Ok you guys. im a current MINI Cooper owner. Im looking at selling my baby hopefuly soon and ordering a brand spanking new Cooper. These are the options I had in mind. I was wondering if there was any comments or concerns on them for ive never owned a convertible, let alone an S but did test drive one and loved it.

Ohhh, also other things to note, ive owned my Cooper for a year. Im the second owner, I bought it from the original in mind 05 while the car had 10K miles on it so I never got to do any of the programing features that I hear people talking about so if there is anything I should know about that, I would love to be filled in cause i hear people talking about programming the roof and other options but I just figured stuff like that was standard.

Other slight things to touch on would be Mods verse none convertible MCS, performance and handling. I already know im not getting a 13 second 1/4 car so the 0-60 from 6.8 seconds to 7 seconds or whatever is not really a huge deal.

My 2006 MINI Cooper S Convertible

Paint:
Chili Red Body Color
White Mirrors
White Stripes

package:
Cold Weather Package
Convenience Package
Premium Package
Sport Package

performance:
Sport Suspension
Limited Slip Differential
White Alloy Wheels
White Mirrors
Rear Fog Lamp
6-Speed Getrag Manual

cockpit:
Sport Seats
Leatherette: Gray w/Black Door
Int. Surface Alloy Patina
Park Distance Control
Computer Nav. System
On-Board Computer

accessory:
iPod adaptor

TOTAL COMBINED $31,899

 

sounds like ya got a nice little package ordered. I got my 2006 MCSC in Feb 2006. My dealer kinda blew me off when I aksed about programming stuff, so I got it as it came (all seems OK though) . I was on the fence about the ipod and nav system, ended up getting both, and really glad I did. Just wish I could read my song titles off the head unit. Hope enjoy yours as much as I do mine

 

Holy impressive Prelude! That is going to be one HOT MINI when you get her!

(Luckily you'll be able to go topless! )

 

I dont know what you really want but IMHO that is a lot of money and its not even the JCW version. At $32K your approaching the region for 3 or 4K more, for example, you can probably get an 05 Elise ... totally different world. I guess it depends upon what your looking for

Best of luck!!! and you got the right color

 

well, am I missing something? Cause I put those options on MINIUSA.com and thats what it comes out to be. I mean, were not paying under MSRP are we? I wish we could pay @ dealer invoice

I would love to through the JCW in there but its $6300. Again, ive never ordered a brand new car so im new to the game and the dealer game, am I missing some info here?

 

No, you've got everything right. $32k isnt bad for a car like that, and it's a lot more practical than an Elise.

Good color choice as well.

 

ok sweet! Sense this is going to my 1st brand brand new car, any suggestions? things to ask for, things to demand and watch out for? I hear how people get jack rapped by the dealers :impatient , I hate to join that club, Club NAM is good enough for me

 

Your car seems very similar to Maggie except that I went as far with JCW as I could on a Cabrio (no JCW suspension avail for Cabrio). I don't regret any option and really love the convertible and the NAV, now that warm weather is here and I managed to upgrade to v27 and 2006-2 on the NAV.

What I love most is the JCW - but that is a big investment on top of where you are at. The sound of the exhaust is better than any stereo, the engine makes the car literally "point and shoot" for anywhere I want to be on the road, and the brakes are among the best I have experienced. However, you are not sacrificing much oomph with the MCS alone - and I VERY seldom push the JCW to anywhere near its limits.

Good luck with it !!!

Bill

 

so once i order and have this car baby infront of me, should I just ask for the upgrade? will it be on the car? Do I have to pay?

 

You can have your dealer fit the JCW kit later as a dealer option - price should be about the same (not sure about incremental labor though) - so try the car out and decide whether it is enough performance for you before paying huge sums for the extra 30 or 40 more hp plus bling.

