I have a real dilemma here. My current car is starting to show signs of age, and as much as i would love to keep it, i dont really want to drop $2K on new clutch and tires within the next 1.5 years...

ive wanted a JCW mini for the longest time, and was meaning to buy one... but after driving the R56, i cant stand the interior cheapness, and the option packages/prices thus far... I was hoping there would be even a slight improvement in the interior for 2010, or at least bundle the JCW suspension or JCW aerokit with the JCW Mini.

What would you do? Order a 2009 or man up and wait for 2010. i see the 2010 as a gamble, but at the same time i dont see the 2009 as being everything i want at the price point they're charging.

 

Worst thing you could do is get something your not completely satisfied with. So don't get the 2009

 

There is no way that the 2010 will be a refresh. No way... There is no reason they would refresh before 2012, when the whole point of their design philosophy is to not change.

 

Oh stop.... This wait or buy stuff is getting a bit absurd. 2010? If you are worrying about car models that far ahead, then I recommend you just hang onto your dough and wait for Spacely Sprockets to release the lastest model of George Jetson's cool and ultra modern car.

Here's the deal about anything mechanical or electronic. It is dying the minute it is built. If you want it and can afford it, get it.

 

ive bought many things that i wasnt completly satisfied but ended up like them better than things i was completly satisfied with

 

Just get it and learn to enjoy.

 

Is the 2009 any different from the 2008? I ask because other than a few physical changes (minor), I don't see any "cheapness" on the interior than I do my previous 2005 or 2006.

In my line of work, I get to check out different car interiors all the time and personally, I think the interior of my 2008 is superbly built compared to most cars I get to drive.

Hope you make the decision that works for you.

Mark

 

I personally really like the interior of my 2008. Granted I have the Tuscan leather with wood trim and Nav and no one has ever said they thought it looked cheep. From a performance aspect, I too wuld love a JCW. You can never have enough HP or stoping power!
What changes have you heard that the 2010's are going to have over the 2009's?

 

Hi dunce11r

I'm not sure what exactly you are looking for in the interior of a MINI. I've owned an MG, Toyota, Triumph, Mercury, Acura, Jeep and even a Jag Convertible, and I like the MINI the best. To me, it feels like a little brick on a roller skate. I realize this is all personal taste, but I am so impressed with the quality of the interior on my clubman, and so are a number of my friends who have driven it, or in it. The quality feel is almost always mentioned. They apparently expected a lot less of a car since it was so small.

As far as packages, manufacturers always bundle options, so it may be as difficult in 2012 to get exactly what you want as it is now. And, although we may be at the start of another 1929, I really wouldn't depend on prices doing anything but going up. Especially since the dollar is in the toilet.

So, waiting for the future may not be the way to go for you. I agree that if you don't like the present MINI, you might want to start looking around for something else.

Good luck!
Rich

 

I think that he might be referring to the center stack as what he meant by being cheap.. both in how it looks and feels. And I would have to agree with that which is why I went with a 2008 Sidewalk.. the materials and design and feel and color of everything in the earlier styles were substantially better looking/feeling... Its no secret that they changed it to drop the costs..

Even the stereo is very very cheap and i am no audio snob by any means..

Will they change that in 2010?? If enough people wrote in and if the dealers passed on the comments that customers like myself have told them.. then maybe..
BUT changing stuff so soon in the model cycle is damaging to the image and resale value of the car. It would be like admitting to a mistake when all they need to do is wait for the normal cycle to finish and change it then.

 

I think if the "interior cheapness" bothers you, you should get a BMW. I came to my JCW from an M3 & while detailing the interior yesterday noticed that carpeting and other things are lower quality, cheap if you will. But I had no expectations otherwise. One is a $58 car and the other $34K. I don't see that changing for 2010. Interior materials in a MINI are cheap to keep costs down, but I'm OK with that since I really enjoy the car otherwise.

 

I agree....also having both gen MINIs. I think the 2nd gen overall is better in many ways. A lots of words went back and forth in the first vs second gen discussion....in the end you could take a poke at either if you'd like, or enjoy either. Personally I think is is unfortunate how so many knee-jerk reactions there were over the center stack...the switches are great, right where you want them, and you get more leg room....in the end it's super. In the first gen car the stack was more of a feature (contrasting downtubes and all). In the second gen car the whole center stack just kinda goes away and other features figure more strongly. All I'm really saying is that the glass is definitely half full, and I'd not wait for a refresh we know nothing substantially about.

 

To the OP's legitimate question concerning probability of design tweaks in the 2010 model year R56... dunce11R, yes there will be a 2010 refresh. As for extent of the mid-cycle refresh, have a look at this article posted by Gabe on MotoringFile:
http://www.motoringfile.com/2008/01/...cycle-refresh/

As for my advice (hey why not add one more data point?): there are some excellent dynamic aspects to the R56 JCW (assuming you spec JCW suspension... and aero kit sure helps the exterior appearance) that may prove enough for you to overlook the interior shortcomings of the R56. On the other hand, despite how it drives, the interior design and other R56 aesthetics may very well continue to bug you. Other people telling you "it's fine for me" is irrelevant, frankly, as they won't be riding with you everywhere to make you feel better.

