Well I've been thinking about whether to get an 04 Cooper or the new 05 model. I don't mind the new cosmetic changes (except for that optional chrono pack. Good thing it's optional), but only thing that bothers me is the hyperblue color replacing indi blue. I originally wanted an indi blue with white roof and mirrors w/ white bonnet stripes. And seeing the photoshopped MINIs with hyperblue made me realize how great indi blue.

But the reason I would want the 05 model is for the new Getrag tranny. I plan on increasing Cooper performance to around 165bhp mark so definitely need the tranny to handle the power (which I hear the Midlands tranny can't handle). The best of both worlds would be to get a 04 model with the Getrang tranny but I don't know at what month production Coopers will have the new tranny.

Also quick questions which I have trouble finding through the archives.
Sport seats, are they worth it? Are they uncomfortable? I'm about 5ft 9, 180lbs (trying to lose some weight heh).

DSC, worth $500? I have never really lost control in my '93 Accord LX (no ABS) so figured I didn't really need this, but then again $500 not bad for those unexpected moments. I'd probably only use them for rainy days.

S-Style multifunction wheel worth $350? I really don't care that I'd have to take my hands off the wheel to adjust the radio. I do it all the time now (I'm pretty much devoid of any luxuries in my current car) and don't mind it. Also I never use cruise control. But I've heard many swear by it, so wanted second opinions.

And lastly the 16 inch R90 wheels. I LOVE the wheel design and must have them. What is the best way to get them? At $771 for BBS wheels, that seems pretty good to me. I'd want them equipped with the regular all season tires (non-runflats). I hear people say they come equipped with the runflats by default and what not. I've also heard people suggest just getting the regular wheels and buying the R90's later. I'd just like to have the rims from the start.

So these are my questions and would be happy if you folks could give some insight into them. Given I'm still a bit away (probably won't get to order until June or July even. Earliest being end of May) from getting the Cooper but I'm obsessed with it and all I've been doing for awhile is to just read MINI forums and spec a Cooper with different options all the time. lol. I also can install anything on a MINI as I've read the installation guides to different MINI options many times. hehe Yes I'm obsessed. Not so different than anyone on this forum though :)

Also quick questions which I have trouble finding through the archives.
Sport seats, are they worth it? Are they uncomfortable? I'm about 5ft 9, 180lbs (trying to lose some weight heh).

Definitely if you plan to have some fun and drive the car like its meant to be driven - I have them and when I had a MINI One for the day I nearly ended up in the passenger seat when I went round a corner than wouldn't have moved me had I been in my cooper.

DSC, worth $500? I have never really lost control in my '93 Accord LX (no ABS) so figured I didn't really need this, but then again $500 not bad for those unexpected moments. I'd probably only use them for rainy days.

I have ordered the DSC on my new cooper coming next month but only have ASC on my current cooper - I think it's worth it for two reasons - its there just in case and it also completes the toggle switches as I don't have the nohow or ability to fit a fake one.

S-Style multifunction wheel worth $350? I really don't care that I'd have to take my hands off the wheel to adjust the radio. I do it all the time now (I'm pretty much devoid of any luxuries in my current car) and don't mind it. Also I never use cruise control. But I've heard many swear by it, so wanted second opinions.

If you do a lot of motorway (freeway/highway) driving then I think cruise control is worth it - I don't have it now but will on my new cooper - my father has it and it's so useful.

And lastly the 16 inch R90 wheels. I LOVE the wheel design and must have them. What is the best way to get them? At $771 for BBS wheels, that seems pretty good to me. I'd want them equipped with the regular all season tires (non-runflats). I hear people say they come equipped with the runflats by default and what not. I've also heard people suggest just getting the regular wheels and buying the R90's later. I'd just like to have the rims from the start.

They will come with runflats by default but whats more expensive - purchasing them after as dealer fit or speccing them and then buying all season tyres for them??

