My current car comes off lease in may or june i am thinking of either a mini S or a WRX ... i am stuck on the looks of the mini but I am concerned about the dealer issues and the troubles described here and on the edmunds web site...
I have restored a few MGs and older BMWs and love the styling .. but have primarily been a muscle car owner. .. 2000 SS , 1997 SS etc..
I want a neat , quick reliable communter car

are the problems as bad as the appear .?

who are some good dealers in md / northeren va area ?

what is the delivery time ?

and lastly where is a good place to test drive an S...

Has anyone started modding the minis ...exhaust, comuter reprogramming .. etc are they accepting of N20?



thanks for any info I plan to start looking tomorrow....

D.Brisson
2000 SS
1980 Z/28 454cu BBC

 

Z28 and MINI are different things, cannot be compared.

Like soup and dessert.

Do not be afraid of what is being said, people bying MCS chose refinment, the reason why they complain a little bit, I think they would much more in some other cars.

I really enjoy myself, do it for yourself, the MCS is more fun than anything you ever had unless you want to impress your floks with dragster figures.

Guy

 

>> My current car comes off lease in may or june i am thinking of either a mini S or a WRX ... i am stuck on the looks of the mini but I am concerned about the dealer issues and the troubles described here and on the edmunds web site...
>>I have restored a few MGs and older BMWs and love the styling .. but have primarily been a muscle car owner. .. 2000 SS , 1997 SS etc..
>>I want a neat , quick reliable communter car
>>
>> are the problems as bad as the appear .?

Check here..... nothing out of the ordinary i think.. very few major problems...


>>
>>who are some good dealers in md / northeren va area ?


Check here...

>>
>>what is the delivery time ?
>>

Depends on your dealer...


>>and lastly where is a good place to test drive an S...
>>

Wherever you can.. :smile:

>>Has anyone started modding the minis ...exhaust, comuter reprogramming .. etc are they accepting of N20?

Check the top link....

Rocketboy_X

 

>> >>
>>and lastly where is a good place to test drive an S...
>>

Hmmm....Maybe a MINI dealer??

 

I wanted a WRX too until I test drove a Cooper S. The WRX is a bare bones car with great performance. The Cooper S is a great performer with great looks, style, class, loads of available options, comfort and such a joy to drive!

Basically the WRX is just a sports car. The MCS is in a whole other ballpark! There really is NO comparison! None whatsoever! The MCS brings a smile to my face ALL OF THE TIME - anytime I even think about it. It's very quick and can take corners like no other car out there. The leather seats are the most comfortable seats I've sat in and could sit in them all day - for a day trip or a bumper to bumper commute. EVERYONE will love your MINI - most people think the WRX is pretty ugly. I have heated seats! Radio controls on my steering wheel! Automatic air conditioning (set it, forget it)! I chose my wheels. I have Xenon headlights. Dynamic Stability Control. My baby drives as good in the pouring rain as it does on a sunny dry day. I also have a panoramic sunroof - I used to think a MINI convertible would be great - now I know better - the Sunroof is even better than a convertible! I wouldn't trade my MCS for ANY car under $250k. I really have the best car available and my overall favorite car. I never thought I'd be able to say that without winning the lottery!

 

There is no comparison between the WRX and the MINI. The MINI makes the driver and EVERYONE else around them smile! My MINI has not had any problems yet. (knock on wood)

 

D Brisson:

Sounds like you had the exact same dilemma I had. I was choosing between the WRX and Mini Cooper S as well. I bought an '03 WRX like 5 days before they announced they were opening a Mini dealer in Dallas, TX where I reside. I wanted to make sure I had access to a service department and especially to take advantage of the free maintenance. I was bummed because I really had my heart set on a MINI but I I figured it would be a year before they put a dealer in Dallas. I even emailed Mini about what's going on and they wouldn't tell me anything. They just kept referring me to the website.

Anyway, I have had my WRX for about 6 weeks now and I love it. I still think the Mini would be a funner, put-a-smile-on your face car plus it is classier. The WRX does have a lot more power/acceleration and everyday driving practicality with 4-doors and a decent sized trunk. I have an 85 lb labrador whom I drive around as welll and I do a lot of athletic activites so I do need more room which is where the WRX really shines. . One thing you may not realize about the WRX until you have it for a little while is it's ability to keep it's composure over rougher roads which in most big cities is an everyday occurence. I have not had a chance to drive my car in the rain or a dirt road but many people on the WRX forum say they are a complete blast. The AWD has incredible grip. But I have heard the Mini kills the WRX's on a autocross/track course. Trust me. though, the WRX is a a Blast to drive. It's not as small as a Mini but it is by no means a big car. In fact, at 174" it is as small as a Chevy Prism and 8" shorter than a Chevy Cavalier. It is like driving a go-cart with a rocket engine.

