[caah]

Been watching MINI2 for a while and it's my first post. Would anyone please help me with confusion of soho package?

I went to a dealer in Montreal last night to ask for info on leasing a Mini Cooper. They told me that I could not choose any option on it, which means I could not choose trim color, and the Soho package was a MUST option which was not my favorite. This situation also applies to MCS with a MUST option of Rally package. Is it the same in all dealers here in Montreal?

By the way, is it a stupid idea to buy or lease a mini cooper with CVT at this time? The 2nd Gen is coming next year ( they said maybe in March 2007). But I am afraid there will be some problems during the early stage of production for the new model, as they did for CVT.

Any thought will be welcomed, thanks

[mr.abulia]

Bonjour Caah!

Your dealer is correct; if you check MINI.ca you will be able to see exactly what options are available on the Mini with SOHO... it's mostly colour choices and transmission, I believe. Because the new model is coming in 2007, Mini Canada has decided to offer the SOHO and RALLYE packages in order to close out the existing model. These packages offer substantial savings over ordering all of the options individually, and also include 3 years maintenance on the cars. The downside is that these packages are now the ONLY way to buy these cars. This means that you have to accept the colour choices that are available, and you must pay for the options package whether you want the items or not. And, of course, you cannot get any options that are not in these packages.

If the SOHO or RALLYE package does not suit your needs, you may be able to find a properly equipped previously owned car, or may just want to wait for the 2007 car, which as you mentioned is all new. I am trying to get one of the last of the 2006 cars just because I want to avoid first year problems in the 2007, but chances are that the problems will be much less pronounced than when they first introduced the current generation of Minis.

Good luck with your purchase! The SOHO package is a really good deal, and I don't think that you will regret it.

[caah]

Thank you for your kindly reply. It seems I got no choice for that. I thought I could get a MCS without Rally Pack with the same price of a MC with SOHO pack. How's your decision now? Stick to the 06 model or wait for 07?

[mark-o]

I'll be buying an '06 to avoid any of the first batch wrinkles, to get a working hood scoop and to get a supercharger. I've always disliked non-functional hood scoops on any car. Sure, 10% fuel efficiency gains would be good, but that's not a deal breaker for me as it will still be head and shoulders above what I get in my current 4x4.

-M

[xtremepsionic]

Sounds like you want an automatic. If I were you, I would wait for an 07 with the 6spd auto, the CVT is ok, but the reliability doesn't seem brilliant and since it will be phased out, parts will always been expensive. Also, with the 07s coming out soon, you will definitely be able to get a better deal on any 06 Cooper S auto still avaliable, so if you want to gamble and wait a little, you might be able to find a deal on one of those.

Pros 07: choose any color/option you like, 6 spd auto, brand new current model car
Pros 06: You get to drive one NOW! The Soho pack is quite good in terms of equipment

[caah]

Thank you Xtremepsionic

Yes I go for an auto. But I don't think I can wait that long for 07 model, especially until stable quality for a new model. In fact I havent test driven the mini yet since the dealer didn't have an auto demo for it. Probably this friday I will go test drive and make the decision. May get another car for some time and then switch to 2 gen MC. Poor me

[mr.abulia]

Caah, if you decide to lease then you really don't have to worry about any depreciation, and a 39-month lease will take you squarely into the next gen production cycle, to a point where they should have all of the bugs out. If you like your test drive, something like that may be the way to go. There's no point getting a car you don't really want when you can get one that you do!

[I Am Canadian]

Quote: Originally Posted by mark-o (original)

I've always disliked non-functional hood scoops on any car.

I could not agree more. I thought for two seconds about waiting for an '07, but after hearing of the non-functional scoop the thought was gone.

[bok]

as a SOHO owner, i'd say if you like the ride then get one. I've had mine for a little over a month and it had pretty much everything i wanted in it. The only thing i might have specced would have been the HK sound system (stock one is plenty loud though) . Comparing it to the Rallye my choice became a matter of: did i need the Supercharger, sport seats and HK? for me that was not worth it for what i needed, but to others it might be.

