R56 Would you get the Cooper S, were you to do it again?
I think a lot of the arguements stem from comments of the "justacooper" owners who say they "drive hard" and that you dont need an S to enjoy the car!
well if you "really" drive hard, I'm talking taking the car fairly close to its limits on a somewhat regular basis. You would obviously not be happy with the non S power output.
then you have a huge amount of S owners modding the car because it still dosent have enogh power for there liking, and then you have some non S owners say stupid things like, "oh there just compensating" a regular cooper is just as zippy.
And we all know that it is not true. I bet if the non S owners would stop saying the cars are similar in performance, There would be a lot less re hash.
JMO
well if you "really" drive hard, I'm talking taking the car fairly close to its limits on a somewhat regular basis. You would obviously not be happy with the non S power output.
then you have a huge amount of S owners modding the car because it still dosent have enogh power for there liking, and then you have some non S owners say stupid things like, "oh there just compensating" a regular cooper is just as zippy.
And we all know that it is not true. I bet if the non S owners would stop saying the cars are similar in performance, There would be a lot less re hash.
JMO
This is definitely an "agree to disagree" situation. But I would have more respect for your side of the debate if you did not make assumptions and stopped using words like "stupid." And by saying that naming you car is "gay," (in your sig) you are basically unnecessarily offending about 99% of the people and that's not counting the gay people.
But i do feel that it is a "stupid" statement, when someone claims that a non S is just as sporty as an S. Its obviously not. One has a lot more power and handles better, so how can one say it's "just as good". On the track it would loose by many seconds, not tenths.
As far as the sig. I never in my life heard of anyone naming there car. maybe some girls in high school when i was growing up, or as a joke someone would call there beat up old boat of a car "ram rod"
but never seen a grown man actually name one, its just creapy to me. very feminine sounding.
like you, I am entitled to my opinions. And sorry if I say whats on my mind and don't sugar coat it.
But i do feel that it is a "stupid" statement, when someone claims that a non S is just as sporty as an S. Its obviously not. One has a lot more power and handles better, so how can one say it's "just as good". On the track it would loose by many seconds, not tenths.
As far as the sig. I never in my life heard of anyone naming there car. maybe some girls in high school when i was growing up, or as a joke someone would call there beat up old boat of a car "ram rod"
but never seen a grown man actually name one, its just creapy to me. very feminine sounding.
But i do feel that it is a "stupid" statement, when someone claims that a non S is just as sporty as an S. Its obviously not. One has a lot more power and handles better, so how can one say it's "just as good". On the track it would loose by many seconds, not tenths.
As far as the sig. I never in my life heard of anyone naming there car. maybe some girls in high school when i was growing up, or as a joke someone would call there beat up old boat of a car "ram rod"
but never seen a grown man actually name one, its just creapy to me. very feminine sounding.
Well, at least you changed it. I said the Cooper is just as spirited, and really it depends on the driver no matter the car. I know people who have S's (and Porsches, for that matter) and they drive them very conservatively. If that makes them happy that's great. Tell us about what you like about your S. I want to hear it. I really hope you enjoy every second you drive it. But there is no need for you to tell us how much better your MINI is than my Cooper or any other car because all it does is stir the pot. Your MINI looks like a nice ride. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine.
yes, the experienced driver will always win, hell a seasoned driver can beat me with my S even if they were driving a hyundai!
And as far as what i like about my mini, Ill say this, the only thing I found about the car in the 8 months of ownership is that rain comes inside the car when the window is slightly opened
other then that, not one issue, nor one complaint
I think you are misunderstanding what i am saying. Im not trying to insult any non S owners, I was just commenting on a lot of argueing back and forth on the issue. the two cars although similar, have a huge margin when being performance driven. That is pretty much my point.
yes, the experienced driver will always win, hell a seasoned driver can beat me with my S even if they were driving a hyundai!
And as far as what i like about my mini, Ill say this, the only thing I found about the car in the 8 months of ownership is that rain comes inside the car when the window is slightly opened
other then that, not one issue, nor one complaint
yes, the experienced driver will always win, hell a seasoned driver can beat me with my S even if they were driving a hyundai!
