OK while specing out my 05 i decided i had to have the premuim and sport packages. I love having a sunroof and cruise and thought the on board computer was cool, but i wasnt to thrilled with the Auto AC till i played with it and its cool but if it was a option i would probably remove it. The sport package was also a must. Bonnet stripes, although i will probably have them redone by Cooperflags when i get my Invisashield. Xenons were a must have and one of the reasons i choose the MINI. And 17" wheels which although heavy i love them anyway. Now the last 2 packages i hadnt thought much of at all living in Texas. Cold Weather package? Come on in Texas? But all the MINI owners here on MINI2 and the other boards i am on seem to not want to be without Heated Seats even here in Texas. So i figure why not i will try them out, if i dont like them i dont have to use them. No big deal. The other parts of the Cold weather package i could care less about. Now the Convience package is another i didnt think i needed to waste my money on. Auto wipers and headlights? Whats so hard about turning a switch? Is it that inconvienent? But the auto dim mirror and garage door remote struck my interest. Unfortunely they are the same price as the whole pkg when added separately. I know all these Auto features can be turned off so i thought why not get them since i have never had them before and if i dont like them i dont use them and if i dont use them i will know not to get them again. Since i have never had a car with these options i had to ask others that had or have them to get opinions to make my decision. So what does it for you? What can you not stand to be without or what would you have not gotten if you did it again. After originally only wanting the sport and premium i am now thinking about all 4 after what people have told me but originally i wanted to be on a budget and just get the least to get me into the car. So i need input and opinions. What do you think?

 

Get the Convenience/Heated package. I'm regretting not getting them, and I live in houston!

 

I like the convenience package as well. Since I don't care for sunroofs or heavy 17" wheels, I skipped the Premium and Sport packages. I have the manual A/C that works wonders and I still have the MFSW and OBC computer which I ordered a la carte.

 

I'm wishy-washy on auto wipers...some days love it..some days....

If it didn't reset when the car is turned off and have to be switched every time I wouldn't be wishy-washy about it...having said that:

I LOVE the auto-dim mirror...worth it's weight in gold. I now find myself wishing the side mirrors also had this function.

And I would KILL for the universal garage opener housed in the mirror casing.

For those two features alone I would choose this pkg again.

My 2-cents. Hope it helps

 

Don't forget the automatic headlamps.

 

IrishCooper, first off this is NAM not MINI2 or some other board.

The Cold Weather package is a great option if you believe you need it. I living in Florida don’t, but many down here like it. If you have a bad back the heated seats may relieve some pain while driving.

I have a 2002 and didn’t have the options everyone has today. I only have the sports package, but I personally think many options are just BS and hype to the price.

The stock MINI comes as a great performance car and can be made better with mods one half the price MINI wants.

Look at what you truly want and if you can’t get it in a package deal ask yourself do you really need or want any of it. If the answer is no blow it off.

 

Cold weather = definitely

Convenience = definitely

Premium = this is one I passed on. The MINI OBC is next to worthless IMO, with far less functionality than the one I had in my Passat (that came standard). I also didn't care about the auto A/C, but then, my car is a convertible so that option really didn't make too much sense to me personally.

I did get the MFSW though.

 

Did you get Sport?

 

Three of the many reasons why I chose the Mini:

Xenon HID projector headlights...DVD Navigation System...Limited-Slip Differential. True, you can add these aftermarket, but it's nice to get them from the factory. Oh, and the Cordoba leather...very, very nice!

 

Hello,

I think the Convenience package is under-rated by some. I personally have had second thoughts about not selecting the package for my MCS.

Particularly since my driving style requires two hands on the wheel as much as possible, and not fiddling with wipers or lights is priceless.

All that being said, the wiper functionality is quite good, with a the speed-based wiper interval a pleasant surprise in action.

Didn't want the entire convenience package, or particularly need auto AC, but chose the Chrono pack for some E-Z Reader gauges, and the OBC that comes with it when you choose the Chrono pack a la carte.

