Straight-line speed is for chavs. I've never understood the obsession with quarter-mile times. Seriously, are you going to drag from every stoplight in town? Of course not. If racing is your hobby, you have money to burn, and you're going to spend your weekends at the track (oval), then sure, go for the big block, big torque supercar.

The smart man, in my mind, goes for a more rounded package. Which I think the Cooper S exemplifies to perfection. Great handling, more than enough grunt to zip you through traffic with a smile on your face, and style that just can't be found elsewhere (in a good way, of course). All reasonably priced.

I tend not to drive with a stopwatch in one hand, and the car feels fast, faster than its stats would indicate, so who cares what my actual 0-60 time is? I don't plan on dropping my clutch at a light for a knuckledragger in a Camaro.

There are few cars I would prefer to my Cooper S cabrio. And none of them are within $20k of what I paid.

And if you're comparing the MINI to the S2000, then you'll want the S cabrio, no? After all, what kind of go-kart has a roof?

 

So basically you feel that people who like to go fast are lame. Well, that's cool.

I love it when people can't just say "Well, different people like different things." Nope, not on NAM. Here, it's "Well, if they don't like what I like, then they're stupid."

 

He didn't say that at all, he said he didn't understand why people obsessed over it but if you like it then knock yourself out. So take it easy.

Also, what kind of answer do you think people are going to give about a car this whole forum is based around? That's like me going over to the Stang forum and asking if I'm going to be disappointed with a Cobra. Most of them will say "No" just like most of us will say "No." You're going to get a biased opinion on the Mini if you're asking in a Mini forum, it's pretty simple. So with that said. You wont be disappointed, IMO of course.

 

We saw an elise while on a motorcycle trip to the BRP and Deals Gap... It's a pretty sweet ride, but at 6'1" I don't think I'd be getting one...

 

If Ponder is still reading... just go back and check some of the performance numbers from the magazines. That will allow you to make objective comparisons between the various cars.

As for the Elise, personally I love the thing. However, I have been on the track with a couple of them and came away not so impressed. If you go to my web site below and watch the video on the first page, you will see (after a couple of minutes) me:

1. Catch an Elise with a full Ohlins coilover setup and being driven by an instructor
2. Get pointed-by by the same Elise
3. In a car with all stock suspension and brakes

The Mini is a really fun car to drive and own. I especially appreciate the community, such as found here. From my perspective, the Mini is a unique ownership experience that I deeply enjoy. While I have owned several great cars over my life, my Mini is my favorite.

Now if only I could get it back...

 

Tell you what, you might want to go look up what "chav" means. It's not a complimentary term. Which is why I said what I did.

And by my reckoning, that would mean there are a lot of "chavs" on this board, since a supercharger pulley is a mod that roughly 99% of MCS owners here get. Why? To go faster.

 

Main Entry: chav
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: the lower class; uneducated and ignorant people
Etymology: perh. Romany chav child
Usage: derogatory slang


So when someone says: "Straight-line speed is for chavs", they're saying that those who appreciate only straight-line speed are uneducated and ignorant. Tisk, tisk.

I'd have to say instead that they're drag racers. Like LagunaSol, I looked down on the drag racer/straight-line performance mentality... until I took a few rides in cars capable of serious accleration. The feeling was astounding... and quite likely very addictive.

I still value handling more than power, and I'm very happy with my MCS. But I wouldn't turn down more power. In fact, I'll be pursuing more power in an upcoming round of mods. But rest assured, I'll monitor my love of power carefully to make sure I don't slip into the realm of chavs

 

Try telling that to Shirley Muldowney or the pair of new, beautiful, teenager women motorcycle dragracers that are dominating that sport right now, they will probably hand you back your head on a platter...

 

100% agreed. Now hopefully Vento9 gets my response.

Also, yeah, going from a car that goes from 0-60 in a little over four seconds to an MCS with the torque tug of a small pony, well yeah, one tends to find some things lacking.