And as far as what i like about my mini, Ill say this, the only thing I found about the car in the 8 months of ownership is that rain comes inside the car when the window is slightly opened
other then that, not one issue, nor one complaint

Yeah I agree, the numbers don't lie and the S has more power, but the agility is close to on par, and will usually come down to driver skill. I like the kick in the pants off the line, and the sound of the turbo boost. I have nothing but respect for justacooper owners, because they too genuinely love their cars. I love seeing all the happy people motoring around in whichever version they choose. The OP asked a personal question and we have answered it with personal answers. The S is for me, but thats not to say the justacooper isn't for others. If MINI didn't know what they were doing there would only be 1 model, instead of 5 different ones with tons of youification options. We area big family and should support each other in their decisions whether they go MC, MCS, or Clubby; cause after all they are all MINIs and we have 1 thing in common. Personally I wouldnt want just 1 model or one type of person owning them, because mine is unique as is everyone elses and I like not seeing MY MINI on the road unless its being driven by me. The different choices allow everyone to make theirs as unique as they are which is what a MINI is all about and I can respect that.
My 07 MCS has 10,000 miles on it. I usually drive it nice and easy but once a week I drive it from the valley to Malibu and back again through the canyons and there is nothing like turning the steering wheel all the way and giving it all the gas in second gear as all four tires break traction around a hair pin turn - get the "S"!!
I just read this entire thread and it didn't really help me with my own decision between the S and the non-S, though I am leaning heavily toward the non-S. I saw references to the metal-on-metal noise issue (have read about that elsewhere). Is this an issue only in the S?
How many S owners in this post responded that they would not get another?
0! that alone should tell you something about it
How many started with a "justacooper" and "upgraded" to the S? Quite a few.
0! that alone should tell you something about it

How many started with a "justacooper" and "upgraded" to the S? Quite a few.
if you like to drive a little on the 'spirite" side, then the S would make it a lot more fun to do so.
If you are looking at an inexpensive "commuter" car, (which is still fun, to a degree), then "justacooper" will work fine. Either choice you come to, will be a fun one. It's a great car either way.
the reason most people lean towards the S is it has more power. It helps a lot when the AC is on or just taking off from a stop, or entering a highway.
Plus when you get used to the power of either one and it starts to feel like it's slower then you remember (you get used to the power), the S has a lot more capabilities to put a grin back on your face.
It also resales better.
muladesigns1,
I'm not here to have arguments with anybody, but when most people (your average person) think of Mini's in general, they think if a small British Economy car that is great on gas, not a tricked out racing car.
Having said that, In today's Mini world, I realized that there are two different types of Mini drivers out there:
1.Those who want a fun,small, different car that is fun to drive - The "foggy London, England" type driver.
2. And Those who want a fun, small, different car that is fun to drive- The "Race car" type driver.
These types of drivers seem to be split 50/50 across the board and there is nothing wrong with that - to each his own. I got a Non-S because that's what I wanted. My car will STILL be fun to drive. I am in the Long Island /New York City area so I can't be going 65+ all over the place. Traffic and/or the NYPD will soon catch up to me. You have an attitude that people really want the "S", but they settle for less. That is wrong. I wanted to settle for less. Fuel economy and the "simple Mini Style" is more important to me than speeding. I am not sure how old you are, but not everybody wants to be a race car driver.
I'm not here to have arguments with anybody, but when most people (your average person) think of Mini's in general, they think if a small British Economy car that is great on gas, not a tricked out racing car.
Having said that, In today's Mini world, I realized that there are two different types of Mini drivers out there:
1.Those who want a fun,small, different car that is fun to drive - The "foggy London, England" type driver.
