Lil' Blue comes to the dealer next week some time. Now that its this close to driving her home, I'm beginning to wonder if i should have gotten more gadgets on her. I'm really wishing I had ordered the Xenons and Autodimming Mirror (since you cant retro Xenon from Halogen ). Should I let the dealer put her on the lot and just order the gadgets I want, or just keep her, and in a year or so, trade up for the one I really want?

 

What are all of the options you ordered?

List the major stuff.

If those are the only changes you'd make then I'd suggest taking delivery and using the MINI for a year then deciding.

Xenons are good at night- do you do much night driving? If so that could make a difference.

 

I got her pretty bare bones:

Hyper Blue/White
Sports Package
MFSW
Antracite Interior
Cockpit Chrono Pack

Thinking about doing:

Hyper Blue/White
Sports Package
Convineince Package
Backup Sensor
MFSW
Xenons
Cockpit Chrono
Anthracite Interior & Headliner
Possibly Leather (Lapis Blue)

Basically tacking on another $1-2k of goodies.

 

My honest opinion.... Why? I don't see the LSD listed on neither spec, so I assume this option is not really important to you. My guess is that if you decide to re-order you have to wait another 6-8 weeks for the car to arrive. It is up to you to decide whether this move really makes sense or not. None of the items you listed are super essential IMO. Yes I have the convenience package, but I don't have Xenons, Sport Pack, DSC, heavy boat anchor 17" S-Lite wheels, bonnet stripes and LSD. And my car is still an absolute blast to drive.

If you do decide to re-order, I recommend ditching the sport package and stick with the standard MCS 16" V-spokes for better handling an acceleration (Not as heavy as the optional 17's). Order the LSD if you think you are going to need it (Auto crossing, etc). I am happy with the '05 halogens and instead of Xenons I gotr the front and rear fog lights (I also wanted the full 6 toggle switch bank). Order the DSC if it important to you.

 

Doesn't seem worth it to me, but I ordered very few options on mine.

If you're planning on keeping your MINI for a long time, then it would be worth the additional wait to get it exactly the way you want it.

But if you keep second-guessing yourself you'll never end up getting one at all!

 

If you do mostly city,well lit night driving,you probably don't need the xenons.
I don't even notice mine when in the city at night,but thats hardly ever for me,95% of my driving is on 2 lane dark highways and rural roads.Well their dark at night

 

I'm getting a MC, not an S. LSD not available for the MC!

I frequently drive 300+ miles in the dark, so night lights would be very nice!

 

Hey! That happened to me. It took forever to finally commit.

Mine is probably built by now and I am still wondering about the options I got. I think I am happy with the color, but maybe not. I have never encountered so much indecision about a car as this. Yet compared to my current vehicle the MINI will seem extravagant. The British might consider it as being "amply appointed" and that should satisfy me. But I wonder if I should have gotten xenon lights and...

 

Personally I would do all of that except the Chrono (have you seen it up close?), the backup sensors (they put goofy circles in your bumper) and the leather (you can get custom leather installed aftermarket for nearly the same price). But if I was in your shoes I wouldn't have the patience to wait for another car to be built when I've got one sitting right in front of me. If you've got that kind of patience you're a better man than me. :smile:

 

d OK, for your initial order everything is OK except the sports package.
The DSC is a safety feature but not performance oriented.
The heavy 17" wheels are not recommended for performance but do look nice. Fog lights are optional not essential. Sport seats you already have and bonnet stripes are optional.

On your optional order-
Hyper Blue/White- OK
Sports Package- see comments above- the 16" wheels are lighter and will be smoother riding and cost less. The DSC can be ordered alone if desired or omitted if you are into driving aggressively.
Convineince Package- your choice
Backup Sensor- your choice but the MINI is so small already.
MFSW- good option
Xenons- good at night but costly, standard lights do work OK.
Cockpit Chrono- your choice
Anthracite Interior & Headliner- OK
Possibly Leather (Lapis Blue)- expensive and may not wear that well. I usually recommend leatherette or cloth as being more durable. Does look nice.

Custom leather or cloth might also be an option for the same price- do something like leatherette for the rears in black for no added cost and do custom blue leather for the fronts only- shop around- get your name or MINI Cooper embroidered into the leather!

