[minifreak]

I wonder if you all can help me make a decision. To S or not to S? I am a Colorado resident whose main anxiety about not getting the S would be sluggish performance in the mountains. Anyone driven a Cooper in the Rockies or similar terrain? Problems? Lack of problems?

[dukesantos]

I haven't driven a MINI in CO but have lived in high altitude areas, generally the more power the better. I'm sure some of the Denver Cooper S owners will also respond. I have seen posts from at least five that have ordered an S from the Westchester, NY dealer to get faster delivery. Others have suggested Salt Lake, Kansas City, Chicago and Milwaukee if the wait list is too long or cars too expensive in Denver. If you are going to do spirited driving in the mountains, I would get an S.

[erazo]

The supercharger would also be a bonus cruising on the flats at high altitude. Get the S.

[tys42]

I drove a Cooper at Automotive Avenues on West 6th Ave in Denver. Not a MINI dealer, but they had a Cooper recently. It went like a rocket up I-70 towards Genesee. Exceeded the 65 mph speed limit with ease and it's pretty steep just past the Morrison exit.
The S would be even faster:-)

If you are in the area, find out if they still have it and take a test drive. They are closer to the hills than the official MINI dealer.

[Cape Cod MINI]

I'm at and sometimes below sea level and the S is a "must". At least that's my excuse. It would be the same if I lived in the hills.
You've gotta have the S in the mountains.
I have some fond memories of barrelling up through the Rockies with a hi-po 1967 327 under the hood and four barrels sucking up the high octane and then the dreaded vapor lock! Those were the days. Thank god they're gone!
Get the S.

[Colorado "S"]

I'm getting an S - in 2.5 weeks actually.

I'll be flying out to New York on June 7th to pick it up. Westchester MINI has been excellent to deal with. They understand customer service. Lori Abrams has been very responsive. I would highly recommend contacting her.

Westchester has ALWAYS sold at MSRP. Schomp MINI added $2200 of forced accessories to their early Coopers. I believe that policy has since changed.

One more thing. The list at Schomp is very long. I've heard estimates from them that someone just joining the list for an "S" has a wait of over a year.

[karmuze]

HI, minifreak, and welcome to the Forum.

The model you choose depends on your driving style and where you intend to drive it the majority of the time. If 'show' is more important then 'go' to you, I would buy the standard Cooper. I think it looks better than the 'S', with its chrome grill and lower hood line and it will do fine with an occasional trip to the mountains.
On the other hand if performance is more important to you, then the 'S' is the way to go. If you want to drive Floyd Hill and the Eisenhower Tunnel in the fast lane, you need the added power of the 'S'. If you ever want to motor up the twisties on Flagstaff Mtn, in less than 15min, early on some Sunday morning (whome?), then you'll want the 'S'.
The drawbacks to the 'S' are a much longer waiting list, probably 1-1½ yrs compared to 3-4 mos for the Cooper, and an additional $3000 in initial cost. The 'S', being supercharged, has a limited boost available since it is tied directly to the engine (11.6psi max), so the performance gain at altitude is somewhat limited. For mile-high altitudes, turbochargers are better IMO, since they have a wider range of boost available (5--20+psi), not being limited by the engine speed. There are no current aftermarket turbo kits available today, although several accessories companies have announced intentions to produce one. If you would consider adding a turbo, then the Cooper would be the model for that. But a turbo addon would most certainly void your engine and transmission warranty.

p.s. I grew up and went to school in Boulder, its a fine city for the outdoors lifestyle, and was a fun town to grow up in. I miss the 10,000 people crowds you used to see on the Pearl St Mall on Halloween.

[forozco]

I just got my Mini Cooper (non-S)from Princeton MINI (in NJ -- no markups and they got my custom MINI in about a month and a half) a week ago and drove it to Longmont,CO. It's not as fast as it was at sea level, but it's definately still spunky enough. For a car that only has 115 HP, a lot of my friends are impressed that it feels like a more powerful car. I have a feeling BMW doesn't exagerate HP like other car makers. I'd get the S if you want speed going up the twisties, but I'd consider getting the plain Cooper too 'cuz it's still a very fun car to drive. I haven't had a chance to drive it up to Estes Park yet, but i'm already fantasizing about passing all the tourons this weekend...

So..I should be able to report how well it does in a few days...

[Nice to see i'm not the only one that shopped outside of the state because of Schomp's tactics! Death to Schomp! Maybe they should give the Mini dealership to someone closer like Gebhardt BMW!]

f0
Indi Blue/White Mini Cooper
Sport Package
Sport Suspension Plus
Panther Leather

[Colorado "S"]

forozco and minifreak: welcome to MINI2!

forozco: Shopping outside the state was the best decision I made with regard to my MINI purchase. My natural inclination was to buy from Schomp. I got on the list there nearly a year ago. But, obviously the levels of my dissatisfaction with Schomp MINI made it worth my while to buy from a dealership 1800 miles away from where I live.

And yes, I agree I have had nothing but good experiences in my past dealings with Gebhardt BMW.

