Dear all,

I would like to buy a Mini Cooper now. It will be my first brand new car. I never bought a brand new car before, so I need your help. If you already own a Mini, please give me your best suggestions. Thank you very much for your help.

- What kind of questions should I ask the saleman?
- There are Mini Cooper, Cooper S, and John Work Cooper model, which one should I buy?
- I tried to not to spend over 25K (plus tax and license) for this car, what options do I need and which options I don't need?

A little info about me so you can give me a advice.
- I am a female.
- I don't drive like crazy.
- I am at 25-30 age range.

Please help.

Thank you,

Tina

 

Welcome Tina!!

I recommend a Cooper....same great handling, excellent mpg and still enough pep to have some fun. That way you can add a few options you may want/need. Don't overdo it though....I dialied in my perfect Cooper for around $21K.

Do you want a manual or automatic?

 

Depending on your dealership and negotiating skills you can either get a Cooper w/ lot of options or a Cooper S with a few options. I got about $1000 off MSRP on a "ordered" car (it was going to be an order but they found one almost identical on a boat already).

I would probably do the Mini Cooper though for that price range. Find an 08 that is still on the lot and you can get a LOT of bang for your buck.

If you are in Northern NJ i would recommend Lenny @ Prestige Mini.

 

Right....Tina, I should also mention that Coopers are the perfect car for daily MINI motoring. The MCS owners around here are all a little bit crazy , and the JCW folks have most definitely lost it (I think deep down they all know that)!!!

 

Thank you for your feedback so far.
I live in the West, so there is only on dealership in my state. Last year, about this time, I went to the dealer to get a car. They are not willing to give me discount, on the other hand, I have to put in order because they have very fews car at the lot.
Now, I check their websites, there are more cars available. I hope they can give me some discount. The next step I will build the car I want and post it here so you can give me opinions.
Thank you so much.

Tina

How do you think of the car below? Do I need to add anything? Or remove something? I want a pretty basic cooper because I can't afford to have a fancy one. Btw, waht is JCW sport Suspension? Do I need that? Does it more safe to drive the car?

Base MSRP*$18,550Destination & Handling$650

PAINT IT
White Turn Signals $100
Pepper White Body Color $0
Black Roof/Mirrors $0
Chrome Line Exterior $250
Chrome Mirror Caps INC
Black Bonnet Stripes $100

PACKAGES
No selections in this category

PERFORMANCE
Auto Dimming Rear View Mirror $250
6-Speed Getrag Manual STD
15" 5-Star Spooler (Perfomance) STD
Dynamic Stability Control STD
Front Fog Lamps $250
Xenon Headlamps w/Power Wash $500

COCKPIT

Center Arm Rest $250
Cloth: Checkered Carbon Black/Black $0
Interior Surface Fine White Silver STD
Comfort Access System $500
3-Spoke Leather Sport Wheel STD
Interior Color: Carbon Black STD
Sport Seats $250
Chrome Line Interior $250
On-Board Computer STD
6-spkr AM/FM CD Player STD
TOTAL MSRP AS CONFIGURED*$21,900
JOHN COOPER WORKS ACCESSORIES**JCW Shift **** (installation not incl.) $129
GENUINE MOTORING ACCESSORIES**

Illuminated Door Sills - MINI (installation not incl.) $279
Black Rubber Floor Mat (front) (installation not incl.) $55
Black Rubber Floor Mat (boot) (installation not incl.) $65
TOTAL ACCESSORIES **$528
TOTAL MSRP AS CONFIGURED*$21,900 T
OTAL COMBINED$22,428

 

Tina,

Welcome!

I would suggest that you do a couple things.

First, decide what you absolutely want in the car, what options would be nice, and what you don't care about or don't want. You might be able to get some ideas from other threads here, but a lot of it will be subjective. For example, there are some here that don't like the sunroof, others do. There is no right answer. In my case, it was a "must have", so I didn't even look at anything that didn't have the sunroof. Sport suspension was one of those nice to have in my book. I would have liked it, but in the end couldn't fit it in the budget. Depending on how the options fall out in your own ranking may determine which model you can go with. In my case, because I didn't have a lot of "must haves", I was able to afford an S which was more important to me than some other things.

