I said the hifi was not worth 500 $

the stock system is not either, it's crap too

now if they put in GOOD speakers with the hifi setup, it may be worth it, but they dont, so that 500 $ goes a long way into some quality speakers

 

he's just jelous, most of us did not have new cars until we were out on our own and had to pay for them ourselves, ie not spoiled

my first car was a 200 $ 1978 ford LTD that had 2 blown shocks and would rock down the highway corner to corner, not a 28,000 $ mini cooper

my kids will also get beaters, although newer ones with at least airbags, probably an E36 those are pretty safe/solid cars

 

Thar be a wee troll that lives beneath this thread.

Promise to be a safe, responsible driver and the rest of us will contain our jealousy

 

I went with the sunroof & hifi. Skipped the xenons. Because:

I love the sun. Would buy a convertable if I could afford it. Sun is not a problem for me.

Hifi because I love music and I love my windows (and now roof) open. Don't mind the wind, but need the stereo to compensate for it. And it's easier to upgrade later.

Liked the xenons, but $500 for headlights was too much for me. Plus,I suspect it's one of those things that you'd never notice if you've never driven with them, but wouldn't want to go without if you have. I chose halogen bliss.

Personal preference, of course. Good luck!

 

here is mine with them both open

 

Surfblue DOES have a point--that is, you're likely to smush your first car(s). Please do yourself a favor and find a Car Control course of some sort--driver's education beyond HS driver's ed. BMWCCA has them in our area--check around for those in your area.

I've been driving for 40 years, and I learned stuff...

 

Thanks for making my point, kid. Those weren't negative comments, they were a blast of reality. I have been there and done that, and observed adult friends who bought into their kids claims that they "deserved it". NIce attempt at SPIN with the use of words like "eproblem" (SIC) and "negative comments". BTW, NICE GRAMMAR AND SPELLING. Grading your statement, you are awarded an 88 Toyota Tercel with 125k on the clock. Enjoy!



"Making teenagers depressed is like shooting fish in a barrel." - Bart Simpson

 

Hey, and don't think when I say BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT it only means on the adult end of the saga. ROLLED AND TOTALLED my first car when I was barely in the second year of ownership. It was not a new car, or an expensive car, but I did NOT pay for it. After that incident (entirely my fault) I WALKED until such time as I earned the money to buy a car for myself. I was thankful I was alive and I learned from it. Thankfully, only the car was totalled. I had a small cut on my thumb. IF I had not been wearing a seatbelt, the outcome might have been very negative.
So I speak from EXPERIENCE, ok?
Yeah, I know, I'm a dumb*sss. You, you know better. It won't happen to you. Don't bother coming back at me with that one.

As an adult, I put my foot down, and said, "You want it, you earn it, you buy it." It worked. I have watched tooooooo many adult friends make the error my parents did. Some have dead children to unfortunately prove me wrong. Others just had to see expensive cars totalled and/or wrecked.

"We make our own choices and pay our own dues."
Kris Kristofferson
"Drive safely. The life you save may be MINE." - James Dean (killed by a man who didn't SEE him coming in the setting sun)

 

Good grief. FWIW, I don't think a Mini is anywhere near the extreme, and it's not the like the loaded weapon I've seen some kids get in the form of a Porsche or Corvette. But weren't we talking about sunroofs?

 

Another LB with both opened.

 

thanks for the people like pastabatman , that talk about the the subject and dont try to preach... i understand that most accidents and fatalities are caused by teenage boys in highschool driving( my mother works for an insurance company) but i believe if u dont speed like a bat out of hell and appreciate what u r given, then u should be fine... but ill leave it to old and wise surfer dude to judge because he seems to know a lot(by the way check my spelling...think i did better this time )...

happy motoring to all and i will definantly drive with safety in my MCS

 

cruiz do us one favor and post pics of the MINI when you get it!
like you said as long as you drive safely and don't try to show off to your friends and you will do fine. pay attention and obey the law and it will be all good. sounds like you are doing good with not to make the car cost too much $ for your your parents sake and to me that shows a lot about you. i work for my local school system and i see teens driving much more expensive cars than what you want.

make sure to post some pictures!

by the way don't worry about your spelling i'm 31 and can't spell very well either. FWIW this is a MINI forum not a spelling forum

 

i will definantly post pics of the mini when i get it soul embrace... thaanks for the tips and advice of safety. there r also kids at my school driving BMWs and Hummers, so i dont think 24000 is stretching it too much when i want to keep the car till im through with college.

