usual daft newbie questions

[fossil]

Hi everyone, sorry all this has probably been asked a thousand times, but here goes, I am looking to part with my 2004 golf R32, and a secondhand mini (cooper s or JCW) is looking good, Is the R56 the latest model, and if so what year did they start from, does this model have more space in the back seats ( i here they added 2"). I love the look of the polished R105 wheels, are they a standard item or aftermarket. How do you find the sat/nav-radio display? any good or better sticking with standard. Also ride comfort, our roads in Guernsey aren't up to much, my R32 is a bit solid ! who does the cooper s compare with the JCW. Also I know it's a bit of an open question, but is there anything else I should think of, the problem is there are not many over here so I will have to go to U.K. to test drive/buy, so the more I know the better, thanks alot, simon.

[Troy]

Hi,
The R56 is the latest model, available from late 2006. To put it lightly, there will be less space in the Mini than your R32. The R105 are JCW extras and are a dealer fit item, also they're not cheap at £1700 roughly, with tyres. However they are not quite aftermarket as they are Mini made and approved items. The sat nav is extremely straight forward to use, not sure about the standard radio though. There are added extra features in a sat nav car, you're guarenteed to have auto air con and multi func sports steering wheel etc. The Mini's are known to not be the best for ride comfort. The bigger the wheels the more uncomfortable, and if this is an issue for you steer away from sports suspension.
I would have a little look at the Seat Leon Cupra R as you have the VW build quality and an awesome car. But it isn't a Mini !!

[adams]

Good old guernsey, i am a regular there , love it! Like has been said, dont expect too much space, its very similar to the older shape mini (ie loads of leg/headroom in the front, not in the back). The economy will be vastly superior to the r32 (despite your max speed of 35 mpg on the coast road) , but then again you dont go as far so this might not be a factor for you I have just changed from an r53 (older shaper cooper s with a supercharger) to a r56 the newer model cooper s with a turbo. I miss the whine of the older car but prefer the torque of the new one, so i think a test drive is a must

[iain cooper]

going from a golf to a mini, space is going to be your biggest comprimise.

the mini is really a 2+2 and not really a full four seater.

with four people on board ( the two in the back feel as if they are in a shoebox ) there is little luggage space, hence my 2+2 comment.

if you can work around the lack of space then think about it, but an R32 to a mini ???

[popey]

If your going for a MINI and want power there are 2 ways to go about it. 1, Buy a cooper s and do some aftermarket mods or 2, Buy a JCW and I'm sure you wont be disapointed.

As for the ride both the S and JCW have the same suspension options (standard or sports) from the factory. You can add JCW suspension but this is a dealer fit option and will also lower the car by 10mm.

If you can find a car with sat nav then go for it, it looks great and fuctions well too.

Ive had 2 S's and now own a JCW (all R56's, the latest MINI) and its totaly awsome, however they are new so you will be limited if buying used and and you will probably find better savings on Cooper S's. My last cooper s come to about £26k it was sold by a main dealer for £16k just 12 months old so there are some bargains to be had.

I would spend some time looking at both cars to see what you think is best for you.

[fossil]

Hi guys, thanks for the advice, I know some of you say R32 to a mini? but why, Its now coming up to 5 years old, there only 2 of us with me being the only driver, thinking about it we only use the back seat a couple of times a year, and as long as you can put the back seats down for those bigger shopping trips thats fine. Yes the R32 probably has more power/torque/4WD, but I thought the mini (from reviews) was supposed to be a small hot (go-kart like) hatch, good for nipping around small lanes and towns, a bit like my good old pug 205 GTI 1.9. or am I missing the point? not sure. I have seen a 2004 cooper S at a local dealer so am going to have a drive, will let you know what I think, thanks again, simon

[fossil]

Well I took out a 2004 cooper s on my own for a drive, I must say I was suprised by its performance, maybe my R32 has lost some horses over the years. the S certainly was nippy, and I had a smile on my face, that whine is great sounds like an old straight cut gear box, but I would probably by a 2007/8 just because of the age. The only thing that was a bit weird was the loss of grip at the front end compared to my golf but thats the 4WD advantage, however when I parked up in a carpark for a look around I noticed the front tires were very low on pressure, maybe that didn't help. The dealer wanted £12k and the wheels were corroded, I thought he was asking too much even though it only had 5700 miles on the clock.
I then went to our local dealer to get some brochures, they had a cooper in the showroom, so I had a look round, it seemed to look a bit plusher, more solid inside than the 2004 (I don't know if that was just the colour, what do you guys think?).
However overall I was impressed with my first mini experience, But need to think if it was just a fun drive or if the fun would disappear with living with it daily as an only car, plus the wife needs convincing. Any thoughts would be gladly accepted, thanks again, Simon.

[Troy]

The 2004 S you took out is an R53 i.e. the older model. The car you are looking to buy (2007/8) would be an R56 which would not have the whine which comes from the supercharger as this was replaced by a turbo. They are very different cars, I would reccomend driving an R56 S before commiting to anything. The loss of grip could have been to do with anything, road surface, tyre tread, or like you say pressure, it isn't necessarily the car.

For me the fun is still there like the first day I drove a Mini almost 7 months on. Some days you get in the car and start to drive and it reminds you how much you love driving!!