The second thing is to take the different models for a test drive. Then you may have a much better idea of which one you like - especially Cooper v Cooper S.

HTH and good luck!

 

I concur with jcauseyfd

I have a S cause I absolutely love the responsiveness from the turbo and I have modified the suspension because I really like the way the car rips through the twists and turns. But thats for ME.

Test drive a cooper and a cooper S and see what turns your signal

Good luck

 

Base MSRP*$18,550Destination & Handling$650

PAINT IT
White Turn Signals $100
Pepper White Body Color $0
Black Roof/Mirrors $0
Chrome Line Exterior $250
Chrome Mirror Caps INC
Black Bonnet Stripes $100

PACKAGES
No selections in this category

PERFORMANCE
Auto Dimming Rear View Mirror $250
6-Speed Getrag Manual STD
15" 5-Star Spooler (Perfomance) STD
Dynamic Stability Control STD
Front Fog Lamps $250
Xenon Headlamps w/Power Wash $500

COCKPIT

Center Arm Rest $250
Cloth: Checkered Carbon Black/Black $0
Interior Surface Fine White Silver STD
Comfort Access System $500
3-Spoke Leather Sport Wheel STD
Interior Color: Carbon Black STD
Sport Seats $250
Chrome Line Interior $250
On-Board Computer STD
6-spkr AM/FM CD Player STD
TOTAL MSRP AS CONFIGURED*$21,900
JOHN COOPER WORKS ACCESSORIES**JCW Shift **** (installation not incl.) $129
GENUINE MOTORING ACCESSORIES**

Illuminated Door Sills - MINI (installation not incl.) $279
Black Rubber Floor Mat (front) (installation not incl.) $55
Black Rubber Floor Mat (boot) (installation not incl.) $65
TOTAL ACCESSORIES **$528
TOTAL MSRP AS CONFIGURED*$21,900 T
OTAL COMBINED$22,428

 

suggestion---lose the armrest ($250? get real), do you really need a $129 JCW shift ***? Illuminated door sills?

Don't know how much the Sport Package is but I would suggest it, just me

The convenience access pkg is a must IMHO

 

I'd check for local MINI clubs and see how your dealership is.
I regret my MINI purchases due to lack of factory & dealer support...

 

If you like the armrest and the shift **** get it now but you can always do it later for cheaper. Neither are very hard to install.

I'd leave things like sport packages for the aftermarket. Drive the car first and if you like it you're good if not then you can spend money later on instead of up front now. Plus you can get exactly what you want, for cheaper.

Leave the floormats out and negotiate them in for free or get something like CoComats later instead.

I'd skip the illuminated door sill too, it's extra money and your car isn't a JCW so why have the badging (if I could I'd remove it from my JCW shift ****).

How much of a music fan are you? You might want to consider the HiFi upgrade.

Have you looked at the Clubmans? I kind wish they were available when I was shopping. The extra space comes in really handy.

Check and ask around in some of the other sub forums about various options, you can usually get a good idea of what the aftermarket has to offer and any problems/value that exist with the various options.

Good luck!

 

Welcome Tina!

You can have a very nice, complete Cooper without the extras. The JCW Suspension isn't needed for normal driving. However, for all of the options, it's really up to what you like and can afford -- not our opinions.

Personally, I would say to keep only these options:

Front Fog Lamps (For obvious reasons.)
Xenon Headlamps (For brighter, sharper illumination.)
Sport Seats (For better support.)
Floor Mats (For obvious reasons.)

I would add these:

Rear Fog Lamp (It's nice not to get rear-ended -- in any reduced visibility.)
Multifunction Steering Wheel (It's the only way to get cruise control.)

Whatever you get, you are going to love your MINI. Motor on!

