I just had the realization that a MINI Cooper S is only $400 more than my Cooper (the way I had it spec'd)

I don't know what to do. Should I get the S and forfeit the sunroof, dsc, and xenons?

I had my mind all made up, I said the extra power didn't mean anything to me, but now I'm EXTREAMELY tempted to get the S.

...HELP!

 

I've often had this debate.. fully loaded Cooper or base S. Right now I have the loaded Cooper. I'd love to upgrade to an S, but won't be doing so until I can afford the S with some extras. There are a few things on my loaded Cooper that I'm just not willing to give up... even for the extra power.

 

how long are you going to keep this car? get the S and get what you want on it. what's the difference between the S loaded with the stuff you want and the cooper? then figure out what the monthly difference is? a latte maybe? coffee is bad for you anyway.

 

Hard choice.How do you think your going to use the car?Daily driver,toy,combo.
If you do any amount of dark at night driving,get the zenonsEither way

 

Being a teenager, I really can't afford a loaded S. That's out of the question.

The $21k stripped Cooper S is my limit. There is no way I could add xenons or a sunroof. I'd be up in the $23k range, and that's too high.

This car will be my daily driver, but I love to drive for fun, and have been known to take joyrides all the time. I love being on the road, driving is my favorite past-time.

I won't miss the Xenons that much, I'll just get high performance halogen bulbs (like sylvania silverstars). I have them in my current car, and have no problems driving at night. I was only buying the Xenons for the "cool" factor, but I think the supercharger makes up for the xenons, and more.

The only thing I'll have to forfeit that I really wanted is the sunroof. I don't have one in my current car, so I won't miss it, but I really like sunroofs. However, after hearing about the rattles people are getting, maybe it's not such a bad thing.

I have not driven a MINI Cooper S yet. I'll have to go and do that asap.

 

that was exactly what happened to me. in the begining i came to the conclusion that i could not afford an s, so i specced a standard, then i was like dam, it seems like a lot, let me see out of curiosity what an S comes out to be. and sure enough, it was like~800 or so more. so after months of checking finacnes and money situations, i opted for the s and was the best decision i made.

now as for your sunroof, dsc, and xenons. for me i did not want a sunroof, and i dont think you really need the dsc, but i really love the look of xenons. and as im sure you know, on the s, the dsc and xenons are included in the sports pack, just some food for thought

have fun

 

they're both great cars that are a blast to drive. looking for more speed? mcs. want better gas mileage, and still tons of fun? go with the cooper. you can't go wrong with either one! good luck.

 

Just a side note.Xenons are standard up here in Canada.So I think is the cold package.But we pay more base price

 

Two words for you.

BUY USED!!!!

You will get a great S loaded at the price you need with decent mileage and a GREAT WARRANTY.

Try Autotrader.com that is where I found mine.
Check this one out.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...y&cardist=1661


http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...2&cardist=1514
Sean
www.bancroftsonline.com

 

means something, or it doesn't. For me it didn't mean anything so the Mini was just fine.

As for the sunroof....lots of folks get flats....consider the thousands that have sunroofs and have zero problems.

 

I can't say if that's true for me or not until I test drive the S. As of right now, I'm 80% sure I'm gonna get the S.

 

I think this will give you the answer!!:smile:

You're going to have fun in any case.

 

Ok. Having been on this site daily for over 2 1/2 years, here's what I have noticed from the almost weekly posting of someone contemplating the same thing.

IF you feel you might need the power, then you probably will. Once you get a Cooper, you'll be stuck. Even if you start to mod, you'll be lucky if $1000 in mods gets you even 5hp. The S is the safer bet. True you won't be able to later add the options you may miss either. But from what I've seen on this board, if you THINK you might miss the power, you probably will.

 

What's another few car payments.... Get the S!

 

when you build your car on the site with the same options, it looks like there is a $2500 difference. that's $46 and change a month at 4.69% (60 months). if that's going to break the bank for you, i'd wait until i could afford the extra downpayment to buy down the monthly payment. if you spend as much time in your car as i think you will, it will be worth it.

it wasn't a money issue for me, more of a time issue. didn't want to wait the 6-9 months for an S. looking back, i wish i would have waited for an S especially with all the track driving i now do.

btw, i agree that if you think you will need/want the power you will. plus the improvements that the S has in '05 are really tasty.

 

I picked up my 2003 MCS with ALL 3 pkgs for $21,315.00


And it was even tax FREE!!!

Kelley Blue book lists it at $3000.00 more than I paid, that is if I sold it in Phoenix as a private seller.

