First post here! I've been on MINI2 for a while now, and finially joined here, too.

Here's what I'm thinking right now, and I'm pretty set on them, but feel free to make any comments about these.

2005 MINI Cooper:

Black Body
White Roof
White Bonnet Stripes

Sport Package:
16" 5 Spoke Wheels (White)
Front fog lamps
Spoiler
DSC
Sport Seats

Harmon Kardon Stereo
Sport Suspension Plus
Xenon Headlights
Chrome Interior
Leather Multifunction Steering Wheel
On-Board Computer
Anthracite Headliner (if it is still avaliable when I order)
Anthracite interior color
And I'm not sure about this last option, or if it's even avaliable, hopefully someone could shed some light on the subject: Black and Grey seat upholstery.

That's it... ... tell me what you think, or if there's anything I should know about the process of speccing my Cooper. Thanks!

 

Sounds like you're pretty hooked-up to me!! Nice specs!

Do front fogs automatically come with the rear fog? You'll want the rear fog toggle.

 

Sweet! There is not a lot I could offer in suggestions. :smile: You will have one great mini when you get done. I love the Black White combo. I have cloth seats in the mini. I would get space cloth if I could do it over. :smile:

 

what about the panaramic sunroof?

 

What about the 'S' model?

 

Yeah, I know. My Cooper costs as much as an S but the Front Fogs, Xenons, MFSW, Chrome interior, OBC, Harmon Kardon, and far less wait are better than the extra power of an S.

 

Yes, make it an S!

 

Manual or CVT?

DSC:
has been an annoying feature for me. Do some more research on NAM about it, before you order. Although on V.38 software it is supposedly improved which I have not gotten yet.

Harmon Kardon:
My recommendation is to try out the stock vs the HK systems at the dealer with your own CD's that you are familiar with. The HK is a definate improvement over stock, but adds limitations to make aftermarket improvements. For me it is not $500 worth of improvement.

I really like my rain sensing windshield wipers.

My .02, sounds like a great car!

 

Order the least expensive tires and rims they offer and buy some lighter weight aftermarket rims ....with say some Yoko AVS-100's.

:smile:

 

I'm getting the Sport Package, as I don't want to have to buy my own wheels, ect. And also ... ugh, haha... my mom want me to have the DSC on my Cooper, oh well. I doubt I'll have any problems with it, and if I do, I can just turn it off.

 

Sounds like you are thinking about Leatherete for the interior. You weren't clear on that, but the black or gray question seems to give it away. There are good pictures of what these two choices look like at MINI2, and another good picture of the new gray Leatherette on a recent post on recently received '05 MINI's. The gray is actually a two-tone. The majority of the color is a VERY light gray, with the side bolsters, and some other trim material being a much darker color. I didn't like it personally, but it's all a matter of taste. You might love it.

The new cloth (Octagon) is quite different in look and texture, and even durability, from the old cloth material. If you've not seen it yet, I would recommend doing so. Most of the new options, if not all, now have reference pics somewhere on the web (MINI2, etc.) that you can check out, so that you won't end up disappointed.

Other than that, I think you've thought this out pretty well. I went with the stock wheels, because they are pretty nice looking, the lowest weight of the bunch, and they are actually not all that common, as many people upgrade the wheels when ordering. That also would save you a nice chunk of change, if that is any sort of issue. If money isn't a serious issue, I'd go with the sunroof as well. Most people that ordered a sunroof are very happy with their's, and wouldn't ever order a MINI again without that option.

The sport suspension plus is going to add some extra stiffness to a ride that is already pretty tight in the base model. The runflats that come with upgraded tires tends to make this even worse, so I'd go with one or the other, but not both. (Actually, I'm going with neither, but I'm also on a tight budget with my MINI buy.) Oh, and the white wheels are apparently always a real pain to clean. But when clean, they are pretty cool.

I think that, if you are not into doing your own install on a stereo upgrade, than the H & K set up is pretty nice. Not great, not spectacular, but definitely nice. The Winter Package is worth considering, especially for the price, if you are ever going to be driving in cold, wet conditions. If you are not interested in a sunroof, it's wise to pass on the Premium Package. Unless you think it's cool to know what the outside temp is, I'd also pass on the OBC (Onboard Computer). The OBC seems, from what I've read, to not be very accurate in it's readings. And...if it's not very accurate, what good is it?

I'm just going to assume you are going with the manual transmission, since you didn't mention your choice there. I'm going with the CVT myself, but that's just because I think it's pretty technically cool.

 

I'd skip the DSC and the extra stiff suspension.:smile:

 

I have the SS+ suspension and although it is stiffer I like it. I would go with aftermarket wheels and tires to get away from the runflats, which ride rough due to the stiff sidewalls. I drove my nephew's 5 speed MC with 16 inch runflats (but not SS+) and it was not harsh in my opinion, and was quite fast, unless loaded down with people, then it had little torque.

Weight is important on the MC. The stock wheels (holies) weigh about 12 lbs, the 8-spokes (I have them -- they look good, but will get aftermarket ones if I don't upgrade to MCS) weigh about 15 lbs -- both are 5.5 inches wide. The 15 inch Continental all season tires weigh about 14 lbs. So, any combination with 15's is fairly light. I don't know what the stock 16 inch wheels weigh but they must be around 20 lbs or so (but are wider so handling is better, i.e., 6.5 inches wide) and the 16 inch tires are also heavy. For every one pound of rotational mass like wheels and tires correlates to four pounds of non-rotational weight, so weight of tires and wheels is important to keep as low as you can.

After ordering your MINI and selecting options, you are not locked in concrete into any options yet, so you still can still change your mind if you want to. It seems I had a month or so before I was locked in. Good luck! :smile:

 

I love my rain sensing wipers and autodipping mirror and my auto AC

 

Afromanbob-- Sounds like a great MINI, and welcome to NAM. I wouldn't change a thing in your specs unless it would be to:
MCS
DS/DS
Premium Package
Black Leatherette
Driving Lamps

Wait a minute, that's my car!

Dogspeed.

 

Take away the bonnet stripes and fog lamps, add leather - you just ordered my 03 MCS. Don't think I would get leather if I had it to over again. Believe you have made some good choices.
Charles

 

Just got a MINI, I love it! I didn't get many options because of money concerns but if I had the choice to choose between extra options on a MC that equal the price of a MCS, I would definitly go with the MCS with no options. I will love my MC though!

 

My thoughts...

Get the easiest to clean (read biggest opening) rims you can afford if you want white. Keeping them clean is MURDER! I have the 8 spokes (in silver) and I can't get brushes or even my hand in between the spokes very easily... And I hate dirty rims! Grr!

The interior body color dash is VERY cool looking