 

The Cooper seems like the right choice for you Tina. I think you can save a couple of hundred bucks from waiting on the bolded options. I would suggest an aero kit to go along with your future Cooper. It would make a huge difference in the looks department. I say that because you seem to like upgrading the 'looks' of the car with the illuminated door sill, chrome liner, etc. I recommend refraining from those and put the dough on the aero kit. You won't regret it, I promise!

oh and get the multifunction steering wheel! I regret not adding that to my MINI...

 

Hello geekswrath,

I was desperated for a Clubman a year ago. However, I think a Mini looks much cuter than the Clubman. Clubman is more roomy; however, its body looks too long (length), so it doesn't match with its width (just in my opinion). So now I will go with the cooper.

Thank you for your feedback.

Thanks,
Tina

 

Hi and welcome to MINI land!

I would recommend the cosmetics for aftermarket, and anything with the electrical system or motors ordered with your MINI, unless you have connections with auto fanatics!

Warning: I was a really tame driver, but my MINI S brings out something in me that I love! I concur with my fellow motor buddies...test drive all the models and see what you like!

 

Not a problem, just putting it out there in case you hadn't considered it. I do love Ferris, sometime it would just make things easier if he were just a tad bigger on the inside.

Oh yeah and definitely get the MFSW!

 

I'd also consider the MFSW and rear fog light.

If you want to keep costs down, I'd skip on the arm rest (can add it later) and maybe the comfort access. If you want to trim the price more, I'd lose the xenons and just get brighter bulbs.

I'd also say to avoid the accessories and do it yourself if you can, since you'll save quite a bit. You can usually get the floor and boot mat for free from the dealer.

 

we dont know where T lives in the west, but if she's in Oregon I do believe rear fogs are illegal there.

however she wont suffer from "halogen remorse" by picking the xenons haha

 

Tina, where do you live? If you have ANY sort of winter, I would suggest the Cold Weather package. I've never had heated seats before my MINI, but they are awesome

Yes, the Multi-function Steering Wheel is a must in my opinion. If you don't get that, you don't get cruise control.

 

Seriously consider the cold weather package unless you live somewhere it is always very hot - heated seats are my most loved option. I use it even in July, on chilly/rainy mornings. The heated seats are NOT easy to add aftermarket. I'd also opt for the MFSW (if only for the cruise control; it's the only way to get it) and I prefer Xenons over halogen.

IMO, the chrome line interior is worth it.

I'd also skip the ****/illuminated sills/armrest, and sometimes the dealer will throw in the mats for free.

Edit: Aw, I type too slow. PSUinDC said all I wanted to say.

 

I also love my heated seats, but she is getting cloth, so they're not vital especially if she's on a budget... But I would definitely get them over comfort access.

 

I live in Washington State where it rains and cold almost all year long. That's why I am thinking about cloth seats so I don't have to think about heated seats.

Btw, nobody answer this question that I posted. What is Sport Suspension?

thevelourfog,
What is the comfort access? Is it the one that you don't need to use the key to turn on the engine?

Thank you so much!

 

I have cloth seats and I still wouldn't do without my heated seats...there's nothing like it to take the chill off you when it is a little cold out.

 

defintely. Tina, don't fall into the misconception that heated seats can only be had on the leather. You can get heated cloth

 

Tina,

I'm sure someone will jump in who knows it better than I do, but I think the sport suspension consists of some upgraded suspension bits (e.g. rear sway bar). Not sure what the difference is between a "normal" sport suspension option and the JCW flavor. And at least when I was shopping for mine, the sport suspension included 17" rims as opposed to the 16" I got. After my test drives, I decided the sport suspension didn't add enough to justify the extra cost, but that was just me.

I believe if you are looking for something that adds safety (which an improved suspension in and of itself may be considered additional safety), you would want to look for the DSC (or whatever it is they are calling it now). To get that you may have to upgrade to the sport suspension - not sure. The limited slip differential may also help some with safety in helping to control wheelspin. Hopefully someone with these options can chime in as I elected not to get either one.