I catch some flak at work because I know nothing but high performance this and that. With 24 weeks of engine building, machining and dyno testing, you learn a few things. Anyway, I'm a die hard HP person and my friends know this. But, the rip on me because I drive a 115 HP Mini. "Well, why didn't you buy an S?" I say, 1. Insurance. 2. Payments 3. I would abuse it more, probably. I'm only 21 and insurance sees 160+ HP, not too mu... Oh Supercharged=we kill your wallet. Enough ranting, now the question.

Would you rather have a highly optioned slower car, like me, (Leather, heated seats, HID's, moonroof, climate control, yada yada) or a less optioned faster car?

I took the former because I liked it, it was available, and I'm not too concered with straight line speed.

 

less optioned fast car. it is usually the small stuff that goes wrong on a car from my limited experience. I do not need the bells and whistles.... but i like the fun of somewhat fast!

 

No contest, more power

all the options are worthless on resale ... $$$ out the window

But HP is ... priceless

 

Good choice - satisfy YOUR needs, not someone elses. For semantics, the S is 'quicker' (i.e. acceleration) but not 'faster'. Even then, the Cooper does relatively well off the line - especially with the pre '05 models.

 

speed is good when your speeding but having all amenities can make your daily drive much better.
i drive an S and i dont use the speed as much as i should so speed is not of a great factor when you dont/cant/wont use the power most of the times. Cruise with your other half with all the comfort and amenities. just driving the mini is fun regardless of speed.

 

Have a highly optioned '04 MC. Just ordered a very lightly optioned '07. Both are fun in their own way. The '07 will just go faster.

 

S with less options would be my choice. Oh wait that was my choice.

 

why dont you just put a turbo charger in there and be done for the day?

 

You kind of said it yourself, you took the former because you liked it... It sounds like you're happy with your choice also, don't let your friends get in your head. Be happy with what you have and knowing you made the right choice at the time.

You're only 21, you've got plenty of time to go a different direction in the future.

 

What the h3ll should you care about what other people think?
Just smile and let them know YOU have the answer!

 

completely agreed with royal4mac, if i t makes you happy enjoy it.


personally though id rather have a lightly optioned S like the one i have, but different strokes for different folks

 

I've watched a Cooper in the hands of an experianced driver,top long before the S ran out of power (I ran out of track first). Both handle equally and it is quite easy to make the arguement the Cooper handles better than the S they are two different cars and two different beasts, fortunately for me, they are the same inthe eyes of the ins. company

I don't need the extras so I actually did indeed choose the later, with several smaller options but much more basic. Of course for me the goal is to get the driver and the road as close as possible, I very much like the think somewhere and you're there type driving.

 

The question is did YOU get everything that YOU wanted. If the answer is yes then who cares what anyone else thinks.
That is the what make it yours. You could have went the other way got the 'S' with less features, but you wanted those features why settle for the 'S' just for the sake of the 'S'.
To some that is the most important item to others no so much. As long as you are happy with the decision.

 

I bought an S with one option, steering controls. Of course, we also bought a Lexus IS350 so maybe that distorts the vote for speed over options? Also, I'm an old fart compared to you...well compared to half the MINI population! ;-)

Like KPMINI says, you've made your decision, stick to it, and be happy!

 

My MINI is a daily driver, so I opted for the MC with all the comfort features. And I don't regret it at all

 

I never understood optioning out a MC as opposed to getting an S. The leather seats cost almost as much as the S and all of its upgrades!

That is my opinion, since you asked However, you did the right thing by getting what you wanted...don't listen to us

 

I have an MCSc I really like it but after getting to know NAM a bit I think if I had to do all over again I would have gotten an MC with not too many bells and whistles for my first MINI.For sure I would be loving the MPG of the MC rather than the "S". I sort of just jumped to the almost top of the line on my first MINI... I think because you are young,go for the bare bottom and learn as you go along and you'll know better after you've had a MINI... when you take your MINI for maintenance ,ask them to loan you different types of MINI to use... maybe the 07 or later will be better and you didn't throw that much $$$ to buy so you can trade up... km

 

Ah, the options can make time in the car sooo much better - just sitting on my toasty heated seats with the nav telling me how to get where I'm going and listening to the ipod with views of the sky/trees through the sunroof and admiring my interior options all while moseying in traffic is a wonderful thing. I can always drop weight from the car in various ways but there is no replacing the things that can make slow time in the car enjoyable. I've had a stripped car before and its just not what I want now unless its gonna be for the track or other limited use.

So yeah, get what makes you happy - after all realworld driving is not like a drag strip, as long as you have enough power when you want/need it then its all good (plus it is not mutually exclusive, many options do not have a deleterious effect on speed )

 

We have both. . . my 2003 modded MCS and my wife's 2006 extra comfortable Cooper with CVT transmission and no sport suspension.

I can truly say that I LOVE both cars and neither car is "better" than the other. On a long trip or even just running errands, her Cooper is definitely the preferred ride.

A young guy under 25 is smart not to pay the significantly extra insurance premiums and the truth is that a good driver in a Cooper can hold its own in the twisties.

 

i wanted both so i picked up a G35 to help my need for speed.

 

Easily a less optioned faster car.

Still waiting for my Exige damnit!

 

It funny, a friend of mine has a new Exige and it sounds like it has various problems off the bat - guess no options doesn't mean less issues..

 

I waited for years to get my MINI, so when I got mine I went with all of the little things that made me happy... Heated seats, convertable top (there's a $5k option right there), performance rubber - the works. True, I also went with an "S", but I took the hit on payments because it was the car of my dreams and I knew that if I settled for the base Cooper, I'd feel a little stab every time a Cooper S roared past. I had to put off owning the car for an extra 2-3 years to do that, though, but in the end it turned out for the best - I'm happy that I waited till '06 so MINI could work out some of the early model bugs.

 

re: "Insurance. 2. Payments 3. I would abuse it more, probably..." that makes perfect sense!

my first MINI was an off-the-lot '03 Cooper (no S) with zero options. I loved every second of ownership. I upgraded to the 06 MCS only because the opportunity was there. if i still had the 03 Cooper I'm sure I will still be loving it. I'm not a speed demon or bling-fiend. The MINI makes a great daily driver and it's a fun car.

 

The answer is easy for me. I would take the fastest car with the least options. I like a bare bones car and prefer it over a highly optioned car. It saves weight, complexity, and headaches. I am also a track/autocross junkie so the weight savings are great.

My option boxes were Sport Pack and LSD.