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Anybody out there have any experience with Autocross Racing, tips, etc ??????????
Let's Motor !
Ray T.
In the base Cooper with the 195-section run-flats, the ride is not harsh...the road feel is excellent. Having said that, these are also the loudest tires I have ever heard in any car, once you get on the highway.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
And please return here to keep us posted on your Mini Cooper ownership experience. Thanks!
Revka
Host of Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards
Haven't driven a CVT, some people swear by them, there were a few early hestiation issues, but I think they're sorted out. Its always worth a test drive to see if she likes the S, sometimes the fun of the car can be worth shifting if you don't drive it often, even if you'd prefer an automatic, certainly the case in the MINI I think.
As I'm from the hudson valley myself, my brother autocrossed at Stewart once or twice, I don't recall him saying much except that you look like a fool the first time, so take all the experienced people's advice, and just concentrate on improving your driving, not getting through the fastest. Also expect to beat up your tires a bit, but hey its fun!
People would always ask me when I first got the car what milage I got, and I'd usually say low 20's in city, low 30's on the highway. As I never drove 55 on a flat road, I never got close to 37, and city driving was very much stop and go in Cleveland. Considering what the average car gets in milage, I never really cared that I didn't get higher. The engines are tuned for performance, use premium gas and work well. 115 hp out of a 1.6 litre is also respectable. Its a bit surprising they don't get better milage, but the fun is worth it, and I think no one buys them as an economy car. They're a luxury small car, not an economy car, and the milage goes with luxury, not economy, I guess that doesn't work well for your goals.
A hybrid MINI is a possibility, but unlikely. BMW is pushing hydrogen power, and has several of their cars in hydrogen form running around the auto circuit. Also they released a diesel MINI in Europe, but due to Diesel's unpopularity and a lack of low sulfur Diesel in the US, it probably won't ever make it here. Both of those are much more likely for the MINI. Most people who have bought them are trading up from much bigger cars, so the gas milage is an improvement, for those where it isn't, the fun factor makes up for it I guess. Short of a few other compact cars, the MINI does very well. Edmunds.com posted the most fuel efficient somewhere, MINIs in the top 10, and several of the top 10 are diesel VW's and hybrids, which isn't a fair comparison.
ALSO.. what financing rates have people gotten? My dealer gave me a LOUSY trade-in for my 01 Forester AND is trying to gouge me with a 6.5 finance rate. I've found 4.44 so far.. is this pretty good for a new car? Thanks!
MINIUSA at 866-askmini usually has much more updated info then the owner's lounge, or if you're feeling especially stalkerish, you can use this: http://213.31.205.37/GLWebApps.AppTracking website, which is Wallenius Wilhelmsen tracking site (Your car is shipped by them). If you click Auto, you can input your car's VIN (get it from the owner's lounge) and that will give you an idea of what its up to, much more accurately then the owner's lounge itself. Delays are possible before you get booked on a ship, and at the vehicle prep center once you're dropped off in the US, so 4 weeks is a vague guess.
If you have way too much time, you can use the ship's call sign to track it across the atlanic with other websites.
Sorry, no help on financing.
RS, what dealership in Jersey did you order thru?
Ray T.
1. Does anyone know about BMW replacing the Chrysler engine with a Peugeot engine for 05 (reported by Automobile)? Makes sense, just looking for confirmation or timeline.
2. Reliability issues - thoughts? My Mazda has been flawless. After 10 years spent driving awful VW's, I don't want to step backward.
3. The runflats - It's great reading opinions on this new technology, which I am concerned about. What is the lifespan estimate?
4. Does anyone have a roof decal, and are they removable after installation? (ie if you get sick of it)
Thanks. Enjoy your awesome cars.
I'd heard that the run flat tires created a very rough ride, is this incorrect?
1)It's on the drawing board for the Peugeot engine, time will tell.
2)Cars to new but I got 11k on my 03 and there were no problems.
3)The car is a short wheelbase the ride reflects that no matter what tires, I don't have runflats just the 15" standard tires.
4)Roof decals are removable but it's a use once and throw away.
Buy the car, you'll love it!
Let's Motor
Ray T.
