has anyone got a base i mean base no options mini?? if so how do you like it, because im real close to gitting one and im young and i dont need all the frils nor do i want to pay the extraif so what did you pay out the door?oh and another thing im sure i will have to order huh? thanks guys and gals.

dan.

 

I have a lightly appointed Cooper and I love it!!! I think when it comes to the MCS a lot of folks here prefer theirs pretty basic. The car is very, very good w/o all the extras.

 

There are lots of people who didn't get any options, as the car will be lighter so faster, and as said the car has all the basic options already. Any MINI is going to be a great car and will make the owner proud.

 

it just seems like 21k for a cooper s is about rite,but when i got to the dealer their about 26k to 31k i just can justify that much for a mini.

 

I bought mine without any options. After 50,000 miles I still don’t wish for any. I’ve had loaners that were fully loaded so I do have something to compare to. I haven’t even turned on my radio in a month. There are other things I’ve added or changed about the car but they have nothing to do with convenience amenities. I turn my ASC off a lot because the front wheels have a tendency to spin and I like it that way.

 

k-huevo if i can ask what did you pay out the door for the car??

 

If you want a base or close to base, you will most likely need to order. That is what I did for my 03 MCS and again for my 06 MCS. It's easy to get the price up real quick. My 03 MCS had only three options. Metallic paint, sunroof and front fogs. I was very pleased with what it had. My 06 MCS will only have metallic paint, front fogs, chrome interior, anthracite headliner and LSD. You have to realize that if you want a metallic color, by the time you add delivery, your close to $1k over base price. I'm running real close to $23k for mine.

 

The price depends on how you look at it because of a trade-in. As near as I can figure it was $21,178 with every tax, fee and add-on charge known to man.

 

If I could only have one option, I think it would be the MFSW so I had cruise control, but then I have to frequently drive a long boring stretch of lightly traveled highway.

 

My car's pretty close to base
- heated seats
- xenons

The only thing I with I had was the dark headliner. I could do without the heated seats. Wouldn't want to give up the lights though.

 

im thinkin lights and lsd

 

My MCS was ordered with DS and HK only.

 

I'd want cruise control because I like it, the car would be harder to sell without it....and, it should be standard equipment. Other than that I'd want front and rear fogs to fill up the empty holes and not have the ugly plugs.

 

I kept my Cooper under 18 with only MFSW(best opt. you could ever have), sport seats, and front fog lights..........love it the way it is, don't wish I'd ever got anything else!

 

absolutely NO options on my 03 MCS, only thing is metallic paint.. and quite frankly... all i really need after ive done enough to it


but then... some options not available in the states are standard in the canadian edition... i have xenons as standard equipment here

 

At first I was considering getting a Mini without anything extra. I just wanted the basics and nothing too fancy. But after checking around with many of the dealers. I realized that no cars like that existed on the lots. They all had some extras thickening up the price. So after accepting the fact that a “base only” Mini could not be found at that time in California. I decided to just go with the all the goodies. It was either that or special order.

Now however, I’m glad that I did get more than just the basics. As it’s turned out… I’ve gotten so into the Mini that the basics just wouldn’t have been enough after all. But that’s just how it was for me. If you feel you only need the basics then it will probably work out great for you. Good luck trying to find a CA dealer who hasn’t loaded them all up. I agree that you might have to resort to buying (special order) if you don’t want all the extras and markups.

 

bluezone, I presume when you say "buying online", you do mean just special ordering one through the dealer correct? You cannot buy them online as far as I know.

 

Our '02 MC has only 2 options: CVT transmission and MFSW. Everything is standard factory fare. Car is a hair over 3 years old and we still have a blast in it. We just took it to Disney World this weekend (500 mile round trip) and no problems!

My '05 MCS is also lightly optioned: Front/Rear fogs, Trip Computer, Convenience Package, 16" V-spoke wheels, Exterior Chrome Pack, Harmon Kardon, Leatherette seats, MFSW, Convenience Pack, Manual A/C, ASC+T, Anthracite interior trim, Chili Red/White, Union Jack roof flag and OEM iPod adaptor.