Other options
HK audio- good for those that like music (loud), not for audiophiles or those used to custom audio.
Limited slip differential- good as a safety feature and performance enhancement- allows for maximum traction at all times. Good for bad weather. If I had to choose between LSD and DSC I'd choose LSD.
(This applies only for the Cooper S)

 

I repeat, this is for a Mini Cooper, not an S!

Only reason I even considered the Leather seats is for the lumbar support, and the fact there is no other way to get blue

 

tradiuz, I like your specs!

The lumbar in the leather seats is really worthwhile, especially since you say you frequently drive 300 miles at night.

As for the fogs, I think they fill out the Xenons very nicely, giving you even more night-vision in your MINI. You can always install after-market rally lights. I added the PIAAs to my MCS and love using them on the Dragon.

I like having the DSC. Not everyone is a competitive driver, and if you do choose to autocross, you can simply turn off the Dynamic Stability Control.

The back-up sensor is especially good if there are young ones or pets around, or those pesky lower-than-the-hatch's-window poles in parking lots.


Clover

 

Can you get some driving lights instead? Frankly, I'd just go with what you got. There's a Motoring Zen in a lightly configured MC. Gadgets are just gadgets; they distract from the drive!

Heck I remember my '92 Miata--the only thing it had was a radio; it didn't even have power steering, and I LOVED that!

 

I didnt have A/C or Power Steering in my first car!

Too bad it was a brown 88 Lincoln Towncar.

(I think it still has flesh grafted to it from when I hopped in without a shirt one time)

 

Get what you will be happy with. If you feel that you will miss something that is not on the car you ordered you might as well wait and reorder now, IMHO, vs lose depreciation and getting another new car in a year.

At first I hemmed and hawed about the cost of getting all the options I wanted, but in the end I really love each and every one of them - why just tonight we were discussing how cool the chromeline interior looked reflecting the light of the nav, and how nice the anthracite headliner finished the interior

PS: I didnt even want the PDC much but the SO convinced me how handy it was, and let me tell you it is true, it's way more useful then expected

 

Will you love the car any more with different options? Not likely... 'cause most of us enjoy our MINIs so much the way they are, we can't imagine enjoying it any more! And besides... Spring is springing... don't wait a day longer!

 

I ordered an MC and there are a few things I would love to have that you should consider:

SS+ suspension, unless you plan to do your own upgrade later

heated seats, everybody raves about these and it seems it would be really useful when I open all the windows + sunroof in the winter

And now a few comments on your changes:

Leather, I thought about these, but for 1300, it's a real waste when many people complain of the quality. If you really need the lumbar that's different, but most people don't have them and seem to be fine, then again you take long drives. also, they seem to wear out much quicker than other options.

Xenons: lots of night driving for you. Something that also seemed cool, but not worth the price since i'm a city driver and it would be for looks rather than safety. If you have the money then go for it.

PDC: many people have said that it's not very useful useful. Personally, i have more problems of people running into me when they park and unfortunately the PDC does not go off when they get too close.

Chrono pack: worthless, unless you need to monitor your car very accurately. and doesn't it move the speedo? defintely need the speedo where it is.

Anthracite headliner: I almost postponed my order for this, but finally decided not to. I do love a dark interior, but I've realized I barely notice the headliner in the first place, Wouldn't be worth it to wait 6-8 weeks just for a headliner.

Overall if you find that you want to do two or more changes and they are worthwhile, I'd say delay it if you have the money and time to wait.If you plan on trading in later for a turbo then just have fun for now, but if you plan on keeping it for a long time, make sure there are no regrets.

Lastly, consider an MCS

 

I will second that! I have a barebones MC and LOVE it! Less crap to break/malfunction!

 

I too have been second guessing my MC choices. I didn't get the xenons either, and they are totally cool, but you could probably get some more powerful halogens from Daniel Stern like I did.

First I waffled on the color, then I wished I had gotten the HK stereo etc...the bottom line is that I got all four packages and the leather and I'm pretty happy with it. If you had everything now there would be nothing to look forward to later!

Plus, they will always be coming up with newer, better gadgets, but 99% of why I got the car is the way it drives and gadgets don't drive cars! Good luck on your indecision!

Be Happy :smile: