What Cooper options?

[ben_m]

Hi, I'm new to this forum, directed here from the evo forum.
I am hoping to get a Cooper in the summer and was just wondering what people thought about the various options available?

Is it worth getting a pepper/chilli pack?
Do you need/recommend ASC+T or DSC?
What is the best wheel, tyre and suspension combination?

I wil be having a test drive or three at Easter, hopefully with a range of these options, but just wanted some feedback to know what to look out for.

Apologies if this has been covered before, just point me in the direction of previos threads if thats the case!

Thanks,

Ben

[DavidB]

Spend as much as you can on extras but be careful I did that and ended up with a Cooper spec costing £14,500, then hey that’s the cost of a S...... and before you know it your spending £16,500 - well you only pass this way once.

The Cooper must have list

Chili Pack
ASC+T
Climate Control
Wiring for CD Changer (it’s free)

Good luck choosing the colour & welcome to the forum.

Dave

[groovy_jr]

I fall into that category....nearly 17k my Cooper is costing me!

[yossarian]

i went for a cheaper end version. its still a mini!

[Red & White Cooper 2]

Quote:

i went for a cheaper end version. its still a mini!

So did I. It was hard to keep to £13K but I managed it. The Chili pack is good value but you don't need it. The Cooper that won group tests by WhatCar, Topgear and Car magazines was the Pepper pack Cooper.

The point about the Cooper S being £14.5K is a very good one. You may only live once but surely most of us have other things to spend our money on.

[ben_m]

Cheers everyone, I'm well aware of how expensive it can get, using the virtual dealer thing you can rack the price up very quickly!

My current thinking is Mini Cooper, Pepper pack, non-metallic black with black roof, trip computer, isofix seat thingies. That's the basics, but there's plenty more I want!

Ben

[robinboyes]

Great to hear someone else is getting "Coopered!"
I don't know if it will be any help but here goes:
I Love Black but plumped for Pure silver with a Black roof because after having previous experience with a black car would never get one again.
After only a couple of washes "Microscratches" apear on the paint and it looks truly awful! (IMHO)
I would always go with a metallic finish as it always cleans up well and any "Microscratches" are virtually invisible.

My roof has already got microscratches (Black) wheras my Silver Body is still imaculate.

Back to other options:
I have Climate, Chilli, and sunroof BUT.
I just love the handling and design of the car and although I like my extras I wouldn't miss them!

[ben_m]

Know what you mean about the black, might have another look at the metallic option.

How has everyone's experience of the dealers been? Positive on the whole?


Cheers, Ben

[smartbomb]

Ben,
I started off trying to keep costs sensible...kept it reasonable to some degree...
I opted for the chili pack as it is such good value. Especially considering the sports seats in 1/2 leather....
Besides I wanted the 17" wheels and the chili pack subsidised these a fair bit...
The pepper is pretty good value, but go for what you can afford.....
I have gone for met. paint as I wasn't a fan of the solid colours, and in the long run will keep it's value I hope..

Other options I have added are the cd lead as it's free.. !ASC only £100 and well worth it. Heated mirrors and jets, only £40 which seems good value.

My dealer has been great throughout...

[Mini Beemer]

I'm also thinking about buying a Cooper sometime in the (late) summer. My current configuration is as follows (changed about 100 times over the last few weeks):

MINI Cooper
Indi Blue Metallic with White Roof
BLACK PROFILE LEATHER
17" alloy S-spoke
ASC+T
Automatic Air Conditioning
BOOST Radio / Single CD
CHILI PACK
Heated washer jet/mirrors
On-Board Computer
Remote Control Alarm
TLC

The price comes in at around £15,325

I'm still unsure about the 17 wheels, but everthing else is essential(!) Depending on trade-in on current car, may add parking sensors and the heated windscreen option. These are something to bargain/haggle with the dealer about!

[Mini Beemer]

On the comments about 'Black paint' - my current car is black (metallic black). Love it to bits, especially when clean and polished - looks fantastic... but wouldn't buy another black car.

[DavidB]

Quote:

Originally posted by Mini Beemer

The price comes in at around £15,325

Problem is you can get a S for that money and in three years time when you come to sell all those extras are going to cost you heavily.

If your getting a Cooper my advice is to keep the price as low as possible skip 17" wheels and full leather (IMHO)

Dave

[Mini Beemer]

Quote:

Originally posted by DavidB


Problem is you can get a S for that money and in three years time when you come to sell all those extras are going to cost you heavily.

If your getting a Cooper my advice is to keep the price as low as possible skip 17" wheels and full leather (IMHO)

Dave

I know what you're saying... but the spec of an S won't be (nearly) as good as the spec. I'm suggesting. I read that the S is badged as the top of the range - in terms of performance... but I don't think I need the engine the S has got. I am going on the assumption that all the extra's would make it more desirable, when it comes to part company with it.

When the mini configurator on www.mini.co.uk lets you configure an S, I'll hopefully be in a better position to see how they compare, in terms of price and spec.

[DavidB]

Quote:

Originally posted by Mini Beemer
I am going on the assumption that all the extra's would make it more desirable, when it comes to part company with it.

I am sure all the extras will make it easier to sell but my concern is that when you trade in they only look at the basic cost price and you get very little return for your extras, just make sure you REALLY need them and enjoy them while you have them because they could cost you at trade in. Don't forget your looking at £3725 of EXTRAS most of which you can kiss goodbye to when you sell, you will probably be lucky to retain £1000 on resale. Add that to depreciation and your looking at quite a chunk of money.

It's a hard choice, if you can afford it go for it but if resale value concerns you (as it does me) think hard about every extra and decide if you can live without it.

Good luck

Dave

[Ibb]

I'm not getting the chilli pack, I'm just just getting the bare essentials like interior lights and some rubber floor mats.

So it will be coming std wheels. I'm spending the save money(from Chilli pack) to buy myself the BMW body kit, I didn't bother with the Pepper pack cos I save £180 on it, I don't need the silver inserts on the bumpers as the'll be replaced with the aero kit, and I'll be changing the std seats for some Recaros or Sparcos(hopefully).

I'm gonna retro fit the interior trim with the Cooper S's brushed aluminium look interior when it is available.

I'm getting my std wheels taken off, cos I'm going to stick some 17" OZ Supperleggerras or Cronos Evos or Volcanoes (still choosing between the 3) on my Cooper when it arrives in May. Dealer will knock £260 off the car, cos I'm giving him the wheels back. So I save more money there.

Making the car the way I want it, so I'm happy.

So the moral of my story is, if you wanna make your car they way you want it exactly, then only get the stuff you need. And you can start adding the bits and bobs you want later on

Hope I've helped