I Orderd the:

Mini Cooper
CVT - Don't know how to drive stick nor anyone to show me how
16" Star Runflats
Chrome Line Exterior
Fog Lamps
Anthrasite interior
spoiler
color in indie blue/W while roof and mirrors

 

go back and order an S and learn stick..... lol

 

You're no help man.

 

BadApple-
OK now we are talking :smile:

Spoiler- In the cooper the spoiler is fairly flat- if you wish to ever swap out the top mounted brake light it is really tough but possible. I think the spoiler is glued to the roof. In the MCS the spoiler gives larger clearance to the brake light so a white replacement is easy. Your choice.

You didn't mention about the seats- cloth vs leatherette- both good but different. Leatherette is more durable and looks like leather without the smell. The cloth is good but some people have noted it might wear a bit faster. Seat covers are also available afternarket- remember the seats have airbags so don't cover them up too much.

COLOR- Indi BLue with WHITE
This is my color! Great choice. I really love it. So much that I clean my car everyday. Not that you need to but it just looks so good I cannot bear to drive it dirty.
The flip side is if you don't like cleaning your car (water spots show, scratches easily, dirt shows some, ) then maybe a different color might be easier care. For me I will take the indi blue- I will clean it and keep it from getting scratches- so far I am succeeding. Easy care colors might be lighter and in metallic like silver or even dark silver, probably gold, silk green was really good. Solid colors probably don't scratch as easily as anything with a clear coat. Black is hard to keep clean. Pepper white is good- but it is White
Xenon lights- great stuff- I highly recommend them

 

it's been said before, every car has problems, unfotunately that's what gets discussed.

nobody is gonna come onto this board and start a "my car has been running great" thread, and talk about how they have no problems.

every issue with the MINI is relatively minor and has been very swiftly fixed

 

Run to the phone and call the dealer and recend your previous request. You will NEVER regret it.
Jim

 

I may NOT keep it 4 years...but only because I just put on 16k miles in 7 months. In other words I'm averaging 27k miles a year - I just can't stop MOTORING! As one of my friends asked, "Do you ever turn the car off???"

Best car I ever owned....none of the problems you mentioned. To this day, I STILL look at my MINI like the day I picked him up at the dealer. When he's in my driveway, I find myself looking out the window now and then to make sure he's ok. Whenever we go to a restaurant, I try to park so I'll have a clear view of him from a window - and if I don't I may even go back out and move him.

Every day is an absolute BLAST with this car. It NEVER gets old. Any other car - no matter how good it looks or how much horsepower it has iis just a car. Nothing can substitute for a MINI!

I hope it's not too late to re-claim your MINI. Otherwise you're making the BIGGEST mistake of your life!

 

I think you made a big mistake. I have a July '02 build MCS. Took delivery the last day of August and now have 18,400plus miles on it. A few niggles were taken care of at the 10K service and the windshield had a stress crack that was fixed under warranty. No hassle as far as I'm concerned.
I drive it hard and it loves it. Redline daily, 100+ mph often, hard cornering and flogging. Yes, I do take very good care of it otherwise. But my point is that I drive it like it was meant to be and it has had no problems to speak of.
Remember, those who have problems are the most vocal. For every one with real problems there are 10 of us with none. Then consider that the whiners who complain about every single little issue...they make a LOT of noise and can make mountains out of mole hills.

 

>>Sunroof- heavy, ratttles, lets in too much sun,takes away from headroom. Great look and very spacious- very popular option- I didn't get it and don't regret it.>>>


The MINI sunroof is unique in that there is NO LOSS OF HEADROOM whatsoever. THe sunroof opens ABOVE the MINI - not in the interior. Also, IMO, the absolute BEST option on the MINI. Better than a convertible and I was a real big convertible guy. Now I'd take my MINI 4 season sunroof over a convertible any day!

 

I too have had a few nigling issues (mainly rattles) with my Australian August 2002 Mini Cooper S, but saying that the suspension is very firm and the Aussie roads very harsh. I did 11,000 miles with the Mini before my first service, even though it said that it only need it after 13,000 - thats bloody good. I have had all cd update from 31 - 33 and now all the tuning problems have disappeared. I have had very powerful Aussie V8's rear wheel cars, circuited raced them but out of all road cars I driven you will not find a more fun car especially with the sun roof and stripes. Mate cancel your MCS and buy a Coopers Works MCS to be one over mine.

