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Comments
Revka
Host of Hatchbacks & Wagons
You referred to the "Boot" as a Trunk shame shame, your Mini is going to revolt on you for that slight of mouth ! haha
Alan: After 12k miles I still don't like the shift either but you get used to it. There is no adjustment at all on the manual shifts as I have asked the dealer and had Mini check it.
Let's Motor !
Ray T.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
There are three cupholders. The rear one is in the middle and is larger. That's where I put my Starbucks Barista mug. Left cupholder is a change/mint holder using the provided lidded insert. Right cupholder is cell phone/sunglasses. Glove box is documents and CDs. Door pockets are umbrella, tools, maps, flashlights. Under boot (not trunk, thank you!) mat storage for what is usually the mobility kit that I don't have (runflats) contains tire compressor, more tools, 1L Castrol Syntec. Rest of boot usually contains cleaning supplies, tow rope, warning triangle, first aid kits, and other emergency supplies plus my luggage. I have a clothing bag, extra boots and other supplies in there right now and the back seats are still up. As long as you pack carefully, you can get a lot in 150L.
The tranny does indeed loosen up. I know because my second one this April was tighter than the first and after a few months of driving it loosened up. By now, 6 months later it is again smooth as butter but that also means it is a bit harder to put into reverse again (needs a stop in neutral some mornings).
Also a few color changes are happening, (rumored to be making room for colors for the '05 cabrio (which will probably be an '04, since it'll come out before Oct of next year when '05s start)) Pepper White is available for the Cooper S, Velvet Red is getting cancelled.
Harmon Kardon isn't available with a Cassette anymore.
Also a few programming options have changed but they're not really worth mentioning.
Finally after a rather large and public fight (Though not carried by edmunds.com) MINIUSA is going to offer rear fogs (currently a retrofit kit is available) as a factory option for $100 starting in Dec.
You can get snow tires from your dealer, they'll just be overpriced. Even with dealers that discount parts off MSRP they just can't compete with a national tire retailer (like Tire Rack) on price or selection. Unless your dealer has some wheels someone took off their car that they'll sell cheap, you'll get a better deal elsewhere, but check into it, you have nothing to lose by shopping around.
If you currently drive a Subie and live in NY, you should get snows. I think either your salesman doesn't own a MINI or hasn't driven in snow in one. In any case, you're definetly correct in ignoring his advice and looking into snows.
Its great all your concerns got dealt with, and I agree, we had a few Karmann Ghias when I was growing up. They certainly shared some genes on the german side of the MINI.
Revka
Host/Hatchbacks & Wagons
Here's my recap:
I did it. We're expecting in the first or second week of December. It'll be an Indie Blue with a white roof and mirrors.. I'll be passing around the champagne and cigars tonight!
I can't thank Edmunds Town Hall and you all enough for all the patient and detailed help you've give to me. Seriously, my "advisor" was amazed at how much I appeared to know...and it made my second trip for a test drive at another dealer soooo much better! Granted this second dealership/advisor was also a thousand times more on the ball than my first.
My husband came along for the ride and sat in the back seat, where he'll often have to sit because our daughter gets motion sickness ;-) and he said it was just fine...good visual lines, etc.
We ended up at MINI of Fairfield County and were "delivered" by fantastic MINI advisor who was just what the proverbial doctor ordered: knowledgeable, helpful, friendly and low key.
My mother would have been proud - she always wanted a VW Kharmangia (sp?) but never did get one because they weren't practical enough. If only she could have had a MINI!
Thanks again - and yes, Karmann Ghias, with the proper spelling!
All I can find is the Help section and the legalese Member Agreement, neither of which say anything, and besides, its not like anyone really would read them anyway unless they had a specific question.
How about a simple effective FAQ on what posts will be deleted? Seems to be a standard item for most forums, and would prevent problems like this for most people.
To ontheroadagain - Congratulations on your Indie Blue Mini! We look forward to hearing more details.... ;-)
Happy motoring!
