Hi all,

New guy here. First post. Been lurking around a while and gone through the configuration comments. I have configured my 08 MCS with the following options. Trying to keep the cost low, but this is the best I could do. Please comment:


*Base MSRP** *$21,200*
*Destination & Handling* *$650*
Lightning Blue Body Color $500
(Like this color as it looks sporty but not really out there like red or yellow. I had a tough choice between this and red. red will bring my cost down but it looks too bright, I also see a lot of red MINIs around. Looks like a popular color)
Black Roof/Mirrors $0
( I am not sure if it will be difficult to maintain the black roof, from various black car comments. I like the blue/black combination. I have not seen many blue roof pictures)
Convenience Package $1,500
(I like the comfort access, MFSW, Ipod/Bluetooth, additional $250 gives me the whole package )
Cold Weather Package $500
(due to heated seats comments. I live in southern california, don't know how often I will use it... may help in winter mornings)
16" Bridge-Spoke (Perf. Run Flats) $0
(After reading abt sports package and heavy 17" wheel comments. I guess 16" will do fine. I am not into aftermarket modding, who knows this car may inspire me to go that route. Anyone noticed any driving advantage with bigger tires or it is mostly for looks)
Dynamic Stability Control $500
(I like the hill assist feature. Never driven a manual before, I hope this would help)
Rear Fog Lamp $100
(Just to fill the switches. missing toggle switch just looks wrong, they should have put a dummy switch in there)
Anthracite Headliner $250
(looks sportier, matches rest of the black interior. Also read that it is easier to maintain)
10-Speaker. Hi-Fi Sound System $500
(after reading Hi-Fi speaker comments, went to dealer and listened to them. There was a noticeable difference. I might enjoy it in long run)
*TOTAL MSRP AS CONFIGURED** *$25,700*

Tried hard to keep it below $25K. Oh well!!!

This will be my first new car. I am so excited

I have never driven manual. I read manual is more fun. It helps in better gas mileage and also reduced MSRP. I hope i don't regret it .

I had LSD in all my configurations except this last one. I do not track cars, don't know if I will ever be using it. My impression is that it is only useful for really hard acceleration during cornering which i doubt I will ever do. Maybe in the next car when I have more experience of spirited driving.

I would appreciate any comments, if I have missed to add any must haves in my list. Also would like to know if I should take off any options to keep the cost low.

Thanks,
MINImizeMe

 

i got an ab/w 08 justacooper on april 1. i too had never driven a manuel. in 2 weeks i can tell you i will never drive an automatic again. you will love the car and you wont be sorry. the latest model is refined and responsive, just like its bmw parent. the gas mileage increase is also amazing. i also have the anthracite headliner and its absolutely worth it. one bit of advice, change the oil in the first 500 miles. i changed mine at 600 and though my oil was really clean it looked pearlized from all the metal flecs in the oil. i also seated my rings properly so i am sure i will enjoy less contaminates in the oil for the life of my motor. good luck and welcome!

 

Xenon (unless you like driving in the dark)

 

Sweet man, I considered that color scheme too, but went with AB/AB. I drove manual once before the test drive (MA didn't know ) but it was actually very easy. I stalled once, and then I was cruising around easily. I am taking delivery at the end of this month, and I can't wait.

 

like drew said...xenon would be nice. but its not needed.
maybe the alarm system too. i know its 5 benjamins, but it's alot cheaper than having it retrofitted later. and about 200 cheaper than a good home defense shotgun.

 

Hi MINImizeMe, and congratulations!

I recently ordered a similar configuration. Same color (MCS LB), here is what I got:

body color roof: personally, I think it looks better
DSC, SS: didn't want the bigger wheels so I just ordered the items "a la carte"
LSD
Premium: wanted the speakers, IPod adapter, etc.
Carbon Black Lounge Leather: I really like the looks of it
Anthtracite
Xenon
Rear fog lamp
Chrome line interior
Sirius radio
HD radio

Similar in many respects. I don't think you'll go wrong (but heated seats are just weird to me!) and again, Congratulations!

 

Thanks for encouragement on manual driving. Should be OK, I am not an aggressive driver. Maybe an issue in stop and go LA downtown traffic on weekends, but I am lucky to have a 7-10 min drive to work. Will try taking a scenic route after I get my MINI


I considered Xenon, but i drive mostly in city lights. Standard lights would not be offered if they are not adequate/safe.

I am a little confused about the alarm thing. I didn't read anything about it in forums as a must-have. Maybe missed it. Does the car have any basic alarm system or just let any intrusion go unnoticed? If there is no basic protection, thats just lame (it should be standard on all new cars). My POS accord has one and it cost me around $600 to get installed.

All good comments. Any more, I would like to know. I will be ordering in a week.

 

When I ordered my Mini I was told that the car comes standard w/ a basic alarm, and the $500 alarm just adds the "in-car movement" alarm function.

 

Please post any pics if you have of the car showing the roof.


Please explain

 

would like to learn more abt the alarm. The configurator does not say much

 

Heres my options:

MCS '08 LIB/B
-6 spd Auto
-Convenience pkg
-Sport pkg
-Premium pkg
-xenon
-white turn signals
-piano black interior
-chrome line interior
-leatherette

i'm wondering..do you really need the cold weather package? i'm also from socal and that was the one option i knew for sure i would not get. i mean, on my other car, i literally use the seat warmers maybe 7-8 times a year. anyways, thats just my opinion...

