Mini Cooper S or Boxster - the debate in my head rages! - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

rob76turbo · 03-07-2013, 06:59 AM

OK, you all know I have my Cayman S for sale! In case you didn't check the for sale section. So I have committed to my mom to buy my deceased step-dads Mini. From there the plan was to turn it into a monster track car. I have even bought some unobtanium parts (JCW Challenge coil-overs and Wing - both are NEW in box). But being a Porsche guy, I got to thinking about a 1999 to 2002 Boxster (not S, out of my price range). I figure I can spend in the 8-9K range on a Boxster. There are a few of them out there in that price range. One of them on this very forum. The idea would be to turn the Boxster into a track monster too.

So WHAT SHOULD I DO!?!?!?!?!? Buy my Mom's mini and have fun with it for a couple of years? Or sell it for her. Then once the CS sells, I would buy a Boxster. AHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Chuck W. · 03-07-2013, 07:44 AM

My wife has a Mini Cooper S we bought new in 2007. We special ordered it and the sticker was north of $35,000 plus tax and license. It has been a great trouble free car. But, it is not a Boxster and the drive is completely different. I am not a fan of front wheel drive cars. We lowered it with Mach V springs and the car handles well and turns on a dime. On a rough road you'll lose the fillings out of your teeth.

Take the Mini for a week, then decide.

shadrach74 · 03-07-2013, 07:45 AM

My GF drives an '06 MCS which means I drive one by default. It is a fantastic car and is likely similar in performance to the non-S Boxsters that you're considering, while there's no way the fr engined, fr drive Mini's handling will approach that of the rr drive mid-engined Box if both are in stock form. However, it will out perform the box in bang for the fuel buck. Even with relatively aggressive driving and lot's of stop and go commuting our MCS averages 27MPG. The Mini's transmission is far better than the tranny in my 02 Boxster S.

Potential issues:

Electric PS pumps - some Minis have been known to to need PS replacement as early as 40K. I DIYed my GF for ~$400 IIRC. It was not horrible to do, about a 6 on the PITA scale...

Clutch &DMF: 11hrs minimum in labor for a pro. I converted hers to a SMF at 78K when the clutch went TU. It ran about $1500 total.

Other than those issues, the MCS has been a very practical and sporty dual purpose vehicle!

Porsche Chick · 03-07-2013, 12:45 PM

Sell them both, buy a newer Boxster.

Seems obvious to me . . .

If you want to buy a car to modify, look at the Nissan Z line, they handle much better than a mini ever would.

Perfectlap · 03-07-2013, 12:49 PM

I would spend some time in the Boxster Racing forums to get a better idea of what the costs of stripping the Boxster would entail. If you do it correctly you should have no problem selling one of the 2.5's even if you don't end up racing it yourself.

Mini Cooper is great fun to drive. I was going to buy one for my mother not long ago but after speaking to an actual Mini Cooper specialists (who does a lot of track driving) he basically gave the the Mini Cooper a 100% thumbs down mechanically. Basically not a car that a 'robust' driver would want to buy out of warranty was his advice. He had a few nice Minis in his shop at the time too.

Porsche Chick · 03-07-2013, 12:51 PM

I agree with PL. I've heard that MC parts are almost as pricey as Porsche parts.

rob76turbo · 03-07-2013, 02:17 PM

Good points. I just worry that a Boxster in my budget (8-9K) may be a beater. I can buy my moms mini for 7K and it only has 60k miles on it. Mini parts and Boxster parts seem to be pretty close.

Worst case, buy the Mini, have fun for a couple of years and then get something else.

litespeedp · 03-07-2013, 02:41 PM

I bought a brand new Mini Cooper S in with 6 speed manual 2004 and put 26,000 miles on it in 11 months.tremendous fun and good gas mileage.The hatchback carried big stuff.Different kind of fun from my current new to me 2000 S with 6 speed.

Mini interior quality not as good but parts not as expensive.VERY glad to have owned both cars.Exterior trim is poor quality on the Mini and you need to watch out for the plastic cooling system thermostat as it will crack and fail and cause coolant loss.My car was in warranty and trouble free.

Mine was supercharged.Newer ones,maybe 2006 and up are turbocharged.The run flat tires and stiff "S" suspension are rough riding.

My nearest dealer, located in Memphis Tennessee was really good for service and hospitality.Try the MINI S model!

Johnny Danger · 03-07-2013, 04:47 PM

I had a 2008 Cooper S, and I just bought a new 2012 Clubman S. Fun cars to drive, and very competent performers in their own right. However, the boxster is a completely different vehicle altogether in terms of performance, functionality and cost of ownership. It would require a tome to describe the differences between them.

thstone · 03-07-2013, 05:17 PM

I also own both - a 2002 Mini Copper S with the JCW engine (200 hp!), suspension, exhaust, and brake packages and a 1999 Boxster BSX. They are completely different cars but I'd definitely take the Boxster over the Mini any day.

In regards to making over the car for the track, the Mini will be MUCH cheaper although the feel of a front wheel drive car on a track can never match that of a mid-engined, rear wheel drive pure sports car like the Boxster.

Johnny Danger · 03-07-2013, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by litespeedp

I bought a brand new Mini Cooper S in with 6 speed manual 2004 and put 26,000 miles on it in 11 months.tremendous fun and good gas mileage.The hatchback carried big stuff.Different kind of fun from my current new to me 2000 S with 6 speed.

