[nat]

Hi Guys,

Have decided to return to the MINI fold & get another MCS this time with JCW!!

Loved my old MCS & have really missed it since it departed!!

I am struggling to decide b/w the MCS & MCSC and wondered how you guys driving the convertible were getting on.

I have never owned a cab & know it will be fun the 30% of the time the hood is down but what am interested is what it is like in the cold & rain or at night with the hood up? Does it do a good enough job to compensate for the minority of the time the hood will likely be down?

Have had a test drive of a MCC which seemed ok but difficult to jodge in a short test drive-there is more noise & the hood did creak etc a bit.

Need to order soon to get a March '05 delivery...

Many thanks

Nick

[rentagas]

Only test driven a MCS and MCS works hatchback but:

With the roof up you would hardly know you were driving a cab. There is some judder (rather than rattle) going over uneven surfaces but wind and rain noise are minimum. Specifically there is no tent like noise of rain falling on the roof. You do get a bit wet getting in and out because rain drips down the doors from the roof at knee distance from the driver and drips on knees when the door is open. Visibility to the rear is appalling and is even worse with the wind deflector in place -yes I keep it in even with the roof up.
Roof down the riotous handling of the MCS is enhanced further great fun. Night time top down motoring is fantastic if a bit eerie.

[abs0lutely]

Perfectly put.

It's an experience, and surely the most fun way to own a MINI, especially a MCS!

Wouldn't have mine any other way Can't imagine having a tin top now

[minicabrio]

Well I ONLY have an MCC but it is fantastic....!!!I WILL upgrade to MCSC in a few year years time when I am 25 and can afford the insurance!!

I took mine on the recent UK Cotswolds-II Run, and it kept up with everything there, just imagine 170bhp instead of my 115bhp...!!!! You say 30% with the hood down, but for me that is an understatement, have had the car a month now, and have only had ONE day where I could not have the roof down at some point......

Even if you only get it down for half an hour a day, it will be THE half an hour that you look back on at the end of the day, when you are drinking your nightcap, and think, oh yes, it WAS worth worth it!!

The Cotswolds-II run at the weekend hosted around 150 MINIs and probably 6 or 7 Convertibles, and while most of the passers by looked at the others, it was the Convertibles that were pointed at!!

If you like to be noticed..... if you like to be individual..... there is no choice......

Jon

[minimalini]

We've had our MCSC for 6 days now , having had a MCS for 2 years . The hood works really well and whilst there is more noise inside ( with the hood up ) than there is in the tin-top it is still pretty refined . We've no real rattles ( and our previous MCS was rattle city ) .The engine is noticeably more responsive than the older car ( and I mean on part throttle , as we're still running it in ) .
The convertible has a small degree of windscreen shake , due to the loss in torsional rigidity but it is pretty good .
Apart from our front number plate falling off on the Cotswold run ( thanks for the silver MCC in front telling us ( even if you did whimp out early and put the hood up when the rain threatened .....) so far so good .

While a lot of convertibles than are tin-tops with the roof cut-off can be poor relatives of the tin-top ( our MK1 GTI Golf convertible was like that for example ) , the MCSC does a really good job at staying close to the MCS , IMHO .

I hear that the MCSC is road tested in Autocar this week so hopefully it gets a good write-up

I don't think you regret chosing an MCSC

DJS

[miniboyblue]

Hi Nat

I agree with all the comments below, I owned my tin top Cooper S for just over a year and took delivery of my MCSC on the 20th July and have not stopped smiling since, have never had so much fun !!!!
The drive is no worse than my old car and with the roof down, wind deflector up at slightly over the speed limit even the wife does not complain about getting her hair messed up. Believe me this is a true compliment. Also spec-ed mine with heated seats and as long as it is not raining the roof is down, everyone loves it and keep getting pointed at from passers by in the street. Am now just trying to find out how to get the roof down remotely of the key remote ??

You only live once and regret it if you don't do it, my advise is topless is always best !!!

[minimalini]

Unlock the car - release button - then press and hold the unlock again ( for sometime - 5 secs ?) keep holding it and the roof does it's sunroof mode - release and hold button again and it will go fully topless .
Must say it doesn't work perfectly so maybe there is a technique req'd ?

DJS