[Jays 1976]

I'm looking at a Cooper and a Cooper S tomorrow with the idea of changing a very cherished and much loved classic sports car for probably the Cooper S. I have to say that if it wasn't for the ever increasing fuel prices, I wouldn't even consider changing my car but I can only see things getting worse! Plus, I have to run 2 cars in order to keep the classic and the increased fuel costs have pushed me over the edge of what I'm prepared to spend on cars.

That said, I do really like the Mini's and have wanted one for a while as my everyday car. I figure the Cooper S is probably the most fun & economical car I can get for my money.

What real world MPG do people get out of the new ones and when did the newer more economical Cooper S come on sale in the UK? Is it worth getting a brand new one or should I get an ex demo or nearly used one? Anyone had any problems with a new Cooper S?

What do people think, should I get one? I'm struggling to part with my other car and need some reasons why the Cooper is a great car!

A couple of friends I was talking to said its a bit girly for a 32 year old guy, I don't think so but what do you think?

Cheers,
Jay

[Woody'sCooper]

I've been averaging around 36mpg from my R56 S (its turbo'd rather than supercharged) over the first 5000 miles of its life and I have a right foot made of lead

Its not without its teething problems, I got it in December 2007 and on the whole i'm over the moon with it

[Jays 1976]

Is the 36mpg you average driving it hard everywhere? What's it like on motorway runs at a steady 70ish? I've got a heavy right foot too but am trying to be a bit more economical, at least on my journey to work!

I was hoping mid 40's for the longer steady runs, is this feasable?

Cheers,
Jay

[S8RAH]

I've let my trip computer run for about 1000 miles to get an overall idea of the mpg.
I run an R56 JCW Cooper S and I've just averaged 38 mpg at an average of 33 mph, I think that's pretty good really.
Your mates have obviously never driven a Cooper S, trust me, there's nothing girlie about them once you are behind the wheel.
I suspect that the pre Dec 06 (R53) will become expensive to run as the Green lobby are forcing up tax,etc. Ex-demo are good but tend to be fully loaded and hence expensive in my experience. Spec your own would be my advice.
I won't say mine is without problem, just look at the faults & fixes section to give you an idea of the most common faults, but honestly, I don't care.
This is my face every morning!

[S8RAH]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jays 1976 (original)

I was hoping mid 40's for the longer steady runs, is this feasable?

Cheers,
Jay

When I was doing motorway miles last winter I was getting about 45 mpg but that was before I had the JCW tuning kit on it.

[Jays 1976]

Thanks for the advice and I'll see what I think tomorrow! How much is the JCW kit by the way?

Cheers,
Jay

[S8RAH]

Can't put my hands on the receipt at the mo but £1300 rings a bell, it didn't increase my insurance much and the mpg only dropped by about 3 mpg.
I'm saving up for the body kit now, then the brakes, then the....... and so it goes!

[JG02JSG]

Id go for the S hands down everytime so much fun

[zyo]

I get 32.3mpg at the moment but that is 99% town driving and also bare in mind that my previous two MINI ONE 's were doing 29-31 mpg. Considering it's pretty much twice the BHP and it's damn quick I'm quite happy with that. On long runs it's considerably better. On a trip to Wales which was about 120 miles it averaged about 43mpg. My problem is that my trip to work is three miles and I go home at lunch so it's doing mostly 4 trips of 3 miles per day and between me ordering the car and getting it they kindly dropped all the 60mph roads to work to 30mph or 40mph roads. Even the dual carriageway I could take had been dropped from 70mph to
60mph. If you have a decent daily run to work you could easily make much better figures than mine.

[Jays 1976]

So I've pretty much decided that I'm getting a Cooper S after driving one, although I'm going to try and sell my car privately rather than let the dealer take it for what I was offered. I guess it is a specialist car so I can't blame them for a low offer.

I think I've decided on the following spec, let me know what you all think and any other suggestions or things you wouldn't have.

Black Cooper S, maybe with white roof and stripes
Chilli pack
LSD (a must from the one I drove without it!!)
Black cloth interior with red leather bolsters. (undecided on the red)
All Piano Black trim
Full Bluetooth kit
Anthracite Roof lining
Stereo upgrade

On top of this, I'm going to be looking for some nice black alloys with polished outer rims. I know the kind of thing I want, but need to look around.

Anything else I should really have?

Jay

PS. Anyone want a very nice Porsche 911? - see link below

Porsche : 964 Carrera 2 Manual (RHD)

[FergusM]

MFSW.... I would dump the stereo upgrade and get it done aftermarket (NewMINIStuff.com).

I like the black red seats and red colour line...but then again I should as that is what I have. Livens up the look of the interior.

I like the visibility pack as no scraping car in winter mornings etc...

