If you put yoursefl in that situation, you have no one to blame but yourself. I rode a motorcycle for over a million miles without any accidents at all. Never had to put the bike down.

And there are many ways to avoid an accident. It does not always boil down to going faster. Both cars are more capable of avoiding accidents with simple manuevers that other cars would struggle to do.

No, I am keeping it for 10 years. Dunno why that would invoke a rolly eyed smiley though. Granted, most people would not keep a car that long. Not to long ago, I would fit into that group as well, but retirement is looming.

 

I believe the whole safety aspect of MC vs MCS is a moot point since safety is affected more on driving habits. The old motorcycle riders' saying, "ride like you are invisible to other drivers" has alot of meaning....

and so does, "keep the rubber side down"

 

I had two '06 Mazda 3's before my Minis...
Mazda has grossly inflated their HP figures.
I had the 2L 4-door that was rated at 150 horses; a stock same year Cooper could spank it. It had a lousy suspension and ran on cheap Proxes tires.
Then I got the 2.3L 5-door; it was zippier with it's claimed 160 horses but our '06 MCSa would spank it as well. And it felt so sloppy in the twisties compared to the Mini.
I started to really hate that Mazda... ...finally traded it for the R56.

Now a Speed-3 would be another story.

 

I originally bought a 2003 MC that was fully loaded with the options available at the time except for cold weather. I drove that for 3 years and racked up about 65,000 miles. It was slightly modded--HSports, Moss HAI, Remus Exhaust, SS brake lines, Caliper Stiffeners, Super Blue brake fluid, MTH, Whalen, and Cooper S gas cap, bumpers, and skirt.

That car was an absolute blast to drive, and I kept up with the MCS's on the canyon roads and long road trips up the coast. The MC isn't as fast off the line as the MCS once you're past 40mph anyways, but it's certainly a great commuter car. Good mileage--though I always had pretty poor mileage based on how I drove--spare tire, lighter body weight.

The only thing that kept me from keeping it was the reliability of the Midlands and the opportunity to buy a broken 2005 MCS here on NAM was too good to resist--I lost the OEM nav and leather seats when I went from the MC to the MCS, but gained cold weather and the convenience package and LSD. =)

My MCS has all the basic mods, and it's powerful, and yes I still drive hard and fast because it's fun, and after driving the MCS, the MC definitely felt slower off the line---but once you were at freeway speeds, it didn't feel slow. You just had to shift more often to stay in the power band. Shift at 6000rpm, and drive in 3rd and 4th all the time and it was a blast. =)

I rented a 2007 MC while at the Dragon this year and it was fun driving it--even though it was an Automatic, it still drove like how I drove the manual---late shifting at high rpms. =)

The only thing I slightly regret is my gas mileage--I wish I could do better than what I'm doing because as it is, I'm filling my tank 2-1/2 times a week. But on the other hand, every mile I accumulate is fun filled and a blast, so no regrets there, lol.

 

Has anyone ever bought a MCS and wished they would have bought the MC instead?

 

Really, you must make the choice on your own. Driving both is certainly a good idea, but in fact, a brief spin in both doesn't really answer all of the questions you might have. The true goodness of a car only becomes apparent as you live with it over months and miles.

For my part, I never considered the MC model. I wanted the extra poke of the S and the price difference was not a deal breaker for me. As to milage. I have kept careful records from day one, and I have averaged 32.1 MPG over 13,000 miles of driving. This includes a mix of city and open road, and even some autocross events and head clearing drives on backroads.

Torque is the driver's friend, and the MCS has a lot of it just where it is most welcome. As a result, the car is easier to drive, both in anger, and when just putting around town. Tickets? Cars do not get tickets, drivers do. I haven't had one in several years, even without a radar detector. Having a clean record has on several occasions gotten me a warning instead of a ticket.

Whichever car you get, you will ge driving a great little car that is fun to drive. To me, the MCS is more fun to drive, but only you can decide if the extra cost is worth the additional fun.

Happy trails,

Joe

 

How can you say the MCS is more fun to drive if you never considered the MC? The MC is plenty of fun if you drive it right--it takes a lot more work to drive an MC fast than it does an MCS. With my MCS, I just stomp on the gas and I go.

