Yup, I did it! I love cars . . . and keep a stable of them. And I know I have some specific, esoteric needs - this is not a "bash session" on the "S." I had been on a wait list for the MC for several years. Took delivery of MC #1 at the dealership. It was black, basic, and a scream to drive. Loved it. LOVED it!!! Perhaps two months later, an extra "S" arrived at the same dealership. In silver. I asked my humble Mercedes dealer in San Diego how interested they might be in purchasing my first MC. They offered me a great price simply because they wanted it on the lot . . in the front of the store. So, I recaptured the cost of the Mini plus tax, plates . . and some extra change. How could I resist moving forward on this? I picked up the silver "S" and was very surprised to find so much sacrifice in ride, without very much benefit of cornering, agility, and POWER! The power came on very late . . .I found the "S" to be a slug off the line. And I actually liked the handling of the non-S more - seemed better balanced to my taste. The run-flats were punishing: harsh and noisy at freeway speed; the gas mileage dropped very significantly, especially in the city (9 mpg both on freeway and city); Separately, the S had the premium pkg. . . and the sunroof, closed . . .was HOT! Could not cool the car down nearly as well as my base Cooper. So . . this learning curve for me taught me, for my tastes and needs, in no uncertain terms . . . I'm a non-S guy: Standard tires - no run-flats; no sun-roof; I picked up a Chile red . . . Non-S . . .totally non-optioned out. The only option on this car are floor mats. For me, it does EXACTLY what it's supposed to do. In the simplest of ways. My humble Mercedes dealer was thrilled to take the S from me, allowing me to recapture all costs. Bottom line: I guess the experience of driving the MC is so fantastic, so thrilling, so different than any other car on the road - it's as though one's 17 years old and driving for the first time. The "S," one thinks, has got to be even better. It's not. It's just different. The hype attached to the "S" is very seductive. This is one guy's opinion. I thought I'd share it. Pete

 

Thanks Pete! I had the same experience although not to the extent you did. I was fortunate enough to have a dealer that let me drive both models for a while. I originally was going to get the S but after driving the coop for a while.(just for comparison) I liked the MC better. And i save a lot of money in insurance and gas too!! I too am not an S man. Not that I dislike S's, They just arent for me. I also got a screaming deal on my MC 19.9!!! just as she sits now. Cept for the awesome Viper intake.
Tim

 

I drove both and there almost no comparison in power, the MCS is just so much faster. The MC still handles great and is fun to drive, but I had to drive it fairly hard just to keep pace with all the stinkin SUVs in this area. Of course if you're not into speed and just want cute fun, the MC is better since it has great MPG, more color options and I actually like the "non-scooped" hood better.

 

Great rhetoric on your reasoning behind going back to the MC. I really couldn't decide when I bought mine, and went with the dealer's heed to go with the MC for the ride quality. I am happier every day that I have a MC rather than an MCS (even though DChamps IB MCS is very cool). I have never felt like I didn't have enough power. My gf think that I actually would kill myself in an MCS. I can spin the tires all day if I wanted to. My only beef with the MC is the 5 speed gear box. I wish above anything else that this was upgradable to the 6 speed getrag. While traveling at highway speeds, it just seems that it needs that one extra upshift. I love my cooper.

 

I own an S, but the Cooper is a wonderful car as well. To be fair though the sunroof has nothing to do with Cooper vs S - just the S you got had it while the Cooper didn't. I have another S on the way as I've just sold my current S to my bro. The new car is gutted, no options....nice and light....so I'm a no option guy as well.

But Great post...the cooper is a damn sweet car just like the S and sometimes on the forums you see Cooper owners regarded by some S owners as lower which is not the case. Different Cars for Different People. Glad you are with a car that you are very happy with and enjoy...end of the day that is what matters.

 

Had both. My preference is the S.
Got rid of the runflats and the wheels.
The S is a keeper....at least for now.

 

You know it's wierd, I've really been surprised at the amount of S's there are out there. In fact, my step dad, who is a bmw finatic and owns an M3 had been reading about the mini in his Roundel mags for several months before I discovered it, and the first thing he said when I told him I wanted one was, "don't get the S, you just don't need it." So I put my name on the list for an mc, and now, with only 2 month's to go, everyone seems to be telling me to get the S! What's that about?

