wife getting new ride...mini?

[rcm]

The wife has speced out a 2005 Mini s convertible w/ works package. Going to hit the dealer this weekend.

Anybody have one or any experience with these little fellers?

[RickM]

A good friend of mine has the 2004 S. Fun car to say the least. I was most impressed with how good in the snow it was...with snow tires. It was kind of like a snowmobile.
The only negative is the obvious (to me) overuse of plastic in the interior. I intially thought it was aluminum until I sat inside. But for the money the car is a real blast and well engineered.

[Rot 911]

Drive the S and the regular Mini (I've driven both extensively). The S needs to be on cam to really get the horsepower out of it, which means keeping the revs up all the time. If your wife is not inclined to want to do that you may find the regular Mini, with any options, is going to be cheaper and give the same level of satisfaction as the S.

[Isabo]

I use a Cooper S daily, in some ways it's as sporty as my 911, it has the personality, mine's been reliable but it has less heart than an old 911.
It's a super little car but to get the best out of it the revs have to be kept up. If your wife is an enthusiast she'll use the rev limiter, if not she's missing on the point of driving the S. However, I don't agree that it would make the Cooper a better choice - other factors like pride of ownership and status also need to be factored in.

[rcm]

She wants a sports car with some zap. She is has been blessed w/ audi rS'6s and '97 C4. We have an A4 which we have to wound for fun. We are going to figure in the "works package" to up the HP. I just read a UK review of the convertible and they said w/o the works it is not a drivers car. We want a drivers car for sure.
Thanks,
Rick

[ZAMIRZ]

You'll love it, they're great cars. The first couple years there were some major problems, but they've all been sorted by now. A Cooper S conv. Works, wow what a combo. That's like a $35,000 MINI! Enjoy it

[84porsche]

When you say with the works - do you mean with the John Cooper Works Package? The dealer markup was pretty high on these so I ended up getting a sporty VW instead. Don't let the dealers take you for a ride (drive the car but don't let them scam you or overcharge you, you know what I mean).

[ZAMIRZ]

The west coat dealers are the scammers, I went out of state for mine. He's in New Hampshire, so there won't be a problem finding a dealer who will sell the car at MSRP.

[rcm]

Put the order in today. Full John Cooper Works package "S" convertible. Will be here in October.