This will be for an '08 MCS. Keep in mind some of the package changes

Color: Mellow Yellow with black roof/stripes or maybe Laser blue w/black or white
6spd MT
Premimum Package (No MSFW in '08, has hifi audio instead)
Cold Weather (includes powerfold mirrors now)
MFSW (a la carte due to new package)
DSC
LSD
16" Bridge Spoke all seasons (NJ winters)
Rear Fog lights
Rubber floor mats
Center Arm Rest

Some have said not to get an armrest...having always had one in my cars, I'm not sure how to live w/o one. Is it really that bad? The dealer said they can put one in after market that might be better.

Is Nav worth the $2100?

Is it worth getting rain sensing/auto headlights for $200?

I'm undecided between MW and laser blue. One could look like a taxicab/schoolbus and the other could look like a smurf. I like these colors because they are aggresive, but I don't want to regret it a week after driving.

 

I don't like the armrest. I plan on having the dealer remove it if I can't do it easily. You might see if you can see the after market armrest somewhere (dealer or club). I haven't seen one, but people claim it is better.

Yes. It isn't just an NAV, it also provides an interface to your HIFI (list and navigate songs on CDs or iPod Integration. Also set balances), Bluetooth (if you have it), Park Distance Control (great graphic), TPMS (tells you what wheel is flat), and various car settings.

The NAV has a good traffic system for major cities.

Do you mean wipers? I've only used the once (California) but the worked well most of the time. Once after being parked, the water that accumulated made it think there was a downpour, but otherwise got it right.

One person reported that a drunk woman thought his MY was a taxi and tried to get in. However, I'd probably go for MY over LB because LB seems to be what everyone is getting. I think MY has more character.

 

I like Lighting Blue with White roof and mirrors. As for the $200, is worth it, The auto headlights and wipers are controlled automatically, so you don't have to worry about them. My commute is 1 hour, when i leave work is still bright, then towards home is dark, but i am so distracted and tired, that i forget the lights, so that takes care of it. As for the $2100, that is pricey, i am getting a portable NAV that i can use on my other cars. beats spending $6000+ for 3 NAV's on my 3 cars as opposed to about $500 for a really well equipped portable GPS.

I also always had the arm rest on all my cars, but didn't get it on my MCS and I don't even miss it. I use it mainly for storage, and i heard the armrest can't store much, so it was pointless for me to get it.

 

i scoured this forum before placing my order last week. These are the item that seem people regret not ordering:
white turn signals
anthracite headliner

I got the auto wipers only because w/o them, intermittent setting would be a single setting and not adjustable. I played with the armrest at the dealer and decided to pass on it, too small to hold much of anything in it and looks really plasticky.

 

The armrest is easily removable; get it, and if you don't like it, it takes no effort to simply pull it out.

Is the mini nav worth it? Well, NAV is worth it. Is the Mini NAV worth it? My disposable income being limited, I easily decided against it. If you've got the cash, make it happen.

I also opted against the auto wiper/lights; it just doesn't seem like something that needs to be automated. No doubt you've seen the complaints on this board about how one has to turn the automatic wipers on every time you start the car...

 

Your questions are a lot like mine before I ordered. (Click on the link in my .sig for the car I ended up ordering...)

A lot of those Q's were answered for me when I went to the dealership and got to see the cars in person. My wife was against MY and any stripes before we went to the dealership. I was leaning towards MY/B myself, as I thought a flashy car deserved some flashy colors. After we saw some cars on the lot, we were both convinced that MY/B with stripes was definitely the way to go. I think it looks even more aggressive if you black out certain features (such as the scoop, etc.). There are lots of good photos available here on NAM if you poke around a bit.

