I've been lurking on these boards for a solid 3 weeks or so, absorbing Mini talk like a sponge, and am ready to make the upgrade from the '97 Civic that I've had for all 7 years of my driving life. Test drove and loved it, and did all the appropriate research for specs. SO without further ado, any input you guys might have would be greatly appreciated.

MC
Lightning Blue / White Top
Chrome Line Interior & Exterior
Cold Weather & Premium Packages
Front Fog Lamps
HiFi Sound
Ipod Integration
Chrome Gas Cap
Bumper Protection (worth it?)

It's just my first real big purchase, and I figure if anyone's going to be able to say NO NO NO DON'T DO THAT or something to that effect, it's going to be you guys.

Thanks so much for your help in advance!!!
-Brian

P.S. I'll try to make this my one (and only) big newbie post.

 

looks like a good set up to me and also welcome to NAM!

he's one thing my MA told me since you are getting the sunroof also, if you want the sunroof to not stick out so bad go with the black roof. if that doesn't matter then go with the white. i was debating between the black roof and the body color roof on my lightning blue (great color btw), and i went with the black roof.

 

i would listen to the HIFI before purchasing. i just got my car on saturday and thought the regular radio would be total garbage, but it wasnt that bad. it lacked bass, but reviews here will tell you that the hifi isnt all that great.

the car has an AUX jack in case you didnt know, so the ipod integration might not be necc. but it is nice to be able to control it with the car buttons

basically you cant go wrong with what you have, i think premium package is the most important thing to get.

 

i agree double tilting sunroofs!!!! i won't own another car without a sunroof, i love sunroofs!!

 

You've shown some good discipline! I think you're going to love what you have there.

 

As the others have said, nice build and admiral restraint. I would consider the limited slip in place of the hifi. I replaced the speakers soon after arrival and got great clarity with aftermarket speakers for much less than the cost of the hifi upgrade. At $500 the LSD cannot be purchased and installed for less than $2000 after the fact. It will give you better traction in the wet and in snow if you're exposed to either. Makes the car more controlled. My ipod is just patched thru the aux plug as others have noted. All I lose is charging and car controls. No biggy for me.

Whatever you decide, you'll end up with a great car. All we do with any of these add-ons is pretty much just tarting up a really fine little car. Enjoy.

 

I'm with everyone about nixing the ipod integration. Ridiculous amount of money...I spent less than $20 to be able to plug into the aux and I don't miss the "integration" at all. If I go on a trip where I want to power my ipod, i'll just get a thingy that plugs into the cig lighter, viola!!

Congrats on your car...looking forward to hearing how you like it. I know I am absolutely LOVING mine!

 

I would agree about the iPod adapter. Even without going to an aux input, you can buy the parts and do it yourself, or if you're not particularly handy, have someone put it in for around $75. The dealership will charge a lot more for the installation.

 

Awesome! Thanks for all the input guys. Loud and clear on the Ipod integration, nix on that.

And yeah Mgibrace, think I'm gonna take that savings to invest in the LSD. Hadn't even thought about that.

I really kinda wanted to get the white alloy wheels but I think it's more cleaning than I kind of wanted to worry about. Would that be right? Brake dust and such?

-Brian

 

You're getting a MC not an MCS right? Factory LSD is not available on the MC, but DSC is. Different functions. I'm a big fan of visibility and opted for Xenons on my '06 MC. Color is probably the most personal and the $450 is pretty miniscule but the Oxygen Blue is non metallic.

Good conservative build. My new (just dreaming) MC build is nearly $26,000.

 

Actually I was just inspecting the Mini website trying to unconfuse myself on that one.
So yeah. DSC worth it as well? Too assist-y?
-Brian

 

There has been a report from someone who had the iPod Integration installed after delivery that the sound is much better than when using the AUX port. I'm using the AUX port with a Griffin TuneFlex AUX Flexible Charging Cradle for the iPod. Haven't heard an integrated version to compare.