With the MC, I shut off the AC, took out the rear seats and the challenge was to keep the engine in the powerband all the time by downshifting. I guess it depends on your definition of fun.

 

When I saw this thread that's what I originally thought the question was. Funny that it's often a question when someone is considering an MC if they should instead get an MCS, but never the inverse.

I'm also interested to hear if any MCS owners do in fact regret or at least question their purchase. For that matter no MC owner has claimed to actually regret their purchase either, correct?

 

As I said earlier, I own a 2003 Cooper and a 2007 MCS. I bought the MCS after I crashed the Cooper at track day. Since I needed a new car quickly, I couldn't wait for a MINI to be built to my spec, and I had to buy off the lot.

I like my new MCS. I wish I could have waited the 5 weeks to get a Cooper built the way I wanted it built.

I won't go as far as saying I regret buying the MCS, but if I wasn't under the time constraint of getting a new car immediately, I would have bought another Cooper.

 

Big 10-4... Cabrio is THE most fun car I've owned and I've owned lots......

 

It depends whether you want to fly by people in the corners or fly by them in a straight line too

 

You're spec looks like you're penny pinchin. I think you'll like more creature comforts verses a base MCS. You might reconsider the sport package on the MC for additional option play room. If you like only the sport seats for instance, they're a mere $250 upgrade which leaves room in the budget for more toys.

I think you need to step back and realistically consider the purpose and term your new MINI (MC or S) will have in order to make a decision you won't regret later. How long are you going to keep it...? You might look at the effect options have on resale values. How are you really going to drive it vs. fantasy league competition (if its a fantasy)? Weigh those options only you know to spec to your liking.

 

As everyone is saying drive both. I had regrets even before a bought. I drove the base and was pretty loaded and felt that the car had little punch. I was driving an auto though. When we got back from the test drive I would have bought the car but I didn't want to spend the extra $2,100 for the upgraded wheels. The dealer would not budge and was going to give them a check that day for the full amount and it didn't matter. Approx. $27,000 for a base cooper but the intire time in the back of my mind was that this quick and fast little car did not seem that quick nor fast. It is hard to get a feel for a car though on a 10 minute test drive. Because I didn't want to pay for the tires, I went into the office and ordered a car just the way I wanted but I still wanted all the extras so I was still ordering a base cooper. After two days, I went over the list and dropped a few options to make up for the S and replaced my order. Its still an auto but for me its wicked quick which I like eventhough am a conservative driver. IMO, after you drive both get the S. Then you will have no regrets. Wait, I do have one regret, get the rear fogs. Very inexpensive and finishes the boot.

 

It was an easy choice for me. I knew that I was going to by my mini to commute with. I would be spending 3 hours / day going back and forth to work. I got the MC because I didn't need the power offered by the S. My mini is now approaching 8 weeks old and she has over 6K on the clock. I chose lots of gadgets because I love gadgets and I would be spending a lot of time in the car. The Nav with Traffic has saved my butt many times. Sure it takes a 18K car to a 29K car. But it has been fun! Whatever mini you choose, you will love it. Try both. See what works for you. Look at the options in person and see what will make you happier over the long term. As for me, I plan on keeping my mini for a lot of years. At least 5 before I buy another

 

There are days when I lived in the east. Out here, that's about enough miles for three trips to the grocery store.

 

To answer the OP's post... I think you should do what many are suggesting here and drive both. I also think it will have to do with both the performance level you are currently used to and your preference as to styling. I came from a fairly high-performance car (Infiniti I35) to begin with so the MC would have seemed like too much of a step down for me, plus being on the younger side of the spectrum (27yrs old) I prefered the styling on the S, which is significantly different.

On a similar note, with regards to rattles, I think this may also depend on what people are coming from. My Mini had one major rattling issue that was secret compartment and iPod adapter related. Since this was finally resolved by the dealer the car has been fairly quiet for a car with such a stiff suspension (one of reasons why it will always be prone to more rattling).

