Hi all, new guy here. Currently I'm in a 03 Mitsubishi Evo. Love the car, turbos rock and all that jazz. Unfortunetly, gas prices are really taking a toll on me. Now don't get me wrong, I can afford the $45/week that it's costing me to fill her up, it's just that, I'm tired of filling up every week and barely getting 250 miles out of a tank of gas even when I'm barely touching the turbo. Now there's alot of other cars I'd love to get, the cooper S being the only one that's more gas friendly on my list.

So one of my questions, anyone ever gone from a Evo/STi/WRX to a Cooper S?

The closest mini dealer to me is about an hour or so away, the KBB value on my Evo and what I owe on my Evo are almost the same, so I shouldn't take a hit too big on trading it in. I'm assuming like most other car dealerships the mini dealership is just an extension on a BMW dealership and they'll take my car and hopefully give me a decent price on it?

Since I am trading in another car, and I've spec'd out a Mini on their website, I understand it can take up to 8 weeks for my mini to be delivered. How does that work if I'm trading a car in? Do I give them my car and go carless for those 8 weeks? Put some sort of deposit down and don't wreck my car in those 8 weeks or what?

How big is the tank on the cooper S and how realistic is the 25/mpg city? I live in a smallish town(daytona beach, florida if anyone cares), a 10 miles commute to work in fairly light city traffic averages about 45mph stop/go traffic.

How is BMW as far as modding the cooper and voiding warrenties? Mitsubishi is pretty much anti mod and even the smallest modification will void your warrenty. Not that I planned on doing alot with the cooper, piece of mind would like to know if I do decide to do something it's not going to void my warrenty.

I think that's all I can think of right now, I'll probably have more soon though.

 

I can answer a few of your questions off the top of my head:

I live in downtown Baltimore and average 29mpg, so yes, 25mpg is definitely a feasible number.

As far as I believe, BMW is pretty lax as far as minor mods go. Intake, etc. If you get more hardcore, I think they only cover JCW parts.

 

Just a few things, as for your trade dont expect KKB because its not going to happen. Look at KKB and minus several thousand and thats being conservative. If you are going to order a car then try selling it before the MINI gets here. If you can't then try trading it but be prepared for the value.

As for gas mileage.........I tend to fill up every week for around $45 and get around 300 miles to a tank. I'm not sure where you are but in the SF bay area I pay close to $3.50 a gallon for super.

Good luck........and Welcome!

 

I have a fairly heavy foot... ok a very heavy foot and get, with an intake (if it makes a difference), 23 to 25 around town. I can do much better with more conservative driving with my '05 MCS. As for mods simple ones are fine I am finding out more and more. Have fun!

 

FWIW, you being a turbo-guy, with a working car, and an interest in maxing out your fuel economy you might want to wait for the '07 MCS.

It will have a turbo 1.6 with roughly the same power (a tad more torque/hp than the current), but will have fuel-efficient goodies like direct injection, etc, etc.. and a turbo that's "more efficient" than the current supercharger. Probably look for a mpg rating of 27/35 vs today's 25/32 (my best guess - JUST a guess!).

check out the 2007 mini talk forum for more info

EDIT: the '07 won't be hitting US shores until around april next year...

 

After you put a deposit down, you don't actually complete the transaction until the car comes in. That means you drive your EVO until then.

I forget the exact spec, but I think the gas tank is about 16 gallons. Today the gas light came on at 360 miles. I filled up at 375 miles, which was about 14 gallons. The specs say that the reserve is about 3 gallons. I get about 27 MPG with maybe 75/25 bias towards highway driving.

I'll be very interested in hearing your experience in going from an EVO to a MCS. I was actually considering an EVO before purchasing my MCS. My personal opinion is that the EVO will beat the MCS in almost any contest of speed. That does not mean that the MCS is any less fun to drive, but make sure you should know what you are giving up. I feel that it is more fun to drive a responsive but slower car at 9/10ths than it is to drive a faster car at 6/10ths.

 

I get a bit over 300 miles to a tank, with some mods, but not too deep into the motor (yet). And I live in hills and beat the snot out of the car.

22-24 beating the snot out of it. ~30 going light on the gas with lots of freeway.

The sensitivity to mods depends on the dealer. BMW/Mini is pretty anti-mods, but some dealers install them! And some see non-stock wiperblades and throw a hissy fit. You can find some of the other NAM members in your area to find out more about your local (or not so local, as there aren't that many) Mini dealer.

Matt

 

Gas tank is 13.2 gallons.

