I love my Xenons. I can see so much better!!!! I feel much safer, even though my M.A. said he didn't think they were necessary. I adore my heated seats....ESPECIALLY WITH THE SUN ROOF OPEN....FUN.

 

Living in New England, I like the cold weather package

 

I have an R53 S and lived with it in Boston (am now in Africa while Fred, my MINI, waits patiently in a garage to be driven once again). I would say if you are into Xenons, get them. I don't like them personally, but I do think that they definitely make you more visible to others, which could be a boost to safety.

Cold Weather package is great, ESPECIALLY if you've got the sunroof. I wouldn't order a MINI that didn't have a sunroof and I will never order another car without heated seats (even here in Botswana it can dip down to freezing in the winter time) but I can understand in SoCal that a sunroof might be a problem if you can't get a darker tint on it.

People often forget about rear fog lights, but I think they are a necessity for safety. Even in a steady rainfall, a MINI can get lost in the vast fog of wheel-spray on the freeway and rear fog-lights are your best friend in telling other cars "hey, there's a car here!!!"

PDC...don't bother at all. Like I said, I lived in Boston, where parking is at a premium. My fiancee lived in the Fenway area (Fenway Park), where parking is a nightmare. I have squeezed into spots that had less than a foot of space to spare. Many times, I've had onlookers cheer me on as I tucked the MINI into spots barely big enough for it. All without PDC. Though I must admit that I have not driven an R56 yet (I think the belt line is higher on them than it is on the R53), I believe that you can probably do without PDC quite well enough.

Sport Suspension will make your ride a little bit stiffer and since this is a commuter car, don't even bother. The stock suspension is good enough.

 

Nice spec as is. I'd skip the xenons, pdc, and sport suspension. Stock suspension is just fine, particularly for a daily commuter in LA. You may want the cold weather, but in LA, not particularly beneficial, unless you are right on the coast. As far as seats go, I really like the leatherette. Very durable and can be cleaned simply by wiping down with a damp rag. I'd be tempted to add heated seats and skip everything else and just save the money. So many posters feel the need to max out their budget, why not just save a little green particularly since you've speced such a nice car already?

 

It's hard not to be tempted by all the pretty add ons. I know this car is going to be a huge upgrade even with no extras at all, but it's so easy to get sucked into the vortex of options. I think I might add auto AC, and call it a day. I realized last night that I turn the AC on and off constantly, so automating it might be really useful for me. It's all a matter of cost/benefit analysis + budget needs. It's just hard to know which options I'll love and which I won't really miss. I'm planning on keeping this car for a long time, so I'm trying to think about what I need in the long-term. If I move back to Seattle (which is definitely a possibility), am I going to regret not getting the cold weather package? I keep going back and forth and back and forth on everything.

Thanks everyone for your help! I know in the end it has to be my decision, but your input helps a lot!