 

There are a bunch of used ones in the NAM marketplace...

If you are going to get a Cooper above all else make sure your car will be built with the new transmission. The Midlands 5spd is a certifiable POS. I heard somewhere that July 05 build Coopers will have the new trans, but don't quote me on it.

That said, I'd get the S with fewer options. Or get used.

The one option on your list that I would get regardless of the car is the Cold Weather package. It's worth the money

 

I have an "S" and I too, forgo the sunroof, DSC and Xenons, because at the end of the day, the sweet powertrain and transmission in the MCS is what makes the car more appealing than having all those options added on. Remember than in the MCS, most "popular" options are just the icing on the cake. The MCS, as it comes right out of the box, already has all the necessary hardware to make it a kick *** ride. The beauty of the MINI is that in the performance department, there is little that the car needs IMO, for normal daily driving.

I could have gotten a Cooper LOADED, but prefer the added resale and power of a bare bones MCS (If such a thing really exists) over a fully loaded Cooper with every bell and whistles.

Do you need a sunroof to enjoy the MCS? No. Do you need DSC? (Unless you do lots of mountain driving or drive on icy conditions, no you don't). Do you need Xenons? (Then again depends if you do lots of rural driving at night, sure get them, otherwise save the money, the halogens are fine thank you very much).

When you skip the sunroof, Xenons and DSC you are saving close to $2,000 a huge chunk of change for most folks outside the realm of millionaires, celebrites and Donald Trump. When you borrow that money on credit, then you'll pay more in despite of the seemingly low interest rates.

$2,000 can buy you mods, new tires and wheels, etc. But then again it all depends on what YOU want to get out of the car and how the car will meet your needs/expectations. There are no hard and fast rules here.

In your shoes, I would opt for a basic MCS a more enjoyable car than a Cooper with every option on the sales brochure.

Just my opinion. Also if you get a MCS, get tthe items that enhance performance (Like LSD) and not the ones that hamper it (Like the heavy sunroof).

Some food for taught.

The MCS will always have better resale value than a loaded Cooper. The MCS is the more sought after car ALWAYS.

 

It may be $2500 more than a base Cooper with no options, but for the past month, I have been planning to order a loaded Cooper that was going to cost me $20,550. I could EASILY afford that. After fooling around on miniusa.com last night, I found out that the Cooper S is like $20,950 (roughly).....so for an extra $400 on top of what I had already planned to spend, I can get the S. So it's really not a money issue.

The issue is: sunroof/dsc/xenons or Cooper S

early_apex: I'm going to get the CWP on the S as well. $300 isn't going to make a difference at all on a $21k car...I might as well.

 

IMHO, I'd pick more bhp and torque over doo-dads.

 

Another question, is my wait time going to be significantly longer if I decide to order the S versus the regular Cooper?

 

Cooper S all the way buddy! Once behind the wheel, you won't miss the sunroof, DSC and Xenons.


Take it from me. I am onto my second "bare bones" '05 MCS. My '04 is currently up for sale.

 

If you are in the East Coast, no I doubt it. But then again it depends in your local market and the amount of production allocations your local MINI dealer gets on a monthly basis.

My total wait time for a new '05 MCS here in South Florida is 6-7 weeks. A cooper is roughly 5-6 weeks.

I waited 10 MONTHS for my 2004 MCS when I first ordered 2 years ago. My dealer back had a 6-7 month wait on new MCS and 2 month wait on Coopers.

Times flies. 6 weeks is nothing of a wait. Well worth it for a sweet car like the MCS.

 

From what I understand, my dealer sells the most MINIs out out every dealer in the country. A few members on here have backed up that claim. Because of this, they get a huge allocation of cars each month.

 

So there you go... Talk to your MA and find out the total wait time for a new factory ordered MCS, but I suspect the wait time will also be somewhere between 6-8 weeks.

I think it is worth it dude. The MCS is such a sweet ride and the power delivery is smooth, not overwhelming or uncontrollable. These cars are not muscle cars by any stretch of the imagination, but it is nice to have that added "Kick" and sweet sounding whine from the Supercharger. These cars in the highway get to triple digit speeds effortlessly and smoothly.

Don't get me wrong, I also own a Cooper CVT, a very sweet car but I am more into the MCS. If you can afford it and let go of some of the seemingly useless and pricey doo-daahs, you will be in for a treat

If you get a bare bones MCS, make sure at least to get the MFSW steering wheel. That baby is hot, trust me!