I did it yesterday afternoon at Mini Southbay. But heres the problem. Like most people, I have a budget. I wanted the S but when building the car it was fairly basic. When I went to the dealership, I could only drive the MC auto as they had no S auto. So I drive the base auto and people say this is very "peppy". You know when you test drive a car and there is a lot of traffic, your unfamilar with the car etc, the test drive is generally an odd experience in my opinion and its difficult to really get a feel for the car after 15 minutes or so. However, my first thought on the base auto is that it was somewhat underpowered but again difficult to tell. I am not going to race, I am in lots of traffic so I said to myself this is fine and besides and can get leather seats, sport package, comfort access, etc for around the same price as the S. It then occured to me to hit the sport button and I asked the MA (Amanda) very nice by the way if I can use it or push it at anytime and she said yes. What a difference. This made the decision even harder because I could keep the sport on all the time and maybe I would like this better and it would make my decision in buying the base less of a compromise. This morning, I want to change all the paper work and get the S. Am I crazy and have other people felt this way. I have approx. 2 weeks to decide. The leather, comfort access, etc is nice though.

 

First off - Congrats on the order!!!! I don't think you're crazy at all. I didn't really ever consider the base Cooper b/c I wanted a little more power just for the fun factor. I'd rather get a simpler car than one loaded that is not as fast as I'd like, plus the brakes are soooo much better! Also, think about comfort access - how hard is it to put the key in the slot and push the start button? The leatherette seats are very comfortable; of course, leather is always nicer but too pricey for my taste. I don't think you will regret your decision at all.

Good luck!

 

I was planning on getting the MC then I test drove the MCS. I almost wish I didn't 'cause I would have saved myself some money. But it was just way too much fun. There was a twisty road near by where they do the road tests I think the speed limit was 30mph but before I knew it I was doing 80. I'm surprised the dealer didn't tell me to slow down. After thinking for a while about which one I should get I realized that if I get the MC I might regret not getting the MCS but probably would not be the other way around.

 

If you're value conscious, I think the base models are much better values. So I'd recommend a S without all the overpriced bells and whistles. But that's just my take.

- Mark

 

That probably answers your question. Compared to the MCS, yes the Cooper is underpowered (always will be), but then that's a very Mini-thing, really. Folks who get off on Coopers tend to like rowing the gears to use the power that is available and they like the ability to achieve higher mpg. If power is a factor that enters into the equation, just get an MCS.

 

Howdy Amazon. We ordered yesterday, too. Drove the MC first, it was nice and peppy. Even hit the sport button. Drove the MCS, before I shifted into 3rd I was convinced. I waited until on the way back to hit the sport button on the S. WOW!
There was a roundabout we went thru each time. On the way back you just breeze in and take the first right out. BLAH. I turned the 90 into a 270 degree turn (once around) and accelerated most of the way. MINIs are glued to the road!
Go with the S. You'll never regret it.

BTW. Week 20 build for you, too?

 

Well, if you're crazy, I'm crazy. I went through the exact same thing. I flip-flopped several times during that period of time when I could still change my mind. Cooper with lots of stuff .. or a very basic S. Ultimately, my decision was to go with the S. The decision was easy after asking myself why I was buying this car instead of keeping my very excellent Prius. The answer centered around the fun factor. So .. Which model? Well, the Cooper is fun to drive but the S is even more fun to drive. On realizing that I'm buying one of these cars for the joy and excitement of driving, it became obvious that the S was definitely the way to go.

As it turns out the S is VERY nice inside even even with no interior upgrade options.

I don't ever find myself looking back and wishing my car had the leather seats and other cool options. But I'm absolutely certain I would always be wondering if I made the right decision had I gone with that car that has the the 112 hp engine.

 

MCs are not underpowered. They have plenty of power for everyday driving and then some. With an S maybe once a week, or once a month, you would really have a reason to wind the thing out enough that having a turbo-charger mattered. But with leather seats, and comfort access, and the sport package - that's something that will matter every day. It goes both ways - I went for a stripped S and everyday I wonder if an MC would have been more than enough for me.

 

I was ready to change to the S until lava made sense too. Back to the debate.

 

If you do mostly urban driving and don't track your car then MC with manual or auto transmission is fine and a very good value. Get the upgrades you want.

If you do like alot more power and your first impression is that the MC with sport button on, is "anemic", then bypass the MC and go straight to the MCS with manual transmission (learn manual if needed) with LSD option and Sport suspension plus. Forget the sunroof and 17" wheels to save some weight/ expense.

For city driving the MC will work just fine and give you the look and feel of a MINI. You have some power and it's fun to drive but you also have good mpg which is a big plus as gas prices rise (you'll be smiling not cringing for many years).

If you do get an MC stick to the lighter 15" wheels if possible or switch to lighter weight rims and non runflat sticky tires. Performance will be plenty good. If you get sport suspension option that will stiffen the ride but allow for more performance handling.

