Even then... it's not that bad! Heck, we're in a MINI!

 

Thanks for the link but I've got a 9'6" longboard. I need it on the roof. I just bought a Yakima rack from Wenzor and it should be arriving any day now!
Dave

 

I test drove the convertible in February (with heated seats), and loved it so much it was hard to settle for less. Then I got realistic, and ordered the hatchback with a sunroof (if it's clear outside, it's open with the windows down). Heated Sport Seats were a happy coincidence on my pegged MINI. Even though I realize the fun factor isn't Quite so high as the 'vert, it's a MINI and I can tote a set of drums in the back, worry-free. If you never cargo anything and motor top-down, I'm jealous

 

I never got the whole "MINI is a chicks car" deal. I dunno if this makes me more femanin or what but I dont see how the cooper is a chicks are in any way

 

too heavy
buy s2000 is better for myself

 

I just got MCSconv't ,I love golf and there's no place to fit a normal size golf bag... So what? I got a 'back nine'(smaller) bag and slip it through the folded down back seat and it works... I really try to avoid the sun as much as possible (SoCal UV ),so when it's sunny I wear a visor to drive with the top down.. I love to drive the conv't down at nights,but at times it get too cold. So I drive with the heated seats and heater on... What I am getting at is that if you love the feel of the wind and connecting with the openness of the road and your surroundings then you just adapt to little things so you can enjoy the conv't... My MCSc is the most fun I ever had driving.. Those top down nightly drives really gives me a lift on those pressure times when I need to be by myself ... I just lose it ... all I can say is try it and see what I am talking about...km

 

Once a week or so I leave about 10 PM for a 45 minute drive down to Pacific Coast Highway from Newport to Laguna Beach and back home. Top down. Windows down. Beanie or hooded sweat shirt. Only a few cars on the road. Can stay within the speed limit for a great open-air ride. I can even breeze through Corona del Mar -- green lights the entire trip. I actually turn off the radio and just listen the S whine. Every so often I have a passenger, but I must admit, it's a better ride when I'm solo.

 

If you want a small sporty convertible, there is no reason not to get a MINI cabrio. I LOVE mine. In fact, the fact that MINI has a convertible is the only reason I started looking at MINIs in the first place. You can get a couple of convertibles slightly cheaper, but not with the kind of features you can get in the MINI for the price...the Miata was designed for a 5'8" 160 lb driver...period. Also, there is no car I could find that came anywhere close to the fun factor of driving my Porsche 914 than my new MCSC...at least not for under $50k-$60k.

 

MrX, If you ever meet me you will understand how false that statement is.

 

Had a 1989 LeBaron convertible, bought it new. The engine was junk, but the body design was intelligent. The front column supporting the windshield was adaquate for rollover protection or support. No need for a rear roll bar. Great visibility with the top down, and adaquate with the top up. The Mini convertivle fails on all these measurements. About the only thing kind of attractive about the cabrio was the sunroof feature that retracts only the first 16 inches (or there abouts) of the convertible top. Aside from that, I think I would have bought a different car if I really had to have the ragtop. Probably a (used) Toyota Solara.

 

I'm surprised nobody mentioned what I found to be the worst common trait of all convertibles I have owned. No rain gutters. I remember exits and entrances with a full crotch or head drenching when you opened or closed the door and caused the roof to balloon and roll water into your lap. Except for a hardtop convertible, this seems endemic to convertibles. I remember all too well being in expensive business suits and receiving a good drenching just before making an important presentation. That's why I bought the MCS with sunroof. The best of all worlds. Wind in your hair and dry pants

 

The reason i didnt buy it was it had a huge blind spot. I know it can be fixed with a different mirror, but i didnt feel like buying something else after spending that much money on the car.

 

Yeah, spending $70 on my multivex mirrors made my $33,000 cabrio so NOT worth it... wish I could get my money back and get a hardtop...

Basically, as this thread shows, there are a few different kinds of people:
* hardtop people
* hardtop people who drive a convertible for a while
* REAL convertible people

I personally had previously owned a Triumph TR7 back in the 80's - which soured me on "british" for 20 years - but never had a convertible until my last car (Sebring) when I was 33 years old. The first week that I drove that car, it was a given that I would NEVER again be without a car with a retractible top. The Sebring had much better rear visibility than the MINI, but in reality wasn't nearly as safe, and comparatively drove like a plate of fettuccine strapped to the backs of two guinea pigs. But now I'm both a REAL convertible person and a REAL MINI person. Yep - EVERY convertible has LOTS of compromises, some combination of noise, cold, mechanical complexity, leaks, visibility, little cargo space, little passenger space, less rigidity, more weight, less aerodyamic, etc. Just like many would say that a MINI has some compromises compared to, say, a Honda at one end of the scale or a Porsche at the other end.