I know runflats ride rougher than standard tires due to the hard sidewall needed to maintain the integrity of the tire in event of pressure loss. The just don't have much give. I don't think the difference at the 17" size should be considerable. I want the sports package but those 17's may be a bit more than necessary. Anyone have thoughts on the 16s vs 17s?
The 17" tires are heavier, then 16"s are a bit lighter overall, otherwise its mostly looks between the two if you're choosing.
I think 2005 is a bit too early for the Peugot engine conversion, I'd expect maybe a year or so later, it'll probably coincide with the first redesign, which would be odd after about 3 years of production.
Roof decals vary depending on if you get the dealer version, or an aftermarket one, many people don't know what they want permanantly, so get vinyl ones which are easily removable.
MINIs aren't flawless, but they're a new car. Reliability has been improving greatly, but flawless is probably a bit too much to expect, but you should be better off then a VW, many VW style things MINI has admitted were broken and fixed under warranty and redesigned so all new cars don't have the problem, I never got the impression VW was keen on even admitting their cars had common issues.
Runflat lifespan is more dependant on the tires, not the technology. Depending if you get performance or all season, don't expect more then 20-30K out of your tires, and probably even less if you drive more agressively. As runflats get more popular maybe other compounds will be used, so you could get longer life.
That Checkerboard roof - I don't think I can resist. Anyone have any trouble or bad wear with a roof decal?
thanks again all.
stryder: THANKS for the link to the shipping company! Thanks to you I found out my car should have arrived in NY yesterday and unloaded today! YAY!
riopelle/et al: why are you keen on the Peugeot engine? Curious. BTW I have owned 5 Peugs and for the most part the engines were great.
BMW definitely wants to get out from using a competitor's engine. Chrysler isn't a competitor but that deal was made before Daimler bought them. The Pug engine is coming but not for 2005 model year. They might, just might, be in the 2006 MY which means end of 2005 might see it introduced but I think end of 2006 (2007 MY) is more likely with the next model (5 year life cycle). No one knows yet of the displacement but a 2.0L turbo would be nice ;-) Buy a current car now, enjoy it until the Pug engines are out and trade up. Why wait? As you said, you only live once and it would be a shame to get hit by a bus while dreaming about your MINI...
Roof decals are removable and they say they're UV transparent but I'm not 100% sure they won't leave 'tan lines' if you remove them in 4 years time. I went without a logo.
Right now, DaimlerChrysler is BMW #1 competitor.
It's like F150 using vortec engine.
Distribution center is definetly one of those vague times in your car's journey though, it could be only a day or two more now, or two weeks depending on any number of factors, (like how busy they are)
Otherwise you're just going for service at 10K miles then every 15K after that, its not bad at all, (unless you live in Northern Maine).
If you're interested in buying from Peabody, call them and ask if anyone from Maine has bought from them, its to their benefit to tell you about others in your situation.
http://members.tripod.com/peug405/mini/mini.htm
Revka
Host of Hatchbacks & Wagons
But what do you all think about the rear seat and the possibility of getting rear ended?
Someone posted recently somewhere about the lack of crash test results due to the "trunk" being nonexistent...and a plastic gasoline tank back there...
Am I foolish to worry?
I'd hate to have a friend or relative crushed or worse back there in an accident.
I'm serious..and don't mean to offend anyone with this question.
Look at almost any rear end collision between vehicles and you'll see the car that got rear ended has little damage while the one doing the rear ended looks totaled. The front crumple zones of cars absorb most of the energy and the hitting car usually submarines under the other one since the back end of a FWD car is much lighter than the front. Unless you are rear ended by a tractor-trailer rig, the car doing the rear ending usually comes out much worse.
The MINI's gas tank is not in an unsafe location, it is ahead of the rear Z-axle which is a very strong component. It is not a Ford Pinto or Crown Victoria with the tank behind the axle.
I feel safe with myself, my wife or my son back there. Most rear end collisions are relatively low speed compared to head on since most are under braking (too little too late but braking nonetheless) so for most people, whiplash is the leading problem and the MINI has some of the best passive head restraints available, adjustable and locking for both front and rear passengers.
The MINI is a strong car. Look at some wrecked exotics sites and you'll see some which rolled many times and the passenger compartment is well maintained.
