Wow, shouldn't you be getting the floor mats for free!!

 

I'm going though an MSRP dealer, so the price of the car we built on the MINI USA site is the price we pay. Now to answer your question yes, yes they should, but I know they won't we will get a big bag of swag as I did when I picked up my 04MCS.

 

swag?

 

swag = Mini stuff, Mini logo stuff, sometimes free, sometimes paid for, anything from a T-Shirt on up

 

Thanks, Bamatt I was going to get to it, but hadn't found the time. Well said, well put, it's stuff I don't want or need I'd much rather have useful stuff, but as my Ol' Sea Daddy use'ta say "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth".

 

I ordered the Auto. If I order again I'll go with the Manual and put the $$$ toward the LSD.

 

LSD man the "60's" were great, or so I was told I don't remember much

 

Hmm, seems like I'm the disenting opinion here. I currently have the Auto AC setup, sure it works fine and all but there's a certain fine grain control lost.

If I would do it over again I would probably have gotten the manual system. I see it the same sort of thing as the transmission, I like the added control of manual adjusting things as I see fit.

 

I was dead set against the auto system, until I felt the manual's controls (back in 03). Felt like ***** pushed through carboard, nothing connected, not a quality feel IMHO. Maybe they improved the feel.

The auto system can be very frustating, but can be run in a pretty good manual mode. And sometimes "set it and forget it" works out nice.

If you are geting the sunroof I would recommend the entire Premium Package for the value of the exta goodies and the resale.

regards,
Red

 

Another vote for manual A/C controls here. All my 3 MINIs have had manual rotary ***** for the ventilation system and works great.

The only "plus" of the automatic A/C setup is that you get a "Charcoal" airfilter which you don't get when you order the manual controls.

Otherwise, I think the auto A/C is pretty annoying, but that's me!

 

Interesting to note that the upcoming MINI MCS JCW GP comes with a Manual Transmission, Manual A/C controls and Halogen headlights!

Hint, hint.....

The GP is the anti-thesis of "Gotta load 'em up" crowd in NAM, LOL

 

That is interesting, because I have gotten the total opposite impression as you have I think the auto A/C feels a little cheap but that is me.

As for resale, that's a myth! I work in a MINI dealer and I can tell you that some of these "Extras" that everyone is so hot about have very little resale value for themselves. The manufacturer gets full profit when you order them on a new car, but at time of resale, the car is what bring in the money, not the doo-dahs!

 

That is true, you do not get the exact money you spent back. But it is far easier moving the car off the lot. "Curb appeal". I have some experience in the biz.
So how does one work "in a Mini Dealer"? Must be cramped! :-)

regards,
Red

 

Haha, yeah a "MINI dealer" could get pretty cramped.

True, people tend to like load up cars and that's how most of the MINIs the dealer gets from the factory come so equipped. In fact we currently have a "Bare Bones" '06 MCS with no cruise, manual A/C controls, etc in Astro Black. Car retails for $21K but looks fantastic.

I personally subscribe to the "less is more" club.

 

You would have loved my 1966 MCS!

regards,
Red

 

Going off topic a bit C4, do all the cars come with that downtube mounted cupholder?

I hate the look, and may ask them to leave it in the trunk. Dealer says it comes with the car, and I will love it. My 03 looks clean w/o.


regards,
Red

 

Yes they all do.

But if you don't like it, tell your MA that you would like to have the cupholder removed before delivery (Only take out 2 screws and you are done). You can grab it and sell it here in NAM. It retails for around $50

 

$50! That's a fill up! Thanks for the advice.

regards,
Red

 

Yeah, I hate that thing, although I've been too lazy to remove it so far.

 

On other vehicles I have had, the automatic air conditioner did nothing to the vents. It is just a thermostat and also controls the fan speed. With electronics, we may be talking about a weight differential of an ounce or two.

 

I've driven lots of cars with auto climate control - have not found one I like yet!
I am not gadget-averse...I 've got nav, rain-sensing wipers, auto-dimming mirrors...BUT - imho, nothing beats just turning a ****!
Simplicity works in this case. Only I know if I'm hot or cold, and I've no problem turning those dials.
I would not pay for this option, and would look for another car were I buying one used or off the dealer floor.

But - I guess that's why they call 'em options...to each his own.

Good luck!

 

I hate the looks of the cupholder, but I have to admit that it *is* useful... in addition to bottles & cups, I've used it to hold my cell, sunglasses, iPod... The other cupholders don't really hold much of anything, unfortunately.

 

Those damn dials are actually pretty intuitive. Right for hot, left for cold. Point the other dial to the little sign which denotes where you want air to travel. How much air is represented by numbers. 0 for not so much air, and 4 for lots of air. You want cold air? Hit the little snowflake. You want circulated air? Hit the button with the circulation sign on it.

Maybe I just saved more than one person 300$

mb

 

Told the dealer to take off the cup holder before delivery. What a terrible design!
Well, he forgot. Now I use it as my key holder, my nieces use it as ipod holder, digital camera holder...
I rarely drink and drive, so have only used it as cup holder once.

My FAVORITE and regular use for it - drumroll please...
Nuvi holder!
This time around, I didn't order the factory nav. After serous research, settled on the Nuvi, and one of the factors that pushed me towards it over Magellan is that it fits PERFECTLY squeezed in the top ring of that cupholder!

I'll post another thread on Nav systems later - but I find that cupholder to be useful as a general purpose holder, and for the nuvi, the bonus is that it holds it up high enough to be nicely viewable. When I pull into the garage, the key lays nicely on the shelf below, and the Nuvi stays in place.
Perfect!

 

Got it as part of a package, but would have ordered it anyway cuz I like the look better. Plus, you can use it in manual mode so you have the best of both worlds.