The SOHO is actually a really good package, with enough "bling" to make it worthwhile (can't express enough how much i love the heated seats and power roof).

I guess honestly you have to decide if you need/want a MINI right away or if you can wait until march/april/may or whenever they could get your exact spec out of the factory and onto a boat. Most people around here will tell you that the normal month long wait is a killer, i don't think i could wait 8 or 9 months

[Ferroequine]

Quote: Originally Posted by I Am Canadian (original)

I could not agree more. I thought for two seconds about waiting for an '07, but after hearing of the non-functional scoop the thought was gone.

But it does have a function:

http://www.mini2.com/galleries/showphoto.php/photo/43190/cat/525

Quote: Originally Posted by bok (original)

Most people around here will tell you that the normal month long wait is a killer, i don't think i could wait 8 or 9 months

One month? I had to wait just over two months, and it was torturously slow. Any longer, and I would have been taking delivery in Ponoka...

[Humourl3ss]

Quote: Originally Posted by I Am Canadian (original)

I could not agree more. I thought for two seconds about waiting for an '07, but after hearing of the non-functional scoop the thought was gone.

Do you mean to say you will not purchase an '07 because the hood scoop is non functional?

I can think of at least two and possibly three "cosmetic only" bits on the current R53 that suggest performance but which are entirely non-functional. It's certainly not anything new to have "per-faux-mance" bits on an MCS.

[I Am Canadian]

Quote: Originally Posted by Humourl3ss (original)

Do you mean to say you will not purchase an '07 because the hood scoop is non functional?

I can think of at least two and possibly three "cosmetic only" bits on the current R53 that suggest performance but which are entirely non-functional. It's certainly not anything new to have "per-faux-mance" bits on an MCS.

Uh...Yup! That is what was implied. Cosmetics work in moderation. The new S's scoop isn't overdone, but its only purpose is to make popcorn and to distinquish itself from the Cooper. The silly basis of my thinking spawns from the minds that put a giant rear wing on a front drive auto. You have nailed it with your new term "perfauxmance" good stuff.

[Humourl3ss]

I guess I can't see getting worked up over a perfauxmance scoop when my (bone stock) 2005 MCS has fake side vents just behind the engine bay for "(theoretical) hot air extraction" and lovely blocked off plastic strips in the rear to simulate a venturi tunnel. Oh, and interior down-tubes and side-tubes that have no real function other than grab handles yet give the impression of light weight by suggesting a stripped out race car's interior (roll cage, exposed reinforcement beams, etc.)

Too true about big wings on a FWD car though. Been there, done that, have the shameful memories.

[mark-o]

You have to admit that perfauxmance needs to have *some* limits...

-M

[MRC2K6]

Having the scoop already cut out will be great when I get the chance to buy a 2007 or 2008 and drop a supercharger onto the turbo engine

[Ferroequine]

Quote: Originally Posted by MRC2K6 (original)

Having the scoop already cut out will be great when I get the chance to buy a 2007 or 2008 and drop a supercharger onto the turbo engine

I wonder how quickly the aftermarket tuners (or JCW?) will be fitting intercoolers behind that scoop for the turbocharged engine.

[Humourl3ss]

Quote: Originally Posted by mark-o (original)

You have to admit that perfauxmance needs to have *some* limits...

-M

True enough, which is why I'd be upset if my MCS had a fake competition-type fuel filler cap in addition to all the aforementioned perfauxmance bits.










Hang on...




Seriously though, the hood scoop is quick visual shorthand for the "S" model; preserving a vestigal version isn't something I see as a problem. I recall being far more worked up back when I bought my first MCS in 2002. Ticking the so-called Sport option package forced one to take 17" wheels heavier than an early Black Sabbath album - an option that actually degraded performance through the imposition of unsprung weight.

[caah]

Thank you so much for replying my message, even though it became a discussion of another topic

After testdrive, I ordered a MC with SOHO, was told it would be delivered on 23rd... can't wait to see it

[mr.abulia]

Congrats, Caah! You're going to love this car Which colour did you order?

[beken]

Does that mean you'll have pictures of your car posted on the 24th?

Congrats on your order.