The less the better.

 

no mcs here, but all i got on my mini was the spoiler, sunroof, and 16" 5spoke wheels. the three things i wanted, sitting on a dealer lot. I think sticker was 18.5, and i got it for 17. I wanted cruise once i realized i wasn't getting it... but i've never had cruise in my manual cars, and i'm glad i went without (again )

Obviously, if i traded up for an S, all i'd want was a sunroof... since it comes with bigger wheels and a spoiler. I wouldn't mind the HK since i love my music, but it's not that important to me. the packages sound nice, but i can't imagine trying to sell a mini with all those add ons (and can't justify purchasing them in the first place). then again, i'm obsessed with the earliest miatas, and they're as plain jane as you can get... only thing power in them is the steering

As most people mention on the other threads, look outside of your area and make a roadtrip out of it if you can find one you like with the stuff you want that's not so close.

Oh, and i'm young too, and know how you feel

 

Correct. Online at Miniusa I made one with just the basics. Then of course they forwarded it to a dealer in the area.

 

Ya know That thinking amuses me. K20mini, I am not trying to flame you just make a value point. My grandfather always told me "You get what you pay for". He actually said alot of things "Always wear Comfortable shoes", Don't ask the questions that YOO DOn't want the answer too.

The MCS is a $22,ooo - $30,ooo car. No questions about it. I bought a Honda Accord for my wife. I could have bought an accord for $16,ooo, but I spent $22,ooo. Why, because I wanted the stuff it came with. Does it puzzle me that options that should not cost so much can increase a $20,ooo by $10k. No not at all. In every industry for can buy something for a lot less than the version with all the bells and whistles. Companies make there money off the bells and whistles. They sell that base car at almost a wash. They know that people want a sunroof...

So it comes down to what you want. If you want a great car w/o bells and whistles then yes $21k. If you like bells and whistles they anywhere from $22k-$30/35k. Me I was a $26,ooo kinda guy. No leather for me thank you.

Now when it comes to value. They don't sit on lots, they hold there value. So the market says there worth all that.

When it comes to bang for the buck. There are few sporty cars that can keep up with the mini at any price. Take a look at a recent trach day with a MCS vs. Porsche 911. Yea the 911 was alot faster but the mini held its own and kept up in the twisties. 911 = $80-$120k Mini $21-$30. Now tell me about value.

http://www.motoringfile.com/2005/09/...vs_porsche_911

All-in-all its a great car. You pick your price and options - one-by-one. Man that was hard to do.

 

I had to order my MCS to get one without packages... I don't want a sunroof or leather (or leatherette for that matter) so I picked only what I wanted:

MCS DS/BC
MFSW
H/K
Anthracite Headliner
bum warmers
Chrome interior trim

I think that's all. It should be here in November. Yippee!

It ended up being a tad bit over 23K (plus tax, fees, etc.).

Michael

 

If it were a choice between an UNloaded MCS or no MCS, I would definitely pick the former over the latter. Good luck!

 

Prices have changed quite a bit since I ordered my MCS in April 04, but it was $21800 with HK, DSC, OBC, stripes.

Obviously I got some options, but nothing I couldn't live without.

I like the HK stereo, but it's probably not worth $500.

I only use the OBC to see how many miles I can go when the low-fuel light comes on, so it's not a big part of my motoring life.

Stripes - replaced them with something from Cooperflags

DSC is the only one I wouldn't want to live without. I could, but I'd rather not.

An MCS without options is at least as much fun as an MCS with all the packages, so I wouldn't worry about that. The only drawback will come when it's time to sell (which I'm not planning on doing anyway).

 

I'd bet the difference in the resale value of a loaded MCS and a base MCS will be much less that the cost of the options, hardly any difference at all. The only options that mattered in the last Kelly Blue book price I looked at were the sunroof and MFSW.