Hey! I haven't posted in forever!

After a turbulent time in my life some things have started to turn around and it looks like I may have found more lucrative employment! Due to this, my chances of being able to afford this wonderful horseless carriage have increased significantly!

Anywho, I am facing the same conundrum that I have been facing for a long time. MC, MCS, or convertible MC?

This leads to a question I have regarding the turbo charger in the S.

Do turbo chargers require more maintenance than the engine in a normal cooper? Of course, I'm referring to normal situations (i.e. not stuff randomly getting sucked into the turbine and blowing the tc). Will having a turbo charger reduce the life of the engine? Does it add additional wear and tear?

I really need to test drive the S more to get an idea. I want to learn manual on a MINI (maybe that's a clue that I shouldn't get an S?), but my past test drives were not very aggressive (only up to 2nd gear in the parking lot .....kinda pathetic I know, but the only manuals I have driven are motorcycles).

I am really not that aggressive of a driver, but the though of a little extra power to get up the on ramps and pass the lunatic drivers of Florida seems rather nice.

Anywho, any and all feedback would be appreciated!

If this question has been posted before, please link it...and sorry if I am being redundant with this post!

 

Having owned both a Justa and an S, I am a strong advocate of the S. The torque range of the 2nd generation S blows my mind. It pulls from 1600 RPM to nearly 4000 RPM. That means you can accelerate in most any gear at most any speed. No down shifting when passing at 70 MPH. As for the reliability question: Since the S is stressed a little higher than the Justa it probably has a shorter theoretical life. I really haven't seen any evidence of that in the forums I read, and I read several. In any case if there is a small reduction in reliability I think it is worth it for the improvement in performance you get from the S. And I'm not a hotfoot driver.

 

Get the S and only look back to see the people you have passed.

 

The power of the MCS is more fun, but driving an MC is also fun.

Some of the problems that have occurred with the S, but not the MC are:

Timing chain tensioner problem (AKA "cold start rattle") which is a serious problem that MINI needs to find a better solution to. Mine went through the current fix, and seems to be fine, but others report the problem has recurred.

Hood scoop melting. Heat from the turbo overheats the plastic scoop when the MCS is parked after a hard drive. Mine hasn't had this problem. Others have.

In theory, a turbo should have a shorter life, but MINI aims for at least a 150,000 mile life for the MCS. This requires good care, of course.

If you are interested in a long life for your car, IMO, change the oil more often than MINI suggests. I'm going with around 8,000 mile intervals, instead of MINI's 15,000 to 25,000 interval (depending on what the onboard computer says).

 

I drove a mustang GT 5 speed for 7 years. In October I bought an MCS auto. I am very happy and just love the car. The power is amazing, I really don't miss the Mustang, and I am very happy with the auto...the steptronic lets you use the tranny like a sequential, ie. lets you select the gear. I wouldn't change a thing.

 

If you should decide on a convertible (I did) be sure to compare the MCS and the MC. The extra weight of the convertible the power of the MCS pretty sweet.

I agree with the above posts about changing oil at 8,000 hours or so.

Happy Motoring

 

If you have the bucks get the "S". The extra power is fun, however I have the MC and I haven't had any problems with competitive freeway entrances. Learning manual in MC or MCS no problem with either one. Take a few more test drives in both and see which lights your fire.

 

Thanks for all the info guys! =)

gawannamini ~ I'd love an S convertible, but it's a tad bit steep in the price department.

I have some concerns about the convertibles in regards to living in FL. How reliable are those tops in humid Florida weather? I'd be afraid of the top rotting. I don't have a garage to park in for the time being as I live in an apartment complex. I really love the feel of having the top down (reminds me of being on my motorcycle).

 

I'm sure you meant miles, not hours. Because at 50MPH, that's 40,000 miles

We have a 2010 MC Cabrio as a loaner, don't ask why, and it is a bit of a dog compared to our traded in 05 Cabrio, and would never keep up to our 107,000+ mile 03 MC.

Mark

 

You are right - they are proud of the S convertibles!! I have had convertibles for 30 years and I live in Atlanta. The top fabrics are pretty tough and I have never had one rot out. When tops had plastic back windows they would turn yellow - but MINI's have glass back windows. The fabric looks just like the fabric I had on my BMW 3 series convertibles.

The MINI is a great convertible. I notice very little difference in noise level with the top up on the highway compared to the hatchback. I have never had a drop of water or wind leakage in any of the 3 BMW convertibles that I have had and the MINI is a similar design. Check out the way the window drops down a bit when you open the door and then raises after you close the door to lock the glass into the top. BMW has been doing the same for years.

I think you will find that a just-a-cooper convertible is a blast without spending the money for the S convertible - particularly if you get a manual transmission. BMW has really worked these engines (both S and regular) to get good torque at low engine speeds so these cars are very responsive regardless of engine or tranmission choice.

