I was not impressed when the BMW Mini Cooper came out. It seemed wrong that BMW would try to foist an obvious nostalgiamobile upon the car-buying public. Any my first three cars (owned concurrently) were MGBs. A German company building a British car? That’s positively un-British! Then there’s the original Austin Mini, which was very cool. The new one is bigger and (I’ve heard) doesn’t have the go-cart-like handling of the original.
But they’re starting to grow on me. Now, I’m not in a position to buy a car right now; but I do need to get something more efficient eventually. The Cherokee is efficient when it comes to hauling stuff or towing stuff; but my needs in those areas have lessened. And my fiancée has a Tacoma, which can be used for towing.
You may remember a thread or two in which I thought about the VW Golf. I like the car, but I’ve heard a lot of horror stories too. So why not a Cooper? It’s small and fuel-efficient, which I want. I’ve heard it handles well. It’s nominally British, which appeals to my British car tastes.
Should I consider a Mini Cooper, or a Mini Cooper S? I really loved my Porsche 911SC. It was a little rocket! I liked the power. On the other hand, I really enjoyed my '66 MGB and '77 MGBs. Not exactly powerhouses, but extremely fun to drive. So generally I think more power is better; but I can drive with less power if the handling is good.
So what do you think of New Minis? Would I have a blast in the basic model? Or would I be disappointed without the S? Is the turbocharged S model worth the extra $3,500? Or is the basic model more in keeping with the intent of the original?
[sub]Speaking of British cars… I called the body guy Monday. He said he has the inside of my '66 MGB painted, and that the rest should be done in ‘a couple of weeks’. :dubious: He’s been saying ‘a couple of weeks’ for almost a year and a half![/sub]
A good friend of mine just picked up his “S” about 6 weeks ago, and is totally in love with it. He custom ordered it, and had to wait 6-8 weeks before it was delivered to the lot. Some vanity shots here.
They are built for driving, and are a lot of fun. Take one for a test drive and you’ll have a big smile on your face. I convinced him to go for the “S” (his wife said it took her 8 months to convince him not to get the “S”, and I undid that in an afternoon- she punched me for that…) for the simple reason that when it comes to hardware, most guys never wish that they had “less”; be it megapixels, RAM, or in this case, horsepower. Plus, the hood scoop looks cool.
I almost bought a Mini Cooper S, to the dismay of my husband. I was at the dealership one day walking around looking at the Mini’s and spotted a 2000 BMW Z3 in mint condition. I bet you can guess which car we brought home. The Z3 had 24k miles and a 2.8 liter engine, in my favorite color; metallic Oxford green.
Since we live in Dallas, getting on/off highways around here can be a bit tricky and the additional power can come in handy. I would have spent the extra cash on the turbo charge just because of where we live. If traffic is light in your area or your driving style doesn’t warrant a turbo, then it may be a waste of money for you personally. I think it’s just a matter of choice. Get behind the wheel of each model and take one for a spin.
I have a ‘plain’ Mini Cooper (that is, not an S); I have no frills on it whatsoever except I sprung for the CVT, a metallic paint job and the Union Jack on the roof. I’ve had it for about a year and 1/2 now, and it’s the best car I’ve ever driven – excellent gas mileage and handling. I used to be rather afraid of US interstates and highways (I used to take slowcoach Amtrak to travel from Charlottesville to Wilmington, DE, to avoid the 29-66-495-95 corridor.), but I can’t get enough of the motorways now – my previous car which i bought new would start to rattle and shudder like mad up around highway traffic speeds, but the Mini will purr along between 85 and 90 mph. I find it comfortable for long-haul driving. It’s also terrific on curvy roads as it clings well to the road. It has excellent acceleration power from a dead stop, too; I think many people alongside me at traffic lights want to get around me because they think it’s some sort of toy car what goes 0-60 in about 1/2 hour…er, no.
The only things I would consider its ‘eccentricities’ in my experience would be it will hydroplane cos it’s so light, and I have driven up through the mountains in State College, PA and while it can maintain 70 mph with 2 passengers in the car with me, I wouldn’t wish to try to sustain such a speed and task. When I lived in a rural area (south central Virginia) by necessity I had to off-road it a couple of times; it is low to the ground, but I never ended up hung up or doing it a damage.
