So, do you guys still like your Mini's?

Jim Richards · 08-02-2004, 09:32 PM

I'm considering buying one (Cooper S) and would like to know if you Mini owners are positive about your ownership experience. Thanks!

Jim Richards · 08-09-2004, 11:39 AM

Wow. Over 40 views and no feedback.

Don't be shy, post your opinions / impressions about your Minis. I've test driven a 2003 Cooper S and thought it was moderately powerful, handled great (with DSC turned off) and provided good driver / passenger ergonomics. But less than 15 minutes in a car is not sufficient to capture the ownership experience. What are they like? I'm seriously thinking about selling off my 95 993 and getting a new Cooper S. Am I nuts?

EdT82SC · 08-12-2004, 11:01 AM

Hey Jim,

A friend of mine (who also sent me the mini limo link) has a Cooper S. It's not as quick as my 911SC so I can't imagine being satisfied with it when compared it to the power of a 993. Mini sells a bigger supercharger to replace the one on the S, and kicks it up to 200 hp. That might be a bit more fun.

Jim Richards · 08-13-2004, 06:57 AM

Ed, you're right about the Mini having less power. Still, it seems like a fun car to drive, and I will still have my 73E to play with.

Jim Richards · 08-15-2004, 10:33 AM

Over 100 posts and only a response from Ed, and he's not even a Mini owner! Is there something wrong with these cars you guys don't want to mention? Or are you having too damn much fun driving them to take time to respond?

Or is my question stupid?

ZAMIRZ · ZAMIRZ's Garage

Jim, late to the party but I'll add my two cents. I'm very happy with mine. I've done some upgrades to it and the car has really come to life and is a blast to drive. It's a hit too with people everywhere I go, I get lots of people asking about it and yelling "nice car!" as i'm driving down the road. Anyway, if you have any questions or want advice on speccing one ou, feel free to PM me.

Jim Richards · 08-17-2004, 05:25 AM

Thanks Amir! Have you experienced any nagging problems that require multiple trips to the dealer? How's the fit and finish? Thanks again.

ZAMIRZ · ZAMIRZ's Garage

My car hasn't gone to the dealer since I bought it. I've done 3 oil changes and changed a squeaky boot latch, that's all. It gets a good workout too, 2-3 canyon runs/month and almost all 12,000 miles have been in the city. The fit and finish on a scale of 1-10 is about an 8-8.5. Everything is very solid and nicely put together, but every once in a while (cold cold nights) some odd squeaks and rattles will appear. This is partially because my lowering springs are super stiff and partially because that's just the way the car is. I'm not too fond of it, but it adds character and the squeaks don't show up frequently enough for it to bother me.

Jared at Pelican Parts · 10-07-2004, 03:19 PM

any other Mini stories?

Rick Coleman · 10-08-2004, 01:36 PM

I have a 2003 S that I've owned for for nearly 2 years now. I also own an '89 Porsche Speedster. The Cooper is my daily driver, although I only have about 8000 miles on it. Believe it or not...the Cooper is actually more fun to drive than the Speedster, albeit a completely different kind of fun! The Cooper is SO EASY to drive fast, and frankly still seems to get as much attention as the Speedster even though my town is crawling with Minis. Everyone seems to love the Mini. Everyone wants to chew on your ear and talk about the car, even though they have been out for a few years now. The car has performed flawlessly since I've owned it, and I'd buy another one in a minute...as a matter of fact I may buy another towards the end of the year. The depreciation is minimal and it's nice to enjoy a car a car for a couple of years and be able to sell it without taking a bath. The only problem with my car is that my wife also loves to drive it, and she snags it every chance she gets! I
bought a loaded car (everything but navigation) and it was still a bargain in my eyes. If I get a new one soon I will order the "works" model which is about a $5K premium over the S, but I now heard puts out 210 h.p. for '05. Apparently it is a killer from 40-70, and in the upper rpm ranges. Even my wife thinks buying another one is a great idea. Interestingly the Mini replaced a '95 740il BMW as a daily driver, and I don't miss the luxo barge even a little, and it was a great car. Everybody ought to enjoy one of these cars, especially in these times of expensive gasoline!

blau911 · 02:07 AM

Jim,
My best friend bought a new one in 2003 (1st year). He liked it but said there were a few small problems with it. Also, he had to bring it in twice to repair the supercharger. Since then, he put 20k miles on it without problems. He just traded the 2003 in for a 2005 model so he must like it. He said the 2005 is a little faster with an extra 10hp. Don't know if that's true. My girlfriend bought one last Spring and we have driven it extensively thu Europe. We have put 15k miles on it with no problems whatsoever. On the Autobahn, we have had it topped out at above 220kph. That is around 137mph. It drives well under extreme speeds. She boiught hers with the GPS. What a plesure to drive thru Europe not having to flip thru maps every half hour.... I have a 67 911S and am an old Porsche guy thru and thru. If I had to buy a new car, I'd go with the Mini S- but since my girlfriend has one already, don't need to drop the extra money...

