My Fiancee currently has an '09 MCCS and I am hardcore considering buying an '09 MCS for myself. I am trying to figure out which options I want to go with because I do want to keep the price as reasonable as possible. Here are the options that I am not sure if I should keep them or ditch them:

• Limited Slip Diff.
• Sport Suspension
• Hi-Fi Sound System
• Chrome Line Interior
• Center Arm Rest
• Comfort Access System

Please give me some opinions on these options. Are they worth paying for, or just something you could live without. I am not to concerned with any resale bump these options might add, I just want to know if they are worth my time. Out of these six, the only one that I am pretty sure I will get is the LSD....the rest I don't know. Thanks guys!

-Chris

 

-I'm not too familiar with the LSD (don't have it), but I've heard it's a good buy.
-Sport Suspension actually makes a pretty big difference.
-If you can redo your audio system yourself, I'm sure you can get a lot better speakers for the price. But, I can't, so I got the HiFI and I'm not regretting it at all, I think it sounds great.
-Chrome Line- Ehhh, I blacked out all the exterior chrome on my car, so in my opinion, I don't think it would look good on the inside, but to each their own, I wouldn't get it.
-I wish I would have ordered the center armrest, it's weird that the seats don't have armrests on the side.
-Comfort access is something I can easily live without. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me for the money you spend on it.

Whether you order an option-less MC, or a loaded JCW, the car is going to be a blast to drive! Good luck!

 

.....and I'd like recommend them both. The Chrome line interior really dresses up the interior, and gets rid of the cheap silver paint look. Well worth the $250 IMO.

The hi-fi doesn't sound the best because of the natural acoustics of the car, but it is so much better than the stock it's unreal. I personally would not know enough to design a better system (that wouldn't look bad)for the $500 difference. The sound is quite good.

 

sounds good.
i'd forget comfort access and chrome interior though. it's nice and yes the lights and wipers should be STANDARD on the MINI S but regardless it's a lot of money IMO.
the chrome interior is kinda neat if you're into that kinda thing...i'm still on the fence but didn't get it myself.

the rest of this it important...i'd suggest sport and premium packages though.

 

Thanks for the input guys. So the Hi-Fi sound system is a significant improvement over the regular system? I am getting the general idea that most people do not think it is a 10 out of 10, but I think the stock Clubman sound system is pretty good....so I would guess the Hi-Fi to be a bit better.

Is the sport suspension just upgrades sway bars or is their more to it? Springs or shocks changed with it?

 

HiFi is a wast of money. Just go aftermarket. IMO the chromeline interior rules. I loved it so much but mine didnt come with it. So I retrofitted it. My mini is one of the only minis that have it here in Nevada. So if you wanna stand out, add some class and retro flare, I would get it. Plus it looks AWESOME at night.

Scratch the armrest too, its a POS. Mine has broken twice already and now slides back on its own just from accelerating. Once again, go aftermarket.

 

besides your LSD, i'd pass on the rest. It seems multifunction steering wheel, xenon HIDs, rear fogs (pure aesthetics), are musts. Miss anything?

 

Ok, so items that are in:

• Chrome Line interior
• LSD
• Sport Suspension
• Rear Fog Lights

Items that are out:

• HiFi Sound
• Center Arm Rest
• Comfort Access

Thanks for the help everyone.

-Chris

 

How about anthracite headliner cold weather pkg auto-dim mirror and i like my rainsense wipers too aside from the sport pkg, there's my Mini built for 25000. The one option I wish I had ordered would have been to upgrade the seats to get the lumbar. Good Luck Get the euro style armrest it opens

 

xenon a must, euro arm rest after market , 5 min install . at minispeed

 

No need for the cold weather package, it would be nice to have those extras when I travel up north in the winter but the cost outweighs the benefit really. It doesn't usually get to cold in southern Alabama.

The anthracite headliner is something I am considering as well. It seems like it would look good....and so many people love it that it must be something to consider.

I have a BMW 330Ci right now and the rain sensing wipers aren't really that impressive to me. Some people swear by them I am sure....again cost/benefit.