Revka
Host of Hatchbacks & Wagons
CVT, yesiree!
DSC, dual sun roof, leather lumbar standard seats for my sacroiliac, 16" runflats with 5 star standard wheels, aux. output in glovebox for the iPod I don't own yet, rubber mats ;-), and, umm, I think that's it. Figured I spent the most on the seats and CVT but I "needed" those leather seats! Oh yes, fog lights and chrome bumper inserts, too.
It's a very tempting car to keep running up the options on, but I controlled myself fairly well.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Also as another extra option, the rubber mats are great in winter, but you probably want a pair of carpet ones for summer, they just feel better on your feet. You can always pick those up though.
I'm sure you're right about carpet feeling better in summer.
You know, the base price of this car is so relatively low that all those options are awfully seductive. Since I didn't know much about Xenon lights, except that I'm guessing they might be what blinds me when an SUV is barreling down upon me or heading towards me in the opposite direction, I skipped them.
I also let the MFSW go too as I figured I really didn't need it... I'm much more of an NPR listener than anything else..though I do switch back and forth between two commercial stations for traffic news while commuting into Manhattan.
It's amazing all the things that one can get for their MINI if they so desire!
In re their roof rack - is it removable? I've heard it can create some unseemly noise if it's not "in use" while you're driving.
And don't forget you don't get cruise control if you don't get MFSW.
Xenons are the bright blue lights that blind you. More commonly you'll notice them on BMWs and some GMC Suv's. The blue is the thing, not the blinding actually. I usually get blinded by the sheer stupidity of the designers who put the headlights 4 feet off the ground on an SUV. Headlights are only blinding when they're in your face. They should light the road, not cars, and as Xenon's and all MINI lights are self levelling, so you shouldn't be blinding anyone.
I know the options are really appealing if you have the money... I keep thinking of getting all of them except Parking and Nav (parking because it screws up the look of the bumper, and Nav is ugly) on my next MINI
All that said, if I'd had a choice I likely would have got the MFSW (it was on the car I test drove and I thought it was a cool idea) but I got mine off the lot (impatient) and the only one available didn't have a MFSW.
Next one I get I'll probably get the MFSW and the computer, even though I'm not sure they'll see much use. Both could be retrofitted to my current car but the price to add it now is so much more than the original option price that I can't bring myself to pay the difference.
I hear the 2005 MCS will have an optional limited slip differential. Sounds like that might be a good reason to upgrade from the reports of people who've put Quaife LSDs in their current cars... though I still might wait for the Peugeot engine specs to at least be announced before I decide.
Oh and by the way, the repair was under warranty. They said I got a loaner only because I purchased the car there (MINI of Towson, MD).
Just sent an email to my "MA" today toa dd on the Xenons after reading both these posts and some on MINI2. I keep rationalizing that 1. I'm saving so much money by not buying a more expensive car (base price wise) and 2. when I trade it in or sell it down the line...it'll be worth more.
hpulley4, thanks for that info re the roof rack - I'll look into Thule.
OK, one more question: I can't remember if there's a retractable cover for the boot/luggage compartment? You'd think there would be but I have a nervous feeling there is not. I did see one advertised through a British company...but it just seems insane that MINI wouldn't have this as a standard part.
Also, good call on the MFSW. It is a huge value.
Personally, I find the stock halogen lights to be very bright. The $500 price of the Xenon's just wasn't worth it to me. I guess it depends on when and where you drive.
Congratulations on your new MINI.
Mike
You're all very responsive and helpful...now I'll have to think about the snow tires and rims... next. :-)
DSC - I figure I'll push my Mini from time to time and this seems like a nice feature to save me if I ever push a little too hard. Just curious as to other's thoughts around this. Instead of being a 'fun killer' figure it will actually increase the amount of fun I can have as I will be able to push a little harder without worries.
Sunroof - The sunroof seems great, my only concern is the sunshade may not provide enough protection on really bright days. I sometimes will close the sunshade on my wifes car as I find the light to be too bright. Anyone with a sunroof have any thought on this?