 

That's what I did. Great minds think alike. ;^)

 

I thought about my order for 3 weeks now and now I think I ordered too much crap. I would have been happy with just the cold weather package and premium package + arm rest and bluetooth, sport suspension.

Leather looks nice but is that really a necessity? The same with comfort access, I didn't really want it but it was a little extra to get it after I had already decided on the arm rest and bluetooth. And the sports package on the MCS just ads the xenons (not sure what those have to do with sport) and bigger wheels so you can skip the package and if you want bigger wheels just pay $600 for them. On the MC you don't even get the xenons with the sports package.

I've already started saving up for my future car and if that's going to be a MINI as well it will be way more stripped down.

 

You're certainly right about the sports package. Although most of that package is standard on the S, the DSC is important. I took the DSC as an option. My prius had the comfort access. You're right, it's nice. I'm still having trouble remembering to take the fob out of my pocket when I enter my new car (but then again, it took a year with my Prius to remember to leave my keys in my pocket). Most of my Saabs had leather. I really like leather. But quite frankly these non-leather sport seats (standard in the S) don't feel to me any different than the leather did.

 

I opted for the checkered cloth seats. They are very nice, stay cool in the sun and are priced right ($0). I stuck with the regular (non-Xenon) headlights too and put the money I saved toward HiFi audio + iPod interface (which I'll enjoy more). I mean, headlights are headlights, right? Besides, I resent cars with blindingly bright headlights when they are coming at me, so I don't want to be one of those guys.

 

I never really considered the MC as I prioritize the extra power over fuel economy. I certainly wouldn't have minded the comfort access option, ipod interface, and lounge leather, but those would have broken the bank. I'm not typically a fan of leather but the lounge leather is NICE...though the price on checkered cloth is certainly right. I'm coming from a car without power steering or any of that fanciness, so even a relatively basic MCS will be more than adequate for me.

 

We first drove the MCS manual, then the MC auto. While the MC did have enough power (really, it did, esp for town driving), acceleration with the MCS was effortless by comparison.

I went with the MCS and fewer options (LiB/W, white turn signals, white wheels, cloth seats, cold weather package, DSC, fog lamps, rain sensor and auto headlamps, auto, chrome line interior, sport wheel, pacific blue colorline, piano black, checkered mirror caps) to keep the cost closer to $25K than $30K (actual cost $26K).

I get to pick it up in 4 days and 53 minutes as of this posting....

 

Like minihune said, think hard about how you are planning to use this car and what will provide you with the most utility.
Do you have a long and/or traffic-riddled commute? The MC will cruise at brisk freeway speeds all day and if you're sitting bumper to bumper, maybe the MCS's extra power isn't that important to you and an auto-equipped MC will prove more practical. There MC also gets margianlly better gas mileage.

Are you looking for straight-ahead speed or all-out handling? If the former is more important, go straight for the S but if you want a tossable performer, the MC with a sport suspension, small wheels, and summer tires will prove quite capable. More importantly, are you willing to spend extra cash for increased speed and handling limits? The rate of return diminishes significantly on the latter, especially if you just want a commuter/city car.

Lastly, contemplate leaving out options even if you are getting the MC. Is leather worth $1900 to you or would you rather get the more ordinary but free and easy to maintain leatherette? Is the admission price of xenons, comfort access, etc really worth the utility provided? If you figure out what you need the car to do, the trims/options will fall into place much easier. Good luck and remember, whatever you choose, you can't really go wrong!

 

Worth considering:

MC manual .... ~ 37 mpg

MC auto ........ ~ 33 mpg

MCS manual .. ~ 33 mpg

MCS auto ...... ~ 29 mpg

 

I don't believe you ordered.

You can have fun with an MC and it will give you better gas mileage. However, if you lust for power, get the MCS. Whichever way you go, you will have something to regret. Either regret not getting an S when you want to puch it. Or, regret getting an S when fill it up with $4/gal gas. You can't win either way. Just give up.

 

I own an MC so I'm biased, I think it comes down to your driving situation, I drive in everyday, mostly city situations, so the MC was the logical choice. I never race or go to any track events ect... If you do or if you love to just get in the car and drive than get a more basic MCS Just my opinion

 

if you are even thinking about the S now you will want one later. trust me on this one. only thing is once you get the MC it will be too late to get the S. there is still time to get the S. take it from me, sure, options are nice, but they are just that options (extras). nothing beats the feeling of driving the S in my opinion. also i had a 2004 cooper S with no options at all and a 2005 cooper fully loaded. i thought the same thing as you, "well the cooper is fast enough and i can afford all these cool options on a cooper". well i regreted my decision to get the cooper. ended up selling it and 2 cars later i have an S again. i should have stayed with the S all along. trust me the best option you can get for you MC is the turbo.

 

You know yourself better than the rest of us of course, so do what you need to do, but as far as I am concerned, the performance was my number one reason for choosing a Mini over other commuter cars...and now already I need more power. As soon as I hear enough good things about an aftermarket exhaust that boosts power a bit, I'll be doing that too.

- R