If this will help, you can pass along my (also a wife) story....... I too was very reluctant when it came time to replace MY CAR and really wanted a 06 Toyota Solara convertible, but my husband convinced me to first take a look at the Mini Cooper.

He had to drag me basically into the showroom and I kind of moped around, especially when I saw the sticker on what I thought was a "stupid" little car - (I spent a good portion of my early days growing up in England, where the Cooper was a very common and at that time, basically a cheap little car - my uncle had one that was always giving him fits!). I didn't have an issue with the size so much, I always have driven smaller cars, (VW Cabrio, VW New Beetle, Audi A4) but couldn't grasp the appeal. That was UNTIL I took the test drive. Flipped back the sunroof (our motoring advisor let us take it out by ourselves on a gorgeous Spring day), cranked up the tunes and took it out on the highway and had about 35 minutes of fun! By the time we came back, I was sold - there was no comparison to the Toyota in my book, and besides (what's very important to me at least) I wouldn't see myself coming and going as I would with the Toyota. The handling was impressive, MPG was great, Consumer Reports write up very positive, so I was sold.

So, as others have noted, if you can get her to actually take the car out for a test drive, I don't think you'll need to do much more convincing. While I have the base model, with a few luxuries added which brought it up to $22K, I still think I have a great deal for the $$.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the reply, Buzz. "stupid little car" is exactly where she's at right now.

 

Just remember, there is nothing "base" about a Cooper :-)

 

lots of women can drive sticks

 

Hmm, We looked at Elise/Exige

If we had actually gone to the dealer, she would have bought an Exige S in a heartbeat. Loves small cars. CAN drive a manual better than many men.

Tiny, powerful, far better handling, ragtop. No contest.

It all depends upon what your looking for. Lotus is a real sports car.

 

You should do a ride with me. Ask my husband. Of course, there's always more to learn about shifting better. But, gosh, I do love to downshift through those curves!

About the cabrio and wearing a hat: this is my first convertible and I love it, but I put my mid-back length hair in a pony tail and then put a hat on. You obviously haven't had to brush long hair after the wind has blown through it driving down the interstate. :impatient I prefer to keep as much hair as possible without brushing it out due to tangles and knots. I don't care what others think about me wearing my hat, they don't have to go through the after effects.

Carrie

 

[QUOTE=Free Spirit;1285106]Actually, I have. In my Big Hair '80's days, I had my hair long(ish) and when riding my motorcycle, the hair that wasn't protected by my helmet would turn into a rats nest from flapping in the wind.

 

Hey Free Spirit/Carrie if you would please change that quote in your post .
I didn't say those words somebody named "ASK" said them to me & I really, ever so much don't wanna be mistaken for or credited as the author

This:
didn't mean to offend no-one. its rare to see ladies who know how to work a stick properly but if you say you can than more power to you. would love to see you in action with the stick. 'reader discretion is in affect'.
not said by me

 

I do like this car very much (part is nostalgia of the sixties) and my GF was indifferent at the time of the purchase. Now, she likes it very much.

But, yes, 30,000.00 for this "little" car is a bit too much.
The Mini is overpriced but it's a unique, great, "little" car.

 

Wow.

Now I feel I have to defend the MINI's honor.

Yo C4 ... read this

First the base car is what? 18K? Maybe 22K for the MCS?

The options you add are YOUR choice. There is NO need to buy a $30K car. That is no different than buying any other car and loading it up with $8,000 worth of options.

Stripped, a MCS is about the BEST bargain around. What exactly does it need?

Cruise? I had not cruise ... dont need such a luxary
Base stereo... worked fine for me
Fancy steering wheel ... bling
Heated Seats? Oh plz, gimme a break
Sunroof? I hate sunroofs

Just what, exactly, MUST you have to get to $30K.

About the ONLY options worth the money are DSC and Xenons and Fogs ... that is it ... a $24K car.

The average car sold in America in 2005 was $28K. Just look at all the nifty safety stuff you get for your $24K ... EBD, DSC, ASC, ABS ... all those letters.

I am sorry but the MINI is a GREAT bargain ... if you buy and choose wisely.

If you choose to add a bunch of luxary stuff to it ... your choice but whats the point. ... Two examples

1. OEM Nav is about $1700? Today you can GPS just as good for $500 aftermarket
2. Sirius or XM radio? How much OEM ... $500? Aftermarket ... $150.

Bottom line ... I really believe the MINI MCS is about one of the best bargains for what you get anywhere ... anytime in motoring history.

My next MCS will be totally stripped turbo convertable ... and i know it will be bargain

 

Chows is exactly right - my MCS convertible was around $38,400 as-delivered from the dealer (never mind what I added to it the day I got it home), and once you get to that price point, there are a lot of other makes/models that start looking very attractive. And that was without the JCW package, the navigation system, or the Digital Power Sound Module, so if you wanted to, you could spend $50k on a "stock" MINI and it would probably be a pretty poor value for the money.

But at the base MSRP for the Cooper or the 'S', they're screaming bargains for what you get.