I think everyone who has gotten the JCW loves it (but testdrive one first) but its biggest selling point seems to be keeping the warranty intact. You can get the same pulley reduction and ECU reprogramming and exhaust for 1/3 of the price which gets the same hp from other companies, if you're not paying for the warranty..
My view on it is if you think the S is slow, then look into your options. If you care about the warranty issues and have the extra money, it may be for you, otherwise you might want to look at cheaper versions...
Enjoy and as Mini says.......Let's Motor !
Bear Mtn. State Park still has the Wednesday night car shows till the 15th of October from 5 to 9 pm, join the other Mini's and come on up to show it off !
Ray T.
Only you know how you'll drive on them and how you like the look. Hopefully there are some 16's for you to try somewhere before you buy/order.
A bad shoulder knocked me out of the manual shift world a few years ago.
Anyone?
Just to date myself, I once had an automatic stick shift VW bug that I inherited from my mother!
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I've never driven one.
When I asked the salesman about the differences between the 2003 and 2004 he said only their costs. Is this really true?
My first impressions were that it was much more roomy in the front than I expected and that front dash board is a bit overwhelming at first glance. I did use the Sport drive, though not the Manual mode.
It's a very cute car, there's no doubt about it. The only three negatives that I noticed were: the very small rearview mirror, the lack of much of a trunk and that I didn't see any sort of compartment for "stuff" other than the glove compartment. Did I miss something?
It's very tempting. The salesman was quite nice - a young guy just out of college. No hard sell at all... I'm thinking hard about this one.
I've been reading through all the posts from the beginning and am now up to page 58 - I appreciate the suggestion to look up "drivinisfun's" posts, too - very helpful about the CVT, etc. - and ozone1 many thanks for your explanation as well!
Now as to "paddles" not a word was mentioned about them to me today.
The MINI has storage in the doors, on the back of the seats (mine at least has nets on the back for storage) and there are rear cubby holes on the car sides as well. Plus, there are the cup holders and you can get an armrest and an organizer to fit in the space under the HVAC, behind the cupholders to increase the storage dramatically. The trunk is small with the rear seats up but very large with them down.
If the rearview mirror seems small then you may be sitting too far away. It seems fine to me now but first I was sitting very far away and it was kind of small.
It's a very enticing car but I was disappointed by what appears to me to be very poor planning for things like useable cup holders - we commuter/driver/parent types that spend our lives in the car need to have our cup of coffee, tea or bottle of water handy.
How do you all deal with this? I know it may sound silly, but it's got me stumped.
And can anyone tell me the differences in the 2004..or perhaps I should just look at their webiste?! Thanks all!
I've had issues with the rearview mirror also, but you do get used to it. Go back for another drive, sounds like you may need to.
The car seems great and maybe a second experience will push aside all my puritanical upbringing's guilt at the very idea of considering buying such a sporty little car!?
The only other car that's gotten my interest lately is the 2004 RAV4...and I haven't driven it yet. It's bigger, but not too big and has the advantage of being more practical for a family (all 3 of us plus dogs)car...but now that my husband is getting his new used Suburban from the local police department's auction...maybe he'll keep it clean enough for us to use for our long drives to the Outer Banks of NC? ;-)
Thanks for your help. This forum is a great sounding board and it's filled with some very helpful information.
One more question: if one gets separate rims with snow tires for the winter is it better not to buy them through the dealer? Or doesn't it really matter? I asked the salesman about snow tires and he acted like they didn't need them, but from what I've read here it sounds like it's a good idea to have them.
Appreciate your help!
Only one problem. Though the stiff clutch and brakes loosened up, the manual transmission feels kind of pokey. It gives the impression of resisting shifts. It's hard to make smooth shifts unless you pause in the middle of the shift throw.
My old Honda had no such problems.
In your expert opinions, will this smooth out over time? My local mechanic says no - that I should bring it in for immediate service. Of should I continue driving it hoping the gearbox will smooth itself out.
To 2003 Mini owners who have been driving a long time, I ask whether time (driving) should cure this problem or should I bring it in?
Thanks for your kind opinion.
ALANMINI