Rick Coleman · 11-01-2004, 09:16 AM

Just took my '03 S model in for oil/change service. Haven't covered many miles (8,000) over nearly two years with the car, but as I indicated before I still love driving the car. Big news.......
while my car was in for service I drove a new '05 S demo with the John Cooper Works hop-up kit, something over 200 horsepower!!
What a car!! I think I am going to sell my '03 and order a new
'05 JCW model S. Kind of a large premium for this model at apx.
$5K more, but it's still the best bang for the buck in the automotive world in my eyes.

rcm · 11-05-2004, 04:05 PM

Ok, the quick report. Just got home after picking up 05 S convert w/ works. Claimed 210 horseys. Very possible. It has 1500 mile break in period as the new head/valves were not seated at the factory. (works package is dealer install). So we never got it much over 4500 r's today in over 300 miles. Redlines at 6500+ Still it is very snappy and goes around corners like well, reminds me of very sharp ice skates. All the way home I thought this could replace the A4 very easy. Great so far and the bride loves it. Very important it was her birthday present.

Rick Coleman · 11-05-2004, 04:09 PM

Who did you buy from? Were you able to buy it for sticker? Did you order to spec or was it on the lot? Is the works package still dealer installed or is it factory installed? If dealer installed, do you get to keep the replaced parts (head, blower, etc.)? Thanks

rcm · 11-06-2004, 01:39 PM

Bought it from Princeton Mini in NJ. Yes, we payed just sticker. We ordered car and waited for build. GOt exactly what we wanted. JCWP was dealer installed. The works package is 5500.00 w/ a thousand dollar core charge on what they take off.

Car is awesome, lot of fun. Wife had it out by herself (it's her's) today for two hours and called it a driving machine (hhhmm?)
She has been driving Audis for a while. When I meet her, her daily was an RS6 and summer car was a C4. So it's not completely just girl talk ya know.

Paul K · Paul K's Garage

My wife has an '04 Mini Cooper S which we bought new. It's Indi Blue with white roof and hood stripes. Sure gets a lot of attention. I don't like it for 2 reasons. One, it has a hesitation when you shift quickly and stomp on the gas, second it's a girl-car. Now before I get blasted, my second reason is just my opinion. It handles well and is fun to drive- best drive one yourself and see- also check out the other boards- mini2, etc.
Cheers,
Paul.

blau911 · 12-29-2004, 02:42 AM

Paul,
If it's your "wife's" car, why do you have it listed under your cars in your signature tag?!

Don Plumley · Don Plumley's Garage

I'm curious here as well. Have an '87 Carerra, but it's just for weekends and fun. Need a new daily driver. My current commute is all of 10 minutes through town (insert violin noise here, but I've put in more than 10 years of LA freeways so I've earned the rest!), plus need to leave a car at the airport once a month or so. I don't drive people around too much, and it is usually just one.

A few months ago I was seriously thinking about this, but I already have a two door sporty car. So I was leaning towards a couple year old A6 or maybe just lease a new one, but listening to Jim's inquiry, Amir's and Rick's response has me rethinking this. Even Dave from TRE has one.

Rick - have you driven it in the snow? Any regrets? If you ordered one today, would you spec it differently?

Thanks - and Happy New Year!

Don

Paul K · Paul K's Garage

Blau- sorry, didn't realize the cars in my signature had to be mine. The Bike is hers too. Sorry.
Don- I bought 15" cooper rims and mounted Hankook W404 studded tires on them. Goes great guns in snow and ice.
Happy New Year!
Paul.

rcm · 06:05 AM

Don, It is strictly a summer car. If I could venture a guess I believe that car would be fine in the snow with good snowtires. Low and wide so...I have noticed lately that alot of folks are driving them thru the winter around town here.

If I could re order or say call it mine only, my wife does drive this one the most. I would spec a hardtop, same motor, I would go for the limited slip tansaxle. Tuff getting the power down if you don't. Plus for driving in the snow. I would also add controls on the steering wheel.

I did get to twist that car to 7500 r's, goes like stink. With the six speed and bigger super charger there is very little drop in R's between gears. Kinda like your little F-1 car. Car is just plain old fun.

I have read that there are guys who have purchased the "S" and with about $2000 in aftermarket are getting the same horsepower as the JC Works package. (chip, exhaust, airfilter etc..) You have to wait for warranty to pass to do this.