[rei00]

I am having serious headaches trying to decide on
Cooper or S.

With cooper, I am #20 on the waiting list, which means
I could probably get my car in April or May. If I switch
to S, I would be #28, I would probably be getting the
car may be in November at the earliest given that dealer
told me that they will get only 7 Ss per month.

Please help! Should I wait for the S?

Here are the options I would be getting on each car:

Cooper: $16,850
Sports $1250
Cold Weather $500
Audio $550
Total $19150

S: $19,850
Cold Weather $500
Audio $550
DSC $500
Fog lamps $140
Total $21540

Mind you, S comes with following extras as standard which
you have to pay to get for the cooper (and not to mention
163HP):

Suspension + $500
leather wheel $150
Spoiler $100
16" wheel $500
Sports Seats $270
Total: $1520

Just as a note, although I have 8 years of driving experience, I just started driving stick.

And I hate having to wait for the S when I can start enjoying cooper right away. But then, I might kick myself in pants when I see others riding in a S, and I am left in the dust at the stoplight.

Mind you, I do not have the money to buy a cooper and the upgrade to the S later on. One option I'm thinking of is to buy a cooper and put a turbo on it later on when I feel the lack for the horses.

Please help!!! What should I do?

 

[BruceK]

....One option I'm thinking of is to buy a cooper and put a turbo on it later on when I feel the lack for the horses.....

Tough decision. But it is very doubtful you will later have an option to put an aftermarket turbo on a standard Cooper. There has been no talk of any aftermarket company developing a turbocharger for the MINI.

Part of the problem may be the restricted space in the MINI's engine compartment - there may be no room for a turbo to fit. But the biggest strike against an aftermarket turbo is the fact will be a factory-produced MINI (the Cooper S) with more performance than an aftermarket manufacturer's turbo could resonably hope to achieve.

My thoughts are: go for the S if you think that's what you really, deep done inside want. If you compromise on getting a Cooper, you'll always feel you sold out and you'll miss not having a Cooper S.

 

[Paul]

Re: Re: Cooper or S???

Tough decision. But it is very doubtful you will later have an option to put an aftermarket turbo on a standard Cooper. There has been no talk of any aftermarket company that is developing a turbo for the MINI.

Part of the problem my be the restricted space in the MINI's engine compartment - there may be no room for a turbo to fit. But the biggest strike against an aftermarket turbo is the fact will be a factory-produced MINI (the Cooper S) with more performance than an aftermarket manufacturer's turbo could resonably hope to achieve.

MiniMania have said they are working on one.

 

[BruceK]

Re: Re: Re: Cooper or S???

MiniMania have said they are working on one.

I stand corrected. But there is a lot of value in having a factory-engineered Cooper S with a full warranty vs. an aftermarket turbo with ??????.

 

[Jazzy Jase]

Wait for the S

The wait is killing me but it will make it even more special when it arrives.

 

[coopercrazy]

What do you want us to tell you?

If you want someone to tell you to get the S, go to the S forum.
If you are creative and can wait the couple of extra months, sell your 20th position when the time gets closer, maybe for $1,000 to someone who wants to wait for the last second.
Just a thought...

 

[johne999]

If you want another option, go for the Cooper now, then add the John Cooper Works conversion, it adds up to a new head, airfilter, exhaust, modified ECU chip and other subtle improvements. This give almost 140 bhp without the potential unreliability of the turbo. It sounds great too, much like an older mini. In the UK the complete conversion costs £2500 but you can buy the kit for fitting by a local agent, but this may cause warranty problems. The "authorised" agents keep the warranty correct.

I am waiting to have mine converted, as well as the suspension, it should be more tractable than the S, just as quick, and economy remains the same.

Try www.johncooper.co.uk

John

 

[rei00]

I changed it to S

I just called my dealer and changed my waitlist to S.

I thought about it for a long time, and I figured it's going to be really hard to pull extra 50 HP from Cooper
for $3000 later on.

Also, I think that another 6 months should straighten out any kinks on the car before I get it.

And if S turns out to be a lemon (I've seen some horrible
stories in this forum), I could go out and get myself
a RX-8, the only car with enough character and oomph to match the S in my mind.

Hope the insurance will not kill me, though (I'm less than 30)...

 

[Jazzy Jase]

Re: I changed it to S

I could go out and get myself
a RX-8, the only car with enough character and oomph to match the S in my mind.

The RX-8 looks good. I quite like the new Nissan 350Z. Or an M3. But I don't have the dosh.

I don't think you will be dissapointed with the S. If mine turns out to be a lemon I don't know what i will buy. The Civic Type-R and Clio aren't stylish enough. Maybe an Alfa 147. Or rob a bank for an M3.

 

[Paul]

Dont forget also the 'S' engine is heavily modified, and the other BIG factor, the getrag 6 speed box should be a lot more solid than the 5 speed in the Cooper and One.

 

[rich]

If you want another option, go for the Cooper now, then add the John Cooper Works conversion...you can buy the kit for fitting by a local agent, but this may cause warranty problems. The "authorised" agents keep the warranty correct.

In Aus - and presumably same in US - BMW dealers will be offering locally retro-fitted Works kit, so should not affect warranty. Dunno when though...

 

[Basil]

Re: I changed it to S

I just called my dealer and changed my waitlist to S.

I thought about it for a long time, and I figured it's going to be really hard to pull extra 50 HP from Cooper
for $3000 later on.

Also, I think that another 6 months should straighten out any kinks on the car before I get it.

And if S turns out to be a lemon (I've seen some horrible
stories in this forum), I could go out and get myself
a RX-8, the only car with enough character and oomph to match the S in my mind.

Hope the insurance will not kill me, though (I'm less than 30)...

Good decision. BMW cannot afford for MINI to be a lemon. They WILL fix it. They're just doing too quietly for most of us, so are losing a little faith in the process.

I guarantee the insurance will not kill you, unless you have a very weak heart.

I found myself when pricing up the Cooper to what comes as standard on the S. Australia nearly gets the Supercharged engine, 6 speed Gearbox, and fantastic bodykit for nothing.

cheers

 

[GeoffP]

Dont forget also the 'S' engine is heavily modified---

Paul,
Do you have any info on the modifications to the basic engine to produce the 'S', or is that top secret?

GeoffP

 

[Paul]

Some details are here: http://www.mini2.com/news/news.php?id=87

Not much detail, but gives you an idea of what has been modified.