 

And I believe there are some $50K JCWs around.

Sorry, but for that kind of money there are MUCH better cars around ... but for half that price ... its a steal

 

Ahem... *cough* entirely personal *cough cough* ahem.

I *need* heated seats. I would not consider a car without a sunroof and premium stereo. Conversely, I do not *need* Xenons, as I think regular headlamps have served me fine and offer less opportunity for breakage. Buying and choosing wisely is entirely dependant upon the wishes of the buyer -- there is no option that is inherently, fundamentally "necessary" to each and every person. To say so is silly and I would be remiss in not pointing that out.

So, for the OP, the options that he *needs* may take the MINI to the $30K pricepoint and it's ridiculous to tell him that it's a cheapy bargain without the things that he may consider necessary.

Ugh. I just hate it when someone says that some things aren't necessary -- technically, a nimble little fun car isn't a requirement, either. So let's all buy some used Geo Metros or, better yet, take public transportation wherever it is offered as we would not then technically *need* any car.

 

Not saying you're wrong, but it should be intuitively obvious that a $50k (or even a $30k) MINI has some serious competition in the marketplace, whereas a $23k MINI is almost without peer.

I hear where you're coming from, though - My wife's MINI was about $36k, and mine was about $38k, but we love them and optioned them the way WE wanted the cars. (Hell, I'm regularly autocrossing a convertible - how much sense does THAT make?!?!)

 

While you're all talking prices, don't forget to do an apples-to-apples comparison. While you can spend $30k+ for a MINI, when you're comparing it to other vehicles, you should compare the vehicles priced with similar options.

For example, for what I spent on my JCW, I could have bought a base 3-series BMW with nearly no options. But as soon as I load the 3-series with comparable options that I have in my MINI, the 3-series price quickly surpasses $40k!

Just saying that it's not entirely fair comparing a fully equipped MINI with a base model of another vehicle. Or vice-versa, for that matter.


-Paul!

 

Ahem ... I might have used some hyperbole there but the fact is, you don't "need" any of the options

It wasn't just a few years ago that a Stereo was an option ... and it wasn't even FM

and A/C? Big Money option

Today, you just expect those items

Yes, its personal, but you can do without the luxaries.

Just take cruise control ...plz. If you got cruise, are you "motoring"?

The point is to keep the price down, you got to prioritize what is important. I chose Xenons. You choose heated seats

To each their own. But loaded a $20K car with $10K in options is, IMHO, insane. Show me just ONE ... just ONE other car maker where people normally add 50% to the price of the car with options ... If you can find one, I'd like to know.

But I bet that 3 series had most of the MINI options standard.

Go look at a base stripped Lexus, like MDSbrains IS250. I am sure it comes with leather ... the fact is, once you break the $35K barrier, the only options are about GPS and maybe an upgrade stereo. Not much more than that.

The other way to look at is ... there are better cars for higher prices. If you can get a stripped higher model or a loaded lower end model ... well to me its a no brainer, you always go for the best.

If you really "need" the luxaries, like toasties heated seats, they can always be added later as aftermarket once you have the money.

 

Convertables are about $5K more to start. correct.

When you got near a $38K MCSC, thats maybe 40% in options. Now I know there have been $50K JCWs MCSC. That might not be fair throwing in the $6K for the JCW but I stand by what I said ...

Just show me ONE marquee, anyone, where the average buyer adds 50% to the cost of the base car in options ...? I mean ... the norm. Most cars you cant come close. Some cars you can triple the price but thats not the norm.

Then go drop $10K in aftermarket parts???

 

I was actually agreeing with you, and responding to Omtoast's post.


But, when I said that there were some other attractive options for my $38k, I meant that there were some other fun little cars that are available used for that price, like a year-old Elise or a non-'S' Boxster.

I don't think there's anything similar available new for the price that has the same options. Just for fun, I used the BMW configurator to build up a 325 convertible (their base convertible). With some (but not all) of the options I have on the MINI, the BMW was $47k, and still had a 5-spd and only 16 more horsepower than the MINI.

And there are still a LOT of options available on cars beside GPS and stereo, even at the $35k+ point. For $35k, the BMW I started with in the configurator still had non-xenon headlamps, unheated cloth seats and 16" wheels.


I wouldn't want to get a stripped-down "better" car for the same price as a heavily-optioned MINI, just for the sake of getting the "better" car.

 

I know you were agreeing

I was just saying that adding 50% to the base price of a car ... I still dont know of any other maker where the buying public does that as a norm.

I agree with your Elise/Boxster examples

I referred to Lexus IS 250, Baby Benz. The other cars in this class are lowend 3 series and G35. Of all four, its only the BMW that has that many options ... think MINI. Maybe its a BMW thing.

If you looking for something comparable as a rag top, maybe Honda S2000, Saturn Redline? forget the name. the supercharged version of the solistce sold by Saturn.

I would be interested in a turbo convertable JCW but I would bet its going to cost low 40s easy. For me, that is just way to much money for this car.

