As you all know, my '04 MCS is 100% stock at this time. No mods have been done to it as I really like the car as it came out of the box. Also financially I can't really justify spending money on mods at this point in time.

It has been my impression for some time now in the MINI community that if you own a MCS and don't mod it or race (or both) you are somehow perceived as some kind of 'weirdo' or 'outcast' because probably you are not really having "fun with it" or maybe you just don't fully "get" what the car is all about.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. I really have a blast with my car and yes I do "get it", otherwise I wouldn't have gone for a MCS. I think I have as much fun with my stock MCS as the next guy that puts a 19% pulley or a full fledged JCW upgrade kit or the guy that autocrosses his car frequently.

Maybe I am wrong in my assumptions but the psychological aspect of the "equation" fascinates me as it seems to me that there is a divide between the "cool" MCS folks that extensively mod/race thier cars and the bunch that simply enjoy the "raw" pleasures of this car in stock form or that don't race them at all.

Let's hear from the regulars that have modded thier MCS' and the folks that continue to enjoy thier bone stock cars to see what they think about each other.

I hope to be wrong in my assumptions about this, but it seems to me that if you don't mod or race your MINI, you are simply not "getting with the program" in the minds of the community at large.

 

Yes, I felt terribly excluded. Then I decided to mod my MCS so I contacted Classic MINI and bought a Euro Shelf. Now my performance is way up, and nobody can think that I don't get it. I'm sleeping so much better at night!

 

May be you are right! Perhaps some bonnet stripes will add another 20HP to my stock MCS

 

Only if they are flame-shaped. The more traditional ones only add about 12hp.

 

My car is stock except a new radio antenna – hated the way the original one looked – otherwise stock.
Seriously thinking of adding a 15% reduction pulley, and adding MTH software mod but can’t get to doing it because the car runs pretty good otherwise. What I want is a little more grunt when accelerating from a stop, and running smoother during accelerations. So, if I do mod the car that would be all I do.
Then again if I get new tires and rims, the ride will be smoother …….and……..

 

I don't feel excluded... and my MCS is "bone stock". That is, no engine/performance/exhaust type work. Now I am "out of it" when it comes to the Performance Forum, but that's because I haven't learned all that stuff... it certainly has nothing to do with the MINI owners that are in to that.

I love my stock MCS! And I don't feel the need to keep modifying the exterior either... those design guys at MINI did a great job and it needs no improvements from me.

[Full disclosure: OK, I did change the atenna and I've got Whalen shift ****.]

Godspeed.

 

How about us poor stock MC owners? We keep being told by various sources that our cars are woefully underpowered, not much fun because they have no supercharger and just for people who want the looks and don't care about performance. Maybe they're right but everytime I drive my MC I think it has plenty of power, handles great and yes, looks good too.

I do have a few mods.....I would estimate my bonnet stripes added about 10hp, the American flag on the sunroof maybe 5hp and the NorthAmerican Motoring decal on the rear window another 5. No wonder I'm happy.

R.E.

 

that important to be like everyone else? Seems to me you'd want to do things your own way and at the time you can afford it. If anyone makes you feel weird or and outcast it seems that maybe it isn't the car that needs upgrading, but your own sense of worth. You don't give any concrete examples of being made fun of or shunned so it seems you might just have a low opinion of yourself. Try to just ignore what others may, or may not, say. It's likely just in your mind. Is anyone who'd make fun of you just because you can't upgrade your car really worth considering as someone to listen to?

Have fun. Enjoy the ride. Pay attention to those who aren't so shallow as to even suggest the car is the important thing.

 

i do not think anybody who do not mod their mini as shunned out, at least i try not to do it

afterall, the mini's a mini, so what you got the stock 163hp compared to other's 200+hp, so what you do not have adjustable sway bars... what i think is as long as you are happy with what you have is what matters! if you dont feel like spending 3-4 k on mods then that's your decision... some of us have a sick need for speed u know!

to also contrast, alot of civic owners do not mod their cars, do the non-modders care? i dont really think so...

