I have a Cooper I bought new in '05. I love it and have no desire for an S. The power is enough for me. I have two simple performance mods that give my car a little extra kick - a K&N 57i intake and a Megan Racing cat-back exhaust.

I drove an S in late '04 and a Cooper in '05. Yes, the Cooper was not as rip-snorting quick, but it handled as if on rails, and I didn't care for the constant hyperactive nature of the S. I had figured, quite correctly, that with an intake and exhaust, I'd have exactly what I wanted.

The Cooper gets significantly better mileage, for me, anyway, than the S. 'Putting your foot' into both of them reveals much better mileage for the Cooper. I've dropped an S average fuel mileage into the low teens. My Cooper shows an average of 26 and change, and I'm pretty heavy footed. I like the better gas mileage of the Cooper. The slight performance increase, and sweet sounds from the intake and exhaust are a perfect combination for me.

But I will end by saying that I believe that you should test drive both a Cooper and an S before deciding on either one. People's opinions are just that - opinions. The only one that really matters is your own.

Zip

 

Well some hard work, a desire to have an amazing car...it works haha I bought this car with my own earned money on my own credit in my first semester of college (first car was a 96 T-bird given as a gift)...19 with a MINI is a great way to start off because now I think the rest of my cars will be MINIs haha

Plus I can't see myself as a ricer

 

Hey... if you can get a job while in college that pays enough to buy a new MINI, that's COOL !!

Did you get a full scholarship ? Otherwise, you must be the VP of a Fortune 500 comany already !

 

No VP yet haha...but I got a check from school that I got to use as part of my down payment and I work as a server so I'm managing

 

Your college pays YOU to attend ? Man, I went to the wrong school !!

Well... cool, sounds like your have your head on pretty straight.

 

Thanks yeah well the scholarships are for this year...hopefully I can get the same luck next year

 

Ahhhh... you used your scholarship money for your down payment. Novel idea. Most people use that for their tuition.

Yeah, keep those grades up and the scholarship money should keep rollin' in !

Me, I let the US Taxpayers pay 75% of my tuition through the USAF. My bachelor's degree cost me a total of about $2,500 (I tested out of 30 credit hours, too). Best investment I could have ever made.

 

Well I'm staying home right now to keep bills low, and I have bright futures which pays for my tuition so anything else is extra (MINI) haha
But I agree a degree is definitely the best investment

 

Ha! Funny you should say that... I graduated college last May and have been working in a fulltime job since last July. I just ordered my 08 MCS on 2/9/08 and am still waiting on it. Until i get my new Mini, i'm driving a 97 Civic! :-P

As far as between the MC and MCS - I did test drive both but on different days, so i didn't get as much out of the test drive as most do that drive it on the same day. I really wanted a DS Mini and could only get it in the S. So, that, along with other reasons, is why i chose my MCS. It's already at the port and on its way!

 

A graduation gift to yourself... EXCELLENT ! If there's anything you ever do in your life that deserves a reward, it's completing college. So, congrats to you on that note !

We'll be looking forward to seeing that new MCS at some DCMM events.

 

fwiw - I just drove both models back to back. Both were fantastic, imo. Neither is going to win you many drag races, but both are sufficiently powered for normal driving, and the non-turbo model was suprisingly quick in low gear. There was a bit of turbo lag on the 'S'. Torque steer was a non issue, at least compared to my 'speed3. The engine sounds almost the same growl on either model. The handling was fantastic on both - the whole go-cart thing. I've never seen one up close and they look fantastic. I actually preferred the non-metallic colors - toss up between pepper white and chili red. But this isn;t about me!

I'd encourage you to head down and drive both back to back. I think you'll find the regular cooper more than adequate for day to day driving, but you should judge for yourself.

Good luck!

 

well i went to the dealership today and drove both, back to back. starting with the cooper.

i decided on just getting the regular. i can pimp it out and not get myself in trouble because even though i'm not a speedster, i do love cars but the regular cooper is plenty for me!! the little sport button gave just the right amount of boost, saving me $3000.

in response to previous posts, i do know how to drive a stick. my first car was a 99 jeep wrangler 4 cylinder manual. i've definitely taken a few steps up. however, i'm going to get an automatic because i drive my boyfriend's bmw 328i and i get quite tired shifting gears all the time. (p.s. i def don't trust the boy with a cooper s, i know he'd steal it while i was sleeping

i decided i'm going to splurge on the 16-inch Y-spoke wheels and the Aero Body Kit. also i'll just add a K&N air filter to give it a little boost and a sweet sound.

any other suggestions??

 

If you do get the auto remember you can drive it about 8 different ways between full auto and manual. It can be pretty fun.
There are many opinions here about options. If you didn't already you you check out things like sport seats, sunroof, heated seats and HiFi at the dealer. They are options you can feel (and hear) for yourself.

 

Great choice with the Cooper.They look really good with the Aero Kits.I have one on order for mine. The K&N will help give your MINI some extra low end kick and a great sound! Might I suggest some lowering springs and an aftermarket rear sway bar. Really helps with the handling and looks good too!

 

On the K&N filter I looked on their page and according to the specs it doesn't seem to add anything to the HP. Am I missing something?

 

Not to mention you'll save on insurance premium with a base MINI.

 

maybe it's only in our heads. i'm not sure, but everyone i've talked to, including the dealer, said that it gives it a little boost.

 

There's no hp numbers, but an 'increase' is claimed:

http://knfilters.com/57i/57i-induction-kits.htm

http://www.goairfilters.com/kn_air_i...FQV9lgodtmPD8w

I've done K&Ns in a few cars and motorcycles, and they've always provided improved response, if not a significant hp jump.

Zip

 

Well if you plan to live anywhere near the area where the typical drunk college kids will be I would go for a car that doesn't stand out quite so much. I waited till after I got out after seeing all the random drunk vandalism.

 

well i go to a rich private school so standing out isn't really an issue haha. no one really vandalizes here.

 

I have a regular Mini and I love it!! I went to test drive both of them but after I test drove the regular and used the SPORT button I decided that it was all that I needed, partially because I have gotten too many speeding tickets.

 

Yeah I read that on their site but then they say that the increase is noted below the item number. But nothing is there! Read the upper right:

 

I was speaking of the K&N Apollo not the drop in filter.The drop in filter doesn't change the sound as the stock airbox is not removed.

 

the regular cooper will do but if you want to be S atisfied go with the S S S S S S S lol especially if money is no issue

 

Hey guys... I'm leaning toward a regular cooper -- but I wanted to make sure it has enough power to make it around the hilly terrain of B'ham. (and I decided to hitch on to this thread instead of adding yet another S vs NON S thread to the forum. Can anyone advise?