I'm considering taking over 1 of 2 leases.

First car has all options I want, plus lounge leather, but NO NAV. Based on my other thread in the NAV + Electronics section, it seems like Nav is a pretty cool option that most people agree is well worth it, and perhaps even necessary. As such I am leaning away from this car.

Second car has most (but not all) options I want, cloth seats, WITH NAV. Even though this car is missing a few options I kinda wanted (like PDC, Anthracite, leather, heated seats), I really like that it has Nav. Plus the lease term is shorter than the first car, so I can get out of the car faster (which is important since I only keep cars 18-24 months).

Third option is to build my perfect car. I don't like this option for several reasons. I would have to wait 2 months, I'd have to cough up $1,800 for drive-off expenses, and my payment would be about $35-$50 higher (I can totally afford it, but money is money, right?).

I guess this is my really longwinded and roundabout way of asking if leather is a necessary option. Furthermore, is cloth easy to maintain & comfortable? I heard some horror stories about the early cloth seats.

 

I would pick MINI #1 and buy a Garmin nav for $200-300. Sounds like you have some good ones to choose from! Good luck!

 

My MCS has NAV, PDC, Antracite, heated seats, standard cloth seats (black).

The leather seats have an adjustable lumbar support. Cloth seats don't. Otherwise, I have no issues with the cloth seats. Upholstery fabrics for cars are pretty tough. The cloth seats in my 1990 Integra look good, with little care. Leather seats would need care to last that long. Scotch Guard like products can protect cloth seats from problems with spills.

I would sorely miss PDC, Antracite headliner, and heated seats, and the NAV. For the extra $$ I'd rather have them.

Build your own. It's the MINI way.

 

Leather. You can aftermarket Nav.

Had two MINIs with leather
One with half leather
Two with cloth.

Never again will we buy a car without leather.

 

Depends on where you live. I picked cloth because I'm 20 miles from Mexico, and wanted something that wouldn't scald my legs when I sit down!

 

Take #1...and like someone said Garman is cool...or even the AT&T's Blackjack II has some type of NAV built into it. I've never had a car with NAV because I don't do a lot of travelling to unknown cities...so I don't care for it too much.

 

I would make sure to see the cloth in person. I wanted it based on the build your own tool but then I saw it in person and thought it looked bad. Kind of shiny and spandex like.
I'm also not a fan of LL. I don't like the piping and I don't like the way people's seats are puckering after only a few months of ownership. I had leather Recaros in my S4 and I don't like the way leather ages.

 

Get rid of the leather all together and get a garmin (you can even get a mini branded garmin). I was gonna get the leather, but why spend $2k? I got the cloth sport seats, and I'm so happy I did. I think they give more support than the leather, and the leather starts to sag after about 1500 miles (I've noticed in the drivers seat).

 

Get the cloth and chuck in a set of Recaro or Sparco seats

 

Wolfgang is right, the Lounge Leather seat bottoms pucker after a while. The U.S. Lounge Leather seat bottom is different from the European seat bottom. The Euro seat bottom is pleated, just like the seat back. The U.S. version is un-pleated, due to seat belt sensor requirements.

 

I have the leather punch option...will my seat sag too?

 

Given time your seat will sag.

 

Sure...but 1500 miles sounds pretty fast.

 

I sure wouldn't make the decision based on #1 having NAV. For what it's worth, I've had NAV in my last 3 cars --- but think about how many times you ACTUALLY use it ( as opposed to just watching the moving map display)??? I ordered my 2008 MCS without NAV and carry a Garmin NUVI for those times I really need it. The Garmin has a much better user interface than the NAV in my Cayenne and it was only about $300 rather than the $2000 MC wants.

 

I wanted both the redwood leather and the Nav, but didnt want to wrap $4k up in 2 options. I went with leather, for the very same reason others have mentioned...portable nav devices are so inexpensive. Another thing to consider is that the GPS technology changes so fast. What seems to be good technology today, will be obsolete in a year (at most). You could get new updated/better nav systems several times for the $2k they want for the Mini nav.

just my opinion though

 

cloth is good if you don't mind your car smelling like a NY taxicab in a couple of years...leatherette is worse because you'll smell like one....get leather or another car

 

Given time, the leather will stretch to fit like a glove. Takes awhile, but worth the wait. The cloth will just never customize to your butt.

 

I would also go for #1 and get an aftermarket nav unit.

You can see butt wrinkles in the LL in pics on this site and I almost didn't go for it but it was one of the things that attracted me to the car in the first place.

Disclaimer: I pick mine MCSC up Sat so I no direct experience yet.

 

I've never been a fan of leather, so I got the cloth sport seats. I think they are really comfortable. I say build one. The waiting is half the fun. [I say that now, only because I *finally* got mine!]

 

I don't like leather seats and interiors. I LOVE my Wet Okole (waterproof) seat covers.

 

I agree with Flaco, GET LEATHER!

 

Personally I think it's a blast to custom order exactly what you want. I also like the fact that nobody else has driven the car, not even for a test drive at the dealer.

As for options, I really wish I knew about this site before I ordered my MCS: I would have ordered the NAV. Then again, I spent a lot more than I intended so another 2k is a lot of money. I do feel lucky that I ordered the Anthracite: I almost didn't but went for it in the end; based on others' comments I think I made the right decision there. I'm not so sure about the lounge leather - people have been *very* complimentary of the cloth seats (but the lounge leather looks totally cool).

Of course, the two months wait is KILLING me! I'm Mr. Impatient, so it's not a good match for me.

Good luck with your choice and let us know what you decide.

 

with respect...it appears most people didn't read my original post. I tend to get in and out of cars all the time, so "leather wrinkling over time" and "nav being obsolete in 1 year" is not really an issue for me.

I'm looking for maximum enjoyment bang for my short-term buck.

I, like many others, am NOT patient when it comes to cars. I have previously ordered 2 other vehicles and I could not wait for them to be built. I wound up buying from dealer stock. So, while I might *think* i can wait 8 weeks for a Mini, chances are that I will want this deal all sealed up within 7 days.

I just wish more preowned cars were fully optioned with leather and nav. Sadly, it appears that only 1 in 50 cars has both these options.

 

Nah, it's just hard for us to not try to convince everyone else to buy exactly what WE bought!

 

With time and gravity, it will happen to everyone