Mini Cooper S or Boxster - the debate in my head rages!

[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!

[Johnny Danger]

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.

[Johnny Danger]

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]

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?

[shadrach74]

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]

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]

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.