Mini interior quality not as good but parts not as expensive.VERY glad to have owned both cars.Exterior trim is poor quality on the Mini and you need to watch out for the plastic cooling system thermostat as it will crack and fail and cause coolant loss.My car was in warranty and trouble free.

Mine was supercharged.Newer ones,maybe 2006 and up are turbocharged.The run flat tires and stiff "S" suspension are rough riding.

My nearest dealer, located in Memphis Tennessee was really good for service and hospitality.Try the MINI S model!

I respectfully disagree with you on the issue of the Mini's build quality. I can't speak for models previous to 2008, however, in my opinion the fit and finish of both of my Mini's is, and was, on par with vehicles costing twice the price. And I have owned and driven many, many vehicles. In fact, performance notwithstanding, I just passed on a new Subaru WRX STi because of it's all round poor build quality and overall chintziness.

Perfectlap · 03-07-2013, 07:27 PM

By the way, I won't say wich Mini dealer, but not long ago I was checking out lease offers/test driving and after visiting six different other brands (VW, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, Ford, Dodge Dart) the only one that pulled a very flagrant 'bait and switch" was the Mini dealer. Their lease was nearly the same monthly price as the others, a bit more cash up front but no big deal.
"Sure we have that lease deal and plenty of cars, thanks for the email come on down".
I spend a good 2-3 hours fighting traffic, get there.... "aww man listen I hate to tell you this but right now I only have the fully loaded models and the lease payment on those will be higher than it would cost to buy". Inerested in buying?

986_c6 · 03-08-2013, 12:42 AM

For the track...no brainer, boxster all the way!

Wife currently owns a 12 clubman base and it is a fun car.

Jittsl · 03-08-2013, 04:24 AM

If you budget is limited to 8-9K for the base car, how much have you budgeted for the "monster" track car build? Since a building a Spec Boxster probably covers most (if not all) of the likely costs associated I can tell you from experience that the total build will run close to $30K. If I had a choice between a tired Boxster (which is what you get for <$10K) or a low mileage Mini I would take the Mini. Not that I'm a great fan of the Mini. My wife has owned two Ss (an 05 and an 08) and neither were terribly well built, both were however fun to drive but not even in the same ballpark as the Porsche. My reasoning is simply that as it sounds like your budget is limited I imagine you would get a lot of satisfaction from the inevitable much better condition of the Mini.

Skrapmot · 03-08-2013, 07:47 AM

You might want to consider your Mother also...do you think it might bother her if you race out her husbands car...it might have a lot of sentimental value to her.
When my brother unexpectedly passed, I picked up his Mustang so it would go to the bank. The car was so much a part of him it would have broken my mother heart if I did something crazy with it.
Otherwise, I would think the Boxster would be more fun to race.

shadrach74 · 03-08-2013, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by litespeedp

I bought a brand new Mini Cooper S in with 6 speed manual 2004 and put 26,000 miles on it in 11 months.tremendous fun and good gas mileage.The hatchback carried big stuff.Different kind of fun from my current new to me 2000 S with 6 speed.

Mini interior quality not as good but parts not as expensive.VERY glad to have owned both cars.Exterior trim is poor quality on the Mini and you need to watch out for the plastic cooling system thermostat as it will crack and fail and cause coolant loss.My car was in warranty and trouble free.

Mine was supercharged.Newer ones,maybe 2006 and up are turbocharged.The run flat tires and stiff "S" suspension are rough riding.

My nearest dealer, located in Memphis Tennessee was really good for service and hospitality.Try the MINI S model!

The fit and finish of our 05 MCS is better than the Boxters he is considering...and by a large margin. The MCS is my GF's DD, with 80K it looks 10 years newer than the interior on my my 02 S with 58K (though that will change after I finish my interior project).

haroldchrismeyer · 03-08-2013, 12:59 PM

I have owned both, a 1999 boxster currently, and a 2002 Cooper S a few years ago. Also working at a car dealership I have opportunities to drive the newer Coopers.

The newer Coopers ride a lot better than the first generation. They do not handle very well compared to the first generation though. The superchargers do not seem to hold up too well, they lose boost as they get older. They are about equal on hard to work on, and about equal on cost of parts.

With that said, they are two completely different cars. I like both(first generation only of the Cooper). If I had to pick between them, I am not sure which one would win. Only you can decide.

Perfectlap · 03-08-2013, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadrach74

The fit and finish of our 05 MCS is better than the Boxters he is considering...and by a large margin. The MCS is my GF's DD, with 80K it looks 10 years newer than the interior on my my 02 S with 58K (though that will change after I finish my interior project).

The Tequipment and factory interior options for this car are very expensive but without them the car will look dated and barebones. With the options it's the EXACT same interior found in the top of the line GT2. Remember this is a Carrera interior (986/996 were designed simultaneously) and Porsche deliberately make their money forcing customers to pay up for every little item. I'm always surprised to see what was a $90K 9Carrera 4S without the chrome bezel rings in the dash or plain looking standard 986 shifter while some of those options no found are in my much less expensive Boxster S. The 986/996 interior was not intended to be sold with a sea of matte black interior trim but customers went that way to keep the costs down.

A well optioned 996/986 Boxster or Carrera interior was a nice middle ground between an air-cooled no frills Carrera interior and the 997/987 interior that is more of an Audi/VW interior with almost no resemblance to the air-cooled 911's.