Newbie Needs Advice

[jambo]

Hi all,

I know my questions have probably been covered at some point but I couldn't find any answers after a short look so bare with me.

Looking at the new mini and have driven the One and the Cooper. Liked driving both but found the One better at town speeds and the Cooper better when you can open up the engine a bit. Some specific questions:

1) Is the cooper worth the extra money and insurance (am 27 but only been driving for 10 months so insurance quite high).

2) Drove the One with 15" wheels and the Cooper with 17" S spoke wheels. Love the look of the bigger tyres but found the ride quality considerably worse. Are the 16" 5-spoke alloys a good compromise of ride quality and looks?

3) What have you owners found the build quality like. I hate squeaky, rattly cars. I found the Cooper I drove to be quite rattly but the One was totally rattle free(it was a bit newer).

Cheers in advance,

Jamie.

[KenL]

Hello & welcome to MINI2.

My answers to your questions are:

1) I have a ONE and am completely happy with it.

2) I have 15" 8 spoke wheels which I think look great. You can also get a spare with 15" wheels and those tyres are a lot cheaper than 16 or 17". The bigger wheels do look great though but over time the expense of replacing them may put you off. There are various opiniions on whether the run flats are repairable or not so you may be looking at a hefty bill even if you get a simple puncture.

As to ride quality the Cooper you drove may have had sports suspension plus which with low profile 17" tyres would make quite a bit of difference.

You need to decide if you want ultimate grip and handling or a more comfortable ride. The 16" may be the best of both worlds.

3) My MINI has had a few rattles but then just about every car I've been in has had one noise that I could hear. You get a good warranty with the MINI and the dealers should be getting better all the time at fixing things. The cars coming out of the factory are apaprantly getting better built all the time too.

The pleasure of driving the MINI is well worth the odd rattle for me though.

Go for it.

[Hat]

if i were in your position, i'd probably go for the One & build up some insurance history. You can always spec 16" wheels if you like, but this may put your insurance up again.

You won't be dissapointed, whatever your decision - go for it!

[jambo]

Thanks for the advice however I would like more opinions so keep them coming.

Cheers,

Jamie.

[Zippy]

If money isn't tight then I suggest going for the Cooper if you're a keener driver. The 16" with the standard Cooper suspension will still ride harder than the One as it is set up to be slightly softer than the Cooper anyway.
So if you want a sportier car, then go for a Cooper.
The Coopers' harder suspension may be responsible for causing more rattles due to its firmer setup jarring trim loose.

Hope this helps!

[m1les]

I originally had the 15" 7 hole alloys and changed them to the 16" 5 spoke. Tremendous difference in grip, you dont have to tiptoe round the bends on 16's as you would on 15's.

We also find the ride softer on the 16's for some reason. I expected it to be harder but it's not.

Plenty of discussion here about Cooper v ONE, I will make no comment other than to leave you to make your mind up about which "ONE" to get.

[jambo]

M1les,

did you get the 16" alloys with the standard run flat tyres as I've read a few things about them giving a stiffer ride than normal tyres?

Cheers,

Jamie.

[Ginger]

Quote:

Originally posted by Zippy
If money isn't tight then I suggest going for the Cooper if you're a keener driver. The 16" with the standard Cooper suspension will still ride harder than the One as it is set up to be slightly softer than the Cooper anyway.
So if you want a sportier car, then go for a Cooper.
The Coopers' harder suspension may be responsible for causing more rattles due to its firmer setup jarring trim loose.

Hope this helps!

Oooohhh my friend, i'm a sporty driver and like the ONE!
Like your pic did you design it?

[LeeH]

My two cents...

1) If you'd like more speedy driving from a standard car, then it's not a hard decision. The insurance is only 3 groups different, but you'll know yourself if you can afford the extra from getting some personalised quotes done.

2) There's three main suspensions on the MINI - standard, as in the ONE, sports as on the Cooper and Sports+ as on the Cooper S. I found the standard a little too soft and not quite as sporty (IMHO!) and this was a major factor in going for the Cooper. You can of course put sports onto a ONE now, and add the bigger wheels if you prefer.

The handling on my first test drive (17", SS+ & DSC) was amazing and was the point me & my good lady decided to get the car. In reality though, it would be too harsh day to day, so we fell into the middle with 16" and sports suspension. The 16" have wider tyres so make (again, IMHO) for better driving fun.

3) Ours is a 2003 model and seems very well screwed together, but then I've got a very long history of French cars so most things seem pretty solid to me. I think the general view is that the earlier cars have had problems, had them ironed out and the later ones have incorporated these fixes.

I honestly don't think you can go too far wrong with any MINI, it'll make you grin each morning that you leave the house and drive it.

Lee.

[m1les]

Quote:

did you get the 16" alloys with the standard run flat tyres as I've read a few things about them giving a stiffer ride than normal tyres?

They are the run flat tyres and they are equally as soft a ride if not softer than the 15's

Definately recommended over the 15's.