There are more JCW things you can throw on your car every week. The latest is a leather dash... sheesh... The basic "gotta have" stuff included the engine tuning kit, CAI, exhaust, brakes (those four are in the basic kit), suspension (not in cabrios), strut brace (you can install yourself easily), door sills (bling - though they have new illuminated ones I think), 18" wheels (two types - star pattern is my favorite), etc., etc.

My car ended up in the upper $40s with all the JCW stuff I crammed on it (plus some other things not in your kit - like burglar alarm). You gotta be careful because you end up creating a unique car with "unique resale value" - these "over the top" jobs are harder to pull your value out of quickly if you need to sell it.

The one thing I would DEFINATELY add is the Chili Red dash - I gotta say with a Cabrio that look is a killer as it wraps the outside and the inside together just perfectly.

B

 

You configuration is almost identical to my chili red 05 MCSC so I must say excellent choices

I don't have LSD (cause it wasn't available when I ordered ) & I didn't get the NAV system only because i liked the look of the big speedo in the center of the dash & wasn't willing to give it up

 

ahh silly me, by upgrade, i meant the Nav upgrade

 

Ah OK - sorry....

My dealer promised to upgrade the firmware and to provide me a new 2006 map disk as soon as they could - but I am still waiting. The firmware is something that they can do in a few minutes - just flashing the memory with the latest v27 disk - but my SA said that he doesn't have it available yet. They also seem to have no 2006-2 NAVTEQ disks in stock either.

So here is what I did...

Somewhere in the "navagation and audio" forum is a post from someone who can link you to the v27 firmware upgrade. You just need to unpack it, burn it to a CD, and then load it into the Nav computer (per his instructions) until the software gets updated. The v27 is a MAJOR upgrade and a MUST-HAVE. Not only does it do away with the startup warning screen (wait 10 sec and it goes away without pressing "accept") but it gives you a 3-D perspective mode for the map in which you look down on a "perspective world" with horizon, clouds, the whole shebang.

Regarding the map disk, I must admit to a bit of larceny there - a thread in that same forum concerned downloading the 2006-2 map disk from a shady internet source (that post has been locked and scrubbed). However, before it went away I sourced the file - for experimentation purposes only - and burned it to a DVD. Wonderful upgrade - and some new features are now available when used with the v27 firmware. I have also heard that someone on eBay is actually selling the combination of the v27 firmware and the 2006-2 map disk as a package.

The "honest" source for the map disk - if your dealer doesn't come through (and I would press them on this if they promised) is to order the BMW/MINI 2006-2 disk from NAVTEQ directly. It retails for around $200.

Hope this helps -

Bill

 

that does indeed help a bunch and a half so thank you

Here is another question, im knew to the Nav scene so I dont know how much functionality these guys have but is it possible to make them do more then their intended? Like make nav screen also into a DVD player screen or somebody in their basement creates updates that do X things that MINI never did

 

Yes indeed....

One of the best things you can do for your cabrio is to install the rear-mounted camera. It is a stock MINI part but not available in the US (only Europe and Canada) - but can be ordered from MINI suppliers in the UK. It basically introduces a video switch in the line to the NAV and when you put the car in reverse gives you a great view out the back of the car on the NAV screen (there is also a front camera available - but that is mainly useful in Europe for the very tight narrow city streets that you need to maneuver).

People and companies have taken this concept much further by offering video switches that replace the one that comes with the camera to provide auxiliary video inputs for DVD and game players. There are a handful of such switches on the market and the wiring is not too tough.

The guy on this forum owning The MINITOR has such an extreme video system.

Here are some sites to give more background on the camera install -

http://www.motoringfile.com/files/rear_camera.pdf
http://www.motoringfile.com/2005/03/..._camera_review
http://motoringfile.com/2005/06/30/mini_video_input/

And here is information about where to get video switches and the backup camera -

http://www.gnetcanada.com/navvideo-m...t=GNET_RGB_BMW
https://www.newministuff.com/new/sho...uctshow&id=230

You will also find a lot of threads on the above by looking back in the "Nav and audio" forum here - and over on the MINI2 forum in comparable areas. The installation in a cabrio of the backup camera is a little tougher I understand - but many have done it.