JCW Aero Kit is good...

Rear privacy glass ?

....soooo many choices, just have to see what suits you and watch the end bill does not get silly !

[Jays 1976]

Quote: Originally Posted by FergusM (original)

MFSW.... I would dump the stereo upgrade and get it done aftermarket (NewMINIStuff.com).

I like the black red seats and red colour line...but then again I should as that is what I have. Livens up the look of the interior.

I like the visibility pack as no scraping car in winter mornings etc...

JCW Aero Kit is good...

Rear privacy glass ?

....soooo many choices, just have to see what suits you and watch the end bill does not get silly !

I'll check out the site and see what they can do for the stereo.

I'll also look into the other bits, thing is, the end bill has already just gone over 20k! That was my absolute ceiling really. I do like the idea of the JCW kit though.

Also, I just noticed on the mini website some seats in the JCW section. They look very similar to what you get in a new Audi RS4. Anyone know how much this option is, it said available for Cooper S, just couldn't find a price and the dealer didn't mention them.

[Jays 1976]

Found the seats!

Genuine MINI JCW MINI R56 Interior - 07on

A little pricey but they'd look great in the car!!

[S8RAH]

I reset the trip computer for you yesterday. On a decent run on a combination of country lanes (boy was that fun) and dual carriageway I reckon I got 42mpg. Spec sounds great, imo white wheels can cheapen the look. You could always go with anthracite or black wheels.Mine's Astro Black, I hope you like car washing!

[ian67]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jays 1976 (original)

Found the seats!

Genuine MINI JCW MINI R56 Interior - 07on

A little pricey but they'd look great in the car!!

I have got these seats in my r56 s, they do make the interior look that little bit more special and they grip you well when cornering hard/at high speed.

[NeuroBeaker]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jays 1976 (original)

On top of this, I'm going to be looking for some nice black alloys with polished outer rims. I know the kind of thing I want, but need to look around.

Oh no - another black alloy fan!

Just kidding. Actually, I saw a picture of an example earlier today - so here's a link for you:

Help me choose! (Spoony - May 23rd, 2008, 08:49 PM)

See the first image in the first post - it sounds a bit like the kind of thing you're describing.

Quote: Originally Posted by Jays 1976 (original)

PS. Anyone want a very nice Porsche 911? - see link below

Porsche : 964 Carrera 2 Manual (RHD)

Ooooh, nice.

Got to say I prefer the practicality of the MINI though.

All the best,
Andrew.

[*Vikki*]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jays 1976 (original)

So I've pretty much decided that I'm getting a Cooper S after driving one, although I'm going to try and sell my car privately rather than let the dealer take it for what I was offered. I guess it is a specialist car so I can't blame them for a low offer.

I think I've decided on the following spec, let me know what you all think and any other suggestions or things you wouldn't have.

Black Cooper S, maybe with white roof and stripes
Chilli pack
LSD (a must from the one I drove without it!!)
Black cloth interior with red leather bolsters. (undecided on the red)
All Piano Black trim
Full Bluetooth kit
Anthracite Roof lining
Stereo upgrade

On top of this, I'm going to be looking for some nice black alloys with polished outer rims. I know the kind of thing I want, but need to look around.

Anything else I should really have?

Jay

PS. Anyone want a very nice Porsche 911? - see link below

Porsche : 964 Carrera 2 Manual (RHD)

wow thats a nice car, shame you are getting rid of it..

[Jays 1976]

Quote: Originally Posted by Chilli21 (original)

wow thats a nice car, shame you are getting rid of it..

Thanks, it is a very nice car and I will be extremely sorry to see it go! I'll miss the noise mostly as it sounds wonderful, it's also really good in the corners! I've had it over 3 years though and enjoyed every minute of it but I've just bought a house on my own so I have to be realistic and having to run 2 cars is not something I can justify anymore.

Shame, I wish fuel prices weren't so high and then I would almost certainly keep it!

[Jays 1976]

Quote: Originally Posted by NeuroBeaker (original)

Oh no - another black alloy fan!

Just kidding. Actually, I saw a picture of an example earlier today - so here's a link for you:

Help me choose! (Spoony - May 23rd, 2008, 08:49 PM)

See the first image in the first post - it sounds a bit like the kind of thing you're describing.

Ooooh, nice.

Got to say I prefer the practicality of the MINI though.

All the best,
Andrew.

Yeah, I like the first ones, just found these though and I really like the red rim!

MAD MOTORS - YOUR ONE-STOP MODIFYING SHOP

I'm now thinking maybe red stripes, what do you think?

[hoojkel]

Bit off post here but looked at that thread for mad motors and found a good priced set of wheels I've been after so thanks Jay!!