Hey all! It's my first post, and I'm looking to place an order in the next week. I've been lurking, trying to figure out the best set of reasonable options for the ubiquitous SS/B with redwood red interior. I know it's something of a fad, but it's just too damned pretty of a car to pass up (the sample of the redwood red interior absolutely sealed the deal).

I want to check my options list to make sure I'm not missing anything silly. I know people have strongly recommended anthracite headliner, chrome line interior (which I *really* like in the '07 Mini interior), and to stick with the default Piano Black color line. Is there anything else that I'm missing / shouldn't purchase without? I'm intentionally leaving off the redwood steering wheel -- I don't think I need to spend $400 for that tiny strip of red leather around the wheel, honestly.

Thanks in advance for the help!

-- Charles




paint
Black Roof/Mirrors $0
Sparkling Silver Body Color $450
Black Bonnet Stripes (pkg)

package
Sport Package $1,400
Dynamic Stability Control
Rear Spoiler
16" 5-Stars (Performance Run Flats)
Front Fog Lamps
Sport Seats
16" 5-Star Blaster (Performance)
All Season Tires

performance
Xenon Headlamps w/Power Wash $550
Rear Fog Lamp $100
6-Speed Auto w/Agitronic Mode $1,350

cockpit
Chrome Line Interior $200
Automatic AC $300
On-Board Computer STD
6-spkr AM/FM CD Player STD
Center Arm Rest $200
Anthracite Headliner $200
Leather: Lounge Redwood Red $1,900
Dark Grey Color Line INC
Interior Surface Piano Black INC
Leather Sport Wheel w/Multifunction $350
Interior Surface Piano Black $200

accessory**
Shift **** - Redwood Red (installation not incl.) $53
E-Brake Handle - Redwood Red (installation not incl.) $49
Mud Flaps front and rear axle (installation not incl.) $62
Black Carpet Floor Mats (4) (installation not incl.) $95

 

Lightning Blue is the current fad. The Sparkling Silver fad is over.

Piano Black is not the default. You pay extra for it. The default is the aluminum with a check pattern on it. Piano Black scratches pretty easily. I think if I had it to do over again I might go for English Oak. Or maybe not.

The dark headliner is nice. I didn't get the chrome line interior and don't miss it.

The Sport Package comes with 17" Crown Spokes with Performance Run Flats. Are you specifically ordering 16"?

All season tires are for use with snow. Summer performance tires do fine in the rain and handle better.

If you are not getting Bluetooth Integration, make sure you really want this arm rest. I'd rip mine out if it weren't wired into the Bluetooth system.

You may want to install them yourself. Dealers tend to charge too much for this installation.

I like the Park Distance Control because visibily out the back is not great. However, I have the NAV and the PDC graphic is a very cool part of this option.

I'd also recommend heated seats. They are very nice. Didn't think I'd need them in California, but they are actually rather useful.

The auto-dimming rear view mirror seems to work well. Nice not to have to think about it.

I got talked into the NAV by a friend and I'm really glad I got it. Ties a lot of other features together, navigation works great, traffic info guided me around a number of traffic jams at rush hour in San Jose (Silicon Valley), and it looks much better than the big speedo.

 

But it is the default once you select redwood. Has anybody paired the oak with the red leather? I'm not sure what I think about how that would work -- depends on how the brown in the wood plays with the red.

IIRC, the 16" are required if you're going with all-season tires, which, to respond to another point below, is because I will be dealing with pretty heavy snow (northern Indiana). Am I mis-remembering that?

Really? Why so? I just figured a car would be miserable without a center console arm rest on a long trip.

How much trouble is it to order the parts from the dealer and install yourself?

Thanks! All good input, particularly about the PDC and heated seats, neither of which I'd really considered.

 

Seems very nicely finished. Many have spoken of the need for LSD(limited slip differential) and I would support the opinion. My MCS isn't here yet, but LSD is part of my car.

 

I thought LSD was not available with the Auto Trans. or I would have recommended it as well.

 

Correct. And I'm going with the auto because (a) I'm a pansy that doesn't know how to drive a manual, and (b) I'll be spending lots of time in Chicago traffic.

 

Auto trans. have gotten much better in recent years. In some cars, the 0-60 is faster with an auto.

 

Correct, Auto and LSD do not go together.

Its a shame but i am sure there is a technical reason for it. I am getting auto but am not a pansy just driven a standard for the last 14 years, and i want to be lazy while driving

 

I'm near Chicago too, and if northern Indiana gets as cold as Chicago does, def get the heated seats. They help a lot and the cold weather package is only $300 bucks, which I think is a great price.

 

"All season tires are for use with snow."

Actually all season tires are worthless for snow. If you live where there's snow, you'll need snow tires.

 

Since good summer tires do well in rain (see The Tire Rack for more info) I guess All Season Tires are just a bad compromise.

 

All season tires usually cost less and have much better treadwear for the cheap people like me. My current car (Mitsubishi) originally came with performance tires with UTQG treadwear grade of 200. I drove mainly freeway but still wore them out in less than 20000 miles. At the time, if I was to buy back the OEM tires, it would cost $160+ per tire. I switched to all season tires (less than $100 each) with UTQG treadwear grade of 700, and 80000 more miles later, they still have a lot left in them!

As for heat seats, they are really nice if you drive a lot. I have long commute and sit in traffic a lot. As a result, I develop lower back pain and heated seat acts like a heating pad for the lower back.

 

In my opinion the Nav unit takes too much away from the classic mini look. It's way expensive and I do the same thing with my $275 Garmin Street Pilot.

Jim

 

I'll never get the heated seat thing. My Wife loves it during the winter time, while I love the winter as the seats are finally cold enough to keep me from sweating profusely while I drive.

I guess it all depends on the individual.

As flimsy as the armrest is, and lack of space it provides, I find it is in the perfect position for me to rest my elbow on while I am shifting. That said, I am 6'4" tall and wonder why the armrest would fit me so well. Most things in a car are designed around a person 5'8" tall.

Seems people in cooler climates like the interior to be as dark as possible. Just noting that. I cannot fathom another reason for it.

I prefer a portable navigation sytem as opposed to one built in. It is nice to be able to remove the unit, plug it into your home computer and program a trip, setting all the waypoints you want for fuel, food, restrooms, sites of interest, and so on. Besides, I already had a Garmin StreetPilot III. It also means only one subscription to maintain the database. Instead of one for the Lexus and one for Romi.

 

I had an armrest installed by the dealer, but it wasn't the factory armrest. The one we have has slightly more room and is much more solid than the factory oness I've seen in the other cars I had test-driven. You might want to ask your dealer if they have any they can install (the price was the same as the factory one, even after haveing them install it ).

 

In regards to the anthracite headliner......when talking to it with my MA, he advised that most people who get black roofs get it while those with white roofs usually stay standard. My MCS has a white roof and I was looking at getting anthracite because I was I got the rooster red interior along with piano black and thought it would coordinate. On the other hand I also thought it would make my interior very dark and small looking. I live in Florida and after talking to my MA I steered away from the anthracite. I think my car will feel a bit more spacious without it. Sounds like you've pretty much gotten your build down but once you go to your dealer take a peek at some of the options on showroom models. Sometimes this helps you to make your decision. Good Luck!