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MINI Cooper
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Comments
Did you upgrade tires yet? Seems the only weakpoint in the basic package, they struck me as a little "skinny."
Ray T. :shades:
Ray T. :shades:
I've been to a few of the mini meets and the people are just good common people. We tried coming up with abreviations for the "Smug Bimmer" crowd. After being cut off treated with the worst road manners I came up with this one.
B M W. . .Bohemian Manners While (Driving).
Joester
he he
Thanks
Mini s and have found it not quite as good as I thought. Not willing to give the Mini up but just wondered what everyone else was getting.
Thanks
If I were buying a new Mini and lived in areas subject to snow I would be getting the Limited Slip Differential option for sure.
Ray T :shades:
That said, I did some research - here's my options list with resale value in mind:
Cooper S. Look at the prices for a used Del Sol VTEC, which everyone wants compared to a stock one, which nobody wants. When the car is ten years old, the S models will be what 99% of people want to buy. No brainer choice, really.
It seems as if automatic would be a must(though I hate them myself) - that I'll have to diverge from my "plan" on - Stick is a must for me. 160+HP, though, it's a rocket with the automatic anyways. The Matrix/Vibe with automatic and the big engine is another simmilar "sleeper".
Other options(feedback appreciated - the goal is to "muscle-car" it, with performance mods and little amenities being the focus)
- White with black top/trim. Lowest cost paint and a classy look.
- No packages(options added individually, since most packages really only have 1-2 must-have options)
- DSC and Limited Sllip. These are like ABS - useful and will be heavily sought-after when it comes time to sell it.
- Stock tires. Most peolpe don't want fancy, expensive tires. Saves $$$ too. Big grippy tires also cost you 1-3mpg on average.
- Standard lamps. Xenons are blinding anyways and pricey to replace.
- Foglights added.
- Arm rest. Silly not to have it.
- Basic seats. Black latherette.
- Anthracite interior(free and looks better, so why not)
- NO automatic A/C. In a car this small, it's just another thing to break.
- Chrono Pack. Must-have. Putting the speedometer and tach behind the wheel is a huge improvement. Used, people want this option, btw. The onboard computer is a nice bonus, too.
- Cruise/multifunciton wheel. Cruise control is perhaps the only really necessarry "luxury". Most people will want it, and wheel-mounted audio is a must these days.
- Stock audio system. It's fine. Thank god it's not Bose.
$22,500 plus $550 delivery. $1900 in options for what you gain - it's way better than a "package". Pretty much what you need to make it a desireable car when it comes time to sell it(or still a superb car if you don't).
My only quandry is about accessories. These are the ones I really want:
- Aux audio input. No-brainer, really. $40
- Cupholder accessory. $50 and worth every penny. Can fit a normal drink, finally. Otherwise the car has "AUDI-itis" - with holders that are really just auxiliary change/etc holders
- Map light. Again, it's actually nice functional upgrade that adds a bit of class. $28
- Black carpet mats $95. Another must-have. Makes the car look a bit classier, as well.
- Black rubber boot mat. Protecting the carpet is silly not to do. $50
- Bumper protection strip. Same deal as above. $40 For $185, I guarantee that the car will have at least $185 less wear over 3-5 years.
- Wheel locks (I live in Los Angeles, unfortunately) $31 - can't avoid these.
That's $338 in dealer-installed options, which is quite respectable. All of it seems to also be on the "necessarry or almost so" list.
$23,388. Total options: $2288
Comments? I think optioned out like this, it would have great resale value and be a kick in the pants to drive.
My take is that options typically depreciate at a higher percentage than the base car. So if you really want to buy a car, drive it for a few years, and get back the absolutely highest percentage of what you paid (minimizing depreciation), I'd get a base MCS - no options whatsoever. But again, get what you want.
Finally, if you're worried about resale, I'd avoid black paint like the plague. Black cars, unless you're an absolutely fanatic about washing/waxing, invariably look like hell in a few years. They fade in the sun and show every swirl mark and defect. The most resale-friendly car color is probably silver - it is very popular and looks great, even if not maintained terribly well.