YMMV, so enjoy!

Matthew Z.

 

I have no packages. I have never wanted for auto anything or high-intensity anything, and I am happy as a clam. Happier than a clam really, since clams can't drive MINIs!

 

Up here the MINI comes standard with the cold package.Heated seats are an option that I will never do without again.Xenons are also standard.My MC has the stiffer suspention.I like pushing buttons,wiping the windsheild when I want,and the manual heat/cooling thing is just more buttons and ***** to play with:smile:

 

Sorry there was supposed to be a coma there. AS IN "All the MINI owners here, on MINI2, and others (as in my local MetroplexMINI.org)

 

Oh yeah, oops.

Sport = definitely

 

I went for the sport and cold weather packages. Also everything in the premium package but the sunroof and auto AC. Being a former submarine I have this terror of leaks, so the sunroof was out. And living in Vermont our summers are only three weeks in September so the regular AC will do fine.

Most of the other stuff: xenons, etc I avoid because the dealer is so far away I was trying to minimize the number of potential service calls. pb

 

I got the Convenience and Cold Weather Packages b/c I actually wanted everything in both those pkgs. While yes, you can turn on your own headlights, it drives me crazy when people don't turn on their lights at dusk or early in the morning. You can't see them! So, to make sure I am not one of those people that I ***** about, I got auto headlights and I really like them. Plus, you never get the annoying bong when you left your headlights on

I got most of the other 2 pkgs but without the 17" wheels and sun-roof. I've just never been that big on sunroofs and I liked the look of the v-spokes much better than the S-lites.

As for the OBC, the thing I LOVE about it is the much more precise speedo in the tach. I tried using the big one in the middle for a while, but it was always rather difficult to know your actual speed

And the auto AC is not just to do with the AC...it's Climate Control. It allows you to set a temperature in your car and it does a pretty good job at keeping the car at that temp. I used it in the winter and it worked great

 

Auto wipers are great when there's a light mist - intermittant is too intermittant sometimes. Just turnem' on and let the MINI decide when to wipe.

 

Price wise, I think the Cold Weather package is an awesome deal.

I have the Convenience package but didn't particularily want it. My auto wipers and I still cannot manage to get along. However, let me tell you about my favorite little friend on my MINI, commonly known as the Auto Dim Mirror... GENIUS! I never understood why other people were constantly flipping their mirrors around. It all makes sense now! Its brilliant. I hate driving without it in my A4.

Have both Premium and Sport too. I'm sure there are some little parts that I could do without.. but the packages are just so nicely laid out. I just got all 4.

 

I had heated seats in the 2003 Honda Accord I traded in to get my 04 MCS Sport. My MCS did not come with heated seats- I really miss them and I live in San Antonio Texas where we aren't known for our harsh winters. If I can add some sort of seat heaters to the MCS I will, I REALLY miss them- I say get the heated seats if you can- you'll love them.

 

Ok well i spent a good few hours at the dealer today looking at the difference in seats (Grey Cloth vs. Grey Leatherette) and looking at the silver vs. white S-Lites, and the various pkgs. I knew that i wanted the sport and prem. for sure! But the Cold and Conv. i wasnt sure of. The heated seats i am told are a must have by every single person that i talked to about it so i figure why not. I cant see the point of heated washer jets, or heated side view mirrors but its part of the package. I could get just the seats for $270 or the Cold package for $300. I love everything in the Sport package so thats a given. Same with the Premium pkg. but the auto AC i like but dont think i need but it comes with the pkg. so its ok. If it didnt i probably wouldnt get it. After the dealer trip i dont think i want the Convienance pkg. i can turn my own switches for headlights and wipers plus i dont like that rain sensor on the window its huge and kinda bugs me. AS for the mirror i can had it al a carte for the same price as the whole pkg so that doesnt work but i think i might buy the mirror piece itself later and see if i can add it and just rig the wiring.