[My Cool Car]

Having had our Cooper S for about 18 months and our Mini Cooper Convertible for 2 years before that we've decided to move on. We are not really fans of the 2nd generation Mini and were looking for something a little bigger. For us the Clubman just wasn't an option. It's a love it or hate it car and well.......

Anyway our dealer had a pretty decent offer on BMW's with a free upgrade. £1000 towards your deposit and 2 years free servicing. So we've gone and opted for a 118d M Sport in Sapphire Black with the Ipod USB link, stereo upgrade and speaker upgrade.

We'll miss the nippyness of the 'S' and yes we'll definitely miss the personality the car has but we like to have a nice car and can't afford two so we had to say goodbye. Do you think we'll regret it?

[minisally]

Having done (almost) totally the opposite of you, yes I think you will regret it! My new Cooper S is just brilliant and every time I go and drive it I love it! It has so much character too!

[big-kev]

In a word NO!! I did exactly the same , needed a bigger car but the clubman is ....well, my wife says it looks like a small hurse!!!
So i bought an Astra , and its great to drive , makes me smile just like the MINI did , everytime i push down the right pedal and the Turbo roars i grin stupidly !!
My wife likes the way she can now put all the shopping in the boot (dont need the back seats as well).
Just enjoy the car you have and more importantly NEED!

[rellik666]

I know how you feel, I have a hard top and cabrio, and well, having too small cars is getting a little impracticle. I think for us though it will be a case of get rid of the hard top and get an old 4 wheel drive or estate.

It is sad to have no MINI, but I also don't like the new styling and well although I like the Clubman, the other half hates it. And well it just isn't big enough!

[iain cooper]

no I don't think you will regret it.............you need to move on if you feel the need.

I'm actually feeling the same way and am interested in how the BMW fit's your bill.

please let me know when you get a chance and I may go down the same road.

good luck

[cooperSMark]

I've recently gone from a BMW Z3 to my CooperS, so the Mini feels really practical to me! It's got a bigger boot than the Z3 and a couple of extra seats too which is a bonus

I don't think you'll regret changing really. You have to get a car which suits your needs and i'm sure the 1 series is a quality car. I wasn't sure of the styling when they first appeared but it's growing on me now. Sounds like you've got a good deal too. Good luck with the new car

[Hugo]

BP on here has just bought one a 118d in Sapphire Black. She seems to be happy with it.

Health to drive.

[Tobes]

After two minis i bought a BMW - Kept that for 10 months as never loved the car in the way that i did with the minis

Back with an S works which I absolutely LOVE -

If you are going to move away from mini BMW is probably one of the better alternative options

[captint]

I like to change cars very frequantly, I have had my MCS for 7 months now which is he longest I have kept a car for 7 years!!! I have to say I love it and am now going to keep it and turn it into a track car and get something else. Sometimes you have just got to make the change, the wierd thing about the Mini, is that it is just so much fun and doesn't seem to get boring.

[My Cool Car]

Quote: Originally Posted by iain cooper (original)

no I don't think you will regret it.............you need to move on if you feel the need.

I'm actually feeling the same way and am interested in how the BMW fit's your bill.

please let me know when you get a chance and I may go down the same road.

good luck

Cheers. Dealer hasn't given us a delivery date yet but fingers crossed it may be in the next 10-14 days. Once I've been out and about I'll let you know

[JG.26]

Coming upto a year since I sold my Cooper S and really the only thing I miss is the supercharger whine, went to a 207CC as I fancied a coupe cabriolet but went through 2 in 8 months with probs so gave up and opted for a Corsa VXR over the latest S and absolutely love it. It won't hold its value like the current S, but the ride on the 18 inch wheels is great, handles well and the torque and power from the 1.6 turbo is brilliant and the Recaros are very comfy. This is my first Vauxhall and overall very pleased with it, main thing touch wood I've had no dramas or problems , first time since my Passat in 2001

Thumbs up for the VXR

[mab01uk]

Quote: Originally Posted by JG.26 (original)

Coming upto a year since I sold my Cooper S and really the only thing I miss is the supercharger whine, went to a 207CC as I fancied a coupe cabriolet but went through 2 in 8 months with probs so gave up and opted for a Corsa VXR over the latest S and absolutely love it. It won't hold its value like the current S, but the ride on the 18 inch wheels is great, handles well and the torque and power from the 1.6 turbo is brilliant and the Recaros are very comfy. This is my first Vauxhall and overall very pleased with it, main thing touch wood I've had no dramas or problems , first time since my Passat in 2001

Thumbs up for the VXR

Hopefully below does not include the Corsa VXR:-
My neighbour hates the variable power steering and various rattles on her new Corsa 1.4 Design and last weekend the steering failed completely and she crashed....luckily at low speed. There are 2 recalls out for steering failures on the new Corsa so please check your VIN number here:-
VOSA Recall 1
VOSA Recall 2

[Joolsmini]

I dont think you will regret it either. At this time, 2 minis is not practical and you cannot afford to keep one of them, so the new car you have gone for sounds great, a good spec, great colour and its certainly not too shabby

I love small cars, but I have the luxury of my husband having huge cars (he has a 7 series bmw at the mo). I certainly couldnt cope with just a mini as the only car, so for now, you have done the right thing for sure

[*Vikki*]

Quote: Originally Posted by big-kev (original)

In a word NO!! I did exactly the same , needed a bigger car but the clubman is ....well, my wife says it looks like a small hurse!!!
So i bought an Astra , and its great to drive , makes me smile just like the MINI did , everytime i push down the right pedal and the Turbo roars i grin stupidly !!
My wife likes the way she can now put all the shopping in the boot (dont need the back seats as well).
Just enjoy the car you have and more importantly NEED!

haha i said the same thing as your wife especially when in all black!