 

As a new owner of a 05 MCS, I enjoy reading about the mods people make and the enthusiasm owners have. If I lived in a area there Mini ownership was much higher and activities were held on a regular basis, modifications would be a must.

I anticipate owning this car 3 years or until the warranty is up. Spending money on mods that I will not utilize only adds to the cost of ownership and frankly will reduce the trade in value.

I have really enjoyed owning and driving my MCS, its fun to drive, reliable,
economical and has great smile appeal. Feel excluded, no way, its great to drive a vehicle that everyone wants to look at and talk about, young or old.

Silver bullit

 

100% bone stock and no I don't feel left out. You can't race G stock with a bunch of mods. I beat an S with more the 10 k worth of mods on a regular basis. Buy some light rims and R compound tires and let the driver do the talking .

 

My 04 MCS is also bone stock but I'm still very happy with the look and handling And I don't really feel being left out of the MINI circle at all. However, whenever I go to a MINI gathering, I'm so tempted to do something on my MCS. Well, the only mod I'm planning to do in next spring is to put on a new set of wheels, SSR Competition 16" with non-runflat. I've put 15000km in my Spooky already in 4 months of ownership. I'll try to save up enough money and put the JCW kit on when Spooky hits 100,000km. I guess that won't be too far away from now
I just hope that I can keep it as clean as possible during the winter. Can't wait for the snow though
Cheers

 

My 05 MCS isn't here yet but I plan on keeping her stock at least until the warranty is up. To me, it's simpler than having to argue with the dealer whether or not a mod is the root cause of a problem (if I have one). Other than visual enhancements (window tint & clear bra) which are already in the works the only other mod I'm thinking about is a sunroof flag -- everything else stays stock.

 

I have an '04 MCS, and my only mod is a Pilo intake.

I don't really feel excluded. I enjoy reading the Performance Mods forum to see what people with more money and free time than me are up to. There's definitely a "performance first" subculture in the MINI community, made up of people that have pulleys, intakes, exhausts, sway bars, etc. But I don't get the feeling from participating some in those threads that the performance people think the stock people are lame.

The bottom line is that both the MC and the MCS are great cars in stock form, and are a lot more entertaining to drive than anything else for similar cost. If you bought a MINI, you're already part of a group that thinks fun is part of driving. My only autocross action comes weaving in and out of slower traffic during my commute. But I'm still part of the MINI community.

That being said, if anyone out there wants to donate to my performance mod fund, any and all contributions are welcome.

 

The MINI, and its' marketing, highly emphasizes personalization [aka customization]. It only makes sense that owners configure, tweak, and shape their MINI to their personality and goals. Some people are able to get "their MINI" right out of the box from the factory, whereas others are able to get "their MINI" by a myriad of aftermarket products. I'd bet that most MINIac's are somewhere in the middle of that, with a few aftermarket tweaks here and there. Whether it's a euro-shelf or coil-overs, each MINI reflects its owner and nobody else. Now we just need to get people to post more PICTURES!

 

Well, Tillie hasn't even been built yet (she's scheduled for 10/24/04), but I'm planning on keeping her more or less stock. Having driven some extensively modded cars (including a retired Trans Am sedan with mufflers!), I can say a few things:

Everybody - everybody - wishes their car had more power at one time or another. Pulling onto a highway, sitting at a light next to a kid in a Mustang... But it's always a trade-off. Is more power worth less reliability, a potentially voided warranty, reduced driveability, and having less dough to spend on wine, women, and song?

I was thinking at one point of buying a Corvette. I love the way the C5s look, but I drove one and thought, this is ridiculous! The car just has way too much power to have any fun in daily driving. I'd much rather have a car I can drive hard all the time and still stay (more or less) within the speed limits. (I had a similar revelation while crewing on a six-figure sailing yacht in Newport Harbor and realizing that I was jealous of the guys farting around in Lido 14s. I'm a dinghy sailor at heart!)

