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MINI Cooper Prices Paid and Buying Experience

1491 messages,  Last post on Apr 23, 2013 at 2:35 AM

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What is this discussion about? MINI Cooper, MINI Cooper Clubman, MINI Cooper Countryman, Coupe, Hatchback, SUV

Messages Page 92 of 150

#903 of 1491 Re: buying a MINI- which options are best? [bijoubaby05] by tiff_c

Nov 20, 2007 (9:47 am)

Replying to: bijoubaby05 (Nov 19, 2007 12:03 am)
I have optioned out a Mini using Edmunds based on a 2007 model and of course performance matters to me.
So this is how I optioned it out, based on my needs.
 
2007 MINI Cooper S (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
 
ZSP Sport Package (w/White Web-Spoke Wheels)
226 Sport Suspension
322 Comfort Access
2TA Limited Slip Differential
4BE English Oak Interior Trim
473 Center Arm Rest
384 White Alloy Wheels
327 Bonnet Stripes White
382 Roof/Mirror Caps in White
Total with Options $25,659
Color: Chili Red
 
I might rethink the arm rest and the oak interior I'd have to see those in person first.
The dealer is just so far away.
 
Sunroofs can be a problem for all the reasons mentioned.
Premium Pkg is ok if you want that. Leatherette is a personal choice but you will cough up a lot for leather which must be maintained with cleaners. For me Leatherette which is vinyl, really wears a lot better IMO.
As far as performance enhancing things why buy a Mini if you don't get them?
Fuel economy has me looking at the Mini as it also offers good performance.
Might have to buy a Prius if gas keeps going up.

#904 of 1491 love me ette by blueguydotcom

Nov 20, 2007 (11:19 am)

I had always owned leather until the mini and i love my leatherette. I can get out of the pool/ocean, toss my scuba gear in the back, hop in the front with a wet suit and never worry about hurting anything. Go ette!
 
I get 30 MPG mixed, driving hard with my 07 Cooper S. It's not prius 45 mpg on 87 octane but smiles-per-mile are way higher!

#905 of 1491 Re: love me ette [blueguydotcom] by tiff_c

Nov 20, 2007 (12:37 pm)

Replying to: blueguydotcom (Nov 20, 2007 11:19 am)
I get 30 MPG mixed, driving hard with my 07 Cooper S. It's not prius 45 mpg on 87 octane but smiles-per-mile are way higher!
 
I bet your MINI dealer isn't 1.5 hours away either.
That's why I just don't bother because MINI has no interest in expanding their dealership network. So if you have a problem you are screwed. I can't take a day off of work to get my car serviced. The Prius I haven't driven, and yet next month I probably will try one out. Thing is I drive so much highway I wonder if it will really be worth getting and I've had lots of cars on long commutes and once you hit 70mph the fuel economy drops off. The MINI has a tall 6th gear so that really helps.
I do tend to actually drive my cars and I get lower mileage as a result. I can't stand hypermilers they might save a few pennies a day but annoying to be stuck behind them unable to pass.
They want to save the environment but how much extra fuel is used in passing them?

#906 of 1491 Re: love me ette [tiff_c] by dwynne

Nov 20, 2007 (12:46 pm)

Replying to: tiff_c (Nov 20, 2007 12:37 pm)
I do tend to actually drive my cars and I get lower mileage as a result. I can't stand hypermilers they might save a few pennies a day but annoying to be stuck behind them unable to pass.
They want to save the environment but how much extra fuel is used in passing them?
 
I am the same way, I drive the cars as intended and the heck with the little extra cost . Someone in the xB mileage forum mentioned they were getting nice mileage but they were shifting at 3k! The xB does not have much power to start with, but shift that early and you are not seeing much of it.
 
I can get 24-25mpg in the S2000 around town with the top down driving it like I stole it and about 28mpg on the highway with the top down.
 
The MINI, I am told, does nicely even if driven with spirit but all require premium fuel. The biggest problem for me is the much more desirable S has way too much torque steer when you mash on the go pedal - they need to make a RWD MINI .
 
As far as the hypermilers go, when they tailgate someone to improve THEIR mileage does that not cause the person dragging them along to have worse mileage? And as you said, when they keep a constant throttle then you have to pass them going up hills and they may coast past on going down. Having to go around them over and over surely does not help your mileage any.
 
Dennis

#907 of 1491 Re: love me ette [tiff_c] by blueguydotcom

Nov 20, 2007 (2:54 pm)

Replying to: tiff_c (Nov 20, 2007 12:37 pm)
My mini dealer is 45 minutes away on a Saturday at 6 am. With traffic it's at least 1 hour on weekends and about 1.5 hours on weekdays.
 
For me to get my car serviced I schedule it weeks in advance and take the car in at the for 7 am on a Saturday and either get a loaner or go for a really, really long walk.
 
I've totally ignored some recall notice regarding a dash storage compartment as I don't keep anything in my car and I'm not blowing 4-5 hours of any day on something I'll never use.