 

I bounced back and forth a lot before finally choosing to wait for the John Cooper Works Cooper. I will get the power I want with the "Classic" mini look. This car is going to be a permanent part of the stable and will be "willed" to the best grandkid I suppose. (of course then it will be sold!, I realize that).

 

What tires do you have on there - they look great!

 

the 6 speed tranny will bolt right in to your MC. I think I saw it for around 3500 bucks in an aftermarket website.(minimotors.com perhaps? or something like that)

 

>>I own an S, but the Cooper is a wonderful car as well. To be fair though the sunroof has nothing to do with Cooper vs S - just the S you got had it while the Cooper didn't. I have another S on the way as I've just sold my current S to my bro. The new car is gutted, no options....nice and light....so I'm a no option guy as well.
>>
>>But Great post...the cooper is a damn sweet car just like the S and sometimes on the forums you see Cooper owners regarded by some S owners as lower which is not the case. Different Cars for Different People. Glad you are with a car that you are very happy with and enjoy...end of the day that is what matters.

Here here.

 

I've always wanted an S because the power it has but I'm a college student and can't afford the higer price of the car, gas and insurance

 

>>the 6 speed tranny will bolt right in to your MC. I think I saw it for around 3500 bucks in an aftermarket website.(minimotors.com perhaps? or something like that) <<

Really... Now that is an attractive proposition.

Question for those with the 6 speed: can you actually do higher speeds with lower revs, or are the gear mainly just closer together to let you get up there fast?

 

Speed and power are slippery slopes. I saw an Infiniti G35 coupe the other night - 280 HP I think. Made me insane for a minute thinking about that kind of power. I drive a Cooper, and while I initially went to inquire about the S - I drove the Cooper, they had one on the lot and I bought it. I was driving a VW GTI (not the VR6) and felt the Cooper blew it off the map handling wise. End of story. Didn't want to wait 8 months for the S, and knowing how I would spec it out, it would go over budget real quick. I have test driven the S a few times since I have had my Cooper. Definitely faster, but compared to driving a WRX? Oh well. I'm happy with my Cooper. Put's a dumb grin on my face, I like the way it looks, and I can only go so fast on my suburban commute every morning. Another way I can look at it, by the time I'm ready for my next car - who knows what MINI will have. And hopefully any little bugs will be gone.

 

Lets celebrate diversity with the MINI - both the Cooper and the S. Both are great cars and appeal to the needs and desires of a diverse group of MINI enthusiasts. I thought about both, and the Cooper is actually the more practical. But since I was looking for the ultimate in performance I decided that the S was for me. On the flip side my cousin would not haven the S - at all. It was a Liquid Yellow Cooper that stole her heart. Both of us love our cars for what they are - and what they do - so well.
Enjoy .......... LETS MOTOR!!!!!!!!
Kind Regards,
Ron

03 MCS PS/B

 

got the MCS, but if I had it to do over, I'd get the MC. My MCS handles better since I got 16" wheels and replaced the awful runflats, but I don't think it feels as lively in the turns as the MC because of the extra weight....as far as performance both the MCS & MC are sluggish off the line especially under 3000 rpms....a friend of mine has a MC and had exhaust, intake and chip tuning which totalled a little over 1K and his MC is definitely quicker off the line now than my MCS and I can't really tell much difference till higher speeds....plus I love the look of the MC without the hood scoop or back spoiler and like the idea of a spare with non runflats....I tell people to drive them both, because the extra 48 hp of the MCS with an extra almost 200 lbs extra weight is not as much quicker as what I thought it would be....plus I have driven the 115 hp Bug and the MC at 115 hp feels much quicker....don't get me wrong, the S is a great car, but I really think I would have enjoyed the MC especially with a few mods....I bought the S without driving it because last spring they didn't have any demo S to drive, just the MC...so maybe I was expecting too much of a difference....

 

So... the Ultimate MINI??

MC with no "packages"
- sport suspension plus, aftermarket rear sway bar
- sport seats
- 16" wheels, conventional tires
- JCW engine conversion(!)
- 6-speed(!!)

(And, for me, all this should be wrapped in a proper, non-metallic BRG with a white roof.)

Any takers?