So I called him today, after the wife and I test drove a couple of Mini's again this weekend. I told him that my wife was interested too. He must be salivating.

I told him my concerns, thoughts and wishes. That I like the way the S with an automatic drives, but I'm concerned about how the runflats will do in the snow.
He said that they do just fine and he uses them all the time. Upon further inquiry it turns out he doesn't own a mini, but he drives one around during the course of his job. He said just get the DSC option and the runflat all seasons will do just fine in the snow.

I also mentioned that I am considering an 07 and maybe I'd wait to test drive one, and for the dust to settle, the service folks to get used to working on them etc..... He said that I should just get an 06, and don't worry about trading it in in a year and a half or so for an 07 or 08. I'd only lose $2k.
That sounds kind of hopeful if you ask me, yea maybe if I sold it to a private party, but I bet that he'd try and get me for 4 or 5k if I tried to trade it in that soon.

Of course you know the little boy in me only wants to hear all the good stuff and be convinced to get one now, but the older wiser part of me is saying that what the salesman tells me is sugar coated a good bit.

Any advice on this ? You think the Motor advisor dude is blowing a little candy coated smoke up my butt ? :impatient :impatient

 

MINIs hold their value very well, I could see losing only a few thousand over a year. I bought my 03' MC with 50k miles last month for $17,995, so it depreciated about 6k in 3 years and 50k miles. Look around at used MINIs, you cant find them for much lower than 20000 usually. They hold value very very well.

 

Yea i guess, as long as you sell it private. I doubt the dealer would have given that much money or anywhere even close.
But hey, it's not really bad news though is it ? hehe. A lot may depend on the reception of the Mini NG. I guess it could make the 06 values go up or hold higher, or I guess it could hurt their resale more than normal.

 

I've got DSC and runflats. Maybe it's just here in the rust belt of Northeast Ohio, but my first major purchase was a set of steel rims with Snow tires. The all-season run-flats would have probably done well, but in the hills around me, they weren't good enough.

If you order early, TireRack.com has 15 inch steelies, but they were out by the time I ordered. I ended up with 16's (Blizzaks, I think it's spelled) for about $700.00 mounted/balanced/shipped.

The DSC is great. I drove 55+MPH on snow covered roads without even the slightest hesitation or steering problems.

 

Thanks Good to know ThomB.
Hopefully If I get the dsc I don't need to get the snows, since I live in Northern Va. I doubt I'll be doing much hilly driving during snow. I may get by just fine with the stock all season RF's. Glad to hear, as so many others have said, that if worst comes to worst, just getting a set of good snows does it !!

 

I wouldn't buy the 2006 knowing I'm going to trade it in a year. You won't break even or come out ahead even with the good resale value. If anything, just lease it for 2 years if you're planning on dumping it and save yourself the hassles.

But anyways regarding the run-flats, even on the 17 inch wheels are fine in the snow. Just don't plan on driving through anything deeper than a few inches. I'm using mine for winter wheels this winter again, I'll probably switch over to blizzaks next winter though since they'll be out of tread for sure.

 

I would soooo get the 2006. Don't even think about getting the 07.

 

Ugh. I HATE leasing. I did that for a while. What a pita !!!!! Never again.
If I get an 06, I know I probably won't trade until at least the 09's are out, which will probably be a good thing by then. I'll have more choices, maybe even a 2nd year model of the traveler by then.

You all are giving me more confidence in using the runflats for the winter.

Tell you though, since I've been considering the Mini so hard lately, I've had opportunity to appraise my own car's ride. I've started driving it a bit harder and it's a damn good car. 06 Subaru legacy limited. I'm actually having second thoughts about trading it for the Mini ( perish the thought ).

The Mini satisfies more of a fun factor and sporty thing, but I don't think it is as well built of a car as my Subaru for the $$. I am actually thinking of giving up known reliability, all wheel drive good fit and finish, regular gas, etc... for a Mini. I must be sick.

 

I think the dealers are going to have a glut of 1st generation MINIs from those of us who can't wait for the 07 kinks to be worked out, and also can't afford to own two MINIs. I doubt the good resale values will hold up as well after the new model comes out.

Personally, I'd go with the proven version, and wait for the 08's or 09's before pulling the trigger on a new one.

In terms of tires, I used all season non-run flats last winter (with DSC) and did very well. Still, I want more traction so will go with 4 snows this year. Again, just a personal opinion!

 

All season runflats are fine in the snow. They are not great, but they are perfectly adequate.

Get a 2006.

 

Follow your instincts, he's blowing smoke up your butt.

RFs have NOTHING to do with how it handles the snow and DSC is no magic. If you get the All-season tires, they will do POOR is real snow as ALL all-seasons do, they are a compromise. If your talking 20 - 50 degrees and maybe an inch, they will do BETTER than snows. Any real snow, get some snow tires

Second, the moment 07s are actually on the streets, 06s will take a BIG hit. Its human nature. You will take a major hit, just driving off the lot. Sometimes people buy into the "MINI" holds its value myth but that does not necessarily hold across a generation change

 

Well, you are in Northern VA, an area known for completely shutting down as soon as they mention the S-word. It might snow! Cancel School! Close the Government! Liberal Leave!!! Your biggest fear isn't our whopper snow storms, it is the other idiots in the area who don't have a clue how to drive in the snow. Especially the "heroes" in their SUV's who think 4WD makes them immune to slippery conditions and therefore do not need to modify their driving style. That and the soccer mom's who drive 20 mph in a 55 on dry pavement because...well, who knows why, really.

