hello, my wife and I have been considering purchasing a Mini. She drives a long distance 150 miles round trip too and from work. So we figured what car would be cooler than a MCS.

Are there an quirks to this car, is it realiable? I have heard no?

Why would you recommend this car? Is it a good daily driver or is it more of a weekend car?

Thanks for your input

 

Oh boy! Where do we start?! I can't really give you an account of going that many miles, but I commute on the highway to work, and I absolutely look forward to it, each and every day! Crank up your H/K and let the RPM's rip, and you've got the best ride to work (or to anywhere) you could ever dream of!!! I'm on my second MINI (only because I wanted an upgrade), and both of them have been AWESOME as far as reliability, quality, and safety. I don't think I'll ever drive anything but a MINI!!!

 

I have owned a total of 3 new MINIs and currently own 2: a 2002 Cooper CVT (Wife's) and a 2005 MCS 6-speed (Mine). We are very happy and satisfied MINI owners. Our cars have been excellent and we have had nothing but praise for the product, our selling dealer (Lauderdale MINI in Ft Lauderdale, FL) and the service we have been receiving in the past 3 years.

These cars are extremely solid, well built, safe, fun to drive, world class safety and engineering, excellent value for the dollar and the strongest resale values in the industry.

My wife's 2002 Cooper CVT has 30K troublefree miles and it has been driven in around 11 states in the East Coast. All roadtrips originating from Miami and no problems.

My 2004 MCS was excellent and had it for 16 months with only 1 trip back to the dealer just for scheduled service and oil change...that's it!.

I sold the '04 MCS back in February and made money in the sale! never had a car with such amazing resale value!

My 2 month old 2005 MCS has been great so far. Today I finished the 1,250 mile mandatory break-in period! The car is an absolute blast to drive.

Both of our MINis are daily drivers. Actually the MINI is one of the best daily driving cars ever built!


Whichever MINI you pick, you won't be dissapointed

And by the way, welcome!

Feel free to ask more questions.

 

my only recomendation is a clear bra/mask. the front end of the MINI is so flat it doesn't take sand and road grime well. get it put on before you ever even drive the car.

 

thanks for the replies so far guys, what about the JCW package... Is it worth it? I was thinking the suspension too? or should I save that for a later date?

 

no, it's not worth it. if you have silly money to spend sure. don't get suckered into that "piece of mind" discussion with a dealer or warrenty issues. the pully and cold air intake will make you just as happy and be less than a grand. if this is a daily driver don't mess with the suspension. and you might even want to consider the 16" wheels just to give it softer ride for your wife and that long haul every day.

 

I walk to work, but have enjoyed my new MCSa more than I imagined. I thought I had outgrown cars, but this one has rekindled my interest--at least in MINIs. Although I have driven it less than 200 miles so far I believe it would be excellent for commuting. It may be less excellent for multiple-stop trips in town because at my age it is not easy to get into and out of (seat is a bit low), but I must acclimatize (I used to contort into and out of an old Mini, but I was young and agile then). And I am still having a difficult time gauging the invisible fenders when I park--they aren't that far away, but I can't see them. Overall the MINI has a high fun quotient and is a stylish little car.

If economy and reliability are higher priorities then you should probably consider the recommendations in Consumer Reports. Commuting 150 miles a day is serious driving and results in a lot of fuel consumed and wear and tear on the car. If you review the archives on NAM you will find several threads lamenting the MINI's fuel consumption and there might be more complaints about niggling problems than you would encounter on a forum for Honda Civic or Toyota Scion. In the long term those other cars may reveal fewer defects than a MINI. I haven't been on NAM that long and I recall when someone (who had been posting quite a while) expressed frustration over his MINI and announced he was finally selling it and getting a Honda.

But if you are already wondering about JCW mods then you must care about a car's fun quotient. So I recommend going through the agonizing process of ordering a MINI (probably changing your color selection 5 times) and posting your progress on NAM.

 

It makes sense to consider economy, reliability, etc., when considering an expensive purchase like a new car. However, when I bought my MINI it was 95% because i loved the way it looked. Any other considerations were pushed aside.

Fortunately the performance, fun-to-drive factor and even MPG have been great after 2 years of ownership. Buying anything else anywhere near the $19,000 I paid for MINI would have been a big mistake.

 

The JCW is worth it. Why? Reliability, refinement (This is an aspect that eludes most aftermarket mods, IMO), warranty, resale value and pedigree.

If your finances allow it, get the JCW package.

 

The only caveat I would mention is -- since you mentioned it was for a daily driver -- make sure you read the threads about fuel consumption in the MC vs the MCS. My brand new MC is plenty peppy...and I get about 34mpg in fairly aggressive driving. Some MCS drivers have been reporting figures in the high teens and low twenties.

Just another consideration. Pete

 

Depends on your foot and traffic conditions. I managed to get 34MPG @70 MPH in 6th gear in my ex-2004 MCS many times before.

Remember that the MCS' main mission is performance over fuel economy. The MC is more fuel frugal, but personally if I were to drive 150 miles a day in the highway, my choice would still be the MCS hands down.

 

I got my MCS last December. I drive over 100 miles a day and just turned over 14K miles. This car makes my commute a blast every day. I drive hard, haven't had a single problem, and I get 27-29 mpg.

 

I would also tell you to take a serious look at a MC if she's driving that far everyday. I had a MC loaner for a few days and my husband drove it while we had it since he drives 100 miles each day. He otherwise drives an EVO or our truck and he really liked the MC. He even kept saying how much he would like to get a MC if we had the extra money for a 4th car Plus he was getting 42mpg highway. My JCW MCS can get 32mpg highway if I'm really good. Oh, and I am happy that I got the JCW package on my car. My husband is a tuner kind of guy (EVO and STi's) and he is happy that we got it too

 

wow thanks for all the replies. We went for a scheduled test drive today, I drove a MCS and straight out of the shoot the salesman showed off the awesome brakes and handling of the MINI. Having owned 2001 Audi S4 before, I was impressed with the MINI's ability to rail through the turns. During one hard stop I almost expected us not to make the stop sign but we did..


I then got to drive it and although I didn't get on it very hard, it was pretty peppy. I currently drive an SVT Lightning so I was not expecting to blown away with all out straightline accerlation and I wasnt. But the tight handling did blow away my expectations. That little thing handles!!!

We're still debating on which new car to get, the MINI, VW BUG, or VW Jetta. So far after test driving the MINI, we're just about sold on it and are ready to order one up...


~Will