 

many of us have had problem swith the mini, granted, however, I woudl say 98% of teh time mini has fixed teh problem. or attempted to fix the problem, under warrenty, for FREE, rember that even with all tehse problems, your likly to get through all of tehm in teh first 3 years of the car, adn by that tiem they shodul all be fixed for free..so unless you 300 miles from the dealership, which many mini people are then I woudl deal, but since mini is suppse to pay for a rental even in the worst conditions, I say yoru nutz buy the car you want, an don't sweat the details becasue they will be worked out. adn keep readign mco so you knwo what to look out for!

 

Also, if you read the JD Powers the MINIs poor "initial quality" is due to things like small cup holders and hard suspension - these are NOT quality issues, these are designed in and some people will complain about anything.

If you love the car, and the handling, and don't need more than one big cupholder, then most of the JD report can be ignored.

I have also heard that the CVT on the Cooper helps to make it much more fun to drive, with performance closer to the S - on the manual Cooper you need to shift down a lot to get the real performance at higher revs, but the VCT does that for you so you just need to press the pedal :smile:

 

In all seriousness, when I got on here and read all the problem threads I began to have second thoughts too. I didn't think about cancelling since I had wanted a MINI since I was a teen and had an idea what to expect from Brit cars -- even BMWs in terms of reliablity. The thing to remember is that you are informed and you have support beyond the basic dealer as opposed to those poor screwheads out there driving a busted Focus.

I think it's worth the risk. It's a magical car.

Tom

 

Greatgro-
No loss of headroom with the sunroof?- I gotta go look at the sunroof again and check it out. If you think about the design of the sunroof, the thickness of the mounting and the glass itself does take space. The outside of the car is fixed. Though the glass slides out the frame of the sunroof will take up over an inche of space and that space has to come from the top of the out roof line and come down towards the passenger compartment. Therefore it has to rob space from headroom even just a little. I have seen posts at MCO about loss of headroom- it may be less than I thought.

Personally I can put up with the rattle because there is a velco fix from the dealer. The lack of a full interior sun shade I can live with because I like the open feeling and I can add an interior 5+% tint. The heavy 50 to 80 pounds that it adds is a minus in my book. The convertible like ambiance without the wind blowing all around may be "priceless" to some and indeed many many owners truely love having the sunroof. I shy away from it because my last sunroof car was nothing more than trouble with leaks and fixes and more leaks. With repairs of several hundreds of dollars each time I don't bother to fix it anymore. That detracts from any good the sunroof had. When I had it open and drove faster than 35 mph the wind noise would be loud, even with a wind deflector.

I will keep an open mind to the loss of headroom and go to the dealership the next time I am in the area. I'll talk to the sales people and see what they think too. Sounds like you really motor bigtime- lots and lots of miles- for you driving is a huge part of your day. Getting a car that you can really drive would be a tremendous asset to add to the enjoyment of your daily activities. Same can be said about the really good car stereo (HK option) to a person that spends alot of time commuting and enjoys music. Those 27,000 miles a year go by very fast with a great car. The mini is a car you can drive hard and use it for well over 100,000-150,000 miles and then some. Most people will find that if they want to sell it after 4 years and get a new one, that would be fine provided they are not attached to their "baby". I tend to keep my cars so I'll probably find an excuse to keep it. I would not be surprised to find that the mini does well into 200,000 miles with the proper care- it's that well engineered even with the hard driving.

BadApple- As you can see from these posts, Mini owners are really nuts about their cars and will love them to death. Small problems happen and get fixed. Recalls are limited and taken care of. Overall the car is a gem and does a great deal to add to driving pleasure. If you like the idea of feeling like you're having fun each moment you are driving then the cooper is for you be it in CVT or with a manual. No matter which you choose you just have to learn how to drive it correctly and you will do well. There is some skill needed to learn the CVT or the 6 speed getrag transmission so that you can get the most out of driving. Learning how to drive a manual is not that hard to do with the cooper. Check around at school or through church or friends. There has got to be someone that knows. get a few lessons and practice. Or hire a driving instructor and rent a car to learn and in a week you will be fine.

I had not driven any manual transmission for 12 years and then decided to try out the MCS. I went down to the dealership and took the car out and within about 10-15 seconds I was fine doing the shifting same as I did before. If you choose the CVT you will also do fine- there is a manual shift option for more control and more speed.