I agree - a convertible provides alot of the openess of a motorcycle.

Good luck!!

 

Yea, good catch - I meant miles. I guess the oil changes by hours was some stale brain cell that popped up from when I flew private aircraft and you changed oil based on hours

 

put a JCW tune kit on that auto and watch/feel/experience it take on a whole new dimension of FUN!

 

My first Mini was a Justa 2004 CVT which I latter sold to my daughter to help her establish credit. My wife drives a Justa convertible and her attitude is the car handles extremely well at double digits but when needed it is even better when running harder The brownflyer wind deflector made a world of difference on how long I could tolerate the cold in her car. My replacement for the 2004 was my 2008 MCS which I find gets better gas milage then either of my Justa's. I have had my hood scoop replaced at the dealers expense but with just a year of ownership and 21000 miles on it lots of grins when you punch it and watch the boost gauge pop up

 

I've driven 09 verts, justa, and S. Hands down I wouldn't consider anything less than an "S". I drive an 07 S and everytime I get it back and return my loaner, I kiss it.

No offense, but the last loaner was an 09 justa vert, autotranny.......

I see no reason to put out more cash for less performance. Spend the extra 1500 and get something that you can wear!

If I were to purchase a new car today, it would be a 2010 blue vert "SSSSSS" manual. Not a chance that I would settle for anything less! But in reality, there isn't enough of a difference between my 07 and the 10 to warrant spending another 17000 to upgrade.

Go all out baby!

 

^

 

[quote=Charlie Croker;2940513If I were to purchase a new car today, it would be a 2010 blue vert "SSSSSS" manual. Not a chance that I would settle for anything less! But in reality, there isn't enough of a difference between my 07 and the 10 to warrant spending another 17000 to upgrade.
[/quote]

We have a 10 justa vert loaner right now, and the backseats are nowhere as comfortable as our 05 verts were. And the new roll bar makes the usable boot space smaller.

Mark

 

If I had my choice, I would get a Cooper S Convertible. However, I don't know if I can justify a near $30,000 car. Right now I cannot afford a MINI at all, but I am very likely going to be starting a new job that has the potential to pay nearly 40k a year (if I meet sales quotas, 25k - 28k base + commission). Currently I work at Best Buy part time due to the horrendous job market (I received my masters in international affairs last year and cannot find any work short of retail).

It really sucks to spend so much money on an education just to make 13 - 15k a year with no health benefits or anything. I should have gone into the medical field. Even IT is having a hard time right now from what I have seen / been reading.

Anywho.....the choice probably boils down to a justa vert or a hard top S. I'm leaning towards the hard top S.

The only thing that kinda sucks is I can't really push an S at a test drive, since I am still learning stick.

Maybe I should test drive an auto justa and an auto S to feel the difference? I will most certainly buy a manual however. Is this completely ridiculous?

If I really want to FEEL the difference between an S and a justa, what should I try doing in the car? In particular, an automatic? I've never driven anything with a turbocharger before, so I dont know what the lag feels like, etc. What should I be looking for?

I guess these are weird questions. I would like a little extra acceleration, but I dont tend to exceed 80mph anywhere. (I got a ticket for going 83 on the interstate in my dad's matrix lol, ever since then I've been sticking to 75 - 80mph on the interstate).

 

Finding a paying job in International Affairs seems like it would be tough unless you were in government. OTHO, I know doctors who are having a tough time. How would you like to work your butt off as a surgeon and have your practice lose money? Medicare pays below cost, insurance companies are constantly causing hassles to delay and prevent having to pay, uninsured patients aren't paying their bills...

Trying automatics might be a good way for you to tell the difference. You can put it in manual and use the paddle shifters.

The turbo on the MINI doesn't have much lag because it is a twin turbo.

 

I applied for 60 + jobs within the US government without a single job interview or phone call. Also applied for a few different branches (homeland security, etc). Got a bit further with those, but no luck. I used to teach English in Taiwan, which I was considering as a possible fall back if things kept getting worse. The pay is fairly good, and living expenses are cheap! The job is also fun! However, my mother passed away recently and I do not want to leave my father alone. He has done a lot to help us out when we were both (my wife and I) struggling to find work, so the least I can do is stay and keep him company.

I have also tossed around the idea of getting an AS in something IT related or medical. Now, however, I've had a great opportunity dropped in my lap with AT&T. The pay is great, the benefits are great, and I've been a happy customer with them for well over 6 years. They even offer tuition reimbursement! Their have great training programs as well... I was amazed to see the level of treatment their employees get in comparison to Circuit City and Best Buy. It feels more like a REAL job, dare I say... career? Corporate likes to hire internally from their sales department as well, so hopefully I can use my education as leverage to go up in the company...


