Funny, Larry!

 

hey howzaboot some links then Lar? I (and I'm sure others) would like to see how far you've pushed the envelope of boneheadeness, you R53 "elitist." Have U posted on the GP forum? You should, for they're some of the most sensitive and easily pissed off folks on NAM. This could be your legacy, bro!

 

From what I've seen the "as much as new" prices are not happening like they used to. People may ask for a high price, but there are tons of Minis on Craigslist Autotrader etc, and people are bargaining. Good deals can be had even on 05s/06s with low miles

 

Surf, I liked your post and for the most part concur, but I believe a car's duration is what we make of it. I drove a 34 year old BMW 2002 to work all week, and the week before that, I alternated between a 50 year old MGA and a 56 year old Chevy 1/2 ton pickup truck and my commute is 50 minutes in each direction. Cars last forever if you want them to (and you don't total them). I hope to never ever drive a disposable. Life's too short. If it weren't for Henry Fraud, we might never have been conditioned to believe that cars don't last forever.

 

I thought the same thing.

 

I agree. They certainly should last longer than most of them do. I think some manufacturers build cars to only last around 75k miles and also a lot of people don't take care of their cars enough to make them last a while. I don't consider a car to be very good if it can't go at least 200k miles. But we now live in a day of "disposable" cars where a lot of people have a desire to get a new car every 2-3 years so in some ways maybe longterm reliability doesn't really matter too much.

 

..or live in the salty Northeast

People will always speculate about new cars on forums. It's costs nothing but time. But I don't necessarily equate "more refined" with less fun. It has happened in the past, but we shouldn't assume that more suspension travel and a goal of broader appeal is bad for enthusiasts. Repeat after me.."A fun car doesn't have to hurt."

I am not a current MINI owner, but I like fun cars. I know it is possible to make a fun car that has an excellent driver/owner experience. That is really what we want. Unless you are involved with competitive driving, the "liveability" of the car matters. Maybe I'm the market BMW has in mind.... I prefer a car that is still more capable than I am, but is easier to live with day in and day out. I'll bet most current MINI owners never take advantage of the final 1/10th of capabilty the "less refined" car may allow.

I usually prefer refinement.

 

My biggest concern with the R56 is that it might have so much BMW Technology that it will be broke all of the time. I had a 2004 X5 and still have a 2005 X3 and both of them repeatedly had various problems that resulted in trips to the dealer to get them fixed. Best example is the X3 sat at the dealer for 10 weeks waiting on a new seat cushion because the airbag sensor that was integrated into it was intermittent. They couldn't take one from another X3 on the lot because each one if uniquely programmed. They were on the verge of giving us a new X3 when the part finally came in. It was just one thing after another on both cars.

Recently my BMWR1200GS (MC) had to go into the dealer to have its computer updated so that it would quit running the battery down if left sitting for a week. The update didn't take so we have to do it again. So now they have the bikes as screwed up with high-tech do-dads as the cars. Just wait until you get a Nav with "I-DRIVE you try and change the radio station". I'm thinking of ordering a MCS convertible so I can get one more with the supercharger.

 

Electrical gremlins more than anything have hurt the German manufacturers in the past decade or so. M-B is particularly hard hit and I think their customer sat ratings have gone south primarily because of electrical related problems. Broadly speaking, the Germans are terrific mechanical engineers, but they seem to be overreaching when it comes to electronic advances.

Your fear is not unwarranted.

 

Order a basic MCS... LSD and nothing more. Avoid the gremlins. My list is hardly longer than that except a stereo upgrade and maybe a suspension upgrade, maybe the aluminum dash option and plain pepper white all over, and the lightest 16" wheels the factory offers. AFTERMARKET POTENTIAL will be high as the first year rolls by. Keep the list short, tack on the goodies as interest/boredom dictates. Like a Mini could be boring compared to what else is out there in that stripped down price range.

 

Let those who have ears listen! Very wise words... and good advice to be heeded!

You're on target surfblue!