 

We've got the Limited slip and the sport suspension, and I like it like that. The alternative to LSD would be DTC instead. I'm not really sure what DTC does, but part of what it does is an electronic LSD substitute, LSD and DTC cost the same. The rear fogs are essential as far as I'm concerned, and pretty cheap.

The rest I wouldn't get (and didn't get), I don't like the chrome interior, but that's a matter or taste.

 

for the price conscious driving enthusiast...
LSD and suspension
stock sound and upgrade with aftermarket speakers.

 

Hey chris... I would definitely recommend the LSD and the MFSW (multi-function steering wheel). I don't have both but those are two options that I definitely wish I had. LSD for obvious reasons but what's special about MFSW is that it comes with cruise control and that's something that comes in handy during hour long freeway drives. I would get the HI-FI only because getting aftermarket speakers/subs is just a hassle. But if you don't plan on getting the HI-FI, you should definitely get an aftermarket sound system because the stock system just flat out sucks. Personally the chrome lining makes the car look tacky but thats my opinion. You'll soon find out that many of us chose to "black out" the chromes on the exterior of our cars. That's preference as well but giving you a friendly heads up. Oh and don't forget the SPORTS PACKAGE! Good luck on your purchase and welcome to the forum!

 

OH and by the way the reason i said for the rear fogs (sorry i didnt explain.)

the rear fogs will be for the OCD people (like me ).. it fills in those plastic cutouts on the bumper and fills in the missing toggle switch!

 

As you might have figured, asking for advice is a funny thing. Sometimes one asks a question to get a helpful hand of reassurance. Here on this forum, you will get 50% telling you one thing and 50% telling you the other. In the end, you will need to go with your own best guess and feelings.

* Euro-style arm rest will cost $259 and is a simple and very nice upgrade. It surprises me to no end that it is not the standard arm rest for the states as well. Its on mine.

* Sport Suspension is a $500 upgrade that gets you a larger rear sway bar and better shocks and springs. All three stock items can be upgraded later if you feel that the stock items are in need of the upgrade. At that point, there are a few companies out there that offer a better product. I was in the same boat as you are now and decided to wait for another day on this option. Unless you are tracking the car, try the regular go-kart suspension that comes with it first.

* Comfort access seems to be a simple item of laziness. Fun to have, but how hard is it to unlock the doors with your key fob and then place that same fob into the car and push the button......IMHO, just another gadget to break down the road

* LSD - unless you are racing on the track, why in the world would one need this??? PLEASE help me out on this one???

*Chrome - I hate plasti-chrome, If you like/love it, get it. If not, get something else that shows your personality.

Rear fog lights - the ONLY reason for getting these is to get rid of the cut outs in the back as you will use them 5 times in the lifetime of the car. 95% of the time you will forget to turn them on.

 

Being a new owner I would wait on the stereo, aftermarket is much better in this case.

I'm split on the arm rest thing. I had one on my Honda and weirdly enough never used it. On the loaner clubman I had, there was one and I thought it was in the way?

I'm not sure if I'm going to get one.

The chrome, purely a personal touch, if you like it, get it, if not, don't

 

First off:
MFSW... should come standard, in my opinion. I have yet to hear anyone on here say they were glad not to have ordered it. Mostly you hear people complain that they didn't realize they have no cruise control without it.

Now for your list:
None of those items are "must have" options (unlike the MFSW). If you get a MCS without them all, you will still enjoy the ride.

• Limited Slip Diff.
  I guess it's nice if you track your car, but I have plenty of fun without it in my MCS.
• Sport Suspension
  If the LSD is worth it to you, then you're probably the type who will go for rock hard sport suspension. I like control and feedback in my driving experience, but I also want to enjoy a relaxed drive every once in a while too. The standard suspension (with 17" rims) was almost too bone jarring for me - I can't imagine if I had the sport suspension. (shudder)
• Hi-Fi Sound System
  It's generally accepted here that it's not worth it; but MINI is rumored to be improving the hi-fi sound option to resolve those complaints.
• Chrome Line Interior
  I like it. And I was sold on the look mainly because of this guy's photos.
• Center Arm Rest
  I like the US armrest. The UK version looks like something pulled from a late 80s Buick. I'm a big guy, and can beat the hell out of an armrest, but it seems quite sturdy to me, and I don't see any lid slippage issues, either.
• Comfort Access System -- One of my base requirements for a new car was that it would let me answer the phone without touching the phone. The other was that I wouldn't have to mess around with keys. I like the comfort access. It's not laziness, it's efficiency.

