new vehicle - not quite a p-car, but just as fun
 

http://%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i3.tinypic.co....jpg%5B/IMG%5Dhey ppl! wow i miss this forum - the bimmerforums/community just doesn't have the same camaraderie. well, i'm not back in a porsche yet, but i did let the 330ci zhp go recently for something european that is at least as fun as my old 987 (and has a community that is just as passionate about their cars and friendship).

i picked up an 05 Mini Cooper S - orig owner bought it at SEMA in 05 - it only had 5200 miles on it when i bought it. It has full AC Schnitzer body kit, wheels and full exhaust (along with ACS interior details). What I heard from another MCS forum member, apparently only 2-3 other cars exist in the US with the full kit. Since picking it up I've removed a few of the decals (b4 and after pix are attached), blacked out alot of the chrome, installed a CAI (which really makes the supercharger sing), and added a cravenspeed SSK. It's weird to be back behind the wheel of a FWD car, but I have to admit, even with stock suspension the car handles and feels as nimble as the 987 or the 330. I hear that with a few simple suspension tweaks, (springs and a firmer rear sway bar) the car is just amazing.

Soon to come be an upgraded (smaller) SC pulley which makes the SC spin faster and a reflash of the stock ECU (there's a guy in Irvine CA who has been dyno tuning the stock ECU and achieving (on cars with exhaust, CAI and upgraded pulley) - upwards of 220 whp (not crank hp - yes, you read it right - whp!!!!!)

anyway - it'll prob be a few years before another p-car sits in my driveway - but in the meantime - this will be a fun toy to ease the pain of daily driving!

thanx djlomas for the skinny on uploading pix here

http://i10.tinypic.com/7yf3oti.jpg

http://i11.tinypic.com/87n6xbc.jpg



http://i6.tinypic.com/6y9zgpx.jpg

http://i15.tinypic.com/6o26etw.jpg

http://i3.tinypic.com/7xmxovn.jpg

sounds like a great little go kart.
just go to www.tinypic.com and upload the pics, and paste the test that has [img] tags and they will show right up.

BTW, youre the one that had that cool beetle on bbs LMs rite?

they were sportmax wheels similar to bbs - thanx for the link - pix of the mcs now added

mach! good to see your still alive! hows the med field coming along?

my wife really wants a coop...I'm thinking GS 450....that's why we married...we are just soooo compatible :D

car looks cool tho, I am partial to the brit flag version

residency is residency - it'll be nice to actually get paid a decent amount someday!

car is super fun - it hurt bad to get rid of the boxster, i was sad to give up the bmw, but i fall more in love with this mcs everyday - it sounds awesome and drives so raw and fun - it's a similar driving experience to say, a 993 (that gritty rawness!) and there is so much you can do to these cars to increase the already great fun factor. my advice go with an r53 vs r56 (supercharger vs turbocharger and r53 just retains the pure cooper fun factor!!!!) british flag is cool - but i haven't ever seen another mcs with the rising sun, so i like how it's different

great car.
good luck with the rest of your residency.
hopefully you'll be able to buy a new camera so you can do your car justice

yeah - camera phone not so good!

i got a mini s for my sister for xmas this yr and so i drove it a few times and messed with it a little and honestly its an amazing little car, i love it. have fun with it dude

I love MINI's.

Sweet ride.

:)

Great looking car! Not sure I would have left the "RISING SUN" decal on top when you removed some of those decals. That would be the first I would get rid of. The car is BRITISH NOT JAPANESE! Makes no sense to me. Put a nice Union Jack British flag on the top or just take it off all together. That body kit has been around for years. Not many people have them on though. Check out MOSS at this web site for all your mini cooper needs :cheers:
http://www.mossmini.com/

Enjoy the MCS! I had an absolute blast on my 45 minute, unchapparoned test drive last year. No, I didn't pull the trigger, but I wish I had :)

MCS is an awesome car. I often will trade rides with my buddy that has the full cooper works package, reduced pulley,chip, hr springs and 19" hre wheels. Fun car very fast and nimble. He promises to sell it to me when he is sick of it.
http://i30.tinypic.com/5ycn60.jpg

oooooh - very nice all blacked out and lowered like that - looks like one of the mcs forum owner's from the LA area.

i'm dying to have the car tuned at RMW in Irvine and simultaneously upgrade the SC pulley. can't even imagine how the car is gonna pull with close to or above 200 whp and torque!!!!!

on a side note - drove out ca78 thru Julian and Anza Borrego this last weekend in the MCS - made me miss the 987 (that was the last fun drive i did in the box before trading in her in :(