[JG.26]

Quote: Originally Posted by mab01uk (original)

Hopefully below does not include the Corsa VXR:-
My neighbour hates the variable power steering and various rattles on her new Corsa 1.4 Design and last weekend the steering failed completely and she crashed....luckily at low speed. There are 2 recalls out for steering failures on the new Corsa so please check your VIN number here:-
VOSA Recall 1
VOSA Recall 2

Cheers for the info, it was picked up a while ago on the VXR forum but doesn't affect the VXR

Perhaps your neighbour should have gone for the VXR lol. Not experienced any rattles etc but it is really completely different to the lower spec cars.............have to be honest I'm pleased I did plump for it over the MINI, there are still too many build issues to comfortably put my money in one at the moment. Shame really

[FergusM]

I had a 116i es when my mini was in for some work....and I was sooooo glad when I got my mini back. 118d should be way better, 116 was sooo gutless, just drove me nuts..... and if you need the space you need the space, I already know my next car will not be a mini as it will not fit my kids into fortunately a few years away and time to find something else that I like as much.

[thebadun]

I think you'll regret it in the sense that not many other cars have the charachter of a MINI, not the ability to make them so distinctive. However, I've heard good things about the 118d, in fact from another MINI driver who had one when her car went in for a service. That was one of the early ones, the post-facelift ones are meant to be even better, and black or white are the best colours.

Actually I ended up deciding between the 1 series and my MC, but I could only afford the early 116, which had pretty bad owner reviews.

Good luck with the new car.

[My Cool Car]

It's nearly here, my dealer phoned on Friday to say that the car was now in the UK and would be in touch re delivery. He phoned this morning to say that he was surprised he didn't have it yet but would turn it around same day when it comes in.

Disappointing thing is that for some reason as soon as BMW hand it over to the carrier to deliver it they can't track it anymore so the dealer can't tell you in advance when to expect it. This seems ridiculous to me and now means that every time the phone rings I get disappointed when it's not the dealer phoning to say it's arrived

[baskers]

You're not changing cars because you fancy a change, you need to; you need something more practical.

You will miss your MINI, but I'm sure the BMW will do well.

I've had a BMW whilst my MINI was in for a service, and whilst it didn't make me grin, it was hassle free motoring, and did everything in a very accomplished way...

Hopefully you'll be back to the MINI fold soon!

[My Cool Car]

Quote: Originally Posted by iain cooper (original)

no I don't think you will regret it.............you need to move on if you feel the need.

I'm actually feeling the same way and am interested in how the BMW fit's your bill.

please let me know when you get a chance and I may go down the same road.

good luck

Well on Tuesday our spanking new Beemer arrived, one problem, it's not Sapphire Black it's Le Mans Blue. We had originally chosen the blue but whilst on the test drive we changed our minds from blue to black. The sales guy had placed our order whilst we were out and did change it when we got back but he had put it thru as a high priority which BMW accepted immediately but the back room staff neglected to tell the salesman that the colour change was a no go. He seemed genuinely shocked when it was delivered but I think there's a bit of sales patter involved too.

Anyway, we went to see it before making our minds up and the dealer said we could re-order if we wanted as they would have no problem selling this one etc etc. They weren't gonna give us anything, however, as I said we originally wanted the blue but if you know the 1 series m sport you'll realise that the rear bumper is not the prettiest as it has a huge black centre piece. It was for this and this alone that we changed from blue to black to try and minimise the impact this had on the look from the back. To cut a long story short we accepted the car in blue providing the black plastic part of bumper could be painted body colour. The dealer agreed and it goes in on Monday to be colour coded. How good is that, now we end up with the colour we originally wanted with a little originality hiding the bit we didn't like!!

As for the car, love it. Yes the mini had character but sitting in the beemer is like stepping up from economy to business class. It's smooth to drive, the seats are brilliant, the stereo is ace (better ipod compatability than the MCS) and the speaker upgrade is as good as the Harmon Kardon. I know it's still new and the novelity may wear off but as of now I don't miss the enjoyment of planting the right foot that was a buzz in the MCS. There's still enough go in the 118d but the sense of luxury in the cabin kinda takes away that need for speed the Mini gave.

I'll never forget the MCS or the MC Convertible before that but until such time as we can afford two cars I can't see us returning to the Mini fold. Will still be a faithful member of Mini 2 and will still recommend Mini's to those who'll listen.