And I don't care WHAT the detractors here say. Coming to a light where you're going to turn right, just as the light is about to turn green for the crosswise traffic, jumping out into the lane and nailing it and the traffic never catching up to you? Yeah, that's a bit of fun and a half. And around here, if you don't have a car that can do that, well, you end up waiting at every stop that doesn't have a light going your way.

 

I got you're response, no worries

 

Hmmm... having a car that does 0-60 in around 4 seconds, one that does it in a shade over 5, I'd say the MINI, although perhaps not a rocketship, is certainly quick enough for street usage. The fact is that I find the latter of these two quite frustrating to drive on the street. Really is simply no place to truly use whats its got. Doing a buck forty on a highway is plain stupid and basically boring anyay. Doing 140 into the brake zone for the bus stop at WGI... now thats fun.

No matter how fast a car is, you eventually get calibrated to it and it feels like it could use more power. Reality is, these days, other than the track theres little need for even MCS power and the MINI brings a helluva lot of other types of goodness to the table for the $$$.

BTW, for those of you that simply must have the thrust, and I'd admit that it is intoxicating, as a friend of my mine back in the day use to say, "At the end of every straight is a corner." For a street car, the MINI is darn well prepared on that score.

 

That's what I felt when I switched from japanese rocketships, zx-7's, RZ's and RD's and a GS1100E, to my BUELLs, the Buell motor is perfect for driving in the real world. Pulls hard up to 85 to 90, can top out at 135 mph or so if you push it and hang on. My rice rockets would have you going 100mph so unnoticeably that it was a real hard time keeping the DL unblemished.

Want another real world tip? 100mph seems to be the line between getting and paying speeding tickets and a trip to jail and watching some dumb a**tow truck driver holding a long chain in his hand, scratching himself and pondering how he'll hoist that "motterrsickle" OR MINI, up on the flatbed, all seen from the "back seat" with hands somehow fastened behind you. Been there done that. There is a lot to be said for real world streetability, most of the other crap is just folks "bench racing". IMHO

 

I go fast in my MINI all the time. Whether I can pull a 4-second 0-60 from a stoplight, well, I don't see the point. It may matter to the guy next to me in the '86 Vette with his shirt unbuttoned to his navel, but it doesn't matter to me.

My opinion. Nothing more. Which frankly is what this forum is all about - expressing personal viewpoints. I didn't mean to rub a raw spot.

Focusing on straight-line speed, well, that's great if you're a professional drag racer. Not too practical in the world of speed limits and bumper-to-bumper traffic. The urge to blow tire smoke at every stoplight is odd to me. Give me something fleet-footed any day. Would I take a 500-hp Cooper S? You better believe it. But would I trade my 170-hp Cooper S for a Pontiac with 400 ponies? Not a chance.

My Miata was a slug off the line. But it was a complete joy in every other aspect.

There are any number of cars I could have bought with the money I paid for my MINI that would have blown it off the line. Do I have any regrets? No way.

I think if Ponder were to try a Cooper S, he might experience a new kind of satisfying.

 

Precisely!

 

Thank you all for the great responses and "debates."

This weekend I will be looking at a 2002 Dark Silver/Black MCS with 27k miles and the #2 Sport Package, new tires, all service records, garaged. He is asking $19,600 - don't know if that's a fair amount, what do you think?

 

Buy NEW, stay away from all the add-ons, keep the price to 21K, and you will not regret it. You just never know how someone has treated a car thru it's miles. I like that these have high resale as a potential seller some day, but as a buyer then that means I buy NEW, I control the wear and tear, maintenance and know the history, because it is my history.

A 4 year old car that you can get a new 2006 for just $1500 more? WHY?

 

To steal from the title of this thread, "you MAY regret buying a MCS" when it's got 27K unknown miles on it, has 2002 reliability ??'s, is getting ready to get out of warranty, is as close to the price of a NEW one as 1.5K and you only may have 6 to 8 weeks waiting for one of these "good" dealers to place your order and receive delivery, and you pick your color and interior.