So these are my questions and would be happy if you folks could give some insight into them. Given I'm still a bit away (probably won't get to order until June or July even. Earliest being end of May) from getting the Cooper but I'm obsessed with it and all I've been doing for awhile is to just read MINI forums and spec a Cooper with different options all the time. lol. I also can install anything on a MINI as I've read the installation guides to different MINI options many times. hehe Yes I'm obsessed. Not so different than anyone on this forum though :)

Hope that helps - I read your post and I've had exactly the same sort of situations when ordering both my coopers and been grateful for all the advice they've given me.

Jonathan

DSC is not instrusive at all. It've never had it come on in the dry (despite enthusiastic driving), and it's a nice safety net in the wet! I would recommend it.

Dave

Don't take this the wrong way, but why would you buy a cooper, and then increase its power up to the level of an S? I don't really think (especially given what's available for a cooper now) you'll get 160hp for less then $3000. And you include some things that you'd pay for anyway (like traction control - which fills the missing toggle).

Don't take this the wrong way, but why would you buy a cooper, and then increase its power up to the level of an S? I don't really think (especially given what's available for a cooper now) you'll get 160hp for less then $3000. And you include some things that you'd pay for anyway (like traction control - which fills the missing toggle).

Obviously the best route would be just to get an S, but things aren't so easy in my situation. First thing is that my insurance would be way higher with the S. Secondly the $3000 difference adds to the payments, and I'd want to keep the car around the $20k mark which I'd go over if I got the S with all the goodies. If I just get the Cooper, I can slowly add mods to it when I have extra money. So while I'd love to have a Cooper S (and believe me I tried every possibility), it's just not feasible for me.

Hello, Barnabas. :)

Go '05 with visible, cosmetic updates if there's a chance you'll ever sell it. ;)

Sport Seats, - most want even more supportive side-bolsters. Your Cooper's going to corner just as well as an MCS, - where I find the Sport Seats' required.

DSC, Maybe not necessary, but new safety technology at your fingertips,- yep.

Multi-func,- MFSW ;), oh yes. Get this one, surely. We quite love it. The wonderful ease it adds to driving with "internal environmental control" if you will, plus, it really enhances your MINIs feel of being an upscale driving machine. Plus, $20k+ for a car with no cruise control? :confused:

Wheelies: Check eBay for R90s. You don't want the runflats MINI will shoe 'em with, so might as well have a winter pair [7-holies] & get your R90s fitted with non-runflats. Dealers will never offer much of a deal on wheels & trading-up isn't good through 'em. If it was, there wouldn't be so many dealers (& folks) selling them on ebay. ;)

MINIs hold their value better than our president.

The residuals are quite fantastic. I know, you said you looked at all angles, but stryder is right, MINI2ers want to enjoy hearing how you modded your MINI & that conversation will be brief, &/or less "potent" with a MC. [Nothing wrong with that. :)] This is your hard-earned money, - get what you want, Barnabus.



If nothing else, it's a means of elongating the purchase of a MINI, keeping more money in your pocket now, while our economy swirls down the drain. You may always refi -- to buy it, but in the meantime, your payments are much lower & as a bonus, you're likely to only pay $15/mo in lease-taxing [depending on your state], rather than $1200+ up-front in a purchase.

[B] ==> Again, just a last thought to propel you into a MCS, Barnabas. :D
There are grand rates to be found for purchasing a new car now too! Since I know you know all this :eek: , I'll shut-it now. It's just that the MINI is such a grand sport of fun, it's a miracle it's also one of the very best buys in the market. Usually, one needs to spend another $10k+ to get into a car holding it's value this well. :cool:

Generally, it's taught/thought/BS'd, that it's not prudent to add all the extras when buying a car, as they don't all retain their value, but this is relative to the car's market category. IMHO, I think a Cooper will more than satisfy most drivers on the road! Yet, I would sooner get a standard MCS, than spend too much adding-in all the extras for a MC. [Hence, the lease bit of angling .] Automotive Lease Guide rates our MINIs so well that you'll never lose sleep because you're upside-down because of the Sport Seats we suggested you add. ;)

Come-on, Barnabus.... the insurance can't be that much more for a MCS! ;) ==> Get some LeaseWizard.com bids for consideration.