But REAL convertible people own the car BECAUSE OF the top, not "in spite of it". REAL convertible people remember that TR6 or MG or Spitfire or MINI or (fill in the blank) that had a plethora of problems, but that opened up the world of open-air motoring to them. And when they don't have a convertible anymore, they feel like something's missing until they have another one. When it was time to replace my Sebring, the first thing I dd was make a list of 4 seat convertibles (Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Saab, Volvo, etc.). MINI won.

If you're saying "yeah, the convertible's cool, but I could live without it" or "why would you want something that makes your car heavier and slower and leakier - I have a sunroof" then you're not a REAL convertible person. That's OK. It takes all types. I have lots of friends like you who are perfectly good people.

But for me, I'll take the Cabrio, with all it's warts. And love every minute of it.

 

I totally have to agree with Compensating's post. Yeah, the blind spot sucks, but it just means I have to back out of parking spots a little slower and look around more carefully when I have the top up. But we just finished up a cold rainy week here in Ohio and have had 3 or 4 days of unseasonable 50 - 60 degree weather, blue skies, not a cloud to be seen. And putting the top down on a day like today, feeling the wind in your hair and the sun on your face, THAT's what the cabrio is about.

 

Only comes in automatic.

My first ride was a 'vert. A huge sled from the 60's, and I loved it. I first considered the MINI because of the ragtop, but after the test drive (got lost, was away for an hour- terrific motoring) I just couldn't feel comfortable backing up in it. I also had a max factor for my cost. Still, it was weeks before considering a hardtop MINI. Super glad I did.

Less weight, better mileage. Love the sunroof, even on days in the 40°s. Tons of respect for the cabrio folks. Enjoyed the top down test drive, albeit on a wintry day. Maybe next time- I do have a themed MINI in mind.

 

I really like my ragtop. It is very quiet at 70 mph. The top is very easy to operate and I use the "sunroof" feature a lot.

 

Truth is, Mini doesn't sell a convertible. The way I see it (or don't see it), if you can't see the blue sky in the rearview mirror, then it doesn't even qualify as being a convertible.

 

let's all rag on the rag top: we all can say 'Why do ever want to drive a JCW when the speed limit is 65mph? Everybody has their thing,it's either you love it or you don't .. what ever the reasons are it doesn't matter,it's all just opinions and you know what they say about opinions... are like a-holes it's only useful for the person who owns it..
I can't see out of the blind spot too well ,but I still back up in my MCSconv't.. a bit slower... or turn my head or adjust the side mirror... so in 1 day while in your car how many seconds you really go backwards or look backwards while driving forwards to check out the "blue sky". Just adjust....km

 

Amen. I back into parking spaces - so it's easier to get out.
And multivex mirrors make a HUGE difference once you get used to them.

And I don't need the rear view mirror to see the sky - that's what the neck muscles that tip your head back are for.

Always look forward (or up), never look back - life looks much rosier that way.

Would the cabrio be EVEN BETTER if it had "perfect" rear visibility? Sure. It would also be even better if it had 250whp stock. But I'm happy with the compromises... and like I said, if you're happy with your sunroof - or hardtop - I'm happy for you.

 

I just came from a 1994 BMW 325 convertible that I have been driving for 12 years. I've always had a convertible and always will. When I decided to get another vert I had certain requisites.
1.4 seats(kids)
2. front wheel drive(live in Philly-it snows)
3. wanted decent fuel economy
4. wanted to spend about $30,000
5. most important- I wanted a FUN car!

I had the top down today and loved it. You shouldn't have to be talked into getting a cabrio. I never test drove a hardtop because I always knew I wanted a convertible. Am I missing something by not driving the hardtop? I doubt it.

 

Personally I consider the cabrio to be too compromised.

I looked at them when I was considering a MINI, but rather than trade my MR2 Spyder for an MCSC, I bought a used tin-top (with a sunroof).

I feel that I have the best of both world in the two cars - the MR2 is a seriously good, designed from the outset, open top sports car. The MINI is desined to be a tin-top, but the sunroof helps the light and air-flow.

I dislike the look of the cabrio with the roof up, and the real roll-hoops / head restraints look horrible to me, not to mention the terrible impact that they have on visibility.

The driving dynamics are almost identical, on the short test drives I could not tell that there was extra weight and at 'sub warp' speeds the turn-in was pretty much identical too.

For me the rearward vision and the looks where enough to put me off.

But if you like the looks and you spend the vast majority of your time not caring what may be behind you.......

 

What's with all the hating on the cabrios? I like every MINI/mini I see, hard top or cabrio, S or not, old and new! I sure don't feel the need to defend the reason I got a cabrio by cutting on the tin tops. If you don't like a cabrio then don't buy it, but you don't have to be mean to those of us that love our cars!

 

AMEN!

 

All of the above reasons. We were going to get one but decided against it becuase of safety reasons combined with the small car profile. While open air motoring is nice, the clear sun roof front and back on the MCS seem to satisfy us when we want to drive this car.

 

I wasn't out yet when I got mine . I'll most likely get one sooner or later. No hate here

Nik