Hello all!

This is my first post here..I just found this website today. I have been considering buying a Mini since I first saw them at the NY Auto Show a few years back. I love this car, and I would like to get some advice if possible.

First, I live in an area where the most common car is an SUV. Because of this, my fiancee is terrified that I will get squashed in a Mini. (she loves the car.. just thinks its too small). Any thoughts?

Also.. I am torn between the base model and the S. I would love to have the extra performance of the S, but I am on a very tight budget, and the base model is a little more affordable right now. Any advise on this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!!

Bill B.

 

I've had a Coop and two Ss so far. They both are great cars.
If money is a factor go for the Coop and it is more fun than
a barrel of monkeys. The S is like a barrel and a half.

 

The MIni is a much smaller target,and therefore less likely to be hit.The fast steering,great handling and short breaking distance will help you avoid trouble.Check the safety data,the six airbags and up to the minute design have made the Mini very safe.Safety was designed into the Mini,most SUV's are trucks with a back seat.
Your debate on which model,buy whichever your budget allows,you are going to love driving.If you're watching $ don't buy any options.Either model comes with enough features,and the options will add very little to the driving experiance.

 

The Cooper vs. S debate is probably the most common single topic on this whole forum. I'm sure you'll get a barrage of opinions here, but I would recommend poking around in history of the "MINI Talk" forum to read some of the previous threads as well.

Same goes for the safety of the car - obviously a common topic.

For the record, I have a non-S Cooper, and I wouldn't trade it for any other car on the face of the earth! The minuses in the S column, for me, were $3000 and worse fuel economy. I also like the looks of the Cooper better with the chrome grill and no hood scoop, and don't like the idea of not having a spare tire.

I guarantee that in the time it's taken me to write this, at least three other people have chimed in saying the same thing!

Welcome to MCO!

 

Hello wmba!! Welcome to the MCO

The MC will do you fine if you're on a budget as the base MC will perform nearly as well as the MCS, just slightly less power, but it will eat up the corners better than most any other production car on the market.

 

As far as crash safety goes, compare the MINI to, say, the Ford Escape, or (an MCO favorite ) the Pontiac Aztek.

THEN decide which is the safer vehicle! I know there are SUVs which are much safer, but my point is that the size of the vehicle is but one consideration when it comes to safety.

 

Thanks for all the responses so quickly!!

I am going to go back and look at some old threads as suggested. But here are a few more questions:

Assuming that I go the the Cooper and not the S,

Are there any options that I should definitely get? What about the Cold Weather, Sport, and Luxury packages? And the Harman Kardon upgrade? Any suggestions on any of the options available would be great!

Thanks again!

Bill

 

I don't remember what life was like before I had a multi-function steering wheel, but it can't have been very good.

I consider the sunroof to be indispensable as well!

And the sport seats are ABSOLUTELY worth the $270 or whatever it is.

Packages, shmackages.

 

This topic as you have heard has been posted a lot.

My take, the MC is faster then the MCS up to 50 (based on a lot of post), from 50 to 90 it's close but the MCS is faster, 90 and over you start to see MCS shine.

I would say save the 3000, put about 1,500 in mods on the MC making it faster and cooler (many post on Mods).

Plus for saving 3000 you get a CVT transmision (I love it), and a spare tire :smile:

 

I concur!

>>I don't remember what life was like before I had a multi-function steering wheel, but it can't have been very good.
>>
>>I consider the sunroof to be indispensable as well!
>>
>>And the sport seats are ABSOLUTELY worth the $270 or whatever it is.
>>
>>Packages, shmackages.

 

I highly recommend the MFSW, the HK stereo upgrade, the rear roof spoiler, self dimming rear view mirror, automatic windshield wipers and the fog lights.

Options in the MINI are pretty subjective so I recommend for you to test drive a MINI equipped with some of the popular options to see if they are worth to you. For instance the panoramic sunroof is nice but lacks a solid sunshade as it instead uses perforated ones. So it is up to you and this is only part of the fun during the decision making process.

Keep in mind that even if you go for a "Bone stock" MINI Cooper, you are getting a pretty well equipped car for the money, so the options are mostly icing on the cake. Also keep a tight check on the options menu sheet as the price tends to increase quite rapidly. Whether you choose a MC or MCS, stock or fully loaded, you'll have an absolute blast driving it and owning it. The MINI is pure automotive Nirvana.

I also highly recommend the Leatherette (Vinyl) seats over either cloth or real Leather seats and the Sports seats for added comfort (Optional in the MC, standard in the MCS).

We have a '02 Cooper which is essentially bone stock. Only 2 options it has are the CVT transmission (An absolutely fun "Automatic&quot and the MFSW with Cruise control and leather wrapped steering wheel. Rest of the car is stock and we only paid $18,500 sticker price 9 months ago when we ordered it. A lot of people think that we spent $30K+ in the MINI just because the car looks more expensive of what it really is (All that chrome is very classy indeed). They almost fall flat to the floor when we tell them that we spent less than $20K on this world class BMW product.

Have fun deciding!

 

There is one great thing about this debate, everybody is right!

Either way you can't loose. Infact in the Italian Job movie, the White and Blue Mini's are regular Cooper's only the Red Car is an 'S'.

If its a financial thing, definately go for the straight car. In the future you can always trade up and during this period of time you won't put your finances in a pinch, we will love you just the same. We just want to see more Mini's on the road!

As far as the SUV, if finances are an issue, just think what gasoline will cost you, not to mention insurance for those rediculus vehicles.

So, what color are you going to get?

