After 2 MCS's, Downtown MINI made me a deal on a leftover base 2006 Cooper that I couldn't turn down. I got a chance to lower my payments a buck and a half ($150) and zipped away today in a Chili Red/White economy model.

So far I like the lighter steering and softer suspension over the "sport" rack and runflats. I seem to notice the missing 150lbs on the front end. It drives 'lighter' and the mpg average is climbing away from the steady 23mpg I was showing on the "S" models. It's already near 27 mpg. I trade cars often so I changed to a lease.

Two things I never did before, lower the HP/ "performance" and a lease, but even the Edmunds Lease/Buy Calculator didn't show me losing anything. I did lose some on the trade, but that was Insurance money I made on the first Lynx Bus crashed MCS, so I am still about even.

Even the standard stereo seems to sound fine, not overwhelming like I could do with the HK, but still OK, so far.

I could have really made out if I had taken the insurance money before and bought a MC, but then I probably wouldn't have found a base model and I wouldn't have gotten $1K off MSRP. Pretty happy, so far, but I only have about 75 miles on it and my daughter is still napping. Oh well, tomorrow maybe I can run it a bit more, but the tinting was done over lunch so that's done.

Anyone else gone DOWN the model ladder and been happier with it?

 

I drive a Cooper an love it, I have never even driven an MCS. I know one guy that has "downgraded" and he has no regrets. As he says its still a 115 hp go-cart

 

Was: '02 MCS - intake, pulley, exhaust, rear sway, sport springs
IS: '06 MC

Couldn't be happier. Honestly I like my 06 MC and don't feel I'm missing anything.

 

I love my 03 Cooper. It does have the premium pack and the one option I consider an absolute must, cruise control.

Never noticed a lack of power, and after owning it for three years I finally got to drive an 06 MCS. It was OK, but I didn't like the notchy shifter, compared to my, "she's gonna blow any minute" , Midland 5-speed. There was a performance difference with the MCS, but, to me, it was no big deal.

Can't imagine wanting a stiffer suspension for a normal street driven car than the standard MC suspension. My car handles great. All for $19,085 with a $350 dollar discount off MSRP, which was almost unheard of in '03.

 

I love my 06 Cooper. Love.

I think the only new car I'd trade it for would be a C30 - they're aaaaaalmost as well designed.

 

i also went from a 2004 MCS to a 2005 cooper. the cooper was a really nice drive and the engine loved to be wound up. but honestly i always found myself wondering (should i be driving an MCS?). i missed the get up and go in passing and on ramps. i LOVE to drive and the cooper was 90-95% there but was missing alittle something. so now i have a 2007 MCS on order (should be here in 3 weeks). im glad i waited for the new model, the engine is stronger than the previous MCS engine and it has as good gas mileage as a 2002-2006 standard cooper. but again, i loved the cooper too and that engine was a blast to get on around 4000 RPMs. enjoy.

 

My 06 MCS has been in the shop for the past five days and I've been driving a loaner Cooper (auto) while Frankie's away. It has been my first opportunity to spend any real time with a regular Cooper and though I will be glad to get back into my MCS, the Cooper has been great.

I agree that the handling is still amazing and the ride much more smooth (like my wife's GTI) than my MCS. What I have missed though are the great engine sounds and for daily driver purposes, the ability to effortlessly merge into freeway traffic and pass slow people.

 

I feel the same as Dave. I own a 06 MC manual and I don't feel like I'm missing anything. Test drive both and then decide. It feels good knowing I can drive my cooper hard and still get good mileage. Plus, I bought my cooper for handling not speed so it's really up to the driver.

 

I've owned 2 MCS's and just drove a MC for the first time a few months ago. It's not a bad car in any way. It's all about what you want from it. Of course it will never be as powerful but it's still a very nice, great handling, well optioned and damn fun car.

 

I drove both the MCS and MC several times before I bought my '06 Cooper. No regrets. I love the light "feel" of the cooper, and the great gas mileage. I stayed very light - no sunroof, 15 inch holeys, etc. Then went evey lighter with 15 in BBS RGFs. Ordered the standard suspension - picked up some handling improvement with 19mm Hsport rear bar, Koni FSDs & JCW springs. Car is quick enough for me, a blast to drive, and gets 29 to 33 mpg. I have a 2002 Audi TT 225 horse that is considerably faster, but the Mini is more fun all around to drive.