There's a lot of hop-up talk in this group because the modders are always trying to find the coolest, best bang-for-the-buck, latest, hippest things to do to their cars. The folks that are happy with their cars don't have as much motivation to be reading every post, asking lots of questions, trying to share what they've learned. When was the last time someone posted a message along the lines of, "Hey - love my Cooper. Help me keep it stock!" (Aside from this thread.) I'm very new to the group, but I wish more stock owners shared stories of fun things they did, more events listed, that sort of thing.

On the other hand:

Before I ordered Tillie, I test drove a 2004 MCS. I'd love to have a teeny bit throatier exhaust. But I've also heard reports that the exhaust note has been changed on the 2005s, so I'm waiting until the car is broken in to see how it sounds. (Don't want to attract too much attention from you-know-who!)

I'd love to get a ginuwine toggle switch and insert it into the panel and hook it up to my Genie garage door opener. Two hundred bucks plus dealer installation seems way too much to pay for a freakin' garage door opener!

An Aussie flag on the roof seems quite appropriate for a car whose full name is "Waltzing Matilda." Blocking off the sunroof might not be a bad idea - Sacramento gets hot! and that's a big piece of glass - but I like a moon roof, too. I'm going to wait till next summer and see how the tinting and roller shade perform before I decide.

I would also love to find these pinstripes:



Note the MINI logo!



Anyone know where these come from? I think they are so cool!

(Well, this was supposed to be "my two cents" - sorry if it came out looking more like a buck-fifty!)

 

Mine is bone stock except of rhte 25 dollars intake I bought off ebay. I enjoy mine everytime I get on the Autobahn here in Germany. That is a blast.

 

Well I'm with resmini on this one,stock MC,well the elbow landing device did improve comfort level,and the mud flaps help keep stuff off the sides of the car.
I'm happy for all you modded MCS and MC owners out there,but my MC puts a smile on my face everytime I get in it,well even when I just think about it,and it meets my needs,comfy for the commute,good mpg,I feel safer in it than anything else I have owned,and look forward to my next mod,snow tires and steelies,then the snow will be more fun
But I don't feel excluded,I enjoy reading some of the perfomance threads,as it is nice to follow what people with the desire and money do to their MINI's.

 

I relieved my bone-stock angst by replacing the RC antenna with an S2000 antenna. I now have a modded MCS and a surprising performance boost. It's amazing how much aerodynamic drag the stock antenna creates!

As a side benefit, I no longer get asked "Where do you put the batteries?".

 

Well, I'll take that back..... While neither my MCS or MC CVT have any engine mods, my MCS does have some cosmetic enhancements: Chrome mirror caps, chrome MCS front grille, Union Jack Roof flag decal, "Cooper S" custom rear license plate frame, MP3 Aux input jack, MINI windshield sunshade, Colgan Custom bra, Union Jack tire valve caps and MINIMANIA metal Union Jack/Checkerboard badge.

All of these add a considerable amount of horsepower!

 

Is this the blue mcs with the number 50 on the side that you beat?

 

Just got mine 2 days ago. I plan on leaving it stock for a long while. I have never owned a car this powerful so I am thrilled with its performance. I suppose that I may do some minor things to it in the future, such as aux port, euro shelf, aftermarket dvd nav, an POSSIBLY an intake. A rear fog may be in my future, as long as MINI gets their act together on that one.

I love the car as it is, in all honesty. there is so much to explore with its handling and speed that I really shouldnt go changing it...

Patrick

 

Congrates on your new MINI.I,m still exploring,after 15 months.
Geez I can't wait for snow

 

Congrats . . . I know you've been waiting a while!

 

At the recent Pittsburgh Vintage GP, the MINI was the "Mark". There where at least 104 New minis(by my count) and 25+ classics. Of the 104 only 2 had exhaust mods. In talking with the other owners( I didn't speak with all of them), none I spoke with had any mods. I think ALL Minis are cool and from what I can see, non-moded mini owner are in the majority