hi, my name is kyle. and right now i am drivign a toyota carrola. and i really love minis, exspecially the old ones. but i have been thinking abotu selling my car and getting a mc or a mcs. is it worth the more money for the S??? and is gas millage worst becuase you have more horse power? also, is the cvt in the automatic transmission work good. how many have stick or auto or ctv. what is the best???

 

This subject divides the group and gets vicious and mean... You might want to search on this subject...

good luck!

 

Nice warning, you may have saved his life, or at least prevented him from being scared away by the strong-minded enthusiasts!

 

oh man...you're asking for it! i've owned both, so here is my take: the cooper seems to feel a little lighter to me - and more spirited in the curves. the s is just an all around bad-*** though and even though it feels a bit less spry to me (meaning: a little more work to get into and around turns) i would have to suggest the s.

they are both SO MUCH FUN to drive though - so you really can't go wrong. just be sure to avoid the cvt if you go cooper. it's like nyc in a blackout: NO POWER!

cheers - drew

 

I think it totally depends on what you want the car for. I have found my MPG in my MCS is as good as or better than most MC’s who claim what they get at higher speeds, I my get a little less in town driving.

The higher HP is nice, but I know many MC drivers who turn better times in auto-x meets showing MCS people the HP might not mean as much as driving skill.

As far as stick or automatic, many people wanted an MCS, but do not drive a stick. Now that the MCS has one and they seem happy.

I’m not going to give you any insight on what to choose, you just have to go out and drive each and figure out what is right for your wants and needs.


And welcome to the board.

 

This board is heavily lopsided in favor of MCS owners and "enthusiasts". Here's a different take from a couple of guys average people might relate to.

http://www.cartalk.com/content/testd...mini-2003.html

 

I'm shocked no one has suggested this, but you're going to need to test drive BOTH of them. There are alot of factors involved with being "happy" with an automobile in ANY form..... but the only way you will get a definitive answer is to drive them and decide for yourself.

 

that is so wrong! ... I beg to differ, driving a CVT daily all around NYC for my job ... hardly powerless ... especially in Manual mode ...

 

okay then... if we are going to respond...

dont go for the MCSa. they are ALL trouble. and YES I speak as a former owner of one.

 

YES to KIA.

 

I test drove them both and could have gone with either the MC or the S. My preference was the MC because I live among twisty and very bumpy mountain roads and the sports suspention on the MCS was just too harsh. And I can't imagine anything but a manual transmission in such a spirited little car. Auto trannies are for big trucks and station wagons, or for people with little hand-eye coordination!

Pete

PS: How's that for raising the level of vitriol..?

 

my short and meaningless answer - MCS

 

MC with Sport Suspension Plus is the best financial alternative, it's a blast to drive.

Drive them both, if you really want the extra power, then go MCS. I chose MC because I have the other 'power' car...

 

:impatient OH NO...NOT another MC -vs- MCS thread.....

Please, Tell us more about yourself!

Everyone will just continue to give thier own personal opinions, which frankly doesn't mean squat to you.

SO.....Tell us what you do, how much you drive, where you drive, whether you enjoy driving, whether you like to take long road trips (cough....Dragon) whether looks or reliability are more important, whether power or resale are more important.....etc......Write your life story in one long post and then this community will really try to understand YOU and make a recomendation that fits YOU

 

Test drive both, back to back, and drive them the way you like to drive. Your preference should be obvious after that experience.

If you prefer the MCS, you have to decide if it worth the extra money to you. I also recommend using the MINIUSA.COM website to price both cars the way you want them. A heavily optioned MC can easily cost more than a stripper MCS. If you don't drive hard, the MC will cost you less in gasoline over the long run.

 

MC.......call me old fashioned, but I like having a spare tire hidden away just in case

 

I say MCS

Because it is the only one of the two that i have driven and owned and completely biased towards, and therefore think it perfectly logical that my opinion is well rounded and anyone who opposes me is wrong.

 

One thing that I've discovered -- and I went back and forth between a new MC and a used MCS -- you will eventually want the 'other' one (it might take years). The only reasonable course of action is to keep the first one and add the second. I have an MCS and I am stunned at how good this car is, but I now want an MC too.