 

i will say this was a great reading forum .
interesting debate
i have owned 3 non "s" and have never even driven the "s"
makes me want to try one out to see for myself

 

Since the thread said this was a debate...

I drove an 02 MINI CVT for about a year untill I got my 03 MCS. Both compaired stock, the CVT is a dog. The MCS blows the doors off regular Coopers. Most of it im sure is the auto vs manual trans. Then again adding 50 more hp from a s/c is like the ultimate bolt on for other cars.

 

the MCS is fun, tossed a few around the track...but I love my MC....and you can't beat the look of the MC hood....HUGE fan of the standard hood over the bull nose of the MCS. Personal taste I guess

 

I prefer the road feel, exhaust sound, engine sound, hood shape, and gas mileage of my wife's MC over my MCS.

I prefer my MCS's handling, power, and the reaction from people when they hear the supercharger whine bearing down on them

The rear view mirror in her '04 is too small, mine in the '05 is too big. Perhaps the '07 got it right?

 

you can't go wrong either way. be happy of what you have.

 

I am sure both are great. I test drove the MC and bought a second hand MCS. I could not give up the extra power and SC whine. Also the 6 speed is a plus on the highway. I averaged 32.6mph on my last road trip at 85 mph...

What RPM does the MC drive at when going highway speeds? @ 70 my 2003 MCS is about 2800RPM and just over 3000rpm at 80-85RPM.

 

It's not a matter of which is better, it's a matter of what you want out of it. It's like us nuts wearing our arms out waving at each other when another MINI driver reacts in shear fear of the 'wave.' The MC, MCS, MC Cabrio, MCS Cabrio, MCS GP's, MCS Works, 53's, 56's, are all wonder MINI's, they are the same but different! And that's why we buy them different.

 

I went from one end of the MINI spectrum to the other. I traded in an '04 Cooper CVT (with 83.4k miles in 2.5 years! ) for a '06 MCS JCW w/ manual transmission. While I love the raw power and speed of the JCW, I still have a warm, soft place in my heart for the Cooper. The Cooper (and even with the CVT) still handled like a go-kart, was an absolute blast to drive (once you figured out how to wring every last ounce of power out of the CVT, which I did! ) and even felt a bit more 'tossable' (although, I'm still new to driving stick, so take that with a grain of salt).

If I had to go back, I really wouldn't regret it at all! (Welll.... maybe a 'lil bit! )


-Paul!

 

My old MC CVT was tossable, that was thanks to the 15 holleys, those crappy tires, and stock alignment. Tossable is fun, but taking turns at 60mph is more fun. Granted, a MC with my MCS' alignment settings and tires could do just as well, maybe.

 

I myself have a Monocrome Jet Black 05 Cooper S, I've also made a conciderable amount of Mods to my mini. I know of people who have purchased the Cooper since it's less expensive. This has allowed them to make more mods, keeping the price less than an "S" and giving it more power as well.

The choice is yours, Either way once you start making it more your own, you can't stop!

Good Luck!

-M

 

I agree. Very nicely done.

 

I love my mcs... however it would have been much smarter for me to buy a mc... that way i wouldn't have been concerned with hp and would just put some co's, camber plates, light weight rims/tires, brakes, and etc on it and call it done.

My problem with the mcs is that I want some torque... and the mcs has just enough to make me feel like i want more... likewise it has just poor enough fuel economy when combined with my right foot to make it suck as a dd.

A much smarter move for me would have been mc for now... and dd in the future when i upgrade to a more performance oriented car. At this point... it looks like having an mcs and the elise i have been saving for... is a pretty stupid combo... But it still doens't change the fact that i love my mcs... every last hp of it... and every last $$$.

just my .02

 

We have both a 2003 MCS and a 2006 MC. I love them both and both of them are a kick to drive.

 

You sound like a father whose asked which child he loves the best

I've taken extensive test drives in MCS's and I regularly rent MC's (albeit with the CVT). Once you wind out a MC, you can get some decent performance out of it, but you have to keep it on boil.

I think the thing that would steer me to a MCS, is that you already have a lot of performance on tap, and you can easily add more, while with the MC, you don't have as many or as cheap options. Also the supercharger whine is pretty sweet.

 

I believe that the top gear ratios of the 5-speed MC and 6-speed MCS are the same. MCSs have an extra gear to play with, so the lower gear ratios were more finely tuned for performance.

Zip