We should all keep in touch. I'd love to do a Denver/Boulder MINI get together once we all get our cars.

[6b346]

I used to live in Boulder and owned a classic Cooper 998. I moved it from D.C. and noted the power loss was noticeable, but not severe. The key to fun with that car was handling, not power. A little scary climbing hills hard as the classic's big understeer sometimes pointed the car right at the unsuspecting folks coming the other way. With a good suspension setup, 115 hp. will be fine, but the blower would be nice. My old friends in Boulder with turbo'ed cars really appreciated them. I drove an Eaton supercharged Thunderbird over Vail pass once and really noted the additional pulling power at 13,000 feet.

My issue these days is the difference between the turbo Saab 9-3 I now drive and the blown Cooper S I'm picking up on Euro delivery in London at the end of June. I also got my Saab at the factory and will compare these cars on many of the same roads, including over the Alps.

[Colorado "S"]

Whoa. How'd you swing euro delivery? I'd been told that (like the BMW performance driving school in S.C.) wasn't an option on the MINI.

[ficcion]

I should be taking delivery on my cooper S today or soon here after.

I think the supercharger will definitely be a bonus. No matter how you look at it you lose power at higher altitudes, so the S can only be an advantage. I agree that a turbo might even be better but remeber air is air, how it gets there is up to mini at this point.

I drove the standard version (cooper) and it was spunky but I wanted a little more. For the price point I think the cooper S is the way to go. (Kind of a subjective statement considering I was looking to orginally get a Honda S2000 but four seats made the mini more practical).

I'll report back with first impressions once I get the car.

[minifreak]

Thanks for all the points to consider. A few more for you guys to chew over: I am not a "car guy" and have never owned a sports car. I rarely go over 80mph and on I-70, I just want the power to pass the 18 wheelers with confidence.

Extreme power is not a priority, but I don't want to putter along either. Right now, I own a 4.0 liter Wrangler.

Still S? I'm not against it. But if I don't need to drop the extra $$, I won't bother.

Curiosity: what sorts of bad experiences did you have with Schomp? Mine have been okay, with the exception of this guy Aaron who came along on my test drive. Total ****.

[Colorado "S"]

minifreak: I just private messaged you with regard to your question.

[noahe]

Quote:

Originally posted by minifreak
Extreme power is not a priority, but I don't want to putter along either. Right now, I own a 4.0 liter Wrangler.

You opted for the 4.0L High Output I-6 good for 190 HP. A Jeep Wrangler weighs 3,294 lbs. That works out to about 17 lbs for each horse to haul around.

The MINI Cooper weighs 2,524 lbs with 115 HP, or about 21 lbs per horse.

The Cooper S weighs 2,678 lbs with 163 HP, or roughly 16 lbs per horse.

Now, while it is silly to compare Jeeps to MINI's, it does give you some indication of what kind of grunt to expect. Seems to me, you're used to a little more.

Your absolute best bet, is to take a test drive of each, and let statistics be damned.

[ficcion]

Minifreak,

Of course personal preference is going to be different for everybody. I am bias toward the Cooper S because I have ordered one. Plain and simple. I'm sure if I owned a standard version I would be bias toward that. Human nature at it's best.

Practically speaking, my main reasoning for going with the S probably stems from the fact that this car is pretty darn cheap(in the economical sense) anyway. In other words, there are not a lot of cars that you can buy for 20,000 dollars these days anyway. So why not spend the extra grand or two for more horsepower/torque, etc.?

Many people on this forum including myself buy mini's because of the rich history and heritage that the mini carries. The mini is completely different than an equally priced Honda civc because of this heritage. The mini stirs the soul. The honda gets you to work. (I own a honda by the way.) You probably will become a car guy if you own a mini.

Timeline is something to consider. If I had to wait a year for a Cooper S I probably would go with the standard cooper.
Why? I want to drive.

Either way (Cooper or Cooper S) you can't lose.

[minifreak]

Another reason I've been thrown back into deliberation between S and Cooper is possible higher repair costs. Should I even worry about such things or is it valid to a degree that I'll feel a pinch in the wallet? I'm already on a list for an S in Maryland. I'm feeling like it will be worth a 4-6 month wait.

[ficcion]

4yr/50,000 warranty

Full scheduled maintenance 3yr/36000

Your covered. At 4yrs you can start worrying.

[MINI Fevah]

forozco, minifreak, Colorado S, et al....

I just saw this thread and was thrilled to see so many enthusiasts in my neck of the woods. Have test driven the Cooper and it is just what I want, now am waiting for the $$ to accumulate for my purchase. It would be great to have some sort of local group. I haven't yet seen a MINI on the road though I noticed with some shock that Big Jon's auto in Longmont had a pure silver Cooper on the lot this morning. I can only imagine the price on it. I also heard about the Cooper at Automotive Aves and it sure was expensive. My experience with Logan at Schomp has been positive, absolutely no complaints.

[Colorado "S"]

MINI Fevah: welcome to MINI2!

We definitely need to have a MINI get together here in Denver this summer.