most of the arguments here are just characteristics of the car, however, one complaint I do understand is the

PLASTIC everywhere. It doesn't bother me interior wise, but I have a real hard time finding a place to jack the car so that I can use the jack points for jack stands.

One thing that doesn't make sense is the two pull to open thing. In a normal car you'd have to unlock the door first. If you really wanted to you could still do this, but the two pull is actually a lot easier. OR it might just be the auto lock bothering you, but this can be deprogrammed.

Also, please wear your seat belts. It's a really simple thing and does save lives.

 

The two pull think is nothing new. I have it on my Rover. It is on my vette. It is so minimal. You should have noticed this on the test drive. And even if you didnt, if something as trivial as having to pull the door handle twice gets you down, never buy a porsche or any other sporty car for that matter. Every nice car has its own quirky chararcteristics. If you cant deal with them, dont buy the car, and definatley dont whine and complain to people that love the car.

 

If you don't like this thread, then why the hell did you respond to it...twice?

 

Nice. I think this is really a call for help from rednwhitecooper.

 

I hope you grow to love the car... as most of the people on this board have.

Re the keys thing, it seems that the new key fob is more sensitive than the older ones. The dealer can turn off that "convenience" feature for you if you want. Ditto for the automatic lock feature... turning that off apparently gets rid of the need to pull the inside handle twice to open the door.

As to the seat belt chime... use the seatbelt, dummy!

There is a lot of plastic but I think its better designed or hidden than most cars in this price range.

You can put some of that unused or poorly designed space to use with the glovebox and center console organizers that are available after-market.

I'm surprised you didn't mention the dinky windshields and rearview mirror, which bothered me A LOT until I got used to them!

Bottom like, the MINI is a relatively inexpensive and very small car. It has some drawbacks and like any other car, it's not for everyone. If ultimately you decide that it's not for you, you can cash in on one of the MINI's huge advantages, its terrific resale value! But I'm willing to bet that you and your MINI are going to be around here for awhile. :smile:

 

Yes, and one day while you're driving along, most likely when it's raining, whistling a happy VW tune, one of your windows will fall into the door with a loud <<thunk>>.

 

Sorry you don't like your car.
Thanks for sharing.

 

If you're looking to b!tch, you're welcome.
If you're looking for resolution to some of your issues:

Ian's auto up module - let's you integrate your garage door opener, too.

Get looser pants. :smile:

I'll trade you my light-less turn signal.

It's a MINI - you want to carry bikes unobtrusively??

Buckle your seatbelt.

You didn't get auto A/C?? Don't VWs have rotary temp *****??

Go for 16" (or 15") rims, and taller tires.

re: Double pull - have the dealer turn off the 'auto lock' feature, or turn ON the 'unlock on engine off' feature.

Best of luck getting used to the new car
or
Sell it cheap to one of us! :smile:

 

In any other given car, unlock the door first, then pull the handle to open the door. This also applies with the MINI. If you unlock the doors with the toggle switch, then you only have to pull once on the door handle to open the door. Or, as MINI has conveniently provided, you can use that same door handle to both unlock (first pull) then open (second pull) the door. What you view as an inconvenience is much more convenient than toggle switch then door pull. Plus, a child or someone is less likely to accidentally swing open the door at the wrong moment if he has to pull the handle or press the toggle switch as a preliminary step.

And, it does enhance the entire charm of the car. I find myself automatically reminding my passengers, "tug twice" when they reach for the handle.

And on top of all this, you can just have the double pull deactivated at the dealership if you don't like it.

Ian Cull's auto-up window circuit with auto fog light and track DSC was the best $70 I ever spent.

 

The point is that it dosent matter. If a silly little quirk (that isnt really even a quirk) turns you off of a car, you have issues.

 

ahh... that's real nice of you. I prefer to just watch the look on their faces when they get all confused that they can't open the door.

 

candyasseddope! 99.9 percent of the stuff you mentioned you see when you test drove the car. Are you dumb, blind and childish?

 

It is PITA!!, but only if you don't LIKE to use your seat belt. Once you get use to putting it on, driving your car feels weird without it. We have had 5 fatalitys here in the last 2 weeks. ALL were not buckled up!

 

I think the time to lock down this thread is quickly approaching. I think everything that needed to be said has been written. If the man is unhappy with his MINI, then he needs to let go and find a loving home for it. Obviously the car is not for him and he will never "get it".

Moderators?

 

That cup-holder was killed with the '03 model year - apparently if/when the drink leaked, it did so all over the radio and HVAC controls... not good.