Automatic Air - never had this feature on car, but it seems nice. I notice that it only changes the temp by 2 degrees F, and I was a little concerned that this might not be enough control. Thoughts on this and autoair in general?
I've already got some great info from others in this group. I look forward to people's thoughts.
The Mini is a car focused on simplicity, light weight, and great handling, and as much as possible, it is best to stay true to the spirit of the car, and thus make the benefit bar from options relatively high. Loading it with luxury features seems a little like lipstick on a seven-year-old. And while a $20K MSC seems like a great buy with virtually no competition, a $28K loaded MSC with all three packages, nav, and a few other options seems like a very poor buy compared to something like an Acura TSX.
Having said this, DSC, in my mind is above the bar because it is a valuable safety feature and with a very small car like the Mini cruising around in the land of SUVs, you want all the safety you can get, especially active safety that will prevent an accident to being with. The steering on the Mini is also very quick, so you could make the argument that steering errors that might be forgiven in another car would spin the Mini.
On the sunroof, I doubt you'll have much issue with the shading - the shade blocks most of the light. But you do want to keep in mind that a sunroof is a source of squeaks/rattles, may leak, steals headroom, and reduces body rigidity. All these make it well below the bar for me. If you're tall, I'd definitely forget it.
Good luck with your choices. I ended up with a sport pkg MCS with metallic paint and that's it. I'd would have forgone the sport pkg if I didn't want DSC and Xenons (safety thing again), and when you price them ala carte, the sport pkg wheels and fog lights are virtually free when you get the pkg.
- Mark
Regarding the sunroof, the shade does it's job. As a matter of fact, I like the fact that the interior still receives daylight with the shade closed. Here, we don't get as many cloudless skies or the intense heat of places like Phoenix, so perhaps someone from the southwest could comment.
I had a minor sunroof rattle (common, then) when the car was new, but it was the the folded wind deflector rattling against the closed sunroof panel, and I fixed it with a small circle of the soft half of an adhesive-backed velcro fastener. No other problems in the last year.
Regarding the climate control, I just set it and forget it for the most part. But then, I did that with my old car's basic air-conditioning system as well. Truth be told, my car had the Premium package as I wanted the sunroof and the Multi-function steering wheel and hadn't really felt that strongly about the Auto A/C (but it and computer were in the package for almost the same cost). My feeling is that I have enough control with the Auto A/C, but standard A/C would have been fine.
Good luck!
Mike
It's funny but my view of options is very different, too. I say if you can afford it and think it's something you want, do it. For me it was the sunroof, DSC for safety!, and leather seats with the lumbar, the cold weather package because quite frankly I'm used to it on my current Subaru and it's wonderful on those cold, icey, winter mornings! At the last minute I've tried to include the Xenons and MFSW but don't know if they'll make the cut or not as the order was already placed.
I chose Xenons because I read about their amazing light and I drive twisty highways at night without street lights...and I'm not as great at night driving as I used to be.
I chose MFSW at the last minute because of what I've read about upcoming improvements and the use of iPods and other things...and felt it might increase the resale value of the car as well.
Also included fog lights and 16" runflats...again to put my anxious saftey concerned mind a bit more at ease.
For me a fancier stereo didn't matter... And I fool around with the air conditioner temperature too much to want automatic AC...
So, it is - as always - a matter of personal taste. To me, the MINI is an amazing car with tremendous built in safety features, great handling, wonderful looks, the perfect size for parking in Manhattan, fun to drive and the initial price tag is low enough that I could afford to add on these extras - whereas another car's base price would have been substantially higher and I could never have afforded these luxuries and extra saftey features.
There's my $1.50's worth of advice! ;-)
Good luck and keep us posted!
In one MCS with HR that I test drove, the doors did shake, but then I was pushing the radio to see what it had. I've since test driven cars with HR and didn't notice any shaking.