Of course, the main reason I bought it is cos I’m a terrible parallel parker – still am, but I can squeeze the Mini into places the SUVs and minivans and even mid sized cars can’t manage
Between the Porsches, I had a couple Chevy Sprints. Sprints are about the same size as Minis, and are also lightweight. Never had any problems with hydroplaning. A Sprint also allowed me to climb a snowy mountain road when others had to put on chains. (I did have chains in the car, but wanted to see how far I could get without them. No problems!) The Sprints were very fuel-efficient, and easy to park in L.A. Around town, they were quite zippy. I could maintain 90 mph on the freeway without a complaint from the car.
But mountains were a problem. Heading up the 14 to the Antelope Valley there is a long grade by Vasquez Rocks. If my speed dropped below 70, the car slowed inexorably to 55. I had to shift down to 4th gear. Even if I managed to maintain 70 most of the way, it was difficult. The one thing I really want to avoid in a car is the inability to maintain speed uphill.
If a basic Mini can cruise at 80 mph, and if it has no problems on hills (which I suspect an original would), then it sounds as if I wouldn’t ‘need’ the S. My main goal would be to have a nice-handling, attractive, efficient car that does what I want it to do.
Incidentally, I would not go for the CVT. After five years with the Cherokee, I’m still not used to automatic transmissions. The Mini seems like a car that’s made for a standard transmission.
Now all I need is to find a job; preferably a good one.
I have an 04 MCS (MINI Cooper S) and yes, they are fun to drive, and do still handle like a go kart.
If you want speed and performance handling most, go with the S. If you want almost as much speed and almost as good handling go with the Cooper. Save $$$$ and have as much fun! If you have to have an automatic transmission, then you have to go with the MC. An MCS will be a 6-speed.
Then join a MINI club like and meet lots of great MINI people.
I didn’t by the car for it’s horsepower, my everyday car is/was a 78 Vette, but I went with it because I felt it handled a bit better and I liked the sound of the car better. really, the best thing to do is test drive both models, that’s what’s going to help you make your decision. The differences between the models are very MINImal.
In the meantime, have fun on MINIUSA, configuring your MINI and all the options you want.
I can’t help you decide which kind to go for, but I’d just like to say that I’ve been a “MINI Driver” for a year and a half and I’m still in love with it.
Get the S. It’s definitely worth it. At any point in the car’s depreciation cycle, the S will be worth a lot more than the Cooper - it’s really more like a $1000 option. Besides, the new one is in WRX territory in a straight line…
There’s a small problem of asthetics with the gold Mini.
The interior is silver. I saw one at the dealer and from the inside, it clashed horribly.
It was not a good looking car at all from that point of view and I love the Mini.
Not to burst your bubble or anything, cause hey, you might like gold and silver mixed.
I asked my husband what his initial thoughts of the regular mini vs the S. He said his first thought of the regular one, “huh. I guess they don’t know how to drive a stick”.
No way!
Chili red and white is the bomb. It’s classic and sporty.
Not that I am biased or anything…
I don’t think that the white pops enough on the yellow. Most yellow minis are yellow and black and usually are nicknamed "bumble bee"or some variation.
I think a kelly green (primary green) or orange would look smashing on a mini, too.
I’ve had a Mini (non-S) for two years and don’t regret it a bit. The joy of the car is in the handling, not off-the-line speed. Too many other cars can blow you away on the line, but none can out maneuver a Mini. My favorite game is on the highway on & off ramps. I love it when I have a vette or Porsche on my tail, although they may have more speed than me they can’t take the turns as fast so I always pull away from them.
Save the extra $ and use it instead to buy gas for the next several years.
Heads-up: there’s a “Full Throttle” program featuring the Mini Cooper on The History Channel, 9 P.M., Wednesday (tomorrow). I love their programs on such narrow topics (like their one-hour documentary on the history of the Autobahn), but I’ve never watched the “FT” series. Probably because I’m still watching “The West Wing” on NBC… but I may give this one a try.