I want to get the camera and complex switch done some day soon myself.

Bill

 

oohh man, thanks a bunch again, I was just scrolling through the Nav section of the site and saw a few threads and MINITOR's setup is what I would love to have and rea camera is a must!!!

Im more of a gadget freak, the more stuff i can have like that, the happier, screw Engine mods! give me a cyborg neck pluggin into my MINI!

 

Great color choice!

You don't see too many Cabrios with white wheels/mirrors/stripes! I would look into the body colored dash. I know it's just for show but it looks FANTASTIC. I have it on my Cool Blue cabrio along with the interior chrome package and it just makes my day every time I am driving it (especially with the top down)

Erik

 

i had also thought of the color dash but i didnt wanna ricy look to the car, i guess during my High School years, I had seen a ton of kids just painting their dashes and thought it was so cool, made me wanna puke.

so that thought has stuck with me. would love to see it in person

 

The point is simple ... sounds like you've ordered about every option that exists (e.g., all 4 packages). If you want a loaded car, thats cool. However, and I know your probably not going to want to hear this but ... sooner or later, you will be wanting to get rid of this new car your ordering And then its going to be very difficult to get anywhere near to close to what you will be expecting for it because all those options dont change the fact its still a $24K car turned $32K by options.

Just something to think about. Those fancy mirrors that change with the light might seem like a great idea now but when you go to sell them, they won't be worth squat.

That is my only point

Jersey Bill sounds like he got himself almost a $50K MINI. Wow. without any mods no less. For that much money your talking a C6, 2006 elise, a M Roadster stripped sells for $50K! Thats some pretty tough country at resale time

Best of luck!

 

I am very happy with my loaded 05 MCS Cabrio, $30650

the only option I choose not to have was the Nav, love the big speedo.

Hope you will enjoy your car as much as we enjoy ours.

Victor

 

With tax it exceeded $50, yes..... And I did compare it against all those cars (and the Boxter) and decided that a full bore JCW MINI would bring me a lot more happiness (and practicality) than the alternatives.

Personally, I run cars until they turn to dust (or achieve some fatal flaw that makes them a terminal case) so I plan long and hard each time I buy and tend to get something loaded enough to enjoy over a very long time. Only once did I ever sell a car sooner than 8 to 12 years - a Saturn sedan (boy, what a mistake but I liked the fact they supported cycling). I wanted a MINI from the time they appeared and have been long planning for Maggie.... Thus, I realize I would be in a world of hurt if I had to resell - but I really don't plan to (and now that I have Maggie, I REALLY don't plan to !!!!)

Bill

 

I don't think that the body-color dash is what you are thinking of - it is REALLY well done across the dash and the big door ovals. When the top is down and you look inside, it is like the outside color just flows into and through the car - such a cool appearance. Not cheap or ricey looking at all but I think pretty classy.

There are a lot of interior photos floating around in the forum or on the NAM section of Flickr. Check it out - for the price ($200?) it is well worth the appearance. I chose to go with the chrome interior too - which REALLY looks great against the body color inside....

B

 

lol, crossing over to the $33k line

 

Then your case is different and I applaud you. Most ppl do not have the patience to do that. Instead, they just take the big depreciation hit the first 2 - 3 years and tradein.!

Illegalprelude ... from the CNET review thread, this is exactly what I mean and its coming from the car reviewer.

The total price, with these and other options, was $27,950--venturing into pricey for a small-engine coupe.

 

no, I fully understand where your coming from. The thing for me is that im going to be paying off the car the 1st day. No payments and such. I have superb credit for almost being 21 (750+) but I hold only a part time job with school and such so for me, the idea of adding another 5-10k is out of the option. Other wise, I would love an M Roadster (I love the Z4's) or hell an M3, my ultimate dream car (minus Ferrari, Lambo, 911 etc. ) but yea, im looking to be paying the car right off the bat so other price ranges just means waiting longer to save more money