My 2002 model is so annoying just like riding an old train, all plastic including the dashboard are noisance, that's the reason i dont drive the car too often but my other car is also old and soon i will be getting rid of and drive my mini again.
My question is which way is cheaper to upgrade....downwsize the rims and go for the 15" rims ( if its fit) or change the original suspension to one the adjustable high end one? The car came with the 17" rims amd its an "S" model with 40,000 miles on the car.
You feed back are greatly appreciated.

 

If you have not upgraded your brakes, then 15" should work. Go for a light-weight-wheel. The performance gains from having less unstrung weight are amazing!

A good bang for the buck is this Kosei K4R 15" x 7", and they only weigh 10.7 pounds. Your 17" oem wheels probably come in around 25 pounds, so BIG Difference.
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Wheel...ll&sort=Weight
I'm making a big assumption, that TireRack knows for sure that these fit,... They probably do. $576 without tires.

Another thing that people like a lot is the Koni FSD. Not for racing, but a really great ride. Last weekend I went on a very fast run with local mini car club. A guy with these FSD's had no problem keeping up, and really raved about the ride quality being awesome.
This option is $677, (plus installation). http://www.waymotorworks.com/koni-fsd-shocks.html. I'm really torn between these and something more performance oriented, the bumps don't bother me much, but not being on the track, I'm not sure I'd realize the advantage if I picked something different.

Hope that helps. Good luck