Hello all! This is my first post here, allthough I've been trolling the site for a while...anyways I went a mini dealership yesterday, Mini of the Woodlands, and took a test drive. It was awesome and I know a mini is the car for me. I plan on ordering one within the week, I just haven't quite decided on how I want to do the interior. I wanted to have red in it, but the red sport seats are $1000 and I'd rather go with the checkered ones which are free with sport seats. I was also thinking about the piano black inside...I'm just not sure what to do, suggestions?!

p.s. If it matters I'm going with astro black.

Thanks,
Moose

 

Follow the link on this page to see some shots of my interior. It seems to be like what you're thinking.

 

If you live in the South or Southwest go with the cloth. I live near Seattle and have the leatherette in an 03. Even after four years it looks like new. If you look at a four year old MINI with leather you will discover that hasn't aged very gracefully. The new leatherette is even better than the old one. Go to your dealer and have a look.

 

yea, thanks man that looks really nice. I'll do the red doorhandle and front. Do you think the piano black would look good as the ellipse around the door and the back along the front instument panel?

Another reason I'm leaning towards the checkered cloth is because i live in south Texas and leather would get too hot at times.

 

Piano black would look good also. Check out the Hammer & Coop videos as Coop has the red colorline and piano black.

 

no matter what you choose it will be a MINI so it will be great

 

I think you mean "lurking", not "trolling".

I wanted the leather bad enough to live with the heat factor. I'm calling tomorrow to see about window tint for side and rear and sunroof. If I'd gone with AB, I wouldn't have gone with black leather most likely, but cloth would have been a consideration.

It depends on how it all works together. The checkered seats would work well with piano black, or the brushed aluminum, IMO.

I went grayscale -- dark silver/black, black lounge leather, cream colorline, piano black, anthracite headliner, rubber mats. With AB exterior, that might be a bit too dark, and I might have wanted to lighten it with the checkered cloth or the red leather or even AB/W.

 

I think punch leather seats, anthracite headliner and brushed aluminum dash would look really cool in an astro black. (IMHO)

 

I opted for the cloth seats after looking at the black Lounge Leather. I think the red leather looks better than the black, but for $1900 less, the checked cloth looks great.

Piano Black and Anthracite headliner seemed the best choices to me. I didn't really like the quality of the simulated bushed aluminum vinyl.

Body color will be Pure Silver. The car is still on order, so my choices are just based on what I saw at the dealership.

 

you must be VERY hard to satisfy. that simulated brushed aluminum vinyl is the best I've ever seen




(it's real)

 

Yup, looked like real vinyl to me. There may be some textured aluminum foil in it, but it certainly didn't look like aluminum sheet metal -- especially the square sample the dealer had posted on the wall.

 

My wife is lining up to order a MCS at the same dealership. We test drove, before we were on the market, and fell in love with the car. We have stopped and oowed and ahhed on a Sunday, but not ordered yet.
Black is one of the sharper colors, but, this is Texas. I you are under covered parking it isn't that bad. Come out of a Neiman Marcus shopping spree in mid afternoon and you could cook lunch on the bonnet. Be sure and flip the steak fast, else it will burn on one side!
We looked at interior packages, the boss said the checkered was cutest... she won. Leatherette sport seats and MFSW. I won the color choice for exterior (DS) and am currently lobbying for the xenon light option.
We are right up the road (Bryan) (Whoop!), would love to hear feedback about the dealership. Esp if they are a MSRP dealer!
Happy Motoring!