boo hoo... mini has been very good about taking care of the r53's with problems early on. a friend of mine is still getting little annoyances fixed for free on his '02. if you give them a call in the service department i'm sure they will take a look at it for you and fix it if they can identify the problem. Arnbut i'm sure they will do something for you. stop complaining and start acting.

VIVA LA REVOLUTION! MINI of course

 

Just get a Cooper!!!

 

Supercharged Honda Fit. Jacksonracing supercharger prototypes are getting 36MPG tank after tank after tank in mixed driving. honda and JR reliability (both great), 0-60 in the mid 7's. Add coil overs and a rear bar and the price is about the same as a Cooper Clubman with similar handling & utility, better performance, economy, reliability. Also, the spare set of MINI wheels (with snows) bolt right on...even hub centric. If I can live with the bland styling as a trade off for reliability, I might just go this way instead of the Cooper S Clubman (and save 8 grand from the spec I had planned, even after the supercharger). I'll visit honda this week for the second time to see if I really want to do this instead of wait for the death rattle to get fixed before buying the clubby.

 

HHR SS; .9 G's in the skidpad. 260 hp.
Just sayin' that there are options.

 

HHR2008 SS: Starts at $22,995*

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Highlights:

• 260-hp 2.0L ECOTEC turbocharged, direct-injected engine with Variable Valve Timing (VVT) and an EPA estimated 29 MPG hwy.
• Getrag five-speed manual transmission with "Zero-Lift" shifting
• Available automatic transmission with remote vehicle starter system
• Four-wheel disc brakes with ABS
• StabiliTrak Electronic Stability Control System with driver-selectable Competitive Mode
• High-performance suspension
• 18-inch high-polished forged-aluminum wheels
• Road-hugging ground effects and unique front and rear fascias
• OnStar(1) with a one-year Safe & Sound Plan
• AM/FM stereo featuring cross-band presets, CD player with MP3 playback and auxiliary audio input jack
• Performance seating with deep, premium-grip cloth bolsters; UltraLux seat inserts; and outer accents

Complete list of standard & optional features
View 360s
Wow cheap also !

 

Its Just not the same thing. or imho even close.

 

 

also the EPA class is two wheel drive SUV
the gas mileage is not estimated at 29 hwy. even the base model gets 21/30. no offense but there is no way you throw a supercharged engine in like that and get those results with the 3300 pound curb weight.

the cooper clubman s is 26/34 EPA on edmunds and 500 lbs. lighter. the reviews speak for themselves on there a lot of people are not happy with their pt brother purchase.

 

The FJ Cruiser is a poseur truck and ugly to boot. The Mustang GT delivers straight line thrills, so-so handling and hit and miss build quality. But I would take a Mustang over a FJ Cruiser any day of the week.

 

Whoa, that's an ugly car if I ever saw one. Like a PT Cruiser drawing that didn't make the cut. Try selling that in the Auto Trader in 3-4 years. You'll get 33% of paid.

 

You guys have been sniffing too much nitrous...
It's not an FJ Cruiser; that's made by Toyota and is a very capable off-road vehicle.
It's not a PT Cruiser; that's the discontinued Chrysler product built on a Neon platform.
The new HHR SS was designed by Chevy's new performance department; it's a turbo and not supercharged. They were ashamed of their recent SS cars in general; they were ashamed of the HHR in general. This new version of the car is their apology.
I haven't driven one yet but I know a few people who have; they've been impressed. They were Vette people though, not Mini people.

 

It'd be hard to toss the newspapers out of that tiny front window I think. Couldn't they have made the A/B/C pillars any wider (lol)? And that plastic cladded front bumper needs a little more heft to it to balance things out (lol).

 

Picky picky picky. But at $4K less than a comparable Clubman and 80+ hp more, some people will be wandering.
So what if it's funny-looking; so is the Mini if you're honest with yourself. I have to go drive it at least.