I agree with ontheroadagain that the sunroof adds an openness to the car that's appealing. I found that I still had enough head room (which isn't what I've found in other cars with sunroofs) and the screen offered enough shade while driving on a sunny day.
Not much has been written about the rain sensing wipers lately. I discovered that MINI has intermittent wipers, however there is one setting that is dependent upon the speed you are traveling. In other words, the wipers go less often at slower speeds and more often at faster speeds; there is no other settings. The dealer I spoke with thought they were well worth the cost. So, for someone like me who this will be their first manual car, I thought the more help I can get the better!
Thanks to everyone for their help and opinions.
Rain-sensing wipers? Sorry, this is one I just don't get. You see the windshield getting wet and you flip on the wipers. Do we really need a $150 gizmo to do this for us? (In fairness, the $150 also gets you auto-dimming mirrors which seem a bit more useful to me.)
I've also heard that it complicates windshield replacement and MC's tend to be stone chip/crack magnets due to their lack of windshield rake, the way the hood is shaped (it has more "draw" than any other hood produced) and proximity to the front of the vehicle.
Finally, asking dealers whether an option is worth the money is like asking a stock broker if it is a good time to buy stock.
- Mark
I like heated seats, but have heard that the MC's don't work very well - they tend to get hot very quickly so you end up oscillating between hot/cold which makes them more annoying than useful. But I'd like to get other opinions.
Thanks,
- Mark
I have the seat heaters and I really like them. They have two settings. One push of the button puts them on setting two which is very warm, good for heating through layers of winter clothing. Pushing it a second time lowers it to setting one which is just nice. In addition to the two levels, the seats initially come up to a higher temperature to warm you up and then come down to a constant level where it just keeps you warm.
If you turn them on and off you'll actually make them hotter as they'll never reach the constant level I mentioned. The low level's constant heat is not bad. Level 2's initial heat is high but when you are sitting there in the car shivering, it is nice -- if you turn it on at other times you'll find it is too hot.
I sometimes put the low level heat on just when I have a bit of a sore back. My wife uses it all the time during summer on the high setting for her back (though I think that's a bit much). This far into fall I sometimes use the low setting in the mornings because of the cold, not due to my back.
In fact, I discount all information they give, particularly about the local market conditions, what their competitors are selling for, strengths/weaknesses of other competing models, etc. Their focus is on selling cars, not giving good advice. Some of the things I've had car sales people say are so absurd, it takes tremendous control not to burst out laughing.
Mini sales people may be a little more laid back than most - the have about the easiest sales job in the world, at least for the moment.
- Mark
I don't know of any runflat 15" tires, especially snows, though they might exist. You should ask what exact tires they intend to get you, on what wheels.
I got a second set of MINI wheels, the 16" V-spokes, and put 195/55R16H Dunlop SP WinterSport M3 DSST (Dunlop Self Supporting Tire or runflat) on them. I found the Dunlops to be an excellent snow tire. They cost me about what your dealer has quoted you for 15" so 15" should be cheaper.
Overall, the dealer is not the place to buy wheels and tires. A wheel and tire shop will be able to offer better price and selection.
In addition to the Dunlop runflats, Goodyear has winter runflats (Ultragrip EMT) and so does Pirelli (Snowsports, 210 and 240 only in limited sizes with runflat sidewalls).
Ray T.
www.tirerack.com will make a good recommendation on new wheels and tires and will mount them for free so they arrive on your doorstep ready to put on. You can even do it with the jack that comes with the car. I just put together a 16" package with ASA wheels and Blizzak tires and it was about $840 plus shipping. I would do something like this.
Blizzaks aren't runflats, but for another $100, you could get a Dunlop that is if your car doesn't have a spare. If it were my car, I'd go with the non-runflats and carry a couple cans of fix-a-flat, a plug kit, a AAA card, and a cell phone and not worry about it. Flats are rare these days.