 

First, I don't think that the out-the-door configured price of the typical MINI is 50% above the MSRP of the base car. As you said, mine was about 40% over the base MSRP, but that was with virtually every available option, including all the carbon-fiber bits. The only high-dollar options I passed on were the Aero kit, NAV, JCW, and DPSM.

And the reason you don't see this with other marques (and it's "marque" - a "marquee" is an on-site billboard) is that no other carmakers, save for exotics, offers the level of customization that MINI does. I mean, how many other cars let you select a limited-slip differential as an individual option?

MINI could always bundle some of the options together and make them mandatory, and then you'd have what the other automakers have - a much-higher MSRP and a much-shorter option list.

Instead, they decided to make very few features mandatory, and let you choose what else you want from a huge list of options.

$25K MSRP and $10k of options, or a $33k MSRP and $2k of options. It works out the same either way - the way MINI does it just offers a lot more flexibility and the ability to order a relatively-stripped version if you wish.

 

If you look at when ppl first post, I think most cars are over $30K now. Just look at sigs. Many say "All 3 packages"

I paid $27K on a 21K car (33 if you add JCW). Thats ~ 30% over base I was aghast at that price. 2 years ago. I dont count JCW because nobody is forcing you to get more power.

I think you made the point I was trying to make. The vast majority of drivers do NOT need DSP or the JCW carbon fiber dash or whatever. They "choose" to load the car up. Then they "choose" to drop another $10K in aftermarket bits. Many owners try hard to get a great car for autox or track. But at that price ... the Elise was made for the track, and IMO, far better looking ... a true sports car.

Yes, you get the flexibility but when you push the price into the $40K range, the competition is stiff. You can still find NEW 05 Elises for sale (pretty sure, they can't sell them).

Yeah ... marque

The OP said a $30K MINI wasn't worth it. I defend that as BS because I know you can have a great car for $23K ... or a luxary version for $35K.

As to the number of options... Other carmakers make differnet levels with the option builit in. A Honda DX, LX, EX ... same with Toyota. A different marketing style

 

Even all "four" major packages (Premium, Sport, Cold Weather, and Convenience) only add $3500 to the car, which is 15-20% of the MSRP, depending on your model. That doesn't even get a convertible 'S' to $30k, so people would have to add a LOT more than than to spend 50% over the MSRP on options.

As per your suggestion, I looked at the Honda S2000. There are virtually no options available, as many (but not all) of the items that are optional on the MINI are standard on the S2000. But guess what - the MSRP is almost $35k. So that goes along with what I'm saying - you can have more standard features and a higher MSRP, or lots of options and a lower MSRP. The system MINI uses simply allows more flexibility - good luck NOT getting leather or Xenons in an S2000, even if you don't want them. Good luck getting NAV, even if you *do* want it.

You said that you paid 27k on a 21k car. Would it have been more palatable for you if you got all of the same features, but the MSRP was $26k and you only selected $1k in options?

It's all a numbers game - get the features forced on you and pay a higher MSRP, or get a lower base price and add the features you want, realizing that after you've added all of them in, you're going to have spent several thousand dollars. But believe me, you're paying for the Xenons in the S2000 - they're just rolled into the base price.

 

True on cost. But you left out the part that the S2000 is a much faster car than the MCS. Its comparing apples to oranges.

As the price of the car goes up, certain amenities are expected so yes, Xenons are built into the price. People expect certain things to be there just as when you buy a stripped ... Yaris ... you at least expect a radio.

I picked S2000 because it was the only ragtop I knew that reasonable prices thats a faster car.

IMHO, things like OEM NAV are a major ripoff. For 1/3 price you can get a better unit and move it from car to car ... just my opinion. I know there are lots of "OEM" people around but therer are just as many ... I'll take the cheaper way out people around too, for a cheaper price, with better functionality.

Well, thats probably not a fair question for me since its a MC40. One price gets all. So, for example, I specced out a car online and had totally different options. Then again, I didnt have to wait and just drove it off the lot (after the JCW work was done).

So the R90 wheels? $435 each ... still the most expensive OEM wheels in antracite. No way would I have bought those. But ...its in the package. Leather? I admit the color was unique, not in any other MINI but I would have preferred cloth ... cooler in summer, warmer in winter ... but thats just me.

I think you cannot compare a MCS to a S2000. I chose it as a ragtop. However, its simply kicked up a notch as a roadster. Honda traditionally offers ZERO options. You get levels, DX, LX, or EX ... thats it.

 

Agreed about the differences between the S2000 and the MCS.

My point is that the percentage of the out-the-door price on a MINI that ends up being optional equipment is strictly a side-effect of MINI's pricing setup (low MSRP/long option list).

You're not getting less for your money compared to other brands - you just get finer granularity in the options you do or don't want to choose.

 

my live-in girlfriend left me when i bought our first mini in 02. I was also going to buy a g when i purchased my 05 MCS.

I'd say buy the mini, it will grow in her both car are uncomfortable according to most wives' standards so either way you'll still have to hear her unless you blast the HK system.