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MINI Cooper
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Comments
Nice colour though.
And this is also personal preference, but I think the 16" rims are a must on this car. I don't mean to offend drivinisfun, it's just that the 15"s are just a little skimpy on the otherwise beefy-but-small overall image. They promote the car as having a "bulldog stance," but the smaller wheels make it seem more like a pug. It may not be too late to change your order ...
Look down toward the bottom of the gallery.
I much prefer the chrome (I know, slap myself in the head, my needle is skipping). In general I don't love the bonnet stripes but on this white/black roofed car it looks pretty good. I still think it looks cleaner without stripes.
* They have no cooper S cars in stock.
* If one placed an order now, one could have a 2003 Cooper S in Decmeber.
In my experience, that is about best case for the S. Worst case is the dealer here in Milwaukee who claims to be sold our for the next 2 years and who is still asking a $4000 premium for S.
This week I ordered an S from Roadshow MINI of Memphis, who still has a few production slots left for 2002 cars. My car is supposed to be built in August or September and I'm supposed to get it in early November.
Had to settle for Chili Red because British Racing Green is not available til sometime in the 2003 production season.
Princeton Mini in New Jersey recently had a line of a dozen or so outside, so my Dad stopped in. Turns out only 1 was still available, and only because a customer had cancelled his order. The delivery trucks had just dumped 'em off, and the dealership had been shrewd enough to line them all up along the road for a little free marketing.
They seem to have stopped putting sold signs on cars that aren't sold, that really annoyed me. I may check back and see if they still have the $1k and $1.5k in mandatory accessories garbage still going on. The MINI hype seems to have died down quite a bit around here.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
I agree about always having "glass above". I test drove a cooper with a sunroof on a bright early afternoon and the sun was hitting my eyes pretty much the whole time. Since there is no option to completely block-out the sunroof, I opted not to get one.
I got gray cloth interior and have not felt that it gets really hot. Since most of the windows are practically vertical, not a great deal of sun light gets into the cab.
We opted for the standard black leatherette seats when we placed the order for our new '02 Cooper (Pepper white/black roof and mirrors). We were tempted to go with the Kaleido cloth instead, but we passed it up because our other car already has cloth seats (Tan/Neutral) and the Kaleido cloth color choices (Gray or Red)are not of our immediate liking, but I must admit that the Red Kaleido cloth seats look terrific in the Pepper White Cooper, but it could be a bit much to other people making the car more difficult to sell in the future. We figured that if we were going to have black seats, the leatherette would be a nice change (Also BMW leatherette has a very good reputation, it is even recommended over the more expensive Leather seating option) making the car look more upscale, easier to clean, etc. In a hot climate we are not keen of dark or black interiors, but given that the MINI does not offer light gray or tan standard interiors in either leatherette or cloth (Unless you shell out $1250 to get the tan Cordova leather seats with matching tan door panels)we decided to break out the "All Black" color monotony of the interior by getting the interior door panels in "Silver Gray". So it makes up for a nice balance...you get the silver door panels, silver gloss dashboard fascia finish and black steering wheel, dashboard top and seats. It is a pretty agreeable interior compromise to us.
To me the Kalaeido cloth red seats in a Chili Red car is a bit much to be honest, but if you like "Seeing in Red" all the time while inside the car, absolutely, go for it! To me a nice combo would be a Chili Red/Black roof with red seats. The red seats go much better with the Pepper white car. It gives a very racy looking style to the interior. Check it out.
Has anyone bought a new Cooper 'S' with the "Space" cloth seats?
From a month of owning the car, I feel the shades do a sufficient job.
The bigger issue here is that people are spending time complaining about having "to much sunlight" with the sunroof, or that there's "too much noise" with it open. Yes, a sunroof by definition allows sun to to come through your roof. And yes, with it open, noise from outside can be heard inside the car. Absent some seriously advanced technology (an invisible forcefield?) from the folks at BMW, these are two things that cannot be avoided with an open sunroof. Yet another example of how well this car is built -- there's nothing else to complain about!
As with any new brand, there will be some glitches. When you buy any new car (especially one like the MINI that is not built on the platform of an existing model), you should expect that some of these things might happen and be willing to deal with them when/if they do come up. That's why there is a 4 year/50,000 mile warranty. It's also why I amended my insurance policy to include rental car reimbursement - just in case. It could be an inconvenience, but at least it's covered. Yes, I am an optimist (probably to a fault), but I think that the MINI will do just fine in the long term. Besides, it's SOOOOO fun to drive ...
Go check out vwvortex (the VW board), the Subaru boards, heck even engine sludge on the Toyota boards and you'll see that most car companies unfortunately build some cars with problems and people who buy them post about their problems.
