the following is my email correspondence today with a guy trying to sell his '05 MCS:

me: I was wondering if this MINI came with LSD (Limited Slip Differential).

him:You asked me that before.
(by the way I never did)

me: I am sorry, does that me no? I must have deleted that email.

him: Mini doesn't call it LSD . They call it Dynamic Stability Control and it really is useless in SoCal traffic....

 

Uh, I'm assuming you know the true answer to this...DSC and LSD are definitely NOT the same thing.

 

Wow. Just wow. Sounds like the guy needs to take a trip to How Stuff Works and do a little reading.

Almost as bad as the time a salesman at one of the local Nissan dealerships told me that the rear axle on an Xterra was a Dana 60...

 

Yeah, I basically wrote him a novel explaining the two and included links as well!! . I think I overwhelmed him.

 

This is priceless. Once (upon a time long ago) when I lived in Pasadena (I think that qualifies as SoCal), I was driving on I210 in a rainstorm and some idiot who was driving way too fast in a downpour hydroplaned and lost it (spun and ended up ***-backward on a berm on the side of the road). DSC might have avoided the spin. But useless.... Don't think so....

The more I think about the reply from the seller, I am wondering if they are dealing straight with you on the rest of the car's equipment. And condition....

 

Poor guy's clueless.

 

Actually, maybe he is useless in SoCal traffic????

I'm sorry; it was just too tempting to pass up....

 

That's a real car nut you're dealing with there, jiggzie....

 

Good thing he's getting rid of a car which he is obviously underqualified for. My response to him: Dude, You can't handle a MINI!

 

Well, he is trying to sell it. Must be in line for a new Kia Sportage.

 

LSD...that's a trip...Yeah it's definitely worth it

 

Run, don't walk, away from this deal as fast as you can. Sounds like one of those bad descriptions you see for something on ebay when someone tries to sell something that they either don't have or don't know what they have. :impatient

 

OK his response to my explanation of DSC and LSD:

OK, the car has DSC and not LSD. I can't even locate LSD as an option on the MINI USA site although don't really care that much. If you drive the car the way the kids do, maybe people need DSC although I'm an AWD guy anyhow.....:impatient :impatient

"If you drive the car the way the kids do" you'd probably want LSD! I know the DSC topic has been debated to death on NAM but I think most would agree that it's pretty good insurance for $500...


I'm going to order my MCS this weekend!! (I plan on getting DSC and LSD). I just like to see what's on the used market when I get bored at work.

 

This gets better with each response. At this point, I personally would not believe a word the seller utters. Before I would believe that his car has DSC, I would need to see a Mulroney sticker that has DSC listed as one of the options on the car (and I would verify the VINs before I believed the Mulroney sticker).

If you want some more humor, ask the seller which AWD system he is partial to and if it comes with DSC and/or LSD. Better yet, ask if he is going to get a 2007 MINI with AWD....

Smart move.

 

My head hurts...

Limited Slip Differential

Dynamic Stability Control

Hmmm........