Hyper Blue here,

A while back, I made my first post on this forum asking people about their experiences with the Mini, hoping to get some help deciding whether or not I wanted to leave the Honda brand and get my Mini. Well, I've decided to do just that, but I'm not going to place my order until I'm certain which options I want to get. Here's what my Mini looks like so far:

2005 Mini Cooper S
-- chili red
-- cordoba beige leather
-- carbon fiber trim
-- xenon headlights
-- navigation system
-- limited slip differential
-- sunroof
-- aerokit
-- chrome side mirrors

I'm not getting any of the packages, I'm planning on buying some aftermarket 18-inch wheels, and I'm going to have a custom stereo system installed with Sirius satellite radio. I have a few questions though. How important is the DSC option? Do I really need it if I'm getting the LSD? What about the Works coilover kit? Is it worth the $1,000 pricetag? Has anyone purchased an '05 MCS with the paddle-shifters instead of the six-speed? Hmmm...I think those are all the questions I have at this point. Thank you to everyone in advance for their responses. OH! I do have another question...does anyone here really wait 15,000 miles between oil changes? That just doesn't seem right to me.

Thanks again,
Hyper Blue))(((((((((((((((((((((((((

 

i really think you should at least consider the cold weather package. the heated seats work wonders on the chillier nights. as for the DSC, i don't use it unless i'm in a situation where i think it could really help (snow, ice, heavy rain). i'm sure some of the gear heads around here could explain more specifically the differences between the LSD and DSC. as for the oil change, 15k without an oil change never seemed to healthy to me. as far as i'm concerned, i have to wait till 15k till i get my first free oil change.

p.s. if your going with Chili Red, why is ur name still Hyper Blue ?

 

I agree: the heated seats would be a boon in Kansas winters.

Get your oil changed early, just don't let them reset the counter to zero so you will get your free 15k mile oil change at 15k.

 

Spring an extra $350 or so and get the Multi Function Steering Wheel so you'll have cruise control. I'f you're getting a sunroof then I would just get the whole premium pak. Cars without CCs tend to hard to resell, should the need arise. Heated seats are a blessing on the back.

I wish my 05 MCS had a LSD, but I'm not about to throw myself over the mountain in despair for not having it. Essential if U wish to race, but questionable if not. If sure others will have differing IMOs.

Speaking of IMO, DSC is an electronic safety net to keep those who do not understand the laws of physics as they relate to half a ton of machinery in near constant motion. Can be intrusive, especially in snow. Had a Caddy with Stabilitrak and hated it. At least the MINI one shuts off.

So here's my tally: no to DSC, up-to-you for the LSD (If I could order a new MCS I'd get it) and get the MFSW. And aftermarket nav systems tend to provide more bang for the buck than the overpriced MINI one. Otherwise looks good. Jimbo

PS changed my factory oil at 3600 miles

 

Hey Sequence,

What AM nav system are you using? We've been looking around but haven't settled on one.

 

I'm with you. I've been a diehard Honda loyalist for quite some time. I've owned a number of them over the years, never dissapointed once.

The Mini is my first venture into the deep end. I trust BMW engineering for the most part, and I waited a few years for the bugs to be worked out. Then I waited a bit more between which brand I wanted to go for. Then I went and made an order.

I went with a Chili Red/White MCS with JCW and all packages. There wasn't much i didn't like, except for rain sensing wipers, garage door opener, etc. Every thing else, you betcha. Better to finance it in with the original purchase than try and fork it over at a later date.

Nozz

 

I owned a 02 Cooper, Indi Blue w/cordoba leather interior, had DSC, and the CWP. I put 40K miles on it and recently traded for an 05 MCSC, Chili Red w/black leather. I think the DSC is worth it. It can remedy a bad mistake on a wet road and coupled with the anti-lock brakes help keep the car from skidding on wet/snowy roads.

I also recommend the CWP unless you live in a warm climate all year round. The heated seats are especially nice.

The LSD, in my opinion, is questionable unless you plan to drive you MINI on the track, autocross it, or like to street race (I hope not). It is supposed to prevent wheelspin under hard acceleration and help distribute the power to both front wheels equally.

Hope this helps. I use my MINI to commute about 75 miles a day in all kinds of weather. It is a great little car but it may not prove to be as reliable and trouble free as a Honda.