2. And Those who want a fun, small, different car that is fun to drive- The "Race car" type driver.
These types of drivers seem to be split 50/50 across the board and there is nothing wrong with that - to each his own. I got a Non-S because that's what I wanted. My car will STILL be fun to drive. I am in the Long Island /New York City area so I can't be going 65+ all over the place. Traffic and/or the NYPD will soon catch up to me. You have an attitude that people really want the "S", but they settle for less. That is wrong. I wanted to settle for less. Fuel economy and the "simple Mini Style" is more important to me than speeding. I am not sure how old you are, but not everybody wants to be a race car driver.
muladesigns1,
I'm not here to have arguments with anybody, but when most people (your average person) think of Mini's in general, they think if a small British Economy car that is great on gas, not a tricked out racing car.
Having said that, In today's Mini world, I realized that there are two different types of Mini drivers out there:
1.Those who want a fun,small, different car that is fun to drive - The "foggy London, England" type driver.
2. And Those who want a fun, small, different car that is fun to drive- The "Race car" type driver.
These types of drivers seem to be split 50/50 across the board and there is nothing wrong with that - to each his own. I got a Non-S because that's what I wanted. My car will STILL be fun to drive. I am in the Long Island /New York City area so I can't be going 65+ all over the place. Traffic and or NYPD will soon catch up to me. You have an attitude that people really want the "S", but they settle for less. That is wrong. I wanted to settle for less. Fuel economy and the "simple Mini Style" is more important to me than speeding. I am not sure how old you are, but not everybody wants to be a race car driver.
I'm not here to have arguments with anybody, but when most people (your average person) think of Mini's in general, they think if a small British Economy car that is great on gas, not a tricked out racing car.
Having said that, In today's Mini world, I realized that there are two different types of Mini drivers out there:
1.Those who want a fun,small, different car that is fun to drive - The "foggy London, England" type driver.
2. And Those who want a fun, small, different car that is fun to drive- The "Race car" type driver.
These types of drivers seem to be split 50/50 across the board and there is nothing wrong with that - to each his own. I got a Non-S because that's what I wanted. My car will STILL be fun to drive. I am in the Long Island /New York City area so I can't be going 65+ all over the place. Traffic and or NYPD will soon catch up to me. You have an attitude that people really want the "S", but they settle for less. That is wrong. I wanted to settle for less. Fuel economy and the "simple Mini Style" is more important to me than speeding. I am not sure how old you are, but not everybody wants to be a race car driver.
if you like to drive a little on the 'spirite" side, then the S would make it a lot more fun to do so.
If you are looking at an inexpensive "commuter" car, (which is still fun, to a degree), then "justacooper" will work fine. Either choice you come to, will be a fun one. It's a great car either way.
the reason most people lean towards the S is it has more power.
[ is this innacurate?]
It helps a lot when the AC is on or just taking off from a stop, or entering a highway. [or this?]
Plus when you get used to the power of either one and it starts to feel like it's slower then you remember (you get used to the power), the S has a lot more capabilities to put a grin back on your face.
It also resales better. [how bout this?]
this looks to me like im recomending the OP make a decission based on his driving habbits and needs.
not what "I" prefer.
and yes I do prefer the S so thats what I got. I couldnt care less what the OP buys in the end, but it is asking for "our" thoughts. And I posted mine. If you don't agree, thats fine with me.

I feel my statement was not bias at all.
Last edited by muladesigns1; Jul 11, 2008 at 11:42 AM.
Ok, you're right. I guess I read your previous posts the wrong way, but your last post really clarified it. Thanks!
I think my main point was to point out that there are two different types of Mini Drivers out there. Sure the "S" would put a grin on my face, but I would still choose the "Non-S" because that's ultimately the type of driver that I am.
The funny thing is, the Mini that I ordered is pretty much the exact opposite of what you have, but that's why these cars are so great. There is something for everyone.
I think my main point was to point out that there are two different types of Mini Drivers out there. Sure the "S" would put a grin on my face, but I would still choose the "Non-S" because that's ultimately the type of driver that I am.
The funny thing is, the Mini that I ordered is pretty much the exact opposite of what you have, but that's why these cars are so great. There is something for everyone.


