Sbiel,

I have been wondering if the turbo puts extra stress on the engine, that may result in shorter engine life. Is there really that much extra stress? I imagine you could drive a non-turbo engine hard since you'd be winding up the rpms more to get it going. Could you argue that a regular Cooper would suffer more since the car feels like it should be driven hard?? -Thus end up pushing the engine harder? I guess it depends on how you drive.

-jeff

 

Gosh,
I've never driven a MCS, and I ordered one based on word of mouth !
I loved a newer base MC enough to make an offer, not accepted. Bottom line,
getting on the freeway is easier in the MCS, but... since you asked about the $3k extra, I would get the base. Save the bucks. You won't be unhappy with either.

 

Preserved/Jeff.
I drove all the Minis.
The S has more than enough HP, maybe more than it needs.
If you'll normally have you and another person the Mini Cooper has enough zip, like others said.
If you go for the MiniCooper, you may want spend $250 on the sports seats or fog lights.

The 3-4 mpg adds up over time.

I saw three MCS/MCS on the road today!

 

I didn't get 2 blocks from the dealer, in a non-S and I knew that I didn't even want the car. When I drove an S, all that changed and I ordered a Clubman S.

 

I am not saying that a MCS will not last. BMW / Mini hopefully puts out a well designed motor that can handle the stress of a turbo. But a turbo does stress a motor. And the additional power of a turbo, stresses the cooling system, the transmission, brakes, etc.

That being said ...

1) most important issue. drive both and decide which YOU want. both are great, it's your preference that should drive the choice. in the long run, the $3K is not a big deal.

2) maintenance is critical if you want to keep the car for a long time. Mini has a maintenance schedule that is (in my opinion) beneficial for them since fluids are rarely changed (saving them $$$) and make them look better with the feds (lower maintenance costs). prior to Mini paying for the work, they wanted you to do oil changes every 3K miles, coolant every 2 years, etc.

thanks,
steve

 

Not going to beat the horse here since so many have chimed in. I'd absolutely run w/ an S. If money is sensitive, as it can be for most, then consider a 2007 MCS w/ low mileage. We picked up a 2007 MCS w/ auto, premium package (sunroof etc), cold package and 4200 miles for only $22,000. Gorgeous lightning blue. Tough to beat that!

 

If you plan to keep this car for a long time (>150k miles, 7 years), consider that the additional complexities of the turbo, its plumbing and its electronic controls will hurt reliability. Also, repairs for those things (if they have problems) will be very expensive for an older car.

Of course if you enjoy the rush of the turbo power, there is no substitute!

 

hi there, myself, now in my 2nd cooper S, i just picked this latest one up 6 days ago, did a special order and waited the 6 weeks for it to come over to Fla., My first S was the 6speed but found way to much shifting, now my new 08 is an automatic, fully dressed with every option available and i ordered it with 18" wheels, it rides like a dream compared to my other one. I can't see one thing i should have done different. every bit worth the little extra money for what you get. best of luck to you, there both really cute and fun cars.