Well, I purchased a MINI Cooper back in 04 and managed to slam 100k miles on it without any major issues. I am finally hitting repairs that are getting very costly and it is time for a new one. Now I am facing the dilemma on finding the right color scheme (and debating between Coup and Convertable) - but any feedback on some of the changes between 2004 and 2010 models of the cooper is greatly appreciated.

Definitely looking forward to a nice new NAV System.

 

What color is your current Mini? Is it an "S"?

 

Current mini is blue with white hardtop. Not an S. Saved some cash on it so excited to go with an S this time around. Def going to get every "fun" feature, sports, cold, etc... and nav system.


I am toying around going the Mayfair route, but also liked how this red mini cooper S looks:

 

The biggest difference is that for except the body pan and a few suspension parts, the 2nd gen car is a whole new animal. Opinions will vary as to whether this is good or not, but I had a 2005 S that had very sketchy build quality, and by far my 2009 is a much better built car--more fuel efficient, faster, more refined, etc.

Also, you will see this if going from a first gen to second gen: to lighten the cars and reduce manufacturing costs, BMW used cheaper build materials (headliner, carpets, etc) throughout.

Caveat emptor: before you buy an S, check out the numerous threads on the cold start knock/rattle, and make sure you're comfortable with your car possibly developing this problem. OTOH, if you go with a Justacooper, you won't have to deal with this potential issue. Good luck

 

I went from an 06 MCC to an 08 MCS hardtop and am totally pleased with the switch. My car has been problem free at 30,000 miles. Rattle free too. You will enjoy the power gain and the fuel economy, I average 35mpg. If you want to do some canyon carving get the hardtop. My MCC just didn't handle as well. Too much body flex. My 08 is Chili Red/Black roof with the carbon fiber package. Agreat combo IMHO.

 

^ Carbon Fiber package???

 

I've not driven a 1st Gen MCS, but what I hear is that thethe 2nd Gen MCS has more power, but is not quite as go-cart like in handling feel. This may have to do with the soft rubber bushings used to damp road noise.

You will fund the low-end torque of the 2010 MCS to be quite good, and the mpg should be much better than you are used to as well.

If you want a convertible, you might want to hold out for the 2011 Speedster.

 

Speedster looks great, and hopefully it will come out in 2011. But for now I don't want to risk any more repairs on my current MINI now that I broke 100k miles. Hopefully I won't get completely burned on my trade-in.

Looking at a Chili Red MINI S Convertable with:
convenience / premium / cold weather / sports package

Automatic (yea I know), sports suspension, nav system, sirius, and the JCW Aero Kit.

I think I will be happy with this, just have to decide on my interior.

 

jcw?

 

This isn't a JCW. But I just liked the JCW aero kit.

 

I have an 05 MCS and an 08 MCS. I like the power and ride of the 08, my wife likes the wining noise of the supercharger and the old school charm of her 05. It is up in the air but the inside of my 08 definitely looks cheap compared to the 05. And I have only had the 08 for one week and today I heard a rattle when I first started the car cold and revved it to 2k RPM's for about 30 seconds and then went away. Hope I am not going to have the dreaded rattle problem with the timing chain but it is under warranty.

 

You have it. Report it to your dealer. No reason to wait. Oh, and not good to rev it much when this is happening.

 

I'm shopping around for a used MCS and couldn't tell by the pics that the 2nd gen has cheaper looking materials. Nice to know that. So I guess based on your feedback the "rattle noise" is not for 1st year model ('07) only but can occur in '08-09 models.

 

Yeah the rattle only happens on 07+ cars, not 02-06. Our 05 has not been problem free however. It had all of the lower seals changed out on the engine at 15k miles and a new clutch at 11k miles. I would buy an 06 under warranty if you possibly can.

 

If you like a little bit of raw power, gen 1's are more fun. If you want less connection with the road, some would say more refinement, the gen 2 is for you. They are each very different, each with different problems. Similarites are generaly only skin deep....but they are both uniquely MINI!!

 

Huh? A 2nd Gen MCS has more HP and torque than a 1st Gen MCS.

 

I did not say toatal hp, or faster....the word is RAW. The way in which it delivered....more like a go-cart.

 

No need to justify or apologize. many of us motor (and track!) automatics by choice, and we ****ing love it!

 

Not just cheaper looking, but cheaper feeling. If U get the chance, compare the carpets and healiners on both gen cars and U WILL see and feel the diff.

Also, the cold start rattle/knock is also affecting early build 10s.

 

My 09 is CR/B with black stripes, and I opted for the anthracite headliner, English Oak trim and steering wheel (you should also get an EO shift **** on yr auto) chrome-line interior, and red/black cloth/leather seats. sweet.

 

What Robin said: don't rev it when it's a-knocking, just let it settle on its own (30 seconds to 2 minutes) and report it to your dealer.

Also, try this: when you know the engine will go dead-cold (6+ hours), when you are parked slowly rev the engine to 3K, hold it there half a sec, then shut off power. I and a SAE engineer are convinced the root cause is with the S's variable oil delivery system*, and this shut-down technique seems to mitigate that nasty and scary rattle.

*justacoopers and justaclubmans dont have this feature, and they dont rattle.