 

Hassel MINI in Freeport, NY is in the same building as Hassel Pre-Owned BMW, across the street from Hassel BMW. True, the BMW new car dealership is in a different building, but Hassel MINI is not by itself, either, in a free-standing building. Maybe someone has a clarification on this, if it even matters?

 

The present Cooper is a very nice car that has a broad appeal.

BMW, had to incorporate changes for environmental, safety, and ecomomic reasons. Thus some of the major changes that will be. Then, of course, there is always the subjective changes trying to appeal to the consumer.

Like many ahead of me, I studied all the information that I could dredge up and made my decision. Picked her up this week. We, (the wife & I) preferred the current style, inside and out. We are very happy

Is one better than the other? I s one better looking than the other? Will one hold their value better than the other? ........ and one can go on and on...

You should buy what you can afford, that meets your requirments, and enjoy.

That what we are doing, and I love it!

 

I've been following this discourse for quite some time. This is a discussion that truly has no end, as the debate will continue ad nauseum!

At times it has been highly spirited with much passion being expressed and at other times it has sunk down to the depths of mediocrity, lacking eloquence and grace !

Now PKAT has very elegantly summed up the whole thing in the proverbial nutshell!

In the end it's not what I think, or your friends, or fellow NAMers... It's what's important to YOU!

And remember dear friends, at the end of the day, if you're happy with your MINI, whatever iteration it may be, then all will be right in your world.

 

1. Is one better looking than the other? Yes - current model w/o question
2. Is one better than the other? - Don't know yet
3. Will one hold their value better than the other - probably current one but don't know yet

 

Ah, but see this is not a univerally held opinion...so there is a question I'm afraid, although perhaps not for you, which is fine.

I do think one day all the "do not know yet" answers will have to be replaced with something equally ambiguous like "depends on your perspective." It's just not (on the whole) a black and white thing and I suspect never will be. On a personal level it's a different matter.

 

If you can find one person that thinks that the R56 is better looking than the current model I will retract my dogmatic statement.

 

I do!!! There are many others, too. Not to worry about a retraction...I like my R50, too, but R56 features a cleaner look up front and in back and the more unified grill is a big improvement. (point of clarification...I am taking about Coopers here!!)

And don't get me started on the interior which is better in many ways. Not bashing R50/53 at all...I just very much like the direction they have gone in R56. Case in point...I prefer the R56 three-tiered dash design over the more bulbous current one. The new one receeds from the cabin space...the old protrudes. The way the bigger speedo is integrated into the dash is suberb!

 

I think the R56 is better looking that than the R50/53. So there are at least two people out there.

 

I retract my statement. I also have some land for sale in Alaska. Send me a PM.

 

Alaska??? Definitely "less refined!!!" Not to worry...even though I really like R56 and am totally on-board with it, I still break out in a cold sweat at the prospect of giving up the keys (for most of the time anyway) to my beloved R50 next year.

 

I'm not sure if I can count myself as the third who likes the R56 appearance over the R50/R53. I just am unsure if I view either as better looking. There are definitely aspects of the R56 exterior that I like better than the current generation (can I still say that since the R56 is out in the UK??). I do like the new front grill, front and rear fascias, and the sleeker look to the passenger compartment more on the R56. I don't like the larger wheel moldings, the headlights from a front view, or the Cooper S spoiler. I definitely do prefer the R56 interior, though.

I remember when the 350Z first debuted as a concept car. My first thought was, "Good Lord, what is that hideous thing??" As I began to see the car in the sheet metal, it began to grow on me, and now I prefer it to the previous generation 300ZX. I did not have the same reaction of complete and total horror when I first saw a production R56.

 

Larry, you'll have to retract so far you'll be back in the womb in no time! R56 is much better looking, inside und out.

 

I like the R56 interior much better, and, while I'm waiting to see one in person, I think I like the exterior better as well, if nothing more than for the grill and basic wheel choice.

 

+1 for the R53, Larry!