Hope I am not killing someone's deal here, but it is just my honest opinion.

 

So basically, what I read from that was "going fast would be fine, as long as it's in a Mini".

Well, that's fine. It's your opinion and I respect it.

When I trade my Mini in next fall, it will be for something that both handles AND goes fast, then I'll have the best of both worlds. Now, the choice will be difficult, I grant you. After all, the Evo IX is out now. But then, a used Scooby STi might be just the ticket. Ridiculous looking? Sure is. But then, that's its own form of "character" and "personality", really.

 

Not a bad price, but not that great either. My 2003 with 35k miles was $18,995 with sport and premium, H/K and MFSW. The car would currently list over 26k new, Blue Book is around $22.3 It's in good shape, highway miles and was a no brainer when I still have 2 years of factory warranty. I took it by a local BMW shop that also works on Minis for a stem to stern mechanical check ($65), did the carfax on it for $25, and took it for two focused test drives where I did some photo documentation to check for mods. The car checked out great and it's been a super experience. It's OK to buy these cars used as long as you are a little circumspect about it. Do the homework and drive enough of them so that you know what you can expect out of any car.Drag an afficionation along too, they will have a good time and they might know the car from shows, etc.

I've had a lot of interesting cars (Jag, MGs, Lotuses, Land Rovers, classic Minis, Merkur) and I am totally pleased with the combination of handling, functionality, power and sophistication of the MCS. Drive a few and you will see what I mean. It's really an ideal combination.

 

The MCS I would want, if new, would be $24,900, which is too expensive for me. A new MCS is almost completely out of the question.

 

Yeah, that's exactly why I don't get where everyone's pricing comes from when they say that "Well, that's only like $1500 from new, buy a new one!". Are you kidding me? That's four grand!! I think people need to understand and take things into context. For instance, I got my 2002 MCS (with no premium packages thankfully), from a dealership specializing in sports cars, and paid $20,999. Yes, I'm aware that I got robbed.

However, at our dealership Downtown Mini, the lowest prices I'm seeing on a new Mini are like $19,500 and that's on a base Mini. MCS's go for well over $25k, which in my opinion is too much for what you're getting.

So I honestly don't know where all these cheap brand new specced out MCS's are at.

About the only Minis I see who could still claim to hold their value are the '05's and '06's, and a few '04's on Autotrader.

As is, if I wanted to sell my MCS right now, I'd have to accept almost three grand less, just to break even with what other local folks on Autotrader are asking for theirs.

"Resale value" indeed.

 

So buy the MCS that someone else wanted and ordered 4 years ago and has been driving ever since. It just doesn't make sense to me... all the "HAVE TO HAVES" add-ons. My 2006 seems pretty darn sweet for 22K. But everyone marches to their own drummer...

 

Yeah, but you also have to remember that you got a tremendous deal, I think you can agree. You've been to Downtown and seen all their stickers. It's not uncommon to see used '05's going for like $26,000.

 

ORDER it and wait, I did and didn't pay 25K, but then I used self-control and skipped the packages, skipped the expensive paint, skipped the accessories, fog lights, you name it, I passed, plus they also closed my production date so fast that I couldn't succumb to the temptation to make changes ($$$$). Yes, it was DOWNTOWN MINI, just lucky, you think?

 

I have ZERO problems with buying used. I already bought a brand new car once - never again will I do that. The car depreciated by almost HALF over a 3 year period (I paid much less than sticker, but if I paid the sticker price, I'd have to hang myself for losing that much money on a good Japanese car.)

I do all my homework on any car - Carfax, shop inspection, etc. etc. I don't want a "naked" MINI - I like the HID's, the fogs, the cruise control, etc. etc. But then again, I will not pay $25,000 for that, either (that's before taxes AND any dealer fees).