Now I may sound like I am trying to be pro-WRX. I'm not. In fact I decided I am going to get a Mini Cooper S in late 2003 or early 2004. I will use my WRX as my everyday driver and the Mini as my fun, weekend car. Figure the price of both cars is about equal to buying a Corvette (which is what I was thinking of getting). The nice thing about me waiting until 2003 or 2004 is that supply should have caught up with demand and Mini should have more of the kinks worked out by then. I'm like you, I get nervous with first year introductions of cars. Sure the WRX just got introduced here in '01 but it has been produced in Japan for a decade so it's a proven design.

I guess what I would suggest is that if you are looking for an all around daily driver with comparable acceleration to your SS, get the WRX. If practicality and acccleration is not that big of a deal to you, by all means get the Mini. I owned a 96 Z28 6-speed and am used to having power as well.

I do hope the Mini Cooper succeeds in the long run. It is so refereshing to see a car company focusing on smaller cars when every other manufacturer, namely the Big 3, only care about how much bigger they can make their trucks and SUVS.

If you want to hear some reviews about WRX drivers who have drivern the Mini S as well go to the website below. Go into "Forums" and into the"General" forum and look for a threaed named " WRX vs. Mini Cooper S". I actually started that thread and it's pretty recent. A majority of them like the Mini.

Good luck on your choice.

Dave

THE SUV BACKLASH STARTS NOW!

 

Sorry, here's the website:


http://www.cobbtuning.com

 

Nutshell answers here:

WRX VS. Mini Cooper.

WRX has no sunroof or leather available. Needs better styling too. IMO.

Sure, the WRX is faster but it doesn't have the style, charm, pick your favorite adjective.

Sometimes it's not how fast you go, it's how you go fast. No matter what you buy someone will always be faster. Just wait until the Lancer EVO launches this next year. If you buy the WRX you'll be saying "If I just would have waited!" That will ALWAYS be your dilema.

I chose the Mini Cooper S over all the others because it's so unique. It's the best for ME. It hits all the marks so to speak; it's quick, stylish, affordable, relatively economical, safe, and so on.

Get the Mini.

 

jayoung:

That's exactly why I AM buying a Mini Cooper S. next year. I do like the styling, fun-factor, classiness and character of it. And as far as leather seats? Who cares? Any performance driver will tell you that cloth seats hold you in place better when taking hard corners (which I am sure you are doing in your Mini). There is a place here in Dallas that does specialize in leather seating for the WRX for about $900 which is actually $350 less than what the leather option is in the Mini. Sunroof - yes, that does suck that they don't have it.


As far as the Mitusbishi Lancer EVO 8. I had considered waiting for that as well but I HATED the styling and it would be about $5k more plus dealer markup. I can upgrade through Cobb Tuning to 280hp for $3k if I am really dying for it. The reason I mentioned acceleration is that D. Brisson owns an SS Camaro like I did and is used to a ton of power. Going from my Z28 to a WRX was a change for me. I do somedays miss the neck-snapping torque. But I love the overall handling and feel of my WRX much better. Going from an SS Camaro to a Mini would be a huge change.

Yes, the Mini will definitely turn more heads than a WRX. No doubt there. Give it 2-3 years when the? novelty has worn off somewhat...who knows? Look at what's happened to the PT Cruiser and VW Beetle which were both unique as well (just playing devil's advocate here) Both nice cars, but I hardly even notice them now. In fact I am SICK of the PT Cruiser. I DO hope the Mini keeps it's novelty since I will be buying one.

 

Couple of issues to consider about the Cooper 'S':

1) Battery is located in the trunk floor. The MINI is currently experiencing several problems with its factory installed boot latches. Since the tailgate latch release is electric, there is no way to open that hatch via a keylock or manual remote release. Also the current latch mechanism is defective as the spring lock inside the latch tends to break prematurely, preventing you from either shutting the tailgate or opening it at all. My boot latch died this past Sunday, just after 5 weeks of having taken delivery. I could not shut the tailgate at all, but fortunately this happened here at home. Took it Monday morning back to the dealer and fortunately they had several replacement latches in stock. the dealer sorted out the issue in about 35 minutes, but the inconvenience this latches creates, and specially in the MCS, is food for taught. My service advisor told me that he was expecting 3 other MINIs to come into his service dept that same day to have their boot latches replaced as well. Very well known and documented issue within MINI/BMW.


2) The MCS comes with runflat tires but does not have a spare tire, since the space where the spare would go is taken up by the battery in the trunk floor.


Otherwise, the MCS is a terrific choice is you don't mind doing your own gears in bumper to bumper traffic. I am currently entertaining the idea about the MCS (I have yet to test drive one) maybe for next year as our second MINI purchase. But I will wait for MINI to issue a permanent fix for the boot latch mechanism and if they ever issue a Cooper 'S' CVT or with SMG transmissions, that would be the icing on the cake for me.

 

jayound says it best!


Oh and my 2003 MCS already is minus all of the kinks!

 

Don't count your eggs before they hatch, you've only had your car less than 2 weeks.