 

a MC is adequate/safe, see no reason you need a MCS.

 

Xenons are over-hyped. They give the illusion of better visibility, but don't really deliver that much in critical areas. You definitely don't need them in the city.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...dvantages.html

 

UNLESS you're from the uk, alarm doesn't come standard. in fact, the only alarm you'll have if you're an american is you screaming when your car is missing stuff or the car itself is missing. depending on your insurance, you can get up to a 10% discount off your insurance. yes...there's invisible sonic fairies that protect your car once the blinking red light in the car goes off (which is not available in an alarm-less mini). and if someone smashes through your window trying to steal your rare yanni album catalog, you'll hear the alarm system. otherwise the only thing you'll hear is 'live at the acropolis' being blared out of the thief's escalade (with spinning rims, mind you).

 

The main item that is missing IMO, is LSD. The MCS has a lot of low end torque. LSD helps spread it between the two wheels. There is a computer system in all MINIs (AST) that will try to substitute for LSD, but at the cost of acceleration. When it senses a drive wheel starting to spin it will apply the brake to that wheel and/or cut power to the engine. A city driver might notice this when making a left turn in front of oncoming traffic, misjudging their traffic speed, and needing to punch it to get out of the way. It can be quite disconcerting to have the engine bog in such a situation.

Other than that, you need to add the NAV, Park Distance Control, lounge leather seats...

DSC's Hill Assist will be helpful to you when starting out on a hill, and DSC is an excellent safety feature.

There is some debate whether a wider tire actually gives you better handling in the MINI. Some say the narrower tires on the 16" wheels gives the same area of contact as the wider tires on 17" wheels. That doesn't seem right to me, but I don't really know. I believe you can put wider tires on the 16" wheels.

Yes, the MINI will make you much more vulnerable to the modding disease. I did almost nothing to my previous car (Integra), but have done quite a bit on my MCS.

If you didn't choose Chili Red because it is common, Laser Blue isn't the best choice. My impression is that it is the most common color for an R56 MCS on NAM.

 

man. robin is pulling out the stern lighting site. dirty...
well....i'm from a xenon household, so i have to stick up for it.

 

I have the Xenon and to be honest with you, I could go either way. The Xenon on the MINI isn't as bright and white as Audis. Although they're brighter than conventional halogen, in truth, your eyes automatically adjusts to the brightness of the road so unless you have low night vision, you probably don't need it. The main reason I got it is because it looks cool.

 

I've heard and read stern's opinions for the past 5 or 6 years since i owned an '02 S2000 with awesome "xenon" headlights. One thing you have to wonder after all, stern is a retailer of bulbs and he needs to move halogen bulbs to make any $$$, so read his opinions with an open objective mind.

Any way for those that don't "need" or want xenons, don't order them. Back on topic....

 

i too tried to keep mine under 25k and got it to 24,800. as you can see i got the bare minimum in terms of option for a sporty ride... i sacrificed a multifunction steering wheel and black headliners... i hope i dont regret.

i too dont know how to drive stick but hey, there is a first for everything

 

from booyun's comments i guess i really won't be using heated seats.

Maybe I will switch it with LSD and keep the cost same.... but I don't know if the LSD will ever come into action. Does the computer tell you... so that I will know that money was well spent.

Also can someone with alarm system chime in if i need it or standard alarm should be ok.

 

Don't believe the hype. I have regular headlights and they work just fine.

 

Touche, I just checked the site and saw that it only comes pre-wired. However, it DOES come standard w/ an engine immobilizer so you don't need to worry about someone stealing your car, only need to be concerned about things inside your car.

 

Computer doesn't tell you when the LSD kicks in, but if you leave ASC/DSC on, it's a pretty safe bet to say that once the Spinning Hazzard Sign idiot light comes on, the LSD has been doing its thing. It's pretty hard not to notice the feeling of it on its own though, IMO. Goose the throttle a bit as you exit a turn at a decent (but safe) rate of speed. When you feel the car continue to pull in the direction the steering wheel is pointed rather than plowing toward the side of the road, that's the LSD.

 

I recently picked up my ordered MINI. My MSRP is 24,350. The only option I think I wasted money on was the Cold Weather Pkg. I've been garaging my MINI overnight so I haven't needed the heated seats in the morning.
I haven't longed for any option I left off--namely comfort access, hi-fi, sunroof, and bluetooth.

With your description of driving habits, I would leave off the LSD.

I got the xenons. I live in an area of Santa Monica with no streetlights and love the brighter bluer light of the xenons.

 

I travel a lot for work and get rental cars. Once in a while the car will have heated seats. One winter week in Albuquerque it was cold in the morning so I used the heated seats: the seats were indeed warm, but it felt odd to me to have my butt warm and the rest of me cold. Also, the contrast actually made me feel colder - I didn't adjust so much to the ambient temp. This is definitely a personal preference, so I don't want to imply that you, or anyone else, won't like them. But to me they felt wierd. Also, I live in Nor Cal (south of SF) and it really doesn't get very cold here, so even if I did like them they would not get much use.