I would say that my mini is as reliable or more reliable than any other car I have ever owned (three Hondas, two Nissans, two domestic cars plus more). It tolerates hard driving better than any car I've had. It is much more fun to drive and has great potential beyond the ability of my driving skill. To see that potential I will have to spend more time on the track and at driving school- even the stock versions of the base cooper and MCS have this built in great engineering- I'm not talking about heavily modified cars. This is what you will be missing out on.

-Stumble and cold starts- more likely with the CVT although a few MCS owners have had trouble with cold starts. I have never had trouble with cold starts. For CVT the computer software can be upgraded to the latest version from time to time to fix this problem and if you buy a new mini this will be done automatically before you get it. I don't live in a place with much cold weather so it is a non-issue for me.

Think it over. Don't miss out. I've waited for over 10 years to find a car like this one. It's pretty damn good- No regrets. Bring on the mods. It's so fun. Driving school here I come

_________________
03MCS-IB/W, aero grille, white tail lights, MB Quart speakers, euro parcel shelf, Madness intake/ rear swaybar- Get In.Get Out.Get Even-Motor On

 

Bad Apple,
I am one of the many that had problems with my MINI. Not to bore anyone, but my MINI had to go back to the dealer the day after I picked her up (bad instrument panel). Three months later bad wiring harness. You would think I would have lost my mind. Stupid me the car keeps me smiling.

I was on this board for four months before delivery, and I read all the issues others were having, but I knew this was the car for me (I knew since I was 12), and no one could discourage me. I love this car, and I don't regret one thing about it. I would probably get an S the next time around.

The only thing I would like to have is a dealer closer to my home.

Go back...tell them you have changed your mind. As others have told you you won't regret it.

Lolo

 

By now most of the serious problems have probably been worked out. I had some slight doubts when I got my 2/03 MCS so I got the extended warrenty. However, when I visit this site most the old problems seem to have been taken care of. Be at peace with youself about your decision. However, this is the most fun car I have owned and that includes a bunch of sports car. Good luck.

 

BA,

You're a college student first and foremost. Any car, even a MINI can wait. If I were you, I'd save as much of that nestegg that you were going to spend on the MC and get nothing more than basic cheap reliable transportation until you start earning a living. Cool can wait until the bills are paid. I imagine that almost all of us had rides that we would be ashamed to admit to today while students. We'll wait to hear from you sometime post-graduation when the MC is a reality.

 

Hey there Bad Apple... lemme tell ya a little story, k?

There once was a fabulously beautiful, radiant, sunny-dispositioned young maiden in Penns Woods who needed not a prince to save her, but a fun and spunky vehicle. She was a senior in college, this knock-out princess-babe, and was fully aware of the financial commitment facing her should she choose to purchase a new vehicle. She was also painfully aware that, as a future historic preservationist, she could not count on lucrative employment. Personally enriching: yes. Lucrative: decidedly not. Well, she had some change in her pocket goin' jing-a-ling-a-ling and so she decided to take the plunge: New Cardom was calling. Her vehicular soul mate had to be fun, frisky, affordable and, above all, RELIABLE. After much soul searching and the development of a potentially common-law marriage between our foxy heroine and varous consumer report groups online, she chose an '03 MCS, built to specs. Despite a visit from the evil Cracked Window fairy, and her wicked step-sister, Cold Start, the Princess could not be happier with her decision. Of course, the Princess also has fabulous self esteem and isn't one to doubt herself, but she honestly believes that her choice was the right one. Yay for the princess. In fact, she is so pleased, she plans to keep the car until it dies or becomes a classic in need of garaging--whichever comes first. She also finds her tire's tread patterns quite suitable for squishing frogs.

 

"Cancelled my order .... but having second thoughts."

The way I count it is third thoughts:

First you wanted to buy it.
Second did not want to buy it.
Third you are thinking of buying it.

Keep us posted on your fourth thoughts. :smile:

Regards,
Red

 

Seriously Bad Apple, the later cars are really trouble free, and you would be surprised how easy it is to learn a stick, especially if you live in an area without a lot of traffic and hills.

You will enjoy this sort of car more IMHO.

Regards,
Red

 

Just to chime in here. Ordered my MCS last July. Picked her up Sept 9th. Drove her through the Winter from Hell here in NY state. Tons of snow and minus 15 degrees at times. She has 10,000 miles on her now. Only problem has been the sunroof rattle (easily fixed).
Without doubt the most fun car I have ever had and I have had a bunch.
Biggest problem is keeping the wife out of it.