OT- Anyone here own/drive a Mini?

[Moses]

My dear old dad has been obsessed with the new mini since it came out. My dad is the hardest working man I ever met and he NEVER buys anything nice for himself.

A beautiful 2003 Cooper S became available and I talked him into buying it.

Anyone have any first-hand info on the Mini-S? (I know they have a cool website!)

[ZAMIRZ]

All I've heard thus far is tons of first year recalls/problems. My friend is getting one to replace his salvage title (frame has been damaged 6 times) VW Passat. When he gets it I'll be sure to drive it and let you know how it is.

later,

amir

[nostatic]

my neighbor bought an S when it first came available (driving to a dealership in Las Vegas to pick it up). He has had no problems, and loves the car.

[tobluforu]

R and T just did a write up on it and loved it.

[philfran]

I have a friend with an S. He drives my SC and I can drive him Mini. Handles like on rails but can be a little twichy. Gets as many looks, if not MORE, than my SC.

Strong little car. A lot of fun to drive. I think they went a little over the top with all the interior do dads. Doesn't have much room for luggage. I will probably get one as my next commuter car.

[caliber60]

My friend bought one with malfunction brake. She stepped all the way but no brake. She sold the car later.

[david c.]

I drove an "S" with the sport seats, big wheels, etc. It was fun to drive, but I was really suprised at the sloooooooow throttle response. I actually stalled it three times, if I remember correctly, on my short test drive because there was no throttle response by the time I let the clutch out. Mind you, I am used to driving a 912E (not exactly known for instant throttle response as enjoyed by you MFI guys!) so it must have been really bad!

Other than that, I liked it. The handling was great. I only drove it on city streets, but it looks like it would be fun to autocross. I too would consider one as a daily car if the throttle response issue could be fixed.

[Isabo]

Tried it.
Loved it.
Ordered it.
Waiting for it to arrive!!!!

[MMARSH]

Funny you should ask, I drove a Mini Cooper S two weeks ago while instructing at a track event. I got out of the car wanting one. What a total blast to drive. I think with a little more power it would be even better. The one I drove had coil-overs installed and was basically stripped. No leather seats, no cold weather package, no sunroof. There is plenty of room inside for tall people, visibility is great, the 6 spd shifted great and I thought the fit and finish was excellent for a $23,000 car.

I liked the car so much I actually called my wife and two buddies from the track to tell them about it. I didn't even mention it here because I didn't feel like hearing about how it's not a 911 and for $23,000 you could buy a really nice Carrera or even a SC and have money left over, Yada Yada Yada.

I really think we may get one in the next year or so. The funny thing is I pretty much completely ignored the one competing in last years Open Track Challenge. I dont know if I was just preoccupied with competing or what, but I didnt give it a second glance. It was kind of a rather subdued(boring) blue also, so maybe that was it.

Just like the 911 is a unique car to drive. This really is a fun little car to drive and provides a unique driving experience also. On a autocross the Mini is gonna whip up on everybody, except maybe a 911 driven by Randy W.

[dean]

My brother was going to get one until the dealers wanted $5k over list. He told them to screw and bought a BMW for list.

[Matt Smith]

Heavy, gargantuan piece of retro-istic euro waffle.

The original is, and always be the best. Kind of like a longhood.

[makaio]

Originally posted by MMARSH


I really think we may get one in the next year or so. The funny thing is I pretty much completely ignored the one competing in last years Open Track Challenge. I dont know if I was just preoccupied with competing or what, but I didnt give it a second glance. It was kind of a rather subdued(boring) blue also, so maybe that was it.

.

That was the first one I saw. I didn't pay too much attention to it though, since I was pre-ocupied with taking in the sight of yours and Jack's car. But if memory serves me right, that little thing did like a 2:15 around Thunderhill.

[VincentVega]

I have one on order. For the money it's hard to beat, considering the warranty and free service, not to mention the fun factor. After driving the 's' I didnt think twice about the cooper, but it's a nice car in it's own right. Grassroots motorsports has one or two in their garage and has some impressive results with autocross if that's your thing.

I cant really compare it to the SC since it's such a different car, but the fun factor is there for sure. I test drove one tonight again, I need my weekly fix, and still love it. The 6 speed is notchy and solid. It will break the tires loose when you want and cruise at 70 mph with only a slight tone from the exhaust. The 17" wheels do make for a little harsh ride on rough pavement, but they do grip nicely. The packages are nice and you can also order each option by itself, a nice thing if you want to make it yours.

Check out mini2.com/forum for a nice UK based forum. Lots of pic's and reading as well.

[Neilk]

I haven't driven one. I put my name on a waiting list in Dallas about 2 years ago, but there was a problem between BMW and its' Texas dealers which delayed the Texas introduction to last September. By that time, with the recent stock market performance, I decided I would keep my 2000 Jetta VR6 a little longer.

Anyway, some of the people on Mini2.com say to stay with the 16 inch wheels as the 17 inch wheels with run flats weigh a total of 45lbs more. Also, I spoke with a BMW production engineer at the 2001 Indy F1 race and he said that BMW wasn't very pleased with the current engine. If you look at the specs, it is pretty weak that it has to rely on a supercharger to get 100hp/l.

That said, I would love a Cooper S to go along with my Early S.

[racemor]

I had a Cooper S on order from August of 2001 but when the time came to purchase I was in the middle of the bodywork on my 911 so I passed. I did get to drive an S and liked it a lot. It felt a little heavy but I am used to 2300 pund cars. I was going to buy one to replace my Miata to get some more room and seats. Hard to believe someone would buy a Mini for MORE space, right? But it would have been a good replacement for the Miata in responsiveness and power. I did not look forward to the "cute little car" comments from non-enthusiasts and wondered about the chick car comments from others. Not that it should matter.

I agree that the original is still the best but when you are looking for modern, daily, reliable, fun transportation it is a great car. It may look like to old version but don't try to compare directly. It is not the same car at all.

By the way, the non-supercharged version kicked ace at the Solo2 nationals this past year in H stock. I understand that the S is not as competitive in it's class though.

[Deeks]

Hard to beat ?

Howabout a Honda Civic Type-R for £15k (must be about $22k in the US)..... not that I'd ever buy a Honda !