I always like the way we MC ENTHUSIASTS jump all over these comparison threads. Guess we like showing off how quick and nimble we can be

 

>"Anyone still buying an MC instead of an MCS?"



I have a problem with the word "still" in the title... like if MC people are doing something wrong or making a bad decision...

 

I test drove both, and liked the MC much better than the S. The S had so much power it could be driven with less finesse...while the MC shifter had to be worked to keep in the powerband. I liked that. Also the S had a much stiffer, less forgiving suspension which on our rural roads just about knocked my fillings out!

I found the scoop on the S very obtrusive, and felt personally it detracted from the smooth lines of the car.

Lastly, the fuel efficiency in this age of rising gas prices pointed me toward the MC. Love my little Nugget!

 

Me too. And from some of the problems we hear about the MCS, one wonders why it's not the other way around.

Really though, both are wonderful cars, and the fact there are so many choices just makes them all great

 

I wanted a rag top. After driving base model cars for years for exact same reasons a lot of MCS owners buy theirs without options, I was ready for some frills and luxury, so I spend my money on a fully loaded MCc.

It took me many years to get my driving record clean and with an "S" I was afraid it would not stay that way.

I wanted the car as soon as I saw that the convertibles were out. I do refuse to pay dealer mark up, though. And the two dealers in CA that did not charge mark up both quoted me a 9-12 months wait. I stopped at Long Beach Mini on a whim and instantly fell in love with the Egguinn. Drove it of the show room floor about an hour later. Good thing too, cause some woman was starting to eyeball my car . September '04 built. Been in the family since Oct 15, '04. 7,000 miles and not a single regret. This is a pleasure car. And while I am modding it a bit at a time, it will never see, nor was it ever intended for track. Numbers on my doors not withstanding.

 

I, too, have a MINI Cooper. It's an '03, and has CVT. I got it last year [April] and it had just 2200 miles on it [now approaching 17k]. I disagree wholeheartedly about the CVT sucking, as it performed very well at the Phil Wicks Academy at Putnam Raceway last weekend. In fact, ALL the Coopers performed well there and were only outmatched by the ESSES on the straightaway. I grew up using a stick shift...yeah, they ARE nice, but at this time in my life, the MINI Cooper CVT, with its different FUN drives, is the car for me.

 

We bought the MC because it just looks more classic. Love the lines and the chrome. Perfect combo with the Silver. Our first one was a Silk Green with White, Rest in Peace, totaled front head on collision with 84 Mercury 2 Door. Driver no injuries have pics if you want. Anyways we had the chance then to go with MCS, but still decided on MC. We love it, however I am a speed demon and could always use more umph. www.yocheckusout.com for some pics (some adult content, don't stray too far)

 

I knew there was a site I was suppose to check out yesterday!

 

Have a S cabrio...

...a fellow club member jumped in behind me on Rt. 28 I think it was. Not the Dragon but intersecting it. Now if you haven't been there the Dragon area is ALL twist with very few & very short straights. So nice and twisty that even though I was 'cruising right along' His Mini Cooper CVT was staying with my S pretty darn well accelerating out of the turns. Of course he's been driving a MINI for a good while now while I had only 6 weeks behind the wheel but still...

So sure, in the twisties it's not as big a difference as you might think.

 

Great comments...so nice to see so many Cooper owners chiming in (along with everybody else:smile: )! As the years have gone by I become more and more appreciative of the fact that each MINI model truly offers something special and unique. This isn't based on sales brochures, but on real, behind the wheel, motoring experience. I swear there are nuances to these cars that still surprise me, and only show themselves over time. Only the most experienced MA would know them well. MINIs rock!!!

 

definitely not suggesting that us cooper owners are less enthusiastic owners , but there are a lot more performance mods that can be done to an s, and subsequently gear heads would prolly dominate the webpages
i love my cooper , but i dont have a 15%pulley, rear sway bar mod,catback, ,coil overs etc etc etc....but my two tone leather and new wheels and tires look great i i think i have looked under the hood once since i owned this vehicle at that was with my salesman at delivery!!!

 

I will be buying one in a year or so. Should count as still . Wont be a replacement, but an addition.

Nik

 

I consider myself a car enthusiast. However, when I bought my Cooper in July of 2003, I was on a budget (wife was still going to college) and needed a new car (my 1989 Chevy s10 with 170,000 was just getting too unreliable). I wanted to get out the door for under $20,000 and I wanted to get the coolest, most fun car I could for the money. I accomplished both goals with my Cooper. Now things are not nearly so tight money wise, and I could get an S if I wanted to, but I just don't see the point. I love my Cooper and now that I have some extra money I have been able to put a nice exhaust, intake, rear sway bar, sport springs, aero skirts, momo shift **** and boot, etc. on it to really make it "mine". That said, if I had time to auto cross, I would probably want an S.

 

I'm considering selling my mod'd (intake, pulley, exhaust, rear-sway, springs) '02 Cooper S and picking up an '06 Cooper.

 

My next MINI will be a non S, so I can keep up with you guys on the twisties.

Hold it, must zip up my flame retardent suit.

 

^^^^ALL MINI rule the twisties!!!!!

 

Very nicely said...

Wench
'02 MCS

 

I have an 05 Cooper. Didn't need the extra horsepower of the S, is all. I have nothing against anyone who has bought an S. I was happy that I had the choice.

 

Don't you regularly check your oil and fluid levels?


Clover

 

no, never!!! has 7000 miles on the car, if it loses oil or fluid at this stage of its life, it deserves to be lemon lawed!!! i love the car , but i dont go under the hood, thats why i bought a NEW car !

 

I check the fluids and tire pressures WEEKLY! If there is a loss of oil, why not find out right away and have it fixed before you get stranded somewhere?

And you haven't refilled the reservoirs for the window washer fluid? I cannot believe that!


Clover

 

the last british car show i went to, i talked to a few of the judges and decided to see what they said about the new MINI class in the event.


most of the jusdged said the prefered the Cooper to the Cooper S because the current cooper shares more with the original cooper (as far as styling, engine performance, interior design and handling) than the S ever will. one of the judges said that he thinks the S was just created to sell afew more cars since some people would like to have more power than the Cooper should.

i totally agree. the cooper does look more like a classic Cooper than the S does. wheres the gaping hole and a massive bulge in the hood of an old Cooper S? i dont know why they offer NAV or that ugly POS chrono pack, thy dont do anything for the car, and all it does is make it look like a regular car on the road and not a MINI Cooper.

the cooper sticks within the guidelines and heritage of the original Mini's and i think its great that some people appreciate that, while other just dont.

i love my 05 MC. its red and white, like a cooper should be. i would prefer a 4 speed, but if a 5 is what they offer, i'll take it. i would also like wider flares, to emulate the older rally cars of the day.

MINI (dare i say BMW) did a great job redesigning the mini to give the same feeling of the older mini's, while i feel the S is still simmilar, it doesnt look anyhting like a classic mini ever did.



god, now i'm rambling.

 

:smile: I've owned both a Cooper and now Wanda, my MCS. I love them both! At first, I preferred the Cooper lines, but now I am totally in-love with Wanda's sassy snubby nose!

The MINI is unique for many reasons, among them the incredible number of ways they can be customized to suit each individual's taste, styling-wise and performance-wise.

I don't see one as better than another, just different.


Clover

 

Shoot me. I still refer to them as JustACoopers

 

you are probably right! i should check once in a while!
as far as s versus non-s goes : i go back to my earlier quote
" thats why they make strawberry AND vanilla"
however they are all MINIS and thats the bottom line!!