Funny, he brought this up as part of his convincing argument.

 

ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssss

 

This is the middle that he wants us to agree on, but it's still hard to let go not having that smell and feel of leather.

 

I have heard that if one can find a good outfit to do the custom leather that it's much better.

So daffy, when are you making The Decision?

 

Leather - To hot during the summer and burns the legs you you have shorts on so go with the leather/cloth. You get the leather smell with out the burn.

Leather - To cold during the winter and does not warm up easily so go with the cloth/leather. You get the leather smell with the warmth of cloth.

S- Good gas mileage and fun to drive Go with it.

Non-S Good (slightly better less than 3%) gas mileage and fun to drive. Just not as fun as an S

 

I politely disagree with parts!! The leather gets a little hot, but it's not that bad - especially if you're taking care of the shade inside the car, seat material regardless...and the too cold!? Nope! Get the "toastie tushie" button (heated seats) and there'll be NO MINI-sicles! Honestly, even without the heated seats, i always thought the leather warmed up nicer than cloth. Sorry Schatzy!

 

It's fun reading everyone's input. Thanks for sharing, we really appreciate it. We both want to make each other happy but not go overboard with the features. Here's what we both agreed on so far:

Navigation system - this feature was not even open for discussion.
Cold weather package - we live in Minnesota so it's a must have.
Convenience package - we both want it.
17" wheels S-star - you guys can guess who wanted this one.
Auto Transmission - he prefers a manual but was fine with this, so who am I to argue.
Xenon headlights - we both want it.
Interior - leatherette seating, standard checkerboard and dark gray color lines if we go with S; for non S -English oak trim and cream color lines if we go with HC leather lounge, and chrome lines.
Exterior - PW/PW/Black

This is going to be our fun car and we plan to keep her for awhile, so is having more power makes more sense or having a nicer interior will be better in a long run? This is where we are stuck and we need to make a decision final with our MA by end of this week!

 

This is where it started, he test drove the S, what was he thinking!

 

MINI-sicles

I am glad to see you disagree politely. It's nice to see people being civil.

So we have given daffy two sides of the story and probably not helped in the decision making process but hey they asked.

well if it is going to be the FUN car then go for broke and get both. Better yet drop the NAV if it is the built in type and go for a Nuvi (a much better item and easier to use and upgrade) or something like that and use the money saved to get the extras you really want like the leather and the S.

 

2nd vote for Nuvi. Upgradeable, portable, probably easier to use (haven't tried the MINI NAV so can't truly say) and you'll save almost enough to get the S!!!

There - problem solved!

(mine for reference)

 

I could not agree more!! I think this is the way to go for you!!!

 

I second the notion of dropping the Nav option. You can get a really nice Garmin or TomTom for 25% of the price, and you can use it in any car, or just walking around. With the extra money, get the other goodies that really have to be built into the car to enjoy them...

 

Hubby already tried to sell me into the portable Navi option, but the Mini Navi is way more better for me. No need to worry about putting it away every time, plus Mini Navi offers a lot more than just give directions!

 

Just look at this interior...how can you not fall in love with this set up!

 

It looks nice all right, but I say go for the S! It is a blast! Actually, get the S with the leather.

 

Because you are driving in a fog bank?


I would also say go with the portable nuvi or other gps too. Unless you constantly get lost you won't be using it that often around town anyway. I have a nuvi and I really only use it for MP3 since my current car lacks that ability. The mapping function only comes in handy when I am going somewhere unfamiliar. $250-350 for a decent nuvi and kuda mount wins over a $2k option for me.

 

Like what? You mean the radio stuff? Is it really worth 2k?

 

Very nice! Why is the MINI logo on your portable Nav unit? Is it just wallpaper?

 

I would also drop the Nav, and the auto tranny, add the S and have money left over for a GPS, radar detector etc. In a MINI its not about where your going, but how you get there.

Think about it this way. If you don't get your leather are you really going to enjoy this car as much as you could have. Will you always be thinking what if. Now how about hubby, how is he going to feel without the S. Find something else you both are willing to drop that allows you both to get what you really want.

 

Here's my advice (I have an MCS manual with leather and 17" wheels): Get the MCS, skip the leather seats (you get sport seats standard with the MCS), skip the 17" wheels and get the 16" wheels (better ride with the runflat tires). While leather seats smell nice when new they are just surfaces to sit on after a month. If they look good with the interior they're just as good if they're leatherette or cloth or mixed leather/whatever. Just my opinion. The chocolate leather seats do look excellent, it's a new color for Minis, but if you can almost match the color with other than leather do it and get the S. I'm withholding comment on the Nav. I don't need one.

 

but the non-S auto is pretty peppy till you get to the really high
RPMs. And the S, while having more power, also runs out of lungs at the higher rpms.

Really, the best advice here is if you're going to finance, then look at the monthly delta. It may be smaller than you think. If you're not going to finance, there are some other alternatives...

The Mini nav comes with lifetime traffic updates (I think) but you CAN get portable systems that have real time traffic. And lots of other bells and wistles. Dropping this is most of your delta.

I'm not really sold on the Xenons. I have them on my 02, and we didn't buy them on our clubman. Yes, they are brighter, but the also have a more severe cut off between lit and unlit. I'm not really a fan of that. That saves you tons as well.

I'd pass on any Mini wheels that cost any money at all. They are heavy and expensive, and aftermarket wheels can be had for much less. Just wait till your stock tires are shot, then when you ditch the runflats, you can swap both at once.

Really, there are ways to have your cake and eat it too if you work on some of the existing options and have to stick within your current budget.

Matt

 

It's really on there - the original files are here
and there's even a mini icon for your direction of travel there too.

Just hook up the Nuvi to your Mac/PC and move them over.

 

I have a Non S Clubman automatic and I know if I had the S I would be spending more money on Mods. So I save money on gas and not much mods are out there.
So look at what it's going to cost you if you get the S.
Gary

 

Ginger? Is that you?

If not, this argument sounds strangely familiar!

 

I say S, but also get the chrome line (it makes the interior all pretty, if you like chrome, that it). Here's a pic of my interior. Checkboard, grey line, chrome, and leather seats. The checkboard design around the A/C controls is something I added (not standard). I would also get the anthricite headliner. I don't have it, but I wish I did!