My dealer has a spice orange and two BRG.

 

BRG on Hot Chocolate is dangerous. I'm not much of a convertible guy but the things I would do to get Hot Chocolate leather.

 

Although I live in Atlanta, I've driven my convertible in temps below 20 degrees. It was comfortable.

The top, like every BMW convertible I have owned, seals tight with no drafts or water leaks - NONE. Watch the windows when you open the door. The window drops automatically when you open the door. The window seals into a c shaped seal. Far superior to older convertibles where the glass just pressed against a flat rubber seal.

The seat heat is a must have. It greatly extends comfortable top down temp range and feels wonderful on those cold winter nights. These are typical BMW with very fast warm up.

A convertible is unmatched driving fun to me. With the beauty of Colorado surrounding you - go for it!. Another thing I like about the R57 is the more vertical windshield means it is far from your head and feels even more open than sleeker convertibles with steep windshields that are inches away from your head. I have never regretted the freedom provided by a convertible.

 

Hmmmmmm...such a decision to make. I should be able to get the payment down to the same as I have now, so that's a bonus. I just keep thinking: I've been paying on my hardtop for nearly three years...so I'll be extending that payment for another three years. But...but...it's pretty hot. As I said before, the MINI convertible is one of the few that actually looks good to me.

Another big hesitation is the ability to carry luggage or baggage or whatnot. I have a base rack for the roof that I haven't yet installed, and there's always a possibility of needing that sort of space with my girlfriend having two kids. That's a hang-up currently. Yet it hasn't been an issue, but we don't live together yet, either.

Great feedback so far!! Thanks!

Hmmm...

 

Oh, and I have mechanical LSD. Will be sad to lose that.

 

The cargo capacity and the ability to carry a rear facing child seat are the only reasons that I haven't traded my clubman in on a convertible mini. There is an 07 that I could swap my clubman for and it's really tempting so I know how you feel

 

Luckily the kids are junior high age, so I don't need to worry about the child seat.

And today I was remembering that my soft top on my Wrangler hot hacked into twice in as many years, and that was in a low crime area. That's always a hang up for me. But the ones I'm looking at at least have alarms on them. Still, though.

 

I've seen a post some where from a law enforcement officer that indicated if someone wants quick access to a car, breaking a window is faster/easier than trying to slit a top and trying to reach in. You need very long arms! Count me fortunate but in 30 years of convertible driving I've never had a problem.

I have a friend that has a MCS convertible with the mounting points for a trailer hitch, bike rack, storage rack etc. It is pretty cool.. Only two stainless steel sockets are visible when nothing is installed in the sockets.

I carried an 8' length of trim in mine last month with the top up and tailgate down . Our 14 year old daughter frequently rides in the back of our MINI convertible.

Good luck with your decision. One thought I would have is the value of a fresh factory warranty with the high cost of repairs. I am not sure what I will do as my warranty nears the end. I usually keep cars longer than 4 years but.....

 

Yep, the fresh warranty is a huge sell, too. Hoping to get to the dealer tomorrow. The spice orange is no longer listed as inventory, so I think they must have sold that one yesterday. Meh, I liked the BRG better, anyway. Too bad it's pricier. But still doable.

 

Okay, enough procrastination. Heading to the dealer in the morning. Think I'll leave here around 9 or 9:30 to avoid morning traffic (close to 40 miles to the dealer, and part of that is down the worst trafficked interstate in Denver).

Will update tomorrow.

 

Damn, you guys are really making me wish I had bitten the bullet and ordered the Convertible. Back in January when I ordered my Hardtop, I really needed a vehicle that could carry my big hockey bag or carry some other larger items like my golf clubs or sailing gear. Since then, I picked up my 05 Titan Crew Cab 4x4, so now I rarely use my MINI for anything but daily driving and pleasure trips. Fortunately my MCS has been trouble free for 10K miles, making me love it even more. Even though I generally keep my cars for 150K miles plus, I am always thinking about what my next vehicle will be, and in that vane a JCW Convertible is definitely on the very short list.

Regarding the MINI Hot Chocolate Lounge Leather +1. I love my Green Lounge Leather, but if I could have purchased the Hot Chocolate in the Pepper White Hardtop, that would have been da bomb.

 

After driving an S2000, a Miata and a MINI, we decided on the MINI. But we would not have bought it if it were not a convertible. We live north of Cincinnati, Ohio but we always have the top down except in rain, snow or very cold weather. We do put it up as we roll into a parking lot at the mall (for security) and other places. But as soon as we come out, down it goes. I do wish the remote had more range though.

We have taken a few trips and the backseat holds our largest suitcase and a cooler, something the S2000 and Miata could not do.

There is nothing like top down motoring. You won't regret getting it, especially if you go for a moonlit ride on a clear cool evening in the Rockies. In the night there is nothing like looking up at the stars...and in the day there is nothing like hearing an eagle screech and looking up and see it flying right over your head.

 

Buy the Coupe!!

Wonder what's going to be ordered???

 

So the test drive was very nice. And a $2000 discount is mighty tempting. But none had the h/k system, and that's a real letdown for a convertible where the sound is really important (to me, at least). That, and I was surprised how much loading/cargo area was compromised because of the soft top.

So I'll be sticking with my hardtop for a while. My girlfriend was like, "Buy a Countryman!" (She already has one...that's why it's funny. ) But I think I'll stick with my very reliable R56 for a bit, unless the urge gets unbearable. And the fact that I'm considering doing the JCW tune on my current car may help appease the temptation. Thanks for riding along with me.

 

I think that was a good choice. You stuck to your guns and that's hard to do sometimes.

Motor On!!

 

I got the opportunity yesterday, as a Loaner at MINI of Portland while Molly had some Warranty and PDR work done. It was an "S" too, though I was so anxious to get my Molly back I left work at 4pm and got back to the Dealership just as my SA was going to call me!! The vert was "ok", I could not open the roof though even in Sunroof mode it was just to noisy and I needed to listen to my GPS (yes, I AM Directionally Challenged). I alleviated the "blind spots" as best I could by adjusting the outside mirrors just like I do in the Molly Car.

 

Oh, the blind spots!! Holy CRAP! I turned to look as I was going to change lanes (like I normally look in my hardtop) and was like, "Uhm...I can't see anythin--OH MY GOD!!" as I had to look back ahead of me since I dawdled too long at the realization of not seeing anything. Whew.

I was pleasantly surprised at how reasonable the noise was with the top down in either form (sunroof style or fully down). I didn't get to highway speeds, though I did get to around 50 mph or so.

 

Congrats on finding some peace in a decision. If you ever get tempted again, I added Multivex mirror inserts that really help the blind spot and I followed lancing74's post and installed a rear view camera for parking (see my gallery).

All MINI's are fun. The new H/K sound system does sound nice!

Happy Colorado Motoring!