That's funny, I've only seen Coopers around, no S's. I got to USC and have seen 3 or 4 around, but no S...

And before you bash MCS owners for being snobs, I think there was a manual vs. automatic conversation where there was plenty of S-bashing going on - this ain't a one way street, brah...

I never even considered the Cooper though, just because the S was there. It seems like a good deal to me too, but I like a relatively harsh ride and the hood scoop. It's all personal preference, I hope I wasn't a **** to anybody

 

well to those MC owners....I just drove a friend of mines MC who spent a little over 1K for mods in San Diego for super chip tune, piper cross intake and exhaust...I have a MCS and to be honest...I think his MC is quicker from start to 3500 rpms. He also has the same suspension as my MCS and it feels more responsive through the twisties, also being amost 200 lbs lighter probably helps...my MCS is still quicker at 4000 rpms up where the supercharger is allowed to really work.....after driving the MC even though I like the Gertag, I have also wondered if the gearing was a little too tall for a 6 speed....anyone else have that feeling.....of course one can modify the MCS which I did after driving his MC by getting lighter 16" alloys and replacing the heavy dreadful runflats with yokos which helped dramatically in cornering....but adding 1k in mods certainly seems to make the MC drive pretty close to a stock MCS from my experience.....I do wish the MCS didn't have the garish hood scoop which I hate compared to the MC clean hood....

 

If all you care is about the handling, you can fir the MC with the SS+ suspension and the 16" runflat tires same as the stock MCS. However, you can also get the SS+ with the lighter 15" standard wheels if so desired. I also think that the base MC suspension and the 15" tires deliver excellent handling and ride quality and the SS+ takes it to the next level.

The MC is also lighter in comparison the the MCS. The MCS's main atrractions are the Supercharger and the 6-seed Getrag box, but if you don't care about neither, then the MC is the better choice of the 2 offering a bit more flexibility in terms of suspension/wheel combo choices and cleaner better looks (For less $$$).

 

>>Funny, I was just talking to my boyfriend about this last night. I originally decided on a Cooper because I liked the lines better, I didn't want leather (any leather-I don't have cruise control because I couldn't get it without the leather steering wheel) and I really wanted to turbo it anyway. What IS going to make me want to trade the Cooper in, however, is the turbo diesel Mini that I just read they were working on! Wish I would have bought the magazine, I would scan the article. Was a UK Mini magazine, I think.
>>
>>Also, I see mostly MCS's here in So Cal and they've always been friendly. Sometimes I look like a snob because I zone and don't see them before they've gone by - oops!


There is no turbo diesel MINI. The new MINI "D" model just released in Europe uses a normally aspirated 1.4L 4cyl Toyota derived diesel engine. Howeve,r even if MINI were involved in the development of a turbodiesel model, you will not see any MINI diesel MINI variants in North America because we don't have the low sulfur diesel fuel that these high tech engines require to run.

Diesel has never been popular in North America in terms of passenger cars, of course, unless you happen to drive a Kenworth or Peter Built 18-wheeler...

 

"...but adding 1k in mods certainly seems to make the MC drive pretty close to a stock MCS from my experience."

Thanks miniblues, well stated. This thread appears to have hit a nerve! Both models have their advantages, I'd like to have the Getrag box myself, but You can take the base MINI, make some well planned mods & have a taut, well balanced & very affordable daily driver that's a blast to drive. I believe that's in the spirit of the original Mini & the new MINI. It should be whatever you want to make of it. Different strokes..
It seems that the % of owners modifying both models is very high. It will be interesting to see if MINI take note of all the mods being done by owners, scrap the JCW idea & start incorporating the better changes into the production models in the future. Most MCS owners seem like pretty decent people to me. There are always a few loud chumps & those guys usually do not fare well in competition driving situations...no amount of extra horsepower will help them!

 

I have a Cooper and which I had an S. They look cooler and are much faster on the freeway. I talked to a Sales Manager who told me more people trade in the S for a cooper because they do not like the harsh drive.

The tradeoff is worth it if you want the HP. The only problem with the S is it is hard to find and always marked up.

_________________
CHRIS

 

>>Tan leather? Tan leather belongs in old Jags and on old men wearing Member's Only jackets. In fact, the only reason I got the Cooper was to eliminate even the remote possibility of a factory mix-up and possibly seeing my beautiful car tainted by the sight of her in tan. Simply put, tan sucks. I hate tan.
>>
>>_________________
>>http://www.axisofjustice.org

Is there anything more traditionally English/British than British Racing Green Car with Tan leather? I think tradition is nice, and worth valuing....

jc

 

Got to have some fun around PIR on Saturday. I followed a MC around the track in my MCS and all I can say is the MC can SCOOT ! Wow

 

On a track, an MC with a light 15 or 16" wheelset, sport suspension and excellent driver keeping to the correct line is really tough to improve on until you get to a long straightaway, then the extra power of the MCS might allow you to catch up from behind or pull away if in front. Otherwise if it comes to cornering and speeds less than 70 mph, it is the driver that will make the difference. Potentially more speed is lost to an incorrect driving line than anything else. All hell breaks loose if your line is not perfect- it's hard on the car and hard on the driver.

 

I got tan and love it. I got tan in the Miata as well. I am not a black interior fan, especially during the summer heat.

I don't really like black leather. Not in cars, not in jackets, not in furniture, not in anything...(maybe shoes?). I don't know, it just looks to me to be so cliche. Colored leather emotes more class. I just wish I could get red leather in red car.

