Mini Cooper S Convertible
 

It is time to get my wife a new car...she wants a Mini Cooper S convertible. I got what I want (the Box) so she definately can have whatever she wants. Question is: any of you guys own or have owned one of these? Just wanted to hear your thoughts or impressions on the car.

I have driven several of the hardtops.

I like the car a lot, spunky, handles really well, has a nice shifter etc.

The ragtops may not be a tight and they are def. more expensive.

Good on gas too!

Well, she wants a convertible and the BMW/Audi/Merc line just looks so boring. I tried to talk her into a Boxster, but she wants to be different. Plus the 3 years of scheduled maintenance is very attractive.

Brucelee, I am scheduling a test drive next month. It's a four seater...is it really? Do you think you could put anyone in the backseat? What didn't you like about the cars?

I have a hardtop and the car rocks. It is a gokart on wheels. It can be easily modified, lots of tuners across the country, and in terms of acceleration, with a little bit of money, be made as quick as a standard Boxster.

The best way to describe MINIs is that they are simply fun. Some may claim they are "clown cars" or "chick cars" but if you actually drive a modded one, you won't feel that way anymore.

No, its not a Porsche but for half the price, its definitely worth the money. Converts are about 3K more than the standard MCS. The downside to ownership is that there tends to be a bit of warranty work. Far from perfect and the OEM Runflats are terrible.

Best of Luck. I dont think she will be disappointed.

You can also buy the fourth year of free maintenaince.

Yes, its a four seater and adults can fit in the back. When we went on a test drive I sat in the back and was amazed I could fit in there. Wouldn't want to for a long trip but for around town, its fine.

The only trap you can fall into is adding option after option vice just taking the car nearly stripped and the price will be low 20s. Add a lot of options and its can easily top $50k

Thanks for the info!!!

Two small kids in the back.

I liked the car alot. I think she will too!


Good luck.

My wife has one. She traded her BMW Z3 for a Mini S Convertible and she has never regreted it. Yes, it is a chick car but that is really because of its image and not it's performance. The car is quite quick and handles very well. It has unbelievable room for the driver and passenger and the rear seat is supprisingly large. Mini's claim is that if their engineers had designed the Suburban it would have seated 20.

My gut feeling is that the Mini will have more warranty issues than I would like, but not to the point of being a problem. I say go for it!

Jon

Oh, Rail26, I am an old UH-1, OH-58A/C and UH-60 guy. Spent all of my time as a maintenance officer flying junk so other people didn't have to.

Jon

Many ppl want to call it a chick car or a clown car but change their mind once they hit the twisties.

Warranty issues are a hassle. The free maintenaince helps a lot but its no fun spending your time at the dealer. Thats not to frighten anyone away, just to be aware its not a Toyota (or whatever). MINI enthusiasts are a hard core culture that would never part with their car because of the fun factor.

The tin-top Cooper S is the most fun I've had in a car not from Porsche.

But I personally would call the back seat a sick joke. I don't see how an adult could sit behind the driver's seat in its usual position.

For the last few months my fiancé and I have debated on what kind of car to get her next. My choice was an S4 avant that she quickly shot down and said NO to ANY wagon no matter if it does have 400 HP. We have no human kids, just a 105lb lab retriever that goes everywhere with us. I wanted something fun and sporty and she did not care. Now I remind you before we bought the Boxster we looked at the Mini and have talked about how cool it was. Anyway so we will be getting one most likely in July. Here is the kicker she wants a 6speed, hardtop, with the JCW pkg, now usually I would ask her how she knew about the JCW pkg but on this occasion I just smiled and said yes honey. ;) Honestly I see myself driving it more then her and her getting my Grand Cherokee. Chick car my butt

Ohh and with the money I save from the Audi I may just end up with an older Miata for the track next year. Cross your fingers.
:dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance:

Awesome how things workout,,,LOL miniS with JCW definitely a fun car..good luck..

I'm also looking at an MCS in the next month or so. I test drove an S convertible and I was surprised at how nice it was. The 6 speed shifted VERY nicely, it handled great and was every bit the fun my Box is, except the rear visibility is REALLY bad, even with the top down.


A friend of mine who bought a non-S MC for his wife calls it a "Box of No **************** Fun" even with the CVT tranny (wife can't drive a stick). He has an '05 and has had zero problems with it (he claims). His only complaint is that the brakes create more dust than he likes, but he lives in Dallas so I'm sure there is a lot of stop and go traffic causing that. I live in the country where rush hour is seeing maybe 2-3 other cars, so I'd be more "go" than "stop".


He is pushing for me to get one ASAP.

Hi,

The thing I find ironic about the Mini is that Consumer Reports rates it higher than average in warranty claims while at the same time it gets greater than average Customer Satisfaction ratings.

Could it be that people are more enamored with the concept of the Mini than they are with the actual Car? Something similar to the somewhat cult-like loyalty to Apple computers by some.

Personally, I'd be much more inclined to buy a solid Original Mini-Cooper and do a Frame-Off to it than to buy the reincarnation. Something about having a Dodge Omni sourced engine dampens the BMW knock-off's appeal...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

There's a BMW-designed turbo four coming next year, I believe... Regardless, the current engine is a fine motor.

BTW< the engine in the Omni was a 2.2l pushrod four banger. This is a 1.6L DOHC superchared four. I don't see the resemblance?

NO. Since I own one, I know your way off base. The consuer reports stuff merely talks about problems. Now go look at both customer loyality and resale value. MINI has consistently been #1 for the last several years.

The fan base is extremely loyal, many 2 and 3 MINI homes now. Its all about the driving experience. It doesn't matter that there may be some first year warranty problems (as all cars have) since the fun factor way more than compensates for it. Take a test drive and you just might drive home with one ... actually you probably won't since virtually ALL MINIs are custom built to order because the factory can't keep up with demand.

Hi,

I respect your opinion and am pleased you like your Car. But, I have test driven them, even took one (an 'S') for 6 Laps around BIR and 2 Laps around an Auto-X course. I was not impressed. I didn't like the feel, the fit & finish, the Pedal arrangement, or the look of it.

Definitely not the Car for me, besides, you can't travel a mile without coming across at least a couple of them, which isn't impressive either since most people (not necessarily you) don't know ******************** about Cars. But, you certainly demonstrate the fierce loyalty many owners possess, which is good - everyone should Love their Car!...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

AGHHHHHHHHH! :barf:

Hi,

Sorry I was mistaken, the engine was used in the Dodge Neon, not the Omni. The Omni originally used a 1.7L OHC 4 licensed from VW. See: http://www.autocar.co.uk/news_article.asp?na_id=211646.

An except from the article: "...The move to state-of-the-art supermini engines will greatly enhance the appeal of the second-generation Mini, which is expected in late 2006. The current car’s biggest weakness is its Brazilian-built and Chrysler-sourced Pentagon engine. Although the unit has been well polished by BMW engineers, it cannot completely disguise its budget origins..."

It appears that the Mini has achieved sufficient success in the marketplace to now warrant a new engine, something BMW was unwilling to shoulder on an unproven model...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99