The A/S runflats will do fine for the pathetic amount of snow that falls in VA. If you lived in Pittsburgh, well, the MINI doesn't have enough ground clearance to drive through deep snow, so you'd have a different vehicle for snow days.

Subaru vs MINI? *snerk* MINI wins hands down, especially when it comes to holding its value.

 

Thats usually bad when youre trying to get one used and ur on a budget

 

Creseida, I had trouble finding your location on a map

Still, it sounds like an interesting place to live, and I'm pretty sure I've visited there often!

 

This is very misleading. You cant just go look at "asking" prices say at cars.com or eBay. You need to know what they actually sell for. People always list their cars for more money that a buyer is wants to and is willing to pay. A quick search of cars.com shows 25% of the MCS listed at below $20K.

 

Chow,
Yea I kinda thought he was pissing in my face and telling me that it's only rain. . I guess it's kinda hard to know what the market will do when the 07s come out.

As far as snow, yea like Creseida said, we usually don't get a whole lot. If we get a big storm, most often it's plowed to within an inch or two within a day. The roads stay pretty clean mostly.
Hey Creseida. It's the damn schools that always take off at just the mention of snow. It's totally ridiculous. However, us working folk still usually have to go in.

I'm thinking I'll be Ok with the stock AS RF's. Thanks for the input.

Now, about that value of Mini vs Subaru. I actually wasn't comparing how well the market values them, even though I think Subaru does pretty good, but how I value them. It does seem to me that I'd be giving up a tighter more reliable car by trading the suby for the Mini. And that's without any Mini experience, just gleaning what I can from the forums.
I do hope I'm wrong.

I hope I get a Mini, and it never breaks !!!

 

Wait, your really in NOVA? In that case, the all-seasons are fine If we get another Blizzard like in 1996 or 2003, well your just taking the week off!

 

I'm pretty sure I remember the 96 blizzard. It took about 3 days to get the secondary streets plowed.
I don't seem to remember any problems in 2003 though.

Heck, I'll have to get my wife to drive me to work in her outback. Oh wait. She want's a Mini too.

Guess it's back to sleep and watch the snow melt.

 

Well we are in MD ... got 33" and they NEVER plowed the residential streets. A week snow bound (very cool)

 

1wander, I don't know if you can compare a Subaru to a MINI. I think you buy them for different reasons (and perfectly legitimate ones at that). If you want all wheel drive and better than average reliability, then a Suby might be your best bet (of a Toyota or Honda). MINIs seem to have average reliability (my experience with an 03 has been below average reliability) based on what I've read.

If you are looking for a unique car with a cult-like following, one that is fun to drive (or should I say, REALLY FUN!), will cause people to spontaneously smile and strike up conversations with you, is pretty economical to purchase and drive, easy to modify, and comes with a built-in social/mechanical support network (e.g., NAM), then go with the MINI.

I had some doubts about moving from another car to a MINI (let's just say it had twice the horsepower, half the gas mileage, a rotary engine and went "Zoom Zoom"), but needed something more economical and better in the PA winters. I have not been sorry for all the reasons above.

Whatever you do, remember that cars can always be sold or traded in!

 

Yup you're right Professor. It's a guilt thing with me, and also a left brain right brain thing.
The Subaru, since I already own it, makes better sense to keep, but the mini excites me !!!

I should have listened to myself when I traded my other subaru. I thought about getting the Mini then, and opted for the more "practical" car. Now look at me. I'm a mess.

It seems a large majority of Mini owners like to fiddle and work on their cars. I am out of all that now, and just want to drive a problem free car. Heck, I haven't even checked my oil in YEARS. I don't even think I've lifted the hood on this current car. And I used to change my own engines back in another life. Now, the thought of bending over a Mini hood to work on the engine makes my back go !!

I'm probably in the same boat as a lot of potential Mini owners.

This is a good forum !!! Lots of real knowledgable total Enthusiasts and I don't get crapped on for coming in here and talking this half assed Mini vs Subaru stuff.

Little do they all know that they are totally enabling me to come over to the dark side and throw my equity into a Mini Cooper S !!!!!

Soon my friend, soon.

 

Just my 2cents. I sold my 04 for what it stickered for new (not what I had in it). I grabbed an 06 and tricked it out (cause that's how I roll) I'm not worried about the resale value of an 06. If someone has a nice clean 06 this time next year, and someone wants that body, well I think it could be a sellers market. I may be totally wrong, but I put my money where my mouth is.

 

Regarding the mods 1wander, you don't necessarily have to do them yourself (nor do you have to do them at all). But once the seal is broken, forget it! You'll be on these forums night and day looking at all the cool things others have done to their MINIs. I wish I had some before pictures of my MC...it was a plain Indi Blue (but with a checkered roof) Cooper with stock rims. Now look at it! Stripes, lights, grille, rims...heck, I've even got a checkerboard on the antenna...Somebody stop me!

 

how did you checker your antenna?

 

I learned to be careful of mods on my Harley's. Harleys work fine stock, and the more mods I put on ( engine bores, pipes, new tranny ) the more trouble I had. And most of the mods are not warranty and some even void warranty.
Then there's the resale thing. I lost a ton of money modding my bikes. You never see that $$ again.

Being as fickle as I am, even with the best intentions I'll be selling my car within 4 years MAX, and I'll want to recoup as much $$ as possible, so I definitely won't be "pimping my ride" too much.

I also happen to think that it's an awesome looking car just as it is from the factory ( with all the options )