Hey guys check out my configuration.

Ignoring the budget. What do you think of my aesthetic choices?

 

Hot car like that... Where is the LSD or sport suspension. If your going to spend 3k on wheels you gotta get the LSD and sport suspension(sports package).

Otherwise nice... When you do order see if they can carry the "viper" stripes all the way down the front to the bumper lip.

 

I wouldn't buy any of the accessories with the car, except for the stripes. They will probably charge you $200 for them installed. They should throw in the floor mats. The wheel locks came with my car. No charge. Everything else you can get after the fact for way cheaper and just put on yourself. Especially the R99 wheels. Nice setup though

 

Add LSD.

Nice car...

 

Personally, I'd lose these items (YMMV):

Arm Rest - doesn't stay closed, gets in the way of shifting (for me, some don't have that problem). Doesn't fold back far enough to get out of the way. I tore mine out. If you have a bluetooth phone that is supported it may be worth putting up with, but you have to buy a cradle for the phone.

Sunroof - Very large area of glass. Can't be completely blocked. Car can get very hot in hot sun unless heavily tinted. Careful that tint doesn't trap heat in the glass. Adds weight to the very top of the car. Can have rattles, water leaks, and mechanical failure. See threads on problems with sunroofs. Some have problems, some don't. Many report noise issues of one kind or another. At least one person had the glass explode.

R99 Wheels - For that amount of money you could get several sets of really great wheels that are lighter weight. See the Wheels, Tires, & Brakes forum for some examples. Keep the S-Winders for snow tires, or sell them with the runflats in the NAM Marketplace forum after you buy aftermarket wheels.

Chromeline Interior - I don't like shiny bits on the dash. They reflect the sun in my eyes, and causes reflections in the windows.

I would add:

LSD - More effectively gets power to the ground. Reduces the intervention of AST which can cut engine power on acceleration.

NAV - Looks better than the big speedo (IMO). Manages the HIFI, Bluetooth, and many car settings. Has effective guidance around traffic jams in major cities. I thought I would rarely use a NAV, but I have ended up using it frequently. Used it extensively for getting around Silicon Valley in the last three days. Steered me around several long traffic jams.

Boot Box - This is the nylon cloth covered, open top, organizer with moveable partitions. Great for carrying groceries or other packages without them sliding around on curves. With this, you probably don't need the rubber mat for the boot. I have the rubber mats for the front and rear and like them.

 

thats a lot of black. I disagree, NAV is horrible in BMW/Mini's def not worth 2K. Buy a garmin nuvi for $300 if you want NAV..

Staying with the soft suspension? I think LSD will serve you well though.

Its your car, you will get lots of opinions b/c its not their car.

Looks sweet to me!

 

Save the money from the wheels and sunroof, and spend some of it on a clear bra for the front.

 

+ on the clear bra...

But disagree on the Nav, it's really not a nav but a communication management system. I can't imagine having to use the little display on the tach to view all the data the screen can show. Also the bluetooth with speech control is very useful.

As for the sunroof. If you are planning on tracking the car, skip the roof, otherwise I love my roof and tilt them up as often as I can.

Agree on the armrest, but my car came with it so I just keep it flipped up.

 

wow this is great feedback guys. I'm gonna do some adjusting now and see if I can save a couple of more bucks and have a more rounded car.
I completely missed the LSD option. I thought it was including in the Sports Suspension. guess not.

updating soon

 

For that cost, have you looked at the 2009 JCW Factory version? Also, add the LSD and go aftermarket on the Sports Suspension.

 

Everybody's covered everything that I would have mentioned, except:

1. No English Oak dash? Blasphemy.
2. The interior chrome doesn't bother me, or the sunroof, but I'm in a cooler/grayer climate.

 

yes I want the 2009 JCW kit but not sure how to configure it until MINI updates their site.

 

consider DSC also... safety features are always a good investment.

 

Go to a Mini dealer and they can order it for you. Production is looking like mid June. Get there soon and be one of the firsts!

 

Mine is fine and stays put. Only have 2000+ miles on mine so maybe this will happen a little later My iPhone fits in there great with the little snap in adapter, love that it charges up the phone .. looking forward to a trip up to Oregon this summer. JUST FYI you don't need the neato snap in adapter, I used to have my iPhone in a case attached to my belt and it worked fine with the car bluetooth.

No problems with mine, been plenty HOT out to have some issues that others have reported, but remember folks are always more likely to report an issue than if everything is working well. Robin makes great points, just want to put in my 2 cents that you can have the sunroof tinted, I went with 35%, keeps the car MUCH cooler.

 

Great advice from all these people. I have read the forums and decided not to get NAV or a Sunroof on my 09 JCW Hardtop. What does everyone think about the alarm? It is worth the money or better to go aftermarket? Also, if contemplating carbon fiber side mirrors, is it cheaper to order the car with them to save installation charges?
Thanks