I have a '03 TDI Jetta GLS Wagon. I admit I like the interior much more than Jerseygirl's MCS. For me, the seats are much more comfortable and the the all-tan interior is my color of choice. The seat heaters are better.

That said, the performance of the car (or lack there of) is beginning to annoy me. The handling in particular. The Mk IV is simply a flawed design, suspension-wise. With the TDI engine I expected lackluster acceleration (and boy did I get it...), but I did expect a more "German" feel to the chassis and have been seriously dissappointed. Something is wrong when I get into my '90 full-size conversion van and look forward to its driving dynamics because its RWD...

If it were not for the fact the car gets nearly 50 mpg, I drive over 700 miles a week, and the car has spent ZERO days at the dealer for service over the past two years (regular maintenence I do myself), I would seriously be regretting it's purchase and would have probably traded it in on an MCS or something else by now.

 

I'm puzzled everytime someone mentions being unhappy with this "double-pull to open the door" thing. I (or any of my passengers) have never had to do that - not ONCE.

It's really easy. Go to your dealer, ask them to disable auto-lock, and/or enable auto-unlock.

Problem solved.

 

WTF is up with you guys yelling for a thread to be locked? My god they are words on your computer screen that you CHOSE to read - get over yourselves already.

 

I ALSO think its time to lock down this thread!

If it really makes so many of you upset that I posted what I find to be major flaws with the design, either don't reply, or lock this puppy down.

Its obvious that most of you are very biased with your rebuttals, and also very ignorant. To those of you who share similar dislikes with the car and have offered suggestions, I thank you.

My point, if I really have one, was to possibly make others aware who might also be purchasing a new Mini soon. Granted, most of the things listed were prevalant upon a test drive, but I didnt even really think to check them. ...just took it for granted.

OH, thanks to everyone who actually contributed. I now know that i can dis-able many of the things i dont like right at the dealer.

"
Just me ranting... My previous car was an 02 GTI 1.8t (for comparison)

No automatic windows up feature.

-Will that $70 aftermarket device allow me to just 'tap' the up switch to have it roll-up all the way? Or just allow me to roll up the windows from outside the car?

the windows roll down sometimes when my keys are in my pocket.

-I can dis-able this feature? Thanks for the info guys!

ugly washer fluid level indicator on the right column stalk.

-This i DID notice in the dealership. I can live with it, but why the heck did they decide to put it there?!?! Couldn't they just put a little LED somewhere on the dash? Its not like a low oil pressure warning light.

no easy/cheap/unobtrusive bike carrier

-I guess this should read "no trailer hitch mount available"

that annoying seatbelt chime!!! ARGH!!!

-Oh well. After researching on this thread I have found it very difficult to dis-able this feature.


PLASTIC EVRYWHERE!!!! Inside and OUT!!!!

-I guess i'm just upset that the fender flares are misaligned and my "alloy" patina dash is anything but "alloy"

Cheaper feel than my VW. Much more $$$ too!!

Not quantifiable, but my own personal observation

Fit and finish very lack-luster. (see 2 aforementioned reasons)

-Same reason as above

Controls laid out awkwardly. (I hate that retarded temperature control ****)

-It just seems like they put everything where it is to be different. There really doesnt seem to be a very practical layout or ergonomics to how it was designed.

Uncomfortable for everyday driving but maybe I'm just getting old.

-...But it sure is a fun car to drive! Maybe I will get the 16" wheels like someone suggested.

Expensive, especially when you compare it to similar 3-doors. $1100 for leather?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

-I just don't understand how a less expensive car can come equipped with leather, heated seats, a premium sound system, and a sunroof all for less than what mini offers for just leather seats.

A lot of unused storage capability in the cockpit.

-I will look into the organizers like someone suggested. (but its all at an additional cost to me)

Loud interior while driving. 10 fold with the windows open.

-Oh, well.


I do like the car as it is very fun to drive, fast, and very cool looking. I do not like my VW more as a whole, but for the money, it should just make the GTI feel like a Hyundai. Maybe if they assembled them in Mexico rather than in England they could offer more value.

Another thing that bothers me:

The heated seats are useless. The back gets WAY hotter than the seat, the high setting is way too hot, and the low gets to hot after a little while. The VW offers 5 different settings which cater better depending on the interior temperature.

well, off to the dealer I go. Three warranty issues and also to get those features disabled.

 

I'LL TAKE IT!!!!!

Heck, I'll Steall it from you...