#908 of 1491 Re: love me ette [dwynne] by blueguydotcom

Nov 20, 2007 (3:06 pm)

Replying to: dwynne (Nov 20, 2007 12:46 pm)
Come on, premium is 20 cents more per gallon. With regular at 3.20 a gallon, spending $3.40 a gallon is inconsequential. Really, the old premium v. regular argument held water when gas was around $1 but now that gas is over $3 a gallon, it's a drop in the bucket.
 
I don't know what's going on with people that they experience torque steer to such a degree in this car. My wife will attest to the fact I drive my Cooper S like a mad-man and yet never have torque steer issues.
 
1. Do they press the S button?
2. Do they try to do WOT from a dead stop?
3. Do they not hold the wheel?
 
  Accelerate hard with FWD and the weight shifts back, thus you end up with several problems that can be avoided The lack of weight on the front tires/axle causes a loss of traction (with a Mini Cooper S the engine can easily spin the tires, lessen the pressure over the tires and that's even more pronounced). Steering, even with S-button action, will feel lighter in this situation as the contact patch is low and momentum/weight is on the back of the car, giving the illusion of loose steering. Torque steer will feel more pronounced in this situation now as there is so little contact/weight over the front axle, there's less to keep the wheels from moving naturally to the right. Quite simply applying throttle in the wrong way for a light FWD car like this creates torque steer.
 
This isn't some 4k lbs caddy STS. Roll off the light and apply steadily increasing power. You can easily smoke just about every normal person off the line still. By 4k you should be nearing or at WOT. Hit the 1-2 shift, now go ahead with WOT as the weight won't be thrown off - weight over the front tires, good contact patch, zero torque steer, zero wheel spin.
 
I don't even like FWD but all this whining about torque steer from Edmunds.com and others makes me wonder how people are driving any car that's FWD.

#909 of 1491 Re: love me ette [blueguydotcom] by dwynne

Nov 20, 2007 (4:46 pm)

Replying to: blueguydotcom (Nov 20, 2007 3:06 pm)
Drive into MINI dealer in a RWD S2000, drive out in Cooper S for an extended (solo) test drive, drive back to dealer and drive out in S2000 and re-drive the test path. Thoughts: Yes, there are gobs of torque steer and with the suspension pack the ride is rougher than the S but cornering speed is lower. Really not an acceptable combination of handling and ride compared to my S or the RX-8 for that matter (or even the 330i or M5 - which were a lot more bucks). The Mazdaspeed3 has some torque steer but not nearly as much and is a quick car than handles well - not as tossible as a MINI but pretty nice for a FWD car.
 
My snow day xB even has some torque steer but with a lot less ponies under the hood not enough to bother me.
 
Cars should be RWD or at least AWD - once you have driven performance RWD cars getting in any FWD is a compromise and it really "glares" in the S with a manual tranny. If you are used to FWD then it just more of the same and may not bother you as much. Good thing I didn't drive the demo with all the JCW stuff on it .
 
Dennis

#910 of 1491 Re: love me ette [dwynne] by blueguydotcom

Nov 20, 2007 (10:39 pm)

Replying to: dwynne (Nov 20, 2007 4:46 pm)
Dennis,
 
I understand the differences - I've gone from two BMW 330is (e46 ZHP 6MT, e90 ZSP 6MT) in a row to a R56 Cooper S 6MT. I didn't experience any torque steer with a Mazdaspeed3 but then again, unlike in a RWD car, I won't punch WOT unless I'm over 15-20 mph because quite frankly WOT in a powerful FWD car is pretty illogical. Heck, even in a cheese Chevy rental with a 4 pot and 4-speed auto WOT from a standstill can attempt to wrench the wheel.
 
I'm not a FWD fan - as I clearly stated in my original post to you - but I don't think it's the least bit difficult to retrain your foot to massage the throttle from a standstill. Hell, you have to enter corners in a totally different way too. Press the S-button, massage the throttle, brake extremely late into corners...part of the R56 driving experience and 180 degrees from pushing an S2000 hard. You can't use the throttle to steer with a FWD...unless you want to end up in a ditch.

#911 of 1491 Re: love me ette [blueguydotcom] by tiff_c

Nov 21, 2007 (12:44 am)

Replying to: blueguydotcom (Nov 20, 2007 2:54 pm)
My mini dealer is 45 minutes away on a Saturday at 6 am. With traffic it's at least 1 hour on weekends and about 1.5 hours on weekdays.
For me to get my car serviced I schedule it weeks in advance and take the car in at the for 7 am on a Saturday and either get a loaner or go for a really, really long walk.
 
So you are in about the same position I am in, distance wise. Is it worth going through all that for it?

#912 of 1491 Re: love me ette [tiff_c] by blueguydotcom

Nov 21, 2007 (1:10 am)

Replying to: tiff_c (Nov 21, 2007 12:44 am)
Shrug. The car's really fun and it should only need service once a year. So far I've had to run by the dealer twice within the first 9 months but not for anything major. Overall it's been far better than my BMWs in terms of reliability.

Messages Page 92 of 150

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