- Mark
I have one more question and that is on the Invisishield coating. Anybody have experience with it? Do you still get rock chips and feel that it was a rip off? Anybody not have it and wish they did?
Thanks,
Rob
It isn't quite invisible for one thing. You can see the edge which I find unappealing. Next, the rock chips my MINI has received have been far up on the hood where the shield doesn't cover anyways. I'm not sure how much good it does but actual owners may have more to say.
Anyway, to add what hasn't been answered, I think if you're going for simplicity in a car, you've already shot yourself half in the foot with a MINI. There's just too much electric and complicated in them. Its the price of their BMW heritage. I say take the sub-compact luxury car and run with it. The extra features make the car that much more fun, and if I'm not for instance fiddling with the temp (2 degrees is fine, you can get in the car on a hot day, it'll crank up the fan and A/C and settle down after a few minutes to the exact temp you want, highly addicting, unless you suddenly feel the need to go from 66-78 degrees all the time. Most of the time you'll set and forget, like the thermostat on your house).
Reliability may be a concern with options, but I think for most people, they don't really plan on keeping the car for 20 years (I know some people do) so it will probably not be a huge problem.
Anyway, H/K seems to be good if you like everything to be uniform, and just want a better system. If you trust an installer and want to spend the time selecting a new system and such, you could probably find something better for $500, but that'd be the bottom of the price range for a set of speakers, amps and a new head unit installed that exceeded H/K quality.
The sunroof lowers the headroom by a fraction of an inch. Its not really an issue because it pops on top of the roof, instead of sliding inside.
The speed sensative wipers are active on slow and torrential downpour speeds on all MINIs. The rain sensing benefit isn't 'ooh I'm too lazy to turn on the wipers' its that hrm, its raining, so I'll turn them on and then not need to constantly adjust them as the rain gets heavier and lighter, they do it for you. The rear dimming mirror would be nice though, but certainly cracked windshields are an issue. MINI really needs to fix something so they quit doing that.
When I was iPoding in my MINI, (2nd gen 20 gig model) I just left it under the handbrake. I couldn't see its display, but I was trying to drive, so not a big deal. If a song was annoying, I could hit >> easily, and I'd pick it up and select a playlist or something at lights. It fits pretty well under there, and doesn't eat up a cupholder, or look bad, like the cellphone mounts that hang on the downtubes (silver plastic things).
I got blizzak snows on 15" Borbet H rims (195/60/15) for around 750 from tirerack. They were excellent. I looked at all the dealer options with the parts guy, and they just couldn'
t match the prices even though the dealer sells with a discount off MSRP. I think they sell tires and wheels because people are lazy (The kind who buy a 7 series and have someone pick it up for service and need new tires) not because they're good at selling tires.
I'm not sure what the logic in 'flats are rare these days' is. If you live in a major city or drive on busy roads, I think flats are as common as ever, because there's so much stuff to run over. Didn't matter to me, I got non-runflats, but be prepared you migh have a flat, so do follow the advice on fix-a-flat and such. With that said, flats tend to become more of an issue the older your wheels and tires are, and also on steel wheels, so on a MINI its less likely. Carry a compressor too, they're small and its much easier to pump up a slow leak then have to change it, or fix a flat it and lose the tire.
OK, here's a novice's question for you all: how do you know what kind of rims to get for your second set of tires...as in snow tires? My MINI is coming with those 5 star 16" rims (with runflats)... I haven't got a clue as to what makes a rim good or not good...I thought it was all a "style" thing.
Any advice?
The V-spoke 16" wheels are lighter, 17.5lbs compared to 20lbs each for the 5-spokes but whatever you like is cool. I have 5-spokes for my summers and got V-spokes for winter because they were available for less than 5-spokes at the time. After the fact, it is neat to have different wheels for winter but overall I prefer the look of the 5-spokes.
The 5-spokes are easier to clean but look dirty quicker than the V-spokes if that means anything to you.
By the way, I've seen this term "pulley" used before on MINI message boards - what does it mean?