I've been reading these forums for about a week and wow, I can't wait to get a new MCS. I thought saturnfans.com was a great forum, but this is amazing. My story is this: I bought a saturn SC2 in June of 93. Time passed. It's old. My wife gave me the A-OK to buy an MCS.

I'm almost certain this is the spec. I'll order:

BRG/Black w/stripes, Premium, Sport, driving lamps, Beige leather, Beige rubber mats.

I'm in the DC area and we test drove an MC40 at Tate Mini in Annapolis. We will probably order from there, although I'm open to suggestions. I'm even considering doing an internet order through Herb Chambers Mini in Boston since we could visit relatives up there flying in and driving out. Are all the East coast dealers basically charging MSRP? Is there any room to haggle? Should I negotiate on the driving lamps and mats?

I was going to get the default petina dash, but the matching body color pics I've seen were so nice. Should I get the green interior with the beige leather?

I am not totally stuck on the sport package. I would maybe prefer 16" wheels. How do the 16s compare to the 17s for snow driving (all season tires)? Are the 17in tires expensive to replace? the 16s?

Has anyone bought an extended warranty?

Is there any possibility of a "spoiler delete" option?

I'm sure I'll think of more questions. Thanks for any answers you can give.

Oh yeah, I'm thinking of naming it 'Zilla.

 

One of the things you will learn about the Mini is that it is almost infinitely variable. You can ad or delete just about anything, so almost any imageinable combination of features is possible. Due to the vagaries of the system, you may pay for things you delete, but more likely you will only pay for what you get. The packages can screw that up. Dealers will often increase this variablity by swapping things around between buyers - tires and wheels especially.


So if you don't want the spoiler, just order the other parts of the sports package ala carte. You may not get it as cheap, but you will get what you want.

 

BRG/B is a hot combo - though I can't say I'm a fan of tan leather - black is much more timeless. The interior trim is entirely up to your personality, do whatever feels natural to you.

Cheers,
Ryan

 

The spoiler is held on with double sided sticky tape. Plus on the MCS you get the spoiler anyway. Just order it that way and when you bring it home, bust out the dental floss and take that sucker right off.

 

Mostly, I don't think the spoiler is very functional and I want to be able to use my bike rack. If it's that easy to remove, great. I thought there were bolt holes in the roof, though.

 

I don't think it's bolted on.
Actually, most of our car parts are held on with sticky tape.
I haven't taken my spoiler off, but I've heard that's how it's held on and I've heard of people on the Owner's Lounge taking it off and finding it's held on with sticky tape.

Imagine that surprise!

 

I am going to order an 05 MCS BRB/B MINI as soon as the LSD becomes available.

The color matched interiors look great IMO. But I was under the impression that they were only available in a few colors and BRG wasn't one of them.

Can anyone confirm BRG interior is available?

 

I was also considering waiting for LSD. I will get DSC and I won't be racing my MCS. I do drive in snow, but not a lot (I'm close in to DC). Would LSD and DSC be basically redundant for me?

Another question/concern: Since the CD player doesn't display ID3 tags, I will probably replace the head unit with my Kenwood which is now in my saturn. It has a great steering wheel remote and I can get an Aux In adapter similar to the factory one. I also hate cruise control, so I'm thinking of ditching the Premium package with it's MFSW. I also figured out that there's a filter on the base AC system and auto AC isn't at all necessary. If I get the sunroof and the chrono pack (I know it's ugly, but I'd really like the speedo on the column) I save 250 which I might use for a universal garage door opener.

As for dumping packages, I really would look to hear some pros/cons of the 17" wheels. I love the looks, but this will be a daily commuter car, not a track car. The Sports Package really only has one thing I want besides possibly the wheels: DSC. I could get just DSC and save a bundle. The xenons are nifty, but I'm getting driving lights regardless. Any comments on the power wash xenons as opposed to base headlamps combined with driving lights?

I've read good things about the rubber mats, so I'll probably get all around beige rubber mats.

Sorry to be the wordy newbie. I'm just so excited.

This is my Kenwood MP8017 deck and remote. I'm hoping it's not to scratched up to look good in the MCS:

 

Revwillie-- Welcome! Love your enthusiasm!

I took the standard "y spoke" 16's that come with the MCS. I really like them. Dealers often order their cars with the 17's to raise the retail, so you don't see many of these wheels. They are unique, easy to keep clean, and relatively light. (My car is my daily driver and I have raced only once.)

Godspeed.

 

<The author nods knowingly>

I just got finished agonizing about the 17's myself....should I get the Sports Pack and just be done with it? But I don't like the 17's...

What I did was ask around - you'll get a lot of feedback here and on Mini2...but the most interesting thing I did was call my tire dealer and compare the cost of replaceing 17's vs 16's. The 17's are easily $100 more per tire. Add that to my desire for All Weather tires and I went with the 16" V Spoke Cooper S wheels.

I ordered the Xenons, Fogs, and DSC separately...no regrets.

Remember, though, this is half the fun!

Peter an inch short in Denver

 

The 16" vs. 17" has been debated since the MINI came out in '02. If you do a search, you will find a lot of threads both here and on MINI2. I think it boils down to 1) Looks, most think the 17" S-lites look better, and 2) Ride quality. If possible, it would be great if you could drive an S with 16" and with 17" and compare. The 17" wheels create a much stiffer ride, mainly due to the thinner sidewall and compunded by the stiffness of the runflat sidewall. The overall conditions of the roads in your area will also be a major factor in the ride. In order to get a smoother ride, many have replaced the runflats with non-runflats either upon delivery or when the runflats wear out, usually around 20,000 miles.
Hope this helps.

 

I have the leather package, and on hindsight, I would not get it again. It is very expensive compared to the cost of the entire car. Also the other seating materials are very nicely done for both comfort/styling.

16" snow tires will be better than 17" ones. My best suggestion is to get the 17"s you like (MINI or aftermarket) and get a cheap set of 16" steel rims or aluminum ones with snows mounted for the 3 month season. It extends the wear on your summer tires, extends the life of snow tires, better performance for both seasons, easy to deal with changing them.

I really like my rain-sensing windshield wipers, if you are looking at options.

 

A friend of mine suggested the extra set of wheels. I'm considering it, but I'd prefer to keep it simple and just get one set of all season tires. The tire pressure monitor works with any wheels and tires, right? I got a puncture that was not repairable in one of my saturn tires the first year I owned it. Now, I can't imagine being without a spare tire unless I have run-flats. That's the problem with having the battery under the boot.

Yikes!, I just got word from our salesman. Ralleye driving lights cost $900.00 installed (what is that, 400 for parts 500 for labor?). If they don't let me negotiate, I might try to install them myself.

 

STICKY TAPE? Are you kidding?