i had my mind set on getting the chili red with a white top, then as i was driving to work today i had a red/white mini in front AND behind me. the red/white combo is really popular here so now i'm thinking of doing red/black (with bonnet stripes).... still common, but not as much.

my problem is, i've heard that having a black roof (and i do plan on getting a sunroof) is a bad idea in hot climtae areas. i'm in houston where it's super hot... we've been in the upper 90's for the past week and a half or so (and it's only going to get worse).

so for those of you living in hot area, with a black roof (and sunroof) what's the verdict... mangeable or do your regret getting a black roof?

thanks for the opinions... also if you have any pictures of a red/ black mini would you please post!

THANK YOU

 

IMO w a sunroof, the black looks best.... Makes the sunroof blend right in. And its been mid to upper 80s here in ohio so far.... The black paint isnt going to really matter when compared to the panes of glass... yeah they let the inside get pretty warm... I just got some of those Zippie shades and its 100X better. But i really enjoy the sunroof and am glad i got them

some window tint up there and youll be just fine

on another note... get the anthacite headliner.... also makes the sunroof blend with the interior

 

You didn't say whether you were absolutely getting an S, so in that case let me tell you the Rarest of MINI Colors is the Oxygen Blue, either with a Black, White, or Oxygen Blue Roof, you will have a very rare color combo.

Good Luck in your choices it is NOT an easy decision!!

 

oh man the humidity don't you just hate it.
Even with living in Houston, i'd still prefer to choose a black roof (i think it looks 50 times better with my friend's chili red mcs ) despite the heat it'll attract.. but i think i'll just rely on the high blast cold AC and open sunroof for the heat to escape
Maybe i'm just not a white top fan.. but I can't wait til the temps cool down again, which will be when.. january?

 

What's a zippie shade if you wouldn't mind sharing? I do admit that getting a black roof makes the car look more cohesive, but the white roof/sunroof isn't a big deal to me. Also, I know the anthracite headliner is a big hit on NAM, but comparing it to the standard headliner... i liked the lighter color better, it made the car seem bigger (to me). The dark headliner made me feel a little too inclosed.... they both look good though.

I'm 100% getting an S. I like the laser blue color (with white roof and bonnet stripes), but I'm not sure I'm still going to like it a few years from now (in the sense where my taste would change, not the actual car).

My top colors are chili red, laser blue and white pepper... it's such a tough decision... hopefully I can make up my mind soon!

If all goes well I should be ordering my mini before the end of the month

 

Hahaha, I keep thinking maybe this crazy hot summer will bring a really cold winter (yea right!).... and it's not even August yet (when it gets REALLY hot!!!). Thanks for the input and good luck staying cool

 

oh they are just shades that have a couple suction cups and fit up in there... they fold into a little 7"x7"x2" pouch to store

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...group-buy.html

also picked up a front winshield shade from the dealer... should be set for the summer!

 

As a treehugger, you should get a white roof since it's more environmentally friendly.

 

looks pretty cool thanks for the heads up! i know there's a discount going on until the end of the month so i'll probably order sometime soon.

do you keep them on when the sunroof is open? how does that work, you just roll them up, but keep them attached?

one more thing- do you have a darker tint on your sunroof as well?

 

The large amount of glass of the sunroof will cook you regardless of the roof color.

You can get perforated vinyl graphics for the sunroof. They let some light in and view out, but reduce heat considerably. Check the vendor list here for sources, or check a custom vinyl shop in your area.

Personally, I like the body color roof with Chili Red. That is probably more unusual than even black roofs. To make it more unique, put a aftermarket stripe on it.

BTW, on tints, be sure you research it carefully. Some tints can cause the glass to get very hot. Others, not so much. Check that a tint isn't going to void the warranty on the sunroof. One Nammer reported that his sunroof exploded when driving across the desert.

 

you can vent the roof with them on, but not open... you just take them off.

no tint anywhere...yet. I want to do 5% on the roof and 35 elsewhere

 

With BRG of course.

 

Here's one of my MINI. I've since added tint, just don't have any pics of it since I've added it.