As one poster stated above, if buying a new MINI is not imperative for you right now, and since there are things you just flat-out don't like on the current design, it may be worth biding your time and enjoy your current ride. And another option - not sure what year your MINI is, but if you have long wanted a JCW but didn't care for the R56, why not look at R53 JCW's... lots of very low mileage well-kept 2006 cars out there with years and years of warranty remaining. (As an example, regular MINI warranty runs to early 2011 and then MINI NEXT warranty to early 2013 on my 2006!)

 

I agree, you can look at it in different ways and while I prefer my 1st gen Sidewalk, I can appreciate the differences between the 1st gen and 2nd gen.

but the new radio setup has to go... or at least make the stereo one that lives up to its name of "hi-fi"

I wonder why Harmon Kardon was dropped?

 

Hey Goat!! How ya doin?

 

Hey mini1966... you're hilarious... the screen name made me think a second... but doing great man! Just about to head out and drive aimlessly on some backroads in my miata as I'm not sure how long this warm and sunny weather will hold out. We don't all get to live in Cali and take that for granted you know. (OK so before we hijack fully, talk to you more off-line...)

 

I also having a 2003 and now a 2008, never would go back to the 2003, but it also was a great car...

 

price point? one thing for sure, the price will go up. and dont plan on any radical refresh until the 2011-12 MY, if then. If U dont like it, then dont buy it--it's that simple.

and PLEASE take anything posted on Motoringfile with a grain of salt. it's been wrong in the past and i'm sure it'll be wrong in the future. Nothing like random speculation to stoke the fires of uncertainty.

 

Excellent thread. Wise OP. Buyer's remorse is the gift that just keeps giving. Perhaps waiting for improvements is a wiser choice. However, every day without the MINI of your choice is a day you can't enjoy it! Warts and all, the current JCW is an awesome ride. I couldn't afford one, but if it's within your means, why not spring for it and learn to love it for all of it's perceived shortcomings (i.e. interior "cheapness"). I never think about the quality of materials as I'm tooling around town; I'm too busy enjoying the ride!

Goat: great article! Nice find, and it perfectly suits the OP's concerns.

 

You know, it's really sad that manufacturer's have us brainwashed into expecting less because we spent $34K instead of $58K.

I love my and about every aspect about it but spending $30K+ on a tiny car like the mini really is ridiculous when you think about it.

And the damn manufacturer's have us believing that because we didn't spend $50K+ on a car, we shouldn't expect nicer carpet, etc, etc..

Ridiculous I say, ridiculous....


Mark

 

True...my MINI's have always been in the $19K ('03) to $21K ('07) because that seemed to make sense to me overall. In this range the MINI seems more at home. Really, if you think about it, the MINI is a $19K car that is extremely easy/natural to option up....either with accessories or w/ various degrees of tune.

 

I have a new 2008 Mini. The interior is NOT cheap. I love it! The materials are far better quality than ones that were in my 2003 Mini. Quite an improvement. If you think it looks cheap you have no business owning a Mini Cooper! Go buy a Hummer..............................

 

yes! i agree its alot better than my 03 to!..... the hummer escape pods are awsome

 

No, I think it's just a matter of you get what you pay for. If you want luxurious materials you have to pay for them. It's that simple. You can't put lipstick on a pig.

I have no problem expecting less in terms of luxury items and space age materials for a cheaper car. It's not what I bought the JCW for. Comparing to a $60K M3 I think I got good value in the JCW for $25K less, crappier carpet and all. I could have done worse. I could have bought a really crappy American car (don't get me started on the total POS Chrysler Sebring I had to drive as a rental last month).

My only complaint is that I think the JCW Aero Kit should be factory standard on the JCW, and the JCW suspension should be a factory option, rather than a dealer option requiring extra labor charges.

 

Waiting on the 2010 updates will certainly be another tradeoff. The price will probably increase ~3%, packages will be reshuffled, colors will be added and dumped, and possibly an interior stack/radio change. Whether or not these are good for you is a toss up. I waited on the 2009, when I could have had an 08, and paid a higher price. Its debatable if this is bad because several years from now its trade-in value will be higher than an 08, but who knows if it will be more than the price increase I paid for the 09? I lost certain features in the 08 packages for 09, like steering wheel controls, and had to pay for them separately. Maybe the materials will be cheapened further to boost their profits even more! If so you'll probably buy something else rather than hold off until 2012. If you can't get over the debatable "cheap interior", then you might as well hold off, since you don't seem like your ready to buy immediately. But be prepared to be possibly dissappointed again in 2010.