free installs on all their products, and gave a 15% discount if I remember.

Lights: i found a set of PIAAs for $100 on ebay (screaming deal). Some i have seen in stores for $160 all the time. Got a friend of mine to help...cost me lunch at Del Taco.

You can do it cheaper, with some patience and shopping around. Thats part of the fun...

Graphics: go to aestheticreations.net, talk to Mike the owner (one family company). He can pretty much to any graphics you can dream of at a lower price (except mirror covers and door handles). He is a friend of mine, totally will work with you, totally cool!

Look for a local mini club in your area, they are always willing to help with advice. I can understand taking a 1/2 day LOL. when i bought mine i looked at the dealer 2-3 times a day.

 

Well, I am not opposed to used - but if I could have gotten the dealership down another 2K I would have purchased it today brand spanking new. 43K is the cost after getting them down 2K from 45K -- I have another local dealership and I think I am goinig to call them to see what they can offer me (is that a crappy thing to do?) I figure if so much is dealer labor charges maybe I can better this price on the new car that I really want.

I am also going to call a few banks to check rates - the mini rate quoted today was 7.9% over 60 months. I bet I can better the rate and thereby afford what I want.

I am a relatively handy guy (for an accountant). Can I install the driving lights, union jack - door handle? that alone would bring the cost down much closer to where I want it.

 

SO much of the installation of things on a MINI is a piece of cake. I am a 28 year old woman who has NEVER worked on a car before my MINI and believe me when I say that taking apart and putting together the MINI is like playing with tinker toys. It is very very easy. I did my own stripes (front and rear), driving lights, changed my dial faces, put in bluetooth, a new switch panel...it's so easy to do the work yourself! And much better than BMW labor prices.

You can do the driving lights, door handles, stripes, even the aero kit yourself, and you can get the parts (OEM or otherwise) for much cheaper as well.

 

I am late and running out....loved reading the last post !!

I spoke to the mrs. I am going to call the dealer back and try to get them down another 1K. I called Wells fargo and qualified for a MUCH better finance rate...I think I might order the car later tonight or tomorrow....will keeo you all informed :-)

Right now I need to run to Scuba class.....thanks again !!!!!!!

 

Accountant here too. You can definitely do all of which you listed yourself with a little patience and some good instructions. And I would seriously considering going aftermarket for the driving lights.