Last saturday I went down to Crown Mini of Richmond and test drove a Cooper S and I was hooked. A few hours later I came out with an '05 black Cooper S with the white 17 inch wheels, and white top. It has every option except the cold weather package and foglights.

I absolutely love this car, and the more I drive it, the more I like it. I especially like it when I'm filling up at the gas pump too. I love the tight turning radius (my SRT-4 had a turning radius about as wide as the titanic) the great visability, the handy OBC, the sweet stereo, the extremely comfy and cozy interior, the toggle switches...the list goes on and on. And I love driving it at night. The whole interior is lit up, and the gauges look awesome. You don't even need to turn on a light to find something.

And I was pleasantly surprised how fast it is. It's already beat a ricer kid in a Civic Si by several carlengths when we raced from both a roll and a stop. And it only had 300 miles and I was shifting at 6 grand! I love it.

Here's some pics for you to enjoy...

 

So much for the break-in period

Congrats.

Join us at http://www.rivercityminis.org/ (Richmond based)

 

Congrats! Glad we could be of some good influence here.... Enjoy!!!:smile:

Donna

 

Awsome! Looks nice !!

 

slo - neon,

Good choice. Looks like you have a great area to enjoy it in. Don't worth about your break in period. I was redlining the first day and that is the way I've broken in many cars. Break them in the way you're going to drive them.

JS

 

Congrats on your new MINI, slo! It's a beauty!! Love the white wheels, white bonnet stripes, and white top with the black! Happy motoring!

Maybe you'll need to change your username to fast_mcs!


Clover

 

Yes, come see rivercityminis! Your mini is beautiful

And then I won't be the baby anymore

 

Um, yeah - this clearly is a result of severe arm twisting!


Congrats!!!

 

Thanks for the RiverCityMini link, I'll be sure to join soon.

I swore I'd never get a black car again after the SRT-4, (too damn hard to clean and keep clean) but the mini just looked soo damn good in black. And those white wheels look great, but man they are a PAIN. Just a 5 mile drive down the road after cleaning them and they're covered in brake dust again. oh well... it was funny I sat at the dealer for two hours just debating on whether to get the gray or the black one. In total I was at the dealer from 11 am til 6 pm...I wanted to make sure I REALLY wanted the Mini...and then I had make sure I got the right one, haha. Needless to say the salesman was breathing sighs of relief when he finally made that sale, hehe.

At first I was kinda disapointed I didnt get the HID headlights...but I was surprised you can see a hell of alot at night even with the regular lights, way better than my SRT-4 anyway. I still say that this is the best car I have ever driven at night...it feels like your in the cockpit of a little airplane.

 

Get some brake pads like Hawk HPS and you'll never ever see dust again.

 

Who's got a hot car? Huh? Huh?... You do slo_neon!

 

Yeah, do not worry about the HIDs, there is millions of kits out there, dirt cheap, just make sure you get the fog lights though. Hey, man, I was pretty hard on you when you first started, but now you should understand my points. Good decision, welcome on-board... Do not be a stranger

 

White wheels are PRETTY

at least for now

 

Congrats!

You can put wheel wax/polish on the wheels so the brake dust doesn't stick to them as well (rinses off - at least a little easier).

So would you say the MCS is faster than the SRT4?

Happy motoring!

 

Congrats.

Glad your arm didn't fall off when "we twisted it" so hard.....

 

No, to be brutally honest, the Mini comes nowhere close to touching the SRT-4 in straight line performance. But I don't have a problem with that...you get used to power and straight line speed, and it just got boring in the SRT. But flying through the twisties with ease in the smoothness of the mini never seems to get old. It's just so easy to drive fast, and that makes it so much more fun. Plus the SRT is just a bear to drive fast...when the boost comes on the torque steer is brutal, and the car is just plain nervous going through turns, and the gearbox is extremely finicky. The steering on the SRT-4 is also extremely light and darty, so I love the heavier steering of the MCS...its much better for daily driving, and it tracks way better on the highway. Hell it's even more comfortable through some windy roads. The Mini just begs you to drive it fast.

 

The Mini and the SRT-4 are like wierd cousins due to the chrysler motors... I believe that the same performance engine building division built the two motors... ALSO, the Mini motor is basiacally the European Neon motor, with performance built onto it. Well, not that the 2.4 Turbo in the SRT is a regular neon motor...



Ryan

 

Well, yeah, slo! The MINI is known for its fantastic handling in the twisties! Have fun and get used to lots of washing and detailing. I know, I have an all-Jet Black MCS!


Clover

 

Slo,

Thanks for the info - I've never ridding/driven an SRT4, just seen the specs on paper.

 

for mods!

Brake dust is a pain, EBC Greens (kevlar based) do much better, but aren't really aggressive enough for track work. But the rotors last forever with Kevlar pads....

Don't worry about the Xenons, while they are bright, they sure have a very strong cut off from light to dark. Too strong in my opinion.... I actually like the Halogens in my MDX the best.....

Anyway, welcome to the club!

Matt