It doesn't sound like you are getting the Multi-function Steering Wheel, so that part of the iPod Int. would be lost on you. The MFSW has volume and track buttons that will skip forward or back with an iPod, or change stations with radio. MFSW also has cruise control.

I question how useful LSD is on an MC. I think it necessary on an MCS, but not so sure on an MC. You will have ASC to help prevent wheel spin in bad weather. I would say DSC is an excellent safety feature, if you can afford it. It can save your butt if the car starts to slide.

The MINI does create a lot of brake dust. So, white wheels would be something for a detailing fanatic.

Chromeline interior is not a great idea, IMO. It can cause reflections in windows and side mirrors (as has been reported here) and can send a glint of sunlight in your eyes when you are not expecting it. I've always considered it best to minimize the shiny stuff on the dash.

I got the HIFI upgrade and think it was worthwhile. Even if I upgrade speakers, with the HIFI I have more amps to work with. If you have the base raido you would probably need to add amps with the new speakers.

The rear bumper protection is just a vinly piece that attaches to the top of the bumper. It might be useful if you have a dog that will be jumping in the boot. Otherwise, I don't think it is worthwhile. You can always add it later.

If you have fog in your area, the rear fog lamps are a good idea as well. Might keep someone from rear-ending you.

 

Sorry for the wrong info about the lsd. Missed your MC. DSC is not a bad thing to have. Again, more control in nasty conditions

 

DSC on the MINI doesn't seem to be intrusive at all. I've done some quite spirited driving on California backroads and it hasn't gotten in my way at all. It may have saved me once or twice, but I couldn't tell whether it came on or not -- wasn't watching the dash.

 

Robin, MFSW is in the premium package, so I will have that. Don't know what I would do without cruise control

Ditched the chrome interior, good point about reflections. They bug me and I don't ever wear sunglasses.

Think I'm set otherwise.
Thanks again for all the help! I'm sure I'll get a couple posts in on my week of production's thread
-Brian

 

I added DSC as well to mine, it only has to work once to be worth the money. Some insurances will give you a small rate discount too.
DSC can be disabled with a flip of the switch. I toggle it off when I need to turn onto a fast traffic road or at stop lights where I'm sitting on sandy or pebbly surfaces in pole position and want to gas it to be first to the the on ramp.

 

Why do you turn it off in those situations? Have you had it actually interfere with what you were trying to do? Or, is this based on theory?

I would think that a fast traffic road is precisely where you would want to have DSC on.

The sandy/pebbly surface issue sounds more like ASC than DSC.

 

Another question: I put the order in last night (!!!!) but in the process brought up a slight issue. Chrome gas cap needs 1.5 hours of labor to put in? Is that right? Raised the price from the website's $114 to $327. Granted, I have plenty of time to think about it, but is that markup standard?
-Brian

 

Sounds like a great car

Regarding the HIFI upgrade- I would think for those people that love audio (myself included) that you would want to go with the HIFI upgrade because correct me if I’m wrong but wouldn’t you have 10 speakers to replace or 10 speaker cubby holes to use when you chose to upgrade your speaker system instead of 6? That would be my guess.

 

If it is a dealer install accessory, yea, they often charge $100 to $150 per hour for installation. I can't say that a chrome gas cap seems worth $327 to me.

 

Some of those "speakers" are just tweeters. The speaker cutouts are the same for the standard radio and HIFI.

The HIFI upgrade does give you more amps and (from reading the post about swapping speakers) it seems easier to just swap speakers with the HIFI upgrade. With the standard radio you probably need to add your own amps. This requires taking the center console apart to get at the back of the radio to make the wiring connections.

 

Ordered a Mini on Wednesday. Options: fog lights and convenience package. Color: nightfire red. ETA: late Sep-early Oct.

The long wait begins.

 

Zorg ma man! Welcome to the July 25th order club, population: 2. My mini rep got me the last expedited slot for week...32 I think it was, haven't pulled up the details on the Mini site yet. 4-5 weeks = pretty freaking sweet. The excitement is mounting.
-Brian

 

Apparently, I'm week 33. Hmm, might come in faster than originally thought.