Have fun,
- Mark
As for options, yes, the non-mechanical additions do depreciate fast. I ditched the armrest from the equation. I decided, also, to drop the S. It's fast, but it's too big of a premium. The lack of a spare tire and relying on run-flats actually is a negative for resale value with the S(not pricing, but finding somone to buy it). $338 in dealer options isn't overkill. The chrono pack is a must-have, though. It's inexpensive and adds a lot of functionality to the car.
Modified(and much shorter list):
Cooper, White, White top. $17,500 (maybe black top - dunno)
Sport Suspension Plus - $500
DSC - $500
Front Foglamps - $150(duh - should be standard, though)
Rear Foglamp - $100(my choice here - think all cars should have them, after seeing one in action last night)
15" Delta Spokes(free, so why not? The plain wheels look dreadful. These also don't have caps over the lugnuts to loose/have the paint fade)
Standard interior. Anthracite. Grey seats - $0
Chrono Pack - $300
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$1550 in options. Keep it simple and functional. Foglamps up front not optional. Rear one is a good safety feature. Chrono pack is the only non-safety/performance thing I'd be getting because I would want it for myself.(grin)
$256 in dealer options. (dropped the cupholder - it felt flimsy and without the armrest, there is a nice big holder there already. Droped the maplight. Kept Aux input. That's actually useful - I can put a MP3 player in there and reduce clutter.
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$19,306. I think this is as inexpensive as I can get while having the car be performance-minded. Any other options that you'd recommend?
One last thought, no matter what the market is today, who's to say that the day after you take delivery, a new something-or-other hits the market and destroys the resale of the MINI. Where would you be then? MINIs are about passion, not prudence! Buy it, drive it, enjoy it!
Gas mileage much better than G35 (25 city, 32 hiway). Get sport package, LSD, multifunction steering wheel as must-have options. Also, manual tranny all the way.
Also, a dealer 70 miles away would be close to my threshold of pain for service and warranty issues. While most of the bugs are out, there are still a lot of Mini's out there which require repeated trips to the dealer to iron out a bunch of niggling problems. With a 3-hour round trip time for each problem, this could be a real headache.
You might consider a Mazda 3.
- Mark
Ray T. :shades:
As for the Solstice, watch this site's head-to-head review of it versus the 2006 Miata/MX-5. (on the right of this page, actually) The MX-5 wins by a small margin in every cateogry, including price/availability. If you really want a roadster, though, I'd suggest getting a used SLK with the V6 in it or a couple of year old S2000 - both are worlds better vehicles.
As for the Cooper... next year will see more options a ~140-150HP midrange option. I'm just hoping they don't plastic-ify and bubble-mobile the thing. The prototypes/spy photos show a much larger, less "cute" vehicle. I have this awful feeling that it'll be a $20K BMW Honda Fit/Peugeot clone. They should just make the car as-is of the next decade or two instead of messing with it.
I also doubt there'll be any radical changes on the Mini's exterior; the most notable will be the different grill (Which was mandated by European pedestrian laws). The Mules have all been heavily cladded for disguise, but when it's all said and done, I doubt the knew Mini's will be all that different on the exterior. Now the new special edition models that will be coming out is a whole different story--the new platform should allow for some fairly interesting variations.
I have a 2006 MCS on the way; I really don't want to mess with a brand new car, brand new engine, in a first year production model. Maybe down the road (by then BMW will hopefully have the new twin turbo perfected), but I really want the supercharger. The tritec may not be the most sophisticated engine at this point, but it's still a very nice powerplant, the supercharged version has one a number of awards, and it pretty much has all the bugs worked out of it. I have to admit, I'm still eagerly anticipating the 2007's though.
We'll see about the new engine. The big thing I'm looking for is better fuel economy - this is the one thing the Tritec really sucks on right now - there is no way a tiny 170-hp car like the MCS should be getting in the low-20's which is what a lot of us are doing much of the time. I've got a SUV which is almost twice as heavy as my Mini and the Mini only gets 30% better mileage in exactly the same driving. That's ridiculous.
Like all BMWs, I would avoid the first year or two of a major re-design. This puts my upgrade decision off until late 2007 at best, and a lot of things can change between now and then. But I fully expect to be enjoying my 2004 throughout the interim.