 

I just picked up my 09 MCS. I was fortunate that we didn't have to order but it meant that we had to make a concession or two on what we got.

• As what others have said. The car has a pretty firm suspension and ride as it is. I'd only need to the sports suspension if I was going to track the car, and if I ever do that I'll be happy to do the upgrade.
• LSD wasn't an option as the fiance had to have an auto transmission
• arm-rest was something we wanted. I like it. It does the job, but if I had to do it again, I'd give a hard look at the euro armrest. The factory US armrest is just ok. Our MA also told us that its a relatively easy and cheap to install later.
• Bluetooth - This was a must for us, as the fiance also tends to talk on the phone while driving. I've been rather impressed with the quality of the sound and other have commented on how well the mic works. This was worth it for us.
• The ipod adapter. I wanted this, but it was an easy choice since it was bundled with bluetooth. I'm not all that happy with how the mini navigates the ipod. The ipod hooks up through an installed USB port that will accept any old USB drive with mp3s on it which is cool and well worth it in my opinion.

That's about it. We opted not for comfort, but got premium because it had the MFSW as well as the sunroof which we wanted. We're up in the northeast so cold weather was a no brainer as well.

 

LSD: A must have if you don't want DTC. I was pretty impressed by the JCW I drove w/ DTC, it was very smooth and not as jerky as the real LSD in my car. I think the max lock is also 20% more. You can also disable DSC completely if you have DTC (I think?).

Sport Suspension: Waste of money I think. You get a larger front and rear sway bar, so it ends up feeling very similar to the standard suspension. $500 for 1mm larger sway bars and supposedly different springs and shocks is a waste to me. Just get standard and a thicker rear sway bar.

Hi-Fi: Another waste of money. It's better than stock, but not by much. Just get stock and replace at least the main front speakers.

Chrome: I hate chrome, but it's subjective.

Arm Rest: Gets in the way I think, I don't like it.

Comfort Access: Pretty nice to have, but I don't mind unlocking the car myself and putting the fob in.

MFSW: If you want cruise control, get it. I didn't get it since I wanted a simple car with no buttons on the wheel. I hate accidentally turning the radio when driving aggressively.

Rear Fogs: I don't like the blanks in the rear bumper if you don't get the rear fogs or the empty toggle switch, so it's worth it to me for those simplistic reasons.

To sum it up, get the LSD (or DTC, drive both) and skip the rest unless you have $ to burn. Get the options you might regret not getting otherwise that are cost prohibitive to add later (xenons, mfsw, rear fogs, ect).

 

Don't get anything but the LSD. That's the ONLY option I put in my 2009 Mini S. That's my suggestion, but I'm the type of person who doesn't need to have all the extras. Just try to determine what you actually NEED to have in your car. Personally, I didn't need an arm rest, comfort access, a multifunction steering wheel, or audio upgrades. To me, these are less important than the performance of the vehicle. That's just my opinion, though

 

[YES]Limited Slip Diff.
[YES]Sport Suspension
[YES]Hi-Fi Sound System
[NO]Chrome Line Interior
[NO]Center Arm Rest
[NO]Comfort Access System

 

I would suggest the Premium Package.

 

With the exception of possibly LSD (EDIT: and Comfort Access) none of those things you mentioned are must haves, imo. The only must haves that you should order on the car are:

Rear Fog
Anthracite Headliner
MFSW
Xenons/Power wash (if that's your thing)
Heated Seats/Cold Weather (if that's your thing)

as they are either impossible or bears to retrofit after the fact. The other options you mention are purely subjective and your taste, whether you like them or not.

 

Can anybody provide any proof that the sport suspension comes with different shocks and springs?
The website only mentions 1mm thicker sway bars. And the ride height is the same as stock.