Sad, isn't it?




Not really

 

how do you guys feel about the JCW kit on the S...adds power, but does it limit what you can do in the future, is it worth it and does it change zuto-x class etc?

 

Along with that, I also want a classic mini.

 

ok. well i am a person who loves minis. i work at a mini shop called mincomp about 2 times a week for a few hours for free, just to learn more about them and to just be around them. i ahev be obsesed with them for abotu 2 years. i got a new car when i was 17 and have had that for about a year, it is a toyota carrolla. see my dad said i should not spend that much money on a car. but really ever since i got my car i have been thinking about getting a mini. everyone who knows me knows me as a guy that loves mini. i drive to work everyday which is abotu a thirty minute drive, mostly on freeways. but on my way home i am stuck in traffic for about a half hour or so. i am trying to convince my dad to let me sell my car and buy a mini cooper. if he somehow says i can, i want to have some insite about what to look for. i was thinking a automatic with cvt becuase i am on the freeway and i like to take trips and probably drive my car around 40 miles a day. this way it would be fun to drive once and a while yet still be ok in traffic and stuff. or i could get a stick, which is cool becuase it is alot better becuase of the speed and the whole idea of being attached to the car. but i dont know how much i will like sitting on the freeway shifting from first to second all day. also i am not the good at stick yet, but i am trying to learn. i hope to get alot better. i do have a vintage vespa that is stick( i guess. i do shift it but only 3 gears) and i dotn mind drivign that around. but i have no exsprerienced having a stick car all the time. i just want to get a mini cooper. i am not looking to race it 24/7 but i want to haev some feel for fun which is why i was thinking about the cvt. and is why i asked how it feels beucase right now i dont have then chance to go out and try it out. i just wanted to see what you guys thought of cvt/ auto verse stick. thanks for any insist. i really apreciate it.

 

If you have not yet been scared away (just kidding), here is an answer from someone who has both.

I bought a MC because it was cheaper and it was loaded (I found a great deal). I loved the car and it is more than enough for city driving where you dont need a lot of muscle and handled awesome stock. I then got more into the MINI and started wanting more power. After spending $1k and only getting maybe 10 hp, I realized that I was about maxed out on horsepower and should have put the $1k into getting the MCS, but I didnt know that at the time. But I was very happy with my MC.

Then I saw an already very modded MCS for an awesome price and I grabbed it. Totally different car. Still handles great (though not quite as good as the MC), but it has cojones! And your modding $ goes a lot further on the MCS (like X 4 as much?). So now I have a much faster car, but living in the city I barely get to use it and now am selling the MC.

So my bottom line is that if you want a good fun car the MC is great, but if you have any doubt that you would ever want the MCS for more power you might as well get it the first time around and not lose any money on it.

 

Mmm, classic MINI. I see one in Baltimore sometimes when I hit the bars. Makes my 2005 MCS look big. He can fit into parallel parking spaces even I wouldn't try!


But anyway...

Seems to me it's the old question of how much you want to spend versus how much power you want in your car. Nobody "needs" an MCS. It's not like an MCS can get you to certain grocery stores that an MC can't. Of course, nobody needs a Ferrari either, and those things sell for some reason too.

IMO, "practical" says get the MC, you don't need the S. My right foot, on the other hand, insists on the MCS and the wallet indicated that this request was not unreasonable.



Miles per gallon is a non-issue, IMO. A difference of 5 MPG is in the realm of "who cares?" If the MC got 60 MPG versus 20 for the MCS, then we'd have a much bigger dilemma. Really, if MPG is a big issue, you don't want a MINI, cause MINI doesn't make any hybrids.

 

what other intrests do you have?....Do you like form or function in things? Do you like to leave things the way you get them or do you constantly tinker and adjust things? (Video games...do you just use the default layout, or do you adjust controls to your liking?) Do you think you make decisions on numbers or what feels right?

 

what he said! I love to see the fellow Chicagoan in a good mood, must be the recent sunny days and warmer temperatures!

Tatt