Either way, get ready to be happy with a MINI.
I always want to congratulate folks on their new choice of car at this point, but it's silly, you're clever, "smarter than the average bear" even, - it was meant to be! :D

Cheers,
Lucy

Wow, thanks for the great reply Lucy. I think I'll add sports seats back on my list and DSC as well. Still not too keen on the MSFW though =\. We'll see later down the road.

I don't plan on selling the car for a VERY LONG time. I'll probably keep it for about 10 or so years until I need to get a new car, so Cooper holding up its value isn't as important to me (still nice to know). And thanks for the tip on the wheels. I'll probably order one from one of the sponsors/dealers on MINI2 or NAM and see if I can get a deal.

And thanks for telling me about the lease. I never really looked at leasing as an option. I heard it costs more to lease if you're going to keep the car than to actually buy it? I mean I really want an S, believe me, but $3k difference is large enough to prohibit me from getting one :( But if I can get lease to work to my favor I might go that route. So have anyone leased their Cooper or Cooper S and found it to be better or close to as buying the car up front?

Lastly, insurance :( I live in California and being 22 my insurance is going to be $200 a month once I get a new car (doesn't matter whether I get a Civic or the Cooper). Hearing from others on the board, it seems that my insurance would be through the roof if I get an S (I'm hearing somewhere around $300-400 a month!). Hopefully I can get some quotes somewhere else to get a decent rate, like $200 a month or even lower for an S. Can anyone recommend a good insurance company? My current one is State Farm, and I only had one minor accident about 5 years ago.

It's sad there isn't as much mods out there for the Cooper as there are for the S :( Either way I'm going to do some custom mods to MINI :) I'm going to go to a auto technician school soon and hopefully will work as a BMW technician in a year and a half. Who knows maybe I'll even service some of your cars! That'd be a hoot.

There's very few mods for the cooper for the simple reason that the transmissions will break, and the price/benefit leans towards the just buy the S.

also, I'm in my 20's and I checked insurance, the S isn't any more expensive then a cooper for me. But Cleveland prices are different. (however to support cleveland, go quote on progressive.com it takes like 10 minutes to get an answer) don't rely on second hand info, insurance is very personal so you never know until you quote.

Finally, if you expect to become a BMW technician, why would you still keep your then 3 year old MINI? I'm sure you'll get some sweet deals as an employee, you can just get a newer car then anyway. I'm all for MINI retention, but it seems odd you'd work for BMW and end up keeping an old car anyway.

There's very few mods for the cooper for the simple reason that the transmissions will break, and the price/benefit leans towards the just buy the S.

also, I'm in my 20's and I checked insurance, the S isn't any more expensive then a cooper for me. But Cleveland prices are different. (however to support cleveland, go quote on progressive.com it takes like 10 minutes to get an answer) don't rely on second hand info, insurance is very personal so you never know until you quote.

Finally, if you expect to become a BMW technician, why would you still keep your then 3 year old MINI? I'm sure you'll get some sweet deals as an employee, you can just get a newer car then anyway. I'm all for MINI retention, but it seems odd you'd work for BMW and end up keeping an old car anyway.

Yeah, I'm gonna try to get some insurance quotes. Insurance is RIDICULOUSLY high here in southern California, especially for anyone under 24. And why would I keep my 3 yr old MINI? If I don't have any trouble w/ the car, I don't see any reason to sell it or trade it in to get a new one and face the possibility of having one with multiple problems. I really don't mind having an older car with no problems.