The NAV system and the auto-wipers are both unfortunately mis-named. The NAV system really should be named the upgraded interior display unit, with GPS features. It gives you more info from the MINI's on board computer than you'd have available to you without the NAV -- things like which tire has run flat, what the contours are behind you if you have the parking distance controller, etc. Yes, the NAV adds 10% to the base cost of an R56, but *for me* it was an easy decision. Similarly, the auto-wipers are really exist to give you the option for multi-speed intermittent operation. Without the auto-wipers, there's exactly *one* intermittent speed to "pick" from. Again, for my everything-and-the-kitchen-sink build, that was a decision I went with (although they weren't as much of a slam-dunk as the NAV system).

Visit your dealer and check out the cars on the lot before you make final color selection. Like Robin stated, part of my decision to go with MY was because I wanted something to stand out from the "standard" MINI colors I saw out on the highway.

Best luck!

~Neal

 

My criteria for adding options was if I can't get it installed at the dealer later, then get it on order. I have all the options mentioned, here's my take:

The Nav as said prior ipost s more then just navigation, well worth the money.
The rain sensing wipers I could do without since I'm in Calif, and the headlights are a must have. For $200 just get them.
I love the Anthracite headliner, since I have black and chrome accents having a beige ceiling would not look good at all....Think about adding this to your list.
No comment on the color, have fun ordering

 

Regarding the Anthracite headliner and white turn signals...since the sunroof takes up so much space, I really don't need the anthracite. The white turn signals...eh really could care less.

The nav...$2100 seems like a lot. Sure it adds some cool things like telling you which tire is low, but for $2100...I don't know.

True that regular wipers are lacking an adjustable intermittent setting, but they are speed sensing aren't they? Auto headlights I don't feel I need as how hard is it to turn on the headlights. Do the normal headlights turn off automatically if you leave them on and then lock your car? This option is not that expensive, but I'm concerned about how well the rain sensing wipers work and of course that's just one more sensor that could break.

 

I like the Nav. The NAV price is the BMW price because that is the cost for NAV in all of their BMWs. So that is one of the BMW features added to the 07. The interface is almost like my 07 335i BMW I used to own.

 

Nav is cool. Like everyone said, its more than just NAV. It is an amazing unit that hooks your whole car into a center controlled unit. Too pricey, then get portable nav, no biggie.

Arm rest - don't get the factory one, get the "dealer installed" version after the fact. Its 7 bucks more, has a lot more storage and is more comoratable to use. You can install it yourself in 5 minutes so just buy it seperatley or see if they will give you a 200 accessory credit.

White turn signals would almost be an essential on Mellow yellow. Yellow/black with orange signals clash a bit so clear turn signals make a big difference as well as anthracite headliner with a yellow/black car.

rain sensing/auto headlights - to me its a must, i love them and have gotten used to them ever since i started at BMW before moving to MINI. Auto headlights are great cause you never have to touch them and the wipers are very confidenent even if you do have to turn it everytime you have to activate them. by the way, you only "have" to activate it if it is actually raining.

any other questions???

 

Good Point

 

Although it will be 6 months before I place an order, I am on the fence with the NAV. I've had aftermarket navs for years and love GPS, but am not really excited about the image quality of the factory system. Sure, I'd love to have the other vehicle functions that it offers, but it sure would be nice if MINI teamed up with a company like Garmin to offer a really top notch factory nav that has good graphics.

 

Its the same/similar NAV in the new BMW cars which I love. Its not a cheezy interface...trust me. Those off the shelf navs are cheezy and cartooney to me. . It's not your grandma's mini anymore

 

So does anyone know if the regular headlights turn off automatically if leave them on, get out of the car and then lock it? This is more of and auto-off.

 

I got the armrest, and I'm not really happy with it. So far, I've put some change in it but that only seems to rattle around as I drive.

I have both the auto headlights and wipers--love them both. Will get them in my next car.

As far as color choices--I went with Laser Blue. I have not seen any in my city and it is still my favorite color! I automatically have a smile planted on my face when I see my car in the parking deck! I have seen a few of the MY around town and they are cute too!

Good luck with your choice! I've only had mine 2 weeks and it's the "funnest" car I've ever had.

 

They are auto-on and auto-off. I leave mine on automatic all the time.

 

For $200 the auto headlamps and auto wipes is a great feature. And is something that you can't add later on.