Randall Morin
Hagerstown, MD
05 MCSC

 

Ditch the DSC and keep the LSD. I have not once needed DSC, even with the snow we have gotten here. I usually turn off ASC, as well. It's so intrusive and I know what I need to do to get started in the snow better than it does.

 

I like dsc on, I turn it off for spirited driving or to get started in snow. Just last week on a snowie 360 degree ramp was a sponed out car into the snow and a car stoped just behind it. To make matters worst I was traveling a little too fast. I lifted my foot off the throttle and steered the car away from the two other. I avoided an accident due to the complete compossure of this mini. As to getting a stripped down car to later mod, it all sounds good. It'll be lighter without the sunroof and some of the other stuff. I could not own an all bare bones mini, I had to buy all 3 packages. I love having the sunroof and the nicer steering wheel, cruise control etc. I'm not happy with the leather on the sport seats but they are heated, thank God. Rain sensing is nice, auto diming and climate too but I could live without them. I think I'm going to need lsd after my car goes for the 19% pulley, bigger fuel injectors, and GIAC software on wednesday. I'm also installing a jcw air box to go with my milltek catback exhaust and my kosei k1 wheels/falken siez tires combo. I do my oil changes every 6000 miles. As for the solid reliability of the honda vs. mini, my mini has never broken down nor let me down on the side of the road. It has visited the service department many times for software recalls and other driveability issues as well as a frozen door, some rattles and noices. The quirks are ignored in favor of fun and coolnes factor. I'm taking my 2003 mcs with 35000 miles in for the latest software recall.

 

I assume you're asking about the JCW suspension kit. It's not a coil-over system, just replacement struts and springs. And the struts are not adjustable. I have no data on how it performs, but it's hard to imagine it's worth the money versus aftermarket altenatives.

 

Garmin makes an outstanding GPS/NAV sys for less than $1,000 that U can detach out of the car and take with you. I dont know the exact model number, but if U do a search here or in M2 you should find others that use it and love it. I think the MINI nav system is an overpriced mess, and U lose the coolant gauge as well. Not worth $1700 fer sure. Jimbo

PS Honda lover for the price of the nav sys U could get the Premium and CW paks, and still have about $200 left over...

 

I've got the Garmin Quest that you are referring to for Navigation. It is obviously not as clean looking as the in-dash factory unit, but it is truly slick. 20 hour battery life, about the size of a flip-phone, voice-promps if plugged in to the car charger, easy to operate and cost about $500. Move it back and forth between my car and my wife's. If you ever fly somewhere and rent a car you can take it with you. Way more flexible and less expensive.

With regard to the DSC, do a search on NAM. There are numerous stories of people whose butts were saved by it.

 

Well you will either get the paddle shifters or the LSD. The LSD only comes with the manuel trans.

The point on oil has been much discussed.

 

Quite true. On the other hand, do a NAM or M2 search and you'll find as many if not more folks that want nothing to do with DSC; even the purists hate basic traction control. Full human control w/o the electronic safety net is the name of the game here. Again, IMO of course. Jimbo

 

I got DSC as a stand-alone option on my 04 MCS, and I'm happy to have it. I'm certainly not an expert driver, and like having the safety net. It has intervened a few times in the 6 months I've had the car. It hasn't saved my life, but it's kept me pointed where I wanted to be pointed. Latest instance was a right hand turn at the end of an exit ramp that came up a lot closer than I expected. Got through it at about 35-40 mph. I'm sure many people here could do that with their eyes closed, but I appreciated the assist from my MINI's electronic brain!

There was an interesting column in AutoWeek or Car and Driver about DSC preventing more accidents than anti-lock brakes do - simply because it's a passive system that responds when it needs to, not when the driver asks it to (ABS requires you to stomp on the brakes hard enough to activate it).

Maybe you're a great driver, and know exactly how to handle your car in every situation you encounter. If not, I'd say DSC is $500 well spent.

 

DSC certainly is $500 well-spent if U think U need it, and is surely a better buy than the OEM satnavsys. I can see DSC on vehicles that have a higher center of gravity and handle less-than-precisely than a MINI, but on a MINI it's overkill.

So HondaLover are U more confused yet regarding these fantastic cars? Don't believe Consumer Reports: MINIs are quite reliable vehicles. Dont forget the heated seats. Jimbo