Coming from the I35 (which was for the most part extremely smooth and quiet), the MCS does have some minor rattles (for example if I hit a pothole you may hear a little give in the sunroof or a minor rattle someplace else). However, given the sporty nature of the car and the suspension I consider the noises to be very acceptable. It is actually very solid all things considered. However, I could see how if someone is coming from a car with very few rattles or noises (lexus, acura, etc), and they are sensitive to such noises they might consider the Mini excessively noisy. While I'm sure there are Mini's out there that are noisier than others I also think a lot of this has to do with the tolerances of the owner.

I should point out though that I only have about 1700 miles on mine right now... so it is still fairly new.

 

I test drove the MC used with sports suspension felt that I could get myself into trouble with it and have no regrets handling performance and reliability are outstanding. When I went with my wife for her new car also a Mini we went to the MC I have no regrets about being a two Mini family and both of them are MC's one a coupe and one a cabrio. Both are fun to drive not only on the highway and for groceries but in the turns and hills

 

One other note as for milage purchased my wifes car on Friday night off the lot at 7:00pm and by monday at noon we had 800 miles on it. These cars love to be drove.

 

Wow I thought I put a lot of milage on by driving 500 miles in under a week (non-commute related). How the heck did you drive 800 miles in one night?

 

Friday evening to noon on Monday is 3 nights.

 

Thanks for the clarification it was 158 from the dealership the first night then a trip to the mountains for some much needed twists and turns with the top down and seat warmers on then every time we could go or find an excuse to run some place that weekend. They say you need to take it easy for the first 500 miles at least so we made sure that we did it as quickly as possible... ;-)

 

To me personally, the Cooper is not worth it. It isn't really the good value most people make it out to be. I currently own a '02 Cooper and love the car...its been a great ride for the past 5+ years, but after adding a couple of Cooper S next to it, the Cooper is simply not worth it in the long run.

The Cooper S model have more usable power for real life traffic situations, they are much better suited long distance cars, the have better/stronger mechanicals, they have much better resale value and they are generally a much better value in my book.

To me the best MINI is a Cooper S with the least amount of options possible. To me the Cooper should only be considered if you MUST OWN a MINI but your finances won't allow to stretch your dollars to a "bare-bones"Cooper S.

If you can trully afford a Cooper S but decide to get a Cooper, you are getting into a sense of "False economy". To me paying premium price for a car with only 118HP is not a good value by any stretch of the imagination.

Last, I think the Cooper makes much more sense in Europe or in countries where fuel costs and road taxation make owning a Cooper S down right prohibitive. We don't have such taxation on engine displacement in this country, neither we are paying US$7 per gallon of gas.

 

Dad always said:

"Buy the biggest motor (or most power) available and you won't be disappointed"

This advice has never let me down!

 

That's a pretty narrow-minded POV. Wait... didn't I read that in another thread recently ?!

Seriously, from your perspective, maybe the Cooper isn't the right car. But not everyone's driving situation warrants the extra horses. 118 HP suits our daily commute needs JUST FINE. Now...when we want to get out on some good driving roads, the MCS is a lot of fun (but frankly, if I want to really use my S, I must drive it alone as to not get yelled at by my passenger seat driver). But neither of us can drive spiritedly on our commutes due to the roads and traffic so we'd just be wasting horses in an S.

And money wasn't a factor for us. Both our Coopers topped $25K. But if we put those same packages and options into an S, they would have come in at around $28K. Still, not the deciding factor for us. It was all about the MPGs versus the horses and it was a no-brainer.

And I've said it at least a dozen times on this board and I'll repeat it to you: In the right hands, that Cooper is plenty quick. And as a person who owns both models, I can tell you the Cooper is every bit as fun to drive as the S. Maybe more so. I say that because it takes a more skilled driver to get the most out of the Cooper and that is what driving is about.

 

I agree, a very narrow minded view. The 07 MC is loads of fun to drive. The new engine has a flatter torque curve than the old tritec engine and it pulls away nicely.

BTW, oil is toying with $100 dollars a barrel. When the switch over to summer blends occurs next spring and the driving season starts, expect the $100 per barrel mark to be broken and $4+ per gallon.