 

I wouldn't be paranoid about SUV's... just don't let them get in front of you if there's a turn ahead... heh heh... and if you're going to be doing a lot of city driving, a supercharger won't help you do anything except get to the next stop light quicker... although if you live in a 4 seasons type area, and plan on driving your MINI in the winter, paying the extra for DSC would more than likely be well worth the money.. (how come that's not part of the cold weather package?)

Rocketboy_X

 

Wow... this is a great message board! Lots of responses and not a single obnoxious one!!! Thanks for being so nice to a noob!

When I mentioned SUV's in my original post, I didn't mean to imply that I would ever buy one. I was just saying that where I live, that is all people mostly drive, (that and Mercedes and BMWs..).. and that my fiancee was worried that I would get crushed by them if I got a mini. I have no interest in getting an SUV at this point in my life. I love small cars! My last fun car was a 73 Porsche 914.. but unfortunately it had to much rust and needed to much work.. and I couldn't afford it at the time (I was in college).

Anyway.. someone asked about colors. I like the dark green (BRG?). I haven't seen many in that color around my area. So I am thinking of getting that color with a white roof. I was thinking of going with the white rims over the silver ones. Any thoughts on that?

Well.. hopefully I will end up getting a Mini. I am getting married in October, so I probably won't be buying a new car before then. But it is great to be able to get some ideas from you guys so that when the time comes, I will know exactly what I want.

Thanks again!
Bill

 

If you can, make sure to check out a BRG MINI... a lot of people (myself included) are not, umm, happy with MINI's choice of BRG color... It's not a true BRG, but a metalic dark green...

Rocketboy_X

 

I've got a PS/B MC, and if I could have bought an S w/ a regular Cooper's bonnet and chrome, I probably would have. After looks comes performance: pre-mods, the 2 are fairly even up to 50 mph or so. They'll both rip up the turns in the road. Options: whatever you can afford- just about all of them are cool. Must haves: sport seats, MFSW, and sunroof. Love the leatherette. Auto AC and stock stereo controls look fabulous lit up at night. Toughest decision you'll have to make: what to put on your license plate

 

I didn't drive the MC and only tested the S. I ordered it the next day. I have the sports package and the sunroof package. I wouldn't trade either. They are great. I like the stiff ride and the Xenon headlights are a must. The sports seats are great for spirited driving, expecially autocrossing. MC vs MCS? Drive them and see what you like. The stock sound system is fine with me. The guys that say bag the S and spend money on mods, great now you have S type of performance. What ever you do you will like what you get. Oh, learn to drive defensively. I did that with many sports cars. I naturally look for holes to dive into in case of a problem. I also leave extra room infront so the tailgatting bozo behind me has more room to stop. I look both ways when the light turns green(saved my butt at least twice with SUV's running the red lights). Tell her you would rather miss the accident because of handling. Good luck
CR/CR MCS

 

Hello everyone.

After all the great responses, I went and test drove an MC this weekend. What a fun car. This is the first time I have been in one.. and I loved it!

And, in an unexpected turn, my fiancee decided that she really likes the car now too, and has offered to pay for some of the down payment on one as a wedding gift! (we are getting married in October). Even more surprising, she said that since we can only afford to get the MC right now, that in 2 years, when the lease on her Nissan is up, she might just take over payments on the MC, and we can get an MCS as a second car(we should have more money by then).

So it looks like a Mini might be in my future after all. It might not happen for a few months.. but I think it will happen!

Wish me luck!
Bill

 

Hello everyone.

After all the great responses, I went and test drove an MC this weekend. What a fun car. This is the first time I have been in one.. and I loved it!

And, in an unexpected turn, my fiancee decided that she really likes the car now too, and has offered to pay for some of the down payment on one as a wedding gift! (we are getting married in October). Even more surprising, she said that since we can only afford to get the MC right now, that in 2 years, when the lease on her Nissan is up, she might just take over payments on the MC, and we can get an MCS (we should have more money by then).

So it looks like a Mini might be in my future after all. It might not happen for a few months.. but I think it will happen!

Wish me luck!
Bill

 

>>Wish me luck!


Good luck!

 

As far as options go I have a few recomendations for the Cooper....

1 as others have said the sport seats are a must...

but unlike most others I did not opt for the sunroof (weight issues and extra head room) or the MFSW (more of a trying to keep it as cheap as possible issue) but I may retrofit that later....

My car has a somewhat rare suspension/tire wheel setup that I LOVE!!! I opted for the SS+ option (basicly Cooper S suspension on the base car) but kept the 7hole 15" wheels and tires (white of course) the result is nice flat cornering but a decent ride on city streets... then when I go Autocross I throw on some 16" wheels and sticky tires and the car is on rails..... I highly recomend it.

Good Luck on the MINI and the Wedding!!!!!

 

I posted my 1 Year with the MINI Cooper S Long Term Report this morning. Don't let it freak you out too much, a lot of the problems I experienced have been fixed with the 2003 builds. I review all of my options after a year of living with the car towards the end of the post.

Dave

 

Since you are on a "very tight budget" you should go for the reg. it's still an awesome car!

 

I live in WI and my husband and I are thinking of buying a Mini Cooper S.
We are just as close to the northern Illinois border as we are to Milwaukee and
was wondering where the Mini dealers are in Northern Illinois. Thanks for the
info in advance.
-Elaine

 

Weighing in on the wheel issue, white v. alloy... Depends entirely on your driving abilities. As the white wheels are merely painted I'd opt out of them if you're the kind of driver who performs frequent curb checks. They look sharp, though... :smile:

And a brief side rant--emphatically NOT directed towards your S.O: You would think that after years of ***** envy and ensuing debates that we, as a society, would at least be CLOSE to understanding that SIZE DOESN'T MATTER!!!!!!!! I have a friend who maintains that he will go for rides in my MCS but "just wouldn't feel safe driving it on a daily basis" Good luck!