If you drive very conservatively, and don't use a/c etc. you may be lucky and get close to the advertized 25 mpg, possibly a little higher (the "S" uses only 91 octane, or higher). I doubt you'll be making huge gas savings.

 

I dont drive conservatively and I have mods that include biger injectors, pulley, tuning, etc..and I get 25mpg

If I were you, instead of trying to get better mileage persay, get a lower car payment...Its just you are still going to be filling up once a week unless you go to an extreme like the hybrids or prius...maybe get a gas card too...

 

You get 25 mpg driving around town........or 25 mpg with mostly highway driving?

 

Getting a mini would lower my payments a bit. Going for a 31k car to a 25k will make a little difference.

Thanks for all the info folks. I'm going on my honeymoon next week and then me and the wife will sit and see if a new car could be in my future

 

So true. It took me a long time to figure that out but I'm glad I did. Miata type cars can be more fun than 911's. Nothing more boring than riding a sportbike stuck behind traffic. MCS has about the right amount of power for street use and the overall handling makes it a blast to drive.

 

I came from a VW golf 1.8t ... and the mini has given me an extra trip to work on a tank.. and for me thats a lot. I drive over 160 mile a day. With my golf i had to fill up every other day to get to work.. On tank was good for 2 days. Now the mini is good for 3 days for me.. I love the gas gauge, it really helps me with my speeding.. and to controll how much i burn when driving

i fill up about 3 times a week.. with 91.. ouch. I wish i could fill up once a week.

my payments are more with the mini than the vw .. but thats cuase i bought a few goodies when i placed my order that i really wanted

 

I recently tradedin my 04 rex, with the mods it would probably be pretty close to your evo. I used to get about 20 to 21 mpg. In my S, the mileage is surprisingly average at about 25-27 mpg. But I can say, that my S feels like is built much stronger and more durable. I definitly dont regret the switch, but there are many things I miss about the subie. good luck with your decision.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...csnight002.jpg

 

Welocme to NAM! I averaged about 28-29MPG a week going back and forth from Port Orange to Daytona and managed to pull in 35.5 MPG on a recent road trip to Chicago. If you go to DTM, they are willing to do the install on most aftermarket parts for you. The warranty is voided only on directly affected parts, so if you do a lot then you won't have a ton of coverage. Do a little and they'll protect you for what isn't changed. Be sure to check out SSM and daytonaminis.com for some info on our DAMM club. You are more than welcome to come out to some of the meets.

 

Hey there! I actually live in port orange too! I'd love to come out to a meet or meet up with you sometime and let you take me for a spirited drive in the mini, having never been in one before it should be a trip! What color mini do you drive maybe I've seen you around?

 

i be kicking and driving and hitting the rev limiter and all that to keep up with my friends cars. really heavy on gas. .. with 17% pulley, Cai..
and I drove 340 miles in one tank til I filled it up.

I normally get well beyond 300 easy.

 

It is very tough to make the case for a new car based on fuel mileage alone once you figure in depreciation in trading in your vehicle, sales tax, licensing, etc. However, the MCS is definitely an enthusiasts' car much, like the Evo, and is very rewarding to drive. One factor which you may not have considered in terms of cost of ownership is insurance; I suspect the Evo may have a much higher insurance rating relative to the Mini.

Good luck with your decision.

 

I drive an all Jet Black MINI Copper S, but I'm out of town right now (left Fri night), here is the link to our local club forum on the Florida message board, say hi and see when the next meet is or if anyone would like to show off their MINI , most of us are usually looking for an excuse to motor anyway. See you when I get back in town.

 

motor on, when did this Mini train occur at Sebring that is shown in your sig?

 

mattfl- if you can afford it, keep your Evo and get a MC CVT as your second car. that's how a real car enthusiast would do it.

 

My daily driver is a VW R32, somewhat similar to your Evo. My three comments are, first, if you are buying for fuel economy, you'll probably be disappointed (at least if you get an S). For my 6 mile commute, the MINI seems to be averaging about 22, where my R32 averages about 19. Better yes, but not that much better. I am still in the break-in period, but I'm pretty doubtful of the 25MPG figure for my city driving. With your commute, you might, but I'd guess only if you drive conservatively.

Second, I imagine you will miss having AWD. The MINI is pretty good for a front-driver, but it's still a front-driver.

Third, if you really like turbos, wait for the 07 model (when it will switch to turbos). I had a turbo GTI, so I'm familiar with the characteristics, and the SC just behaves differently.