I had an 03 Cooper S all ready to be ordered this week. Red with white roof, bonnett stripes, rally lights and every feature possible. Yesterday, I was told that if I wanted the rain-sensing wipers and auto-dimming mirrors then I'd have to wait until December to place the order. If I place my order now the S should be here in the October-November range. If I place it during December then the S would get here in the March-April range. I'm running out of patience and was curious as to other people's opinions on this issue. I sometimes get too many options for the sake of getting options. Just wanted to know if other people think it is worth waiting until March or April of next year for those 2 options.

 

I am waiting for those features and the HK stereo.

You shouldn't have to wait to place your order in December. Those features will be available starting with December production, but you should be able to put the order in earlier than that, like October or November.

 

The only problem is the HK stereo (and possibly wipers) will more than likely be delayed even further. That wouldn't surprise me one bit. So although I'd love to wait for the HK stereo, I'd rather have my car - plus there's no guarantee that it will be avail in Dec. I'm going to my dealer again today to cancel my HK stereo order.

 

Maybe it is just me - but why wait for soemthing like auto-dimming mirrors and rain sensing wipers - my intermitant wipers do a great job and I can auto-dim my mirrors at any time.

Now if it were something bigger - like special edition wheels, etc, - that may be worth the wait.

What I am suggesting is that I too made a sacrifice or two to get my Cooper and I couldn't be happier with what I have - plus I am having tons of fun driving around.

 

I'm in the exact same situation as you. I was all ready to order this week and found out the same thing. I wanted to upgrade the stereo and get the auto dimming mirror. My salesperson told me they don't know for sure if the mirror will even be available in December, and I've heard similar rumors about the stereo.

I can do without those two options, so no more waiting for me. I'm going ahead with my order this week for an '03. I want my S!

 

I was in exactly the same situation. I chose to buy and I am glad. I cannot bear the excitment. I would of died if I had to wait until december!

But that was because I knew there was only a seven week wait at my dealer; Had it been a 3+ month wait, I think I could of hung out a little longer for the auto dim feature. I didn't really care about wipers, if i can change my own gears I can certainly turn my wipers on when it rains!

Pebble.

 

Thanks guys for your .02 cents on my question. I think you guys are right that getting that car and enjoying is worth a couple of sacrifices. Especially since these two options aren't really crucial to enjoyment of the car. It is hard for an options freak like me to just relax and not load up the car! So, I'm off to my dealership to place my order for my MINI. It can't get here soon enough!

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2003 Chili Red S, White roof, mirrors, and rims, bonnet stipes and rally lights.
Birth name: Mr. Bean.

 

I put my order in only a couple weeks ago. Based on the wait time, there would be a 6 month wait before I could get the car.

That meant probaby November production anyway. So I figured why not wait a month and get the car the way I really want it.

If they delay those items further I probably will just go ahead and order. I'm not so concerned about the auto dim mirror & wipers, but they are part of the cold weather package for 2003 which I definitely want. Really what I want is the HK stereo, being that I am a rather enthusiastic music lover. So for me it's worth 1 extra month wait but if it gets delayed further, that may be another story.

 

I agree with you, sjbartnik. I really wanted that HK stereo and if it was only a month wait...I'd wait. But I'm a Sept build and these past 5 weeks since I put my deposit down have been next to impossible. So I'll do without the stereo. Took another test drive today with my own CD and it wasn't bad. The standard stereo can play a CD pretty darn loud - louder than I usually listen to anyway. The sound wasn't spectacular, but wasn't bad either - I've certainly heard much worse. In fact, for a standard stereo, it's actually very good. I'd rather have the car than the stereo.

As far as wipers and mirrors, I don't think I'd wait an extra week for those!!!

 

They're both a great thing to have, but to tell you the truth, I think they're a pointless addition! How hard is it to flip the mirror lever up one or two notches with one finger, or how hard is it to flip the rear view mirror, so you can actually see whats behind you? All i know is that I wouldn't wait!

 

I'm on the list for a 2003 Cooper S - Need to add my options in Dec for delivery in March~

I'm glad that there are other options to choose. It's worth the wait!!

 

For my 2cents, I really don't think those are options worth waiting for and really won't add to the enjoyment of the car. Heck I paid a few thousand over MSRP to get a MINI noooooooow with no wait. I've had it since May and the extra dough was worth it. The car is sooooooooooooooooooooooo much fun. Don't wait for minor options like these.