But hey, that's just a girl's POV.

 

Re: Until that moment, I had been tormented by S envy for months (and by the condescending comments of the many arrogant S owners on MCO.) Now I'm completely at peace with my Cooper.

Alfa,

Glad you're at peace. Sorry to hear some of the comments made you doubt and form "buyer's regret" for a short time. Frankly, I have no desire to even consider an "S".

I bought my Miata with an automatic as well. Know what? I have heard NOTHING NEGATIVE or CONDESCENDING in real life about the Miata or Mini Cooper being an automatic or CVT. All the jerk comments come on forums. So what does that say?

The bible says.."Be ye content." And so enjoy your car!

 

Red leather has never been and can never be classy. Be it jacket, couch or car.
It certainly screams out at you, there's no denying. But it's not screaming, "Class."

_________________
http://www.axisofjustice.org

 

>>Red leather has never been and can never be classy. Be it jacket, couch or car.
>>It certainly screams out at you, there's no denying. But it's not screaming, "Class."
>>
>>_________________
>>http://www.axisofjustice.org

Hi,
I disagree. I think any mono-color combo is class. For Ex:
White car, white leather.
Silver car, gray leather.
Black car, black leather (only exception btw!)

 

I thought the whole idea and enjoyment of buying a MC/MCS was being able to buy what you wanted and enjoy it. I got an MCS that was all red and almost changed my mind after I ordered it because some bozo in one of these threads said only true Coopers had white roofs. Then I thought, I'm just going to get what I want and am glad I did. I do wish I could have gotten tan seats because they look pretty good on red Ferraris. Sorry you anti tan bozos. Some of the people with such strong opinions about what we should be driving sound like Porsche owners who turn their noses up unless you drive a 911 or better. Let others enjoy what they have and go motor.

 

I second that. Drive an "S" with the pulley mod and you'll think your driving a completely different car. I have a stock "S" and I was sold in the 1st 100 yards.

 

>>I thought the whole idea and enjoyment of buying a MC/MCS was being able to buy what you wanted and enjoy it.

Consider this an "Amen" from a member of the congregation.

 

I'm all for buying what you want and enjoying it. But remember these noble and undeniable truths:

-Tan leather sucks (see above post).
-Red leather is trashy (not always a bad thing).
-Styx are always bad, and the Beatles are always good.
-Baseball, while perhaps not the best sport, is the perfect sport.

 

Stove... you undeniable truths are silly.

jc

The Classic Cooper colors are great and tradition is great, but it really is what you want and like. It is completely about customization and personalization. Now in the resale market all bets are off.

 

GAG. I cannot STAND Styx. Now I have that damn Sail Away song in my head. DAMMIT!

 

Undeniably the best version of "Sail Away": Cartman

>>>>
>>GAG. I cannot STAND Styx. Now I have that damn Sail Away song in my head. DAMMIT!

 

i'm with you brownie!

red leather in my ds/b mcs
with red bonnet stripes...would be ideal

for now black will have to do for both.

 

because some bozo in one of these threads said only true Coopers had white roofs.

well...that is just based 100% on tradition....John Cooper made the roofs white so the coopers could be better spotted on the track from the pits....so a true original Cooper S had a white roof....but the original Cooper S didn't have a hood scoop, so tradition there is down the drain for the purist.....just buy what you want because many mini owners today never heard of John Cooper or the Cooper's getting booted from Monte Carlo for winning 3 years in a row or that it only had at best 90hp and 10" wheels.....I fell in love with the minis in the late 60's watching them race in a local SCCA race every summer in my home town and being amazed how they could hold their own with much more powerful cars on the track at the same time.....losing ground on the straights and making it right back up in the turns...outrageous to watch. Drove the original Cooper S several times in the early 70's...just a terrifice fun car, but it would get blown away today by the MC, not to mention the MCS...and the real negative was the smell of gasoline, at least in the ones I drove.....at that time in the early 70's, I also owned a 914 which also was a very fun car, like the mini, underpowered but with it's 50/50 weight distribution, a cornering marvel for back then..... a brand new 72 914 cost $4,300, the 911 then was $12K which I thought was outrageous and only Doctors must be buying these babies, laugh!

 

from the Tao Teh Ching:

"Only he who knows what is enough will always have enough

Very good and sensible of you xalpha to know what you want and be satisfied with it.

Despite Cooper Works packages, loud stainless exhausts, and pully upgrades, etc, I know that my S is enough for me, especially considering that the vehicle itself is capable of higher performance than the clown at the wheel!

 

Yucca...
You have a very wise outlook.
Thanks

 

I bought my mini because I didn't have to skimp ona single thing... yeah I dorve a s first.. i'm nto teh best at driving stick.. but I really enjoy dring the cooper more.. i liek teh style more.. and I really liek tan interior xpcdoojk is right tan with teh green looks great it also looks good with blue.. now red is nto trashy, it clasic in a classic car lieka red and whtie chevy with red an white interior give a great fifties look... I'm sure that done propoer y it woudllook nice in a mini too,, ut I really it with a atouch of white... To each his (or her) own... The mini is all abotu experssion of you and your tastes... the good thing is and we all know this one fact..

IF YOU OWN A MINI THEN YOU HAVE GOOD TASTE TO BEGIN WITH.. everything after that is choice.

-Chris