 

I agree. Whenever someone else is footing the bill, it never seems extravagant. Most the teenagers I know would be happy with a $2,000 used car. That they paid for themselves. They don't have parents going out and buying it for them. Get real.

 

So far I'm glad I ordered the sunroof. The weather here has turned gray, so the extra light is much appreciated on my part. In the direct sun I have no issues with excess heat as of yet. The sun screen also seems to work well for me .

 

Oh to be a member of the lucky sperm club .

 

I went with no sunroof. I prefer not having a sunroof, especially on a car like the MCS, to keep its structural integrity as rigid as possible. However, unless you plan to track or auto-x it, most won't care. I also skipped the hifi since it was just slightly better than the stock system not not $500 better. The xenons are a must though.

 

You could always go this route:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260150936466

 

Hilarious! The Wil E Coyote option!

 

I think if I were you I'd swap the S for an MC and load it up with everything you want. As a brand-new driver, especially one who doesn't plan to speed and does plan to drive safe, you don't really need the extra horsepower and the 3k or so you (er, your parents) will save will allow you to trick it up pretty good. Beleive me, I understand the pull of the S, but higher performance + faster generally equates to more dangerous, even in the hands of drivers with more experience than you. You can be flying in that thing and not even notice. (BTW I totalled 2 cars before I was 20, and I didn't drive like a maniac.....I was just inexperienced.)

Anyway, just something to think about. Again, good luck!

 

I have to say cruizplyr handled all you "experienced" posters quite well, typo's and text language aside. So YOU wrecked your car. That means he will? So you drove like an *** because you didn't pay for your car. So he will? Cruiz, what you are hearing is jealousy and the "everybody does it" psychology. Now, as to the sunroof, I got it and I love it. The MINI is plenty stiff. I don't have rattles and squeaks. I have had sunrooves in at least 6 cars. No problems with any. It's great to be able to let the light and air in. The only consideration is what you want. Unless you track, performance considerations regarding the sunroof are irrelevant and, putting it mildly, subtle.

 

The sunroof is great but i can do without it. Living in miami it's too hot for a sunroof and i barely use it and the car has more head room without it.

 

Please PROMISE US that you will leave your CELLFONE OFF and not use it while you are driving the car!
You did a LOT better on your spelling, BTW. After the fact, i realized that you threw that other post up fast, and I understand why. You have your entire life ahead of you, and if you are LUCKY enough to have parents who will buy you a 140mph car that goes 0-60 way fast (both features you do not need to get to school and your job, etc, but then who really does?) you should have a great life ahead of you. Drive safe. Sorry if I raked you over the coals.

 

LynEl, here's a cosmic revelation for you. Back in the first half of the 60's, no one had to push a 56 VW small window bug very hard on a two lane road to make it fly off the road. IF I had been driving a Mini Cooper, even an original from the early 60's, that accident would not have happened. Point is, I wasn't driving "like an ***"...those early bugs had a rear suspension that allowed the rear wheels to "tuck under" real easy under even moderate corniering situations. Many guys I knew belonged to the "VW Rollover Club" back in those days. BTW, the car was five hundred bucks worth of bug. That was, until I put a moded early Porsche engine/trans in it because a friends father had a wrecking yard and all but gave me that setup, thinking it would be amusing. It was, but unfortunately suspension and brakes were extremely lacking on that primitive little car. So now you know. The car suprised a lot of people while it lasted, though!!!

 

Nice story, but has nothing to do with cruizplyr's post. Nor the fact that people jumped all over him because his parents are buying him a cool car. If he had come in talking about disconnecting ABS or DSC, etc., I could see it....