So... I have been asking a billion questions to a billion people on here... and heres my dilemma...

I have my MINI coming...

(she is the second one i ordered- the first was a cooper, then i decided i wanted to upgrade to an s)

and she is an automatic...

and now i want a manual... I keep hearing good things about the new automatic transmission... but am not sure... I hear more about the manual...

I do not want to wait to build another car... I am bloody impatient as it is, and the 6 more weeks i have to wait for this one is going to kill me.

is there any way to do this? is it even possible?

(I am not worried about the cost here, I just want honest opnions)

how will it affect my warrenty?

who do i have do it? the dealer or someone else?

HELP!!!!

(thanks in advance!!!)

 

I don't think you want to get an MCS with auto and buy and install a manual transmission. Yes, you'd void your factory warranty for the auto transmission and if the dealer were willing to order you a getrag 6 speed (for about $6000 for the parts) then they'd charge you 10 hours of labor to install it (over $1000) and you'd still get maybe a one year warranty not the 4 year factory warranty.

So what can you do? Just take delivery of the MCS with auto and drive it. Probably it will be fine and you'll be happy. No matter what anyone else says you get enough power and a smooth easy to drive auto tranny.

At some later time you can decide on the manual transmission and maybe buy a 2006 MCS with manual. You'll still have to wait to get it but you'll have learned alot about MINI options from driving your 2005 MCS. You can driver your current MCS until your 2006 arrives.

Or you can cancel your current order for the automatic and place a new one for a manual- try Classic MINI in Ohio or MINI of the Hamptons. You might be lucky and have a minimal wait time.

Personally I think either MCS would be fine, just different. If you do alot of urban driving then the automatic is great, is less work, still offers good performance and other family members can drive your MINI and enjoy.

 

Or you could email me at MINI of Pittsburgh. I have a large selection of manual cars and have experience with shipping to the west coast. My last out of state went to Tacoma WA.

graham.chandler@pandwforeigncars.com

 

Cancel your order
Get the Manual ordered quick!!!!!!!

And don't forget the LSD Helps keep your mind right

 

Not sure about the MCSa, but usually the engines (and certainly CPU) are tuned differently with auto vs. manual.
Swapping trannys is no small feat, and it would be financially ludicrous to do so as minihune illustrated. You'd be FAR better off RENTING a manual MCS until your new one came in than to pay to swap the tranny on a brand new car.

My turn for a question now.
What drastic turn of events has taken place to make you change your mind?? If you do cancel and get a manual, think of all those parking lot days on 80...
Take a deep breath, go play on the MINI configurator, and be happy as a clam when your new MCSa shows up!:smile:

 

You'd be better off taking the car you ordered, living with it for a little while, and then trading it in for a manual if you still want to in a few months.

Remember you said $ wasn't an issue. You would have to take some kind of hit, but probably not a big one if you sold the first MINI to a private party.

 

Costs would be crazy ... I started pricing to replace an '03 manual with the '05 with LSD and reached $3000+ in parts before I quit; add at least $1000 in labor on top.

Don't buy the car if you don't want it - even if you lost your deposit (which should not happen), it will be less expensive than changing the transmission.

 

man... now i am more torn... can someone please message me the number for Classic in Ohio? and can someone else tell me that i am not crazy for considering a third car (and ordering it!) if i do?

heres what im going to do... get a manual and drive it for a week or two... (since im used to driving an automatic everyday) then make up my mind... that way i can make a more informed decision... thanks for the advice everyone!

 

If you took delivery and did not like it, it would be cheaper to trade it and get a manual than it would to change the transmission.

 

late addition...

oh and the bad thing about being 19... my dad says keep the MCSa for 3 years then get the MCS.... manual...

and well i guess i have to listen... even though im the one paying for it....

 

Please, tell us why you're suddenly considering a manual instead of the automatic! Surely you thought about it before you made the initial order, there must be something that changed your mind. I'm curious!

 

nope... i have always had an automatic... and didnt even think twice about it when i placed my first order... then everyone started to question my choice... so i changed to an s... then once it had been set for production, everyone started to talk me out of the automatic and i began to hear all the positive reviews for the manuals.... so i changed my mind again... then found out it was too late (they hadnt started building my car yet, but thats the reason my dealership told me for not being able to change...) to change.... and now not being able to do it is driving me crazy! but i think that im going to listen to my dad (no real choice-haha) and stick with my automatic for a few years and then when i get my new one, get the manual with all the options... and on the plus side, i should be able to get all the JCW kits for it before she gets here! (so she wont suck too badly!)

oh and one more thing... hopefully the 2009's wont be as horrible as the predictions for the 2007's are shaping up to be! haha

 

19!

Before I got my 2003 MCS I drove automatics for 12 years. And before that I was driving manuals for about 10. Each has good and bad points. I think more important than the transmission is how the car handles (which is excellent), how stiff is the chassis (very), and how much power is there for some fun.

The MINI has all these things so there isn't much lost one way or the other. Normally I would say you be the judge and test drive both but we don't have the luxury of seeing the automatic MCS yet. You get to be one of the first- how exciting. You get the paddle shifters! Cool. Life could be worse.

 

I agree.



And you will find out that the older you get, the more you could give a rat's behind about other's opinions. Please yourself.

You may find in this case, that you are perfectly happy with an automatic.

 

From what I've heard, the automatics are really nice! Paddle shifters! All I can say is Sweeeeeet! Stick with the auto, you already made the right decision and switched to an S. Have fun and drive it!

 

thanks... and i cant wait to drive her- we already have our first road trip planned... its to the nearest sonic (like an hour and a half away...) and man are we stoked... a new car AND sonic!

 

Here's an offer for you... If you don't like your new 05, I have a slightly worn '02 with some mods that will make you hoot! If you don't like your car, we can trade!

Even though the MCSa doesn't have a trick computer controlled manual like a Ferarri, or the dual clutch set up of the Audi, not the SMG of the Bimmers, computer controlled transmission will be the standard. The best ones now can already shift faster that a human can, even trashing the syncros.

It has a manual mode. You can beat the snot out of that if you have to "bang the gears" for the manual crowd or the feeling. I think it would take a pretty good driver to get the manual to out perform the auto in twisties, and for a not so good driver (like me) it might acutally be easier for me to get faster lap times with an auto in manual mode.

I've seen many posts from those that wait or whatever to get the "perfect" car. All I can say is that if I'd waited until now for the limeted slip (I can't write LSD for a diff due to my age and association earlier in life), I'd have missed some really bitchen' driving, some hot track events and the like. If you can get what you want without a hit to time or $, no problem with switching, but if it takes time, get the car you orderd. You're talking about a difference of 9.8 to 9.9 on the 0-10 scale!

Matt