It took me three months to get an MCS off a lot in a spec I could deal with (namely no pana-roof, no leather, no racy color) and at the price I wanted (I live in So. Cal. where everyone except Long Beach Mini has a mark-up). If I had known it would have taken that long to find a solid roof MCS at a decent price, I would have just ordered one through LBM. In the end, I was lucky to find what I found just in the nick of time (I had a buyer for my heavily modded VW Golf that was tired of waiting for me to find my perfect car). I've now had my MCS for about nine months and I really enjoy it. However, since I didn't customize it myself, I did miss out on some preferred options; LSD, HK, cloth interior, anthracite headliner, etc.

As I drive around Orange County, and as I look online at used car prices, I see that the MCS prices are still high in this area. I owe about 23k on my '05, but estimate I could probably get 24.5k for it on the used car market here. So, what's stopping me from ordering a brand new '06 (w/LSD!!!) through a non-mark-up place and then selling my used one for about the same when the new one arrives? I dunno'...I ask myself that question at least once a week. I guess part of it is the hassle. The other part is that I can't guarantee the resale value will stay this strong in future months. (I definitely don't want to spend more money) Also, the Cooper S I got has treated me pretty well so far. It hasn't had any problems and it has a nice baseline--two things I can't be sure about with a new model. But I can't stop going to miniusa.com and designing my perfect MCS...I've also let my new suspension and SC reduction pulley collect dust in my warehouse while I go back and forth about this. Now I'm throwing the dilemma out to you. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

This sounds like heart vs mind to me...

And you pretty much answer your own question in your post...

Pro's for a new one:
- nothing beats 'new car smell'
- it'll be in a spec you want
- you don't loose much (if any) money on the change over
- you get a (theoretically) better vehicle that's had the benefit of another year or so of development
- you'll love the next car as much as this one if it's another mini...

Cons for a new one:
- wait for a new car (which won't be so bad because you already have one).
- you'll loose money as soon as you drive the new one off the lot
- you'll have the mod vs warranty dilemma...

The joy of a new car outshines the annoyance of tyring to sell one...I feel anyway...

But mate, it sounds like you want it.....just do it...

 

It is upto you. Since you made payments for 9 months, keep it and install a boom-daddy stereo, and get aftermarket LSD if that's the real problem.

 

I think you should reconsider and keep your current MINI. First of all, you owe a ton of money on the car and you are at a point that you won't even brake even if you sell it for full used retail price. Second, you are willing to throw out the window 9 months of payments plus interest, just to get a few extra options that are nice but in my honest opinion are not the end be all to enjoy the car?

Unless you are ultra-wealthy, you will be much better off loving and maintaining the beautiful car you already have. Enjoy it, put miles on it and when the time comes, get a new MINI just the way you like it.

To be honest, the only justification to do something like that is only if you knew that MINI is going to make substantial mechanical improvements to the car for the 2006 model year, which they are not, because the '06s are essentially 2005 model year carry overs save a few equipment additions and new colors.

I had a 2004 MCS (Also solid roof, halogens, fairly simple car) which I kept for 16 months and sold privately back in early February for $21.9K cash. But in that instance, I only owed $10K for it so, I had nearly $11K positive equity built into the car which made possible for me to upgrade to the fairly mechanically improved 2005s. To me the changes MINI made from 2004 to 2005 were so vast, IMHO, that I felt I had enough justification to sell my babied '04 and get a '05. If it hadn't been for that, I would have kept the '04.

Check your finances and by all means it is your decision, but it seems to me that the math with ultimately make you come back to your senses and keep your current MCS for a good while longer.

Good luck.

 

I'm thinking of selling our 04 for an 06, primarily for the LSD and to reset the warranty clock. What changes between 04-05 did you feel justified the upgrade?

 

For some reason I get the feeling you aren't superly worried about the financial aspects....so I say if it's nagging at you not having EXACTLY what you want, and you want to get your dream car, and keep that baby forever, go ahead and place your order. If you think you're gonna want to change and trade every 2, 3, or 4 years, just wait til your next normal trade cycle comes around. There's a lot to be said for the quality of life that increases when you have your perfect dream car to do with what you want.

 

I feel like such a dullard for this response. A popular recommendation might be, "Go for it and enjoy yourself now." Yet you seem to like your present car and it is serving you well enough. Why trade?

If you will be changing your car every 2-3 years then I recommend keeping the one you have. You owe a bunch of money on it and might lose in the trade up. I'm with C4 on this. In 2-3 years you can leapfrog the 2006 model for a 2008.

If you will be keeping your car for 10 years or more then it might be worth getting exactly what you want. Over the long term it should not cost you as much to own one car as trading in several times. But then you should be sure you really want the current series over its replacement (which, despite less cuteness, should have superior performance in all categories--acceleration, MPG, and cornering).

Just $.02 from someone who has spent too much money on cars.

 

Assuming you have another vehicle, just sell it yourself through one of the online sites. When you get the "right" price, you can sell it and order an 06. Until then, just keep enjoying it. Actually, most sites offer a fixed-price "run-til-it-sells" package so you can just keep it on the market, adjusting the price when you feel like it, until it sells. It will sell!

fwiw, I did the same thing. Took advantage of the weird market conditions in CA and got what I paid for it after around 25K miles (!). Then bought a new one with a fresh warranty and fresh tires. It's as close to a no-brainer as you can get.

But if you're thinking of trading it in, all bets are off.

 

The revised gear ratios, added 5HP (Which in reality feels more like 45HP ), the improved exhaust note and the Eaton generation II supercharger (Same one used as in the JCW kit) were reasons enough for me to switch from the '04 to '05.

My '04 MCS had no mods and neither does my '05 MCS but both cars feel soooo vastly different from each other in terms of acceleration and torque that for me it was no brainer. The '05 feels much more surefooted, out of 1st gear the car just wants to go (First gear is 11% shorter compared to the '02-'04 MCS) and torque is better distributed along the powerband. Full 162 pounds feet of torque become available at 4K RPM...sweet!

The exhaust note is intoxicating. Whereas the old stock exhaust in the '04 MCS could barely be heard, the '05 makes these awesome popping noises It flows more freely.

You have to test drive a new '06 MCS and your current MCS back to back to feel the difference. My '05 MCS feels as fast from the get go as any '02-'04 MCS with the old 200HP JCW upgrade kit .

There are other cosmetic improvements and revisions to the interior that, in my opinion, had made this car even more pleasurable to own and spend time inside.

I think you have powerful reasons aside from the LSD and warranty to upgrade to an '06 MCS