I live in the Florida Panhandle, with a black roof MINI. Yes, it gets hot (it was 92 today) but not noticibly hotter than any other car I've drivin. I don't have a sunroof.

 

The best color for a treehugger is green

 

I'm up in Dallas where it's hitting 100 now, so here's my $.02. I bought a Horizon Blue Mini with a White roof and I love it. I don't have a sunroof, but that was intentional. Honestly, I can leave my car out all day in the sun with the heat index well over 100 and when I get in my car the A/C has no problems cooling it off quickly. I think that the sunroof is great but, in my opinion, it's not the best option when you live in Texas. Also, I would suggest the manual A/C over the automatic. My Dad has the auto and I have the manual and I think that my car cools faster, but he also has a sunroof so that could have something to do with it. Oh, and my vote is for Horizon Blue! It's brand new so it's extremely uncommon. I too loved the Chili Red but I didn't want the same color as everyone else, so I chose Horizon Blue and I LOVE it. I've posted pictures in my gallery of both it and my Dad's Hyper Blue Mini Cooper S.

Oh, and the checkered cloth seats are amazing. I only wish that they had lumbar support. Good luck with your decision making!

PS: Can you believe how hot it's gotten this year? I'm concerned that August and September are going to be truly brutal.

 

It reallly won't make much difference what roof color you get, if you get a sunroof -- you will roast! The sunroof makes the car so hot. I got my car in August in NC, first mod I had done (next day) was to tint the sunroof, darkest available. The A/C cannot overcome the heat from the sunroof, period!

 

Agreed! BRG/W is the best color for a mini!

 

If Chili Red is your first choice but you don't want a MINI that looks like a lot of others out there with the black or the white roof....

 

Here's mine:




Just got it a few days ago. Everyone that posted above is right... the sunroof WILL cook you. I am waiting for my roof graphic to come so I can block out that light. I didn't even bother with a perforated decal, just got a solid one. My boss has a Chili Red/White mini... and honestly hers gets just as hot as mine inside, since she has the sunroof as well. I think it's a personal thing. Whichever you think looks better.

 

Does Bergie have the Chrono Package?

 

Yep.

That pic was taken pre-tint, otherwise you wouldn't be able to see those guages like that.

 

Black roof with sunroof (and leatherette here). Yeah, it can get really toasty in the summer. However, I use my sunroof all the time and do not regret it at all, it's great making the cabin as "airy" as possible (in a coupe). Especially when there are reasonable compromises out there like the zippee shade iwashmycar mentioned. And then there's tint and perforated vinyl. Guess that's what they call having your cake and eating it too

 

nice with all the tree hugger jokes even though I may be a tree hugger, brg isn't a color that i have really considered... doesn't look bad, it's just not my style (sorry!).

This whole thing would have been much simpler if mini had a solid sunroof cover!!!!!!

does anyone know what type of sunroof tint will not void the warranty or make the sunroof explode (that's so crazy!!).

cr&pw&jb- I like the checkered roof... did you get that done through the mini dealership?

lacynpiper- it's soooooo unbearably hot already... and we haven't seen any rain in Houston for a while so I'm cooking... i think they said it was 97 degrees today!!! but at least you don't have to deal with this disgusting humidity

ps- sarah and bruce your minis are both awesome pictures like those definitely make me want to get the red/black regardless of the heat!

 

Treehugger, that humidity would be the #2 reason why I will not look at jobs in Houston. #1 are tree roaches. I didn't even know that they existed in Texas until we had some in our duplex in Austin in college. I screamed bloody murder. Ick!

PS: If there had been a solid sunroof cover like my mom has in her Civic, I might have actually considered the sunroof.

 

ohhhh don't even get me started on the roaches!!!!! with the humidity, bugs and traffic; i swear sometimes i don't even know how i am still living in houston...

ps- i love austin... i went to school in san marcos (texas state) and austin was our weekend hang out i definitely don't miss cricket season though... that's one thing that i'm glad we don't have down here!!!

i'm still not 100% on the sunroof- i'm thinking i need to go back to the dealership and check them out again!