 

No the regular headlights, not the automatic ones. Do they turn themselves off if you leave the car and lock the door?

 

My $0.02. I got virtually all the factory options except the sport suspension, and the only things I wish I had skipped are the PDC and the heated mirrors & washer jets.

 

I skipped the Nav because of the price and because my idea was to get a better unit and have it mounted. Now that the Nuvi 700 series is out I'm glad I did. I'll save over $1000, have a better unit with way bigger/better screen, and be able to put it away when I don't need it. I'm not a huge Nav guy anyway.
I have the armrest and it's not so great. It came with the bluetooth package so you can put the phone in there and charge it but only the Razr phones work, and the charging sleeve is $140. The BT is nice though, works great.
Those are my only option comments. All the other stuff is great if you want it/can afford it. Of course avoid the dreaded Ipod interface, which is a dealer option. There are some ugly threads about that!

 

Thanks for the info. guys, I placed my order today and I realized I forgot a few things while there, like the MFSW for one.

I was surprised at how bad the lease rates were...the money factor was in the .0003xxx range which is terrible. The finance rates were bad too and of course there was no room to negotiate on the sticker price. My MA was willing to throw in some accessories for me though.

Anyway, I have until next week to tell him if I want anything changed. As of right now, I didn't add the Nav or the auto headlights and rain sensing. As nice as the nav might be, it's still $2000 bucks and I can get a really nice GPS unit for less than half of that which I could take with me.

Still undecided about the two options though. How is the PDC different with nav?

 

I have the nav and I love it. The traffic info has saved my bacon a couple of times. The nav has a display for the PDC. You can see approximately where the obstruction is behind you. Looks like the enterprise's rear shields are failing
Auto Wipes and Lights are great. Bluetooth works well with my LG EnV phone. (There is no snap in charger for it though). MFSW is a must as well as I really enjoy the lifetime sirius and HD radio. The Nav display is a must if you go with the sirius option due to the screen real estate to display channel info.

Best of Luck on your new mini. MY/B is my favourite!

 

Are you driving with your eyes on the NAV or on the road?

For guidance, I think the important things are:
1. The voice is clear and not annoying. My friend's Garmin has several voice choices. The Aussie voice slaughters Spanish street names. The "American" voice has some kind of mid-west accent and does funny things with some names. For example Hwy 85 sounds like "HighwayHaiti Five". Buggs me everytime I hear it. The MINI NAV has a very professional voice (very neutral) and gets around street name difficulties by not saying them. She does say highway names and does them well.

2. The ability to glance at the screen and see the next turn. The NAV has that in its mixed window with map on the left, arrow and street on the right.

3. Traffic jam avoidance. NAV does well in areas that are covered.

The 3D and perspective maps are just gimicks to get you to upgrade to a new model, IMO. They are good for impressing your friends, but you shouldn't be watching them while you drive. Or you'll have a few of these when your eyes return to the road.

My dos centavos, and worth what you paid for them.

 

I would guess that the do, but am not positive.

I have the auto headlights, but rarely use them. Problem is that they turn on in my garage. So, they would fire up every time I startup then turn off as I pull out into the sun. With Xenons, I'm told that firing them up is what shortens their life, not running time.

When I use the headlights in manual mode and forget to turn them off when I stop, they turn off automatically.

 

I hope you added it. It is the only way to get cruise control. IMO, the ability to change the audio volume from the steering wheel is worth the price by itself. Changing tracks/stations and having cruise control are added benefits.

And you have to take it with you, or hide it, every time you park in public. It is too much of a temptation to thieves to leave it visible. So, it can become something of a hassle. You pay for a lot of convenience with the NAV.

You get a visual graphic of where obstructions are. Do a search and you should find a photo of the screen. There have been a few posted. Without the NAV you just get beeps from the rear speakers.

If the auto-headlights hadn't been in a package, I would have been happy without them. The rain sensors I kind of like because they vary the speed as needed. One more thing you don't have to mess with while driving in the rain.