For whatever the heck that was worth. Oh, and none appeared to have ridiculous dealer bolt-ons. That must be an American phenomenon.
I used to live in Rome and was surprised at the number of grey cars. Everyone I knew who ordered a new car got it in grey, especially those in upwardly mobile wheels like Merc and BMW. It seems they are slaves to fashion. I have to admit that the Mini in silver with a black roof is chic looking. I just worry about its perceptivity in marginal lighting situations. I want a color that ensures that other drivers (especially those in SUV who are talking on phones) can see me. I had the scary experience recently of almost running down a tiny car (dark green Geo Swift) that was going slowly in the left lane. To my eyes it appeared several car lengths further ahead, I almost ran into the back of her. I'm ordering either red or yellow with a white roof and mirrors. Actually, I'd love a white car with red roof, but suspect that's not an option yet.
Planned upgrades are carbon fiber intake, coil-over suspension and exhaust....hoping to hit the 200hp mark.
ECU re-flashing, SC belt changes, new head, etc. are what Cooper Works adds along with intake and exhaust to get even more out of it.
White
Black
Whatever colour the rest of your car is.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Which begs the question, did anyone else get touch-up paint from their MINI dealer? I did not and am now uncertain as to whether I should have, or if I can get some now. Any thoughts?
I didn't get touch up paint with my car but I bet they'll sell you some if you ask nicely.
Several roof decals are available of many different countries, not just the three silver_bullet mentioned. They are perforated (like the adverts on city buses) to allow light through (ideal if you have the panorama glass roof), yet still look solid from the outside. They can, of course, be removed later on if you change your mind).
I purchased touch up paint for my Cooper S (Chili Red) for $20 Cdn (I got a discount because I used to work at the dealership). It comes with a bottle of clear coat, as well).
P.S. I HATE stone chips!
Another product that's good for touching up minor paint scratches is Langka - you use the factory touch up paint with Langka for a perfect touch up. Check out www.langka.com
I am anal about the condition of my cars - Dent Doctor and Langka keep my sanity intact.
I've seen a few Minis at non-Mini lots with substantial markups. I'm not willing to go that route.
Is there an internet site where you can determine if any one Mini dealer across the US has the car you are looking for? Are there any Mini dealers out West that typically have cars available?
9 months seems like a long time to wait by today's manufacturing/dealer network standards. Is that the norm for an ordered S?
If you check on MINI2.com or other places there's plenty of discussions about which dealer charges what and how long, but certainly calling around couldn't hurt.
If you test drive a cooper, you might be tempted into getting one, which would certainly cut down your wait.
My local dealer has an EB S in stock and a bunch of Coopers ready to be bought for MSRP, no waiting, no markups or mandatory accessories, but we're in Canada and they won't let them be exported at the moment (though if they sit on that lot much longer they may rethink that policy).
I 'just' have a Cooper but I think it's great so you shouldn't count one out. Just make sure you can test one that is broken in as the first 2000 miles of work really opens the engine up.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
I was somewhat disappointed to discover that the "S" can't be had in solid white. I'd been considering buying a white one and then getting the roof painted red. So we still have some decisions on color and options.
I'm 6'5" and the S without a sunroof is as roomy as front seats come. The car is a little slow to get rolling, but then it's a great little ride with tight handling, smooth-shifting transmission, and excellent brakes. My wife, as a passenger, "hated it", as it really is a tight "go-kart" suspension that feels every bump in the road. On a smooth autocross track it would be amazing, on the highway, the ride is harsh due to the tightly sprung suspension with little travel and a short wheelbase. I thought the car was fun.
Other minor issues: Too small of a rear view mirror, seat cushion length was insufficient, and only legless midgets could fit in the back seat behind me as the driver. I'll be purchasing a larger (A4, 325i, G-35) car with a more luxurious ride, but I sure enjoyed the handling and the wind up of that tiny supercharged engine.
Their vehicle also includes the Sports Package which also comes with the 17 inch wheels.
Thanks for your comments! ;-)
Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards
While I have to admit that this issue presents quite a predicament for the MINI / BMW folks, it is nonetheless one of those things that is to be expected in a first-year car. I was not so much interested in the problem as I was in how MINI responded to it. Sounds like they were professional and did not give Phil any major hassles (aside from having to find a way to get his family home) in fixing it. I'll probably take mine in to the dealer to check out the shift linkage in mine just to be safe. I have about 2300 miles on my Cooper so far and no problems (knock on wood).
BTW, I still don't like the electric blue on the "S", but those 17" wheels are fantastic!
Anyway, we went with the CVT instead, so lets see how things will go with the automatic tranny.