Anywho, sorry that was off topic.. im just excited!

I had no idea the MINI was a twin turbo! I'm still learning quite a bit about cars and engines. I am hoping the MINI opens me up to becoming more of an enthusiast (I am already one of those in regards to computers...lol).

 

The auto is fine in either the S or regular to get a feel for the difference in power between the two, you don't need a stick for that. Just remember to make sure the Sport button is on (green) when you test drive both. And it might be a good idea to at least learn how to use the paddles/manual shift mode in the AT so you can at least hang onto a gear a bit longer and get a better feel for the engine's potential.

With regard to turbo lag, you're looking for the power delivery when the gas pedal is pressed. When you press the gas, if you feel any hesitation in terms of how the car accelerates that is likely turbo lag. Fortunately for the MINI you won't get that feeling for the most part. The throttle is a bit quirky, but the Sport button alleviates that issue for the most part (while making it overly sensitive/fake to some extent, but anyway).

To boil it down to a sentence, I don't think you should worry about all that technical nonsense or being able to only drive an auto - just test drive and enjoy both. On a side note I had the pleasure of driving a MCa as a loaner last week and I loved it. The power in an MCa is absolutely fine, it has more than enough ******* to get where I want to go expeditiously. Overall it was a nice little ride, and would not mind owning this car over an S.

 

S has a twin-scroll turbo - not exactly twin turbo but significantly reduce turbo lag nonetheless.

 

OT Warning - I'm a teacher so I'm a bit biased, but you mentioned that you taught in Taiwan. Have you considered teaching here in the US? Certain fields, like math and science (me), are always needing teachers. English, civics, social studies, history, they're not as in demand but there are jobs out there. In most areas, the pay is nice - I'm getting $32k at my new school as a second year teacher - and of course that counts all the time off...xmas break, thanksgiving, spring, summer, plus all the holidays. It's a government job so benefits are rather affordable. Downside? Well, you're a teacher and have to deal with students. Just tossing that out there.

Back on topic - I've driven a couple of R56 base Coopers and am on my second R56 Cooper S (long story, suffice it to say this car is the 'correction' back into MINIs). The first S was an auto, this one is a stick. The first S was an '07 and I did experience some hood scoop warpage after several months of owning it, but never to the point I would have had it replaced. I've driven this one since last Saturday, I know not much time, but I do notice the hood is still just as hot as ever when I stop. Like, you wouldn't want to sit on it in shorts kind of hot. I'm keeping an eye on the scoop, though I've noticed it is more open than I remember my previous scoop being. This time, the first second I notice warping I'll be calling my dealership telling them to get me a CF scoop and I don't plan on paying anything for it.

On the topic of turbo lag, I've noticed that without the sport button on, there is a good deal of sluggishness in 1st gear. I have to apply far more throttle to keep from stalling out than I do on my partner's manual tranny GTI for instance. Engaging the sport button more than compensates though and I have to be careful not to burn tires on takeoff! Admittedly I'm not a pro at driving stick, but this tranny does seem a little more tricky and certainly more notchy than the GTI.

I did briefly consider a 'vert, but my budget would've required me to go with a base Coop, and not that there is anything wrong with it but 10+ seconds (according to Car and Driver) to get to 60...well, let's just say I'd need more oomph. For that kind of performance I could save more than $10k and get a smart "vert." I test drove a base vert with a manual tranny and it didn't feel as slow as it has been rated, but the rattles already present in the roof joints on a brand new car would get old in a big hurry. I like the tight feeling of my hardtop by comparison.

Good luck with your decision and with the job situation. Cell phone sales can be a dog-eat-dog world, but some people do make it into a rewarding career. Too much stress for me. I like all the time off I get as a teacher to go motoring all over the country.

 

I should amend my previous post before I start getting flamed...lol...and say that "For that kind of straight line performance..." I fully realize the base vert would eat a smart alive in every other way.

 

My bad. Twin scroll turbo.

Definitely turn the Sport button on.

The exception being if the road surface is slick, and the wheels start to spin. ASC will cut engine power and it will feel like the engine is bogging down.

 

I have a 2010 MCS. 6sp. manual hardtop. It is easily the most exciting, cool, and fulfilling car I have ever owned (or even driven.)
It accelerates much faster than is ever needed (in any gear.) This sounds like an exaggeration but it is totally true. The 'sport' button makes the car almost too hot to drive!

I recommend that you learn to drive a stick shift ...then test drive all three cars.

The "official" maintenance is the same for all three choices. It probably is not much of an issue unless you plan to own the car for >100,000 miles.

Remember that convertible tops are made with fabric that can be easily sliced open with a sharp knife. Convertibles are noisier than hardtops.