- Mark
On other boards, your question has been asked numerous times--and the feeling I get is that from 2004 on up, the Mini has gotten much, much better (Yo-yo, stumble, frequent breakdowns, squeaks, rattles, etc. seen on the earlier models appear to dramatically decreased in frequency). Is it going to be in the same league as a Honda with regard to reliability? No, but on the other hand my wife has a honda now--and all we've had is problems with it (although we did have a civic about 6 years ago--that was one great car!).
For me, the Mini is a second car; I'm keeping my SUV, but hopefully won't be driving it much. My mini dealer is 45 minutes away; I would be a little leery of the Mini as my only vehicle if the dealer was far away, even though my perception is the reliability of the car is much improved. So if you have a good dealer that's not too far away, I'd go for it, wether it's your only car or second car--there are enough problem free Mini S's to justify it in this situation. However, if this will be your only car and your dealer isn't the greatest, or it's far away, as much as I love the Mini, then I would be careful, and would consider something else.
The reliabilty of the MC has steadily improved during the current production run, but it is not going to match a small Honda, or any Japanese car for that matter. The data shows that you might expect 2x or 3x the number of problems with something like a Civic. The data we have has a pretty long "memory" so I don't think the Mini is quite as bad as some reports suggest. But again, no match for a Toyota.
I don't think the Mini is much (if any worse) than a VW, Audi, or BMW though. The only way you're going to really get much better reliability is with an Asian car.
It all depends on how much you like the Mini vs. the competition and how much you get bugged by an occasional problem.
Final thought: Where's the nearest dealer? A problem car is no big deal with a close-by dealer but can be a nightmare if they're a couple hours away.
- Mark
Since the Mini first shipped, Consumer Reports (basically the only organization currently collecting any reliability data from consumers) has given the Mini a "below average" reliability rating which has excluded the car from it's recommended list.
In the most current issue, they've published some updates, and Mini has improved to average and is now a recommended car. This is pretty strong evidence that, while it may not match Honda or Toyota reliability, it's improving with every year of the current design, and is now an easy match for virtually any European car and most American cars.
Good news for late-model Mini owners.
- Mark
The Mini S - about 3rd place, mostly because it's plainly overpriced. The Base Mini, though, is a nice car for the money.
And since the MCS is much more popular in the used market, you'd get all or nearly all of the extra back when you sell in a few years. Unless you are sensitive to initial cost or fuel mileage, I view it as a no-brainer to get the MCS.
- Mark
Further, I'm don't think a JCW MCS is really a better overall package than the MCS. Getting that 207-hp to the pavement in a light FWD chassis is no picnic and with this much power and LSD, torque steer rears it's ugly head, something that is virtually (and pleasantly) nearly non-existent in the non-LSD MCS.
- Mark
Total price: $48K!!
Makes a loaded $28K MCS look positively cheap....
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- Mark
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I doubt the next one will be a near-perfect as the current one. It will have more versions, but that may dilute it's unique appeal.
DrFill
Cheers!!
--njexpress
Although less seperation between the MC and MCS is probably the main reason, the devaluation does come into play--BMW has done everything it can to prevent it, and I suspect they will continue to do so--it will allow them to keep prices up. The new (2007) generation will be the first year that they're going to make a profit supposedly off the Mini.
There was a rumor that the new engine would find it's way into the last of the 2006's, as a bridge between the body style change; the "new" engine will fit into the "old" design, but just barely (apparently a few cars have been produced this way for testing purposes). I doubt that will happen though...Personally I'd wait a year, for the 2008's before taking the plunge--take a look at Mini's track record with the intial 2002 Mini, and you'll see it took a couple of years to get the bugs out.
I wouldn't have two in a family though. Just too one-dimensional a car for that. I'd either go super-duper gas economy (e.g, a Prius) or something a lot more comfortable for trips.
In case you haven't checked it out already, here's the link:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=108466
Still no clear cut details on the relase date. I have been prowling other forums for more info. I will keep looking...
Cheers!!
--njexpress
- Mark