Now unless the rumored 180hp version is out by then and the performance is drastically different I might shell out for a new S then. I guess it's my nature that I don't need the newest and the best at the moment, just want something nice to drive that I can keep for awhile. But thanks to you folks if the insurance is the same as a regular Cooper, I might just go for the S...$1916 price difference between the Cooper and the Cooper S as I want it configured, which isn't too bad. I'll let you folks know what happens.

i'm also from cleveland. i have a cooper s on order. my insurance for for the cooper is $89.00 a month and the cooper s is $92.00 a month. that is from geico. i am also in my 20's with two tickets. where are you getting $500.00 a month from?

i'm also from cleveland. i have a cooper s on order. my insurance for for the cooper is $89.00 a month and the cooper s is $92.00 a month. that is from geico. i am also in my 20's with two tickets. where are you getting $500.00 a month from?

I read somewhere on the forums, might not have been MINI2 but somewhere nonetheless. He was living in SoCal and in his early 20's had state farm. I'm paying about $90 a month right now in my beater Accord and if I get ANY new car insurance will be at least $200 a month :( It also sucks that the insurance has the Cooper under BMW and not MINI, which will make the price higher. Any folks from California want to give me their insurance rates?

EDIT: Found a thread which had couple guys from CA who had insane insurance rates.

http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26436

Like the others have said, the sport seats are great. The "sport package" (US market) for the Cooper is a great deal. It includes sport seats, DSC, 16" wheels, roof spoiler, and front fog lamps. Multi-function steering wheel is silly, IMHO. The R65 Midlands box is a very sweet unit, whereas the much hearalded Getrag has yet to be put into service (although I understand that it will actually be some derivative of some box already in service). The important point is, will it stand up any better to HP increases than the Midlands unit? We don't know yet. My '04 MC has the sport package, cold weather package, 3-spoke leather wrapped steering wheel, rear fog lamps, and sport suspension plus. I went for a purely cost-effective sporting machine when I specified mi MINI. The S didn't interest me, and it wasn't a matter of cost either. The Cooper is a very well balanced total package. Don't necessarily get into the mindset that it will need to be modified for more power. If you want more power, get the S at the outset. I've built a variety of racing bikes and cars over the years, and believe me, mods for power ALWAYS end up costing more than getting a more powerful factory engine to begin with.

MFSW is silly if you don't use the radio or cruise. If you do either, its well worth the money, because the radio is poorly designed with a bunch of very small buttons that are hard to get. The steering wheel buttons on the other hand, are very well designed, right at your finger tips, so you don't need to reach over and fumble with the radio. Can you use the radio without the MFSW, sure, and is it a purely luxury item, yes. But you are buying a BMW product, so take advantage of some of the luxury aspects in my view.

Oh, and the Midlands transmission is reasonably nice. Its just way too fragile. Especially for someone who wants to keep the car for a long time, I'd be worried about it, since many are breaking within a year or two on cars that have absolutely no modifications. As long as its working happily, its a very nice transmission.

So I guess the radio head unit isn't that great. Oh well I plan on replacing it down the road anyways. Either way I'm going with the 2004 MCS so my problems seems to be solved. Thanks for the help folks!

Well, just sat and read through that thread and I was about to add my thoughts and ... you've made up your mind. :)

I'm sure you'll love your MCS and welcome to M2!

Well, just sat and read through that thread and I was about to add my thoughts and ... you've made up your mind. :)

I'm sure you'll love your MCS and welcome to M2!


Hehe sorry for making you read through that :) Yep I'm pretty set on what I'm going to order. Only thing that I might change if anything is the color of the roof to white from black, but I doubt it. I just have to figure out where to purchase the MCS from...

Well your problem's aren't totally solved, since you can still use the MFSW with an aftermarket head unit, if you get the correct adapters. It just depends if you think that's worth it, and can afford the up-front investment.

Anyway, good you decided.

hehe. I've lived w/o MSFW all my life so I think I can manage. Besides saving that extra $250 is important to me (even though it doesn't seem like much). I just want the car! I guess it's more difficult if you've used an MSFW and know how nice it is, while I have never used one before so don't see the need. I suppose that's good for me though. And cruise control on a manual car is kinda weird to me. And I never use cruise control in my current car so it will not be missed. The waiting will begin soon...hehe