[smartbomb]

Just thought I'd get a new thread going as the ONE appears negelected against the Cooper.
I almost bought a MINI ONE due to it's great value for money, but opted for a Cooper as it offered better vfm with the chili option and has chrome !!
Just wondered what ONE owners thought on how there cars compared to the pricier Cooper ?

 

[jontyONE]

My main and only reason for choosing a ONE over a Cooper is the insurance.

I am from Northern Ireland and 21 so that goes against me. To get a cooper the insurance for a cooper was 2500 and the insurance on the ONE was 1500. So i opted for the ONE as students cant afford to go wasting a grand on something that hasnt got alcohol in it.

Saying that my ONE is nearly as well specced as a Cooper and it still grabs the same looks.

 

[Neil Curtis]

We actually went to the dealer with the anticipation of ordering a Cooper. However when my local dealer told me that I wouldn't get one til Christmas but could get a ONE for September (this was July) we decided on the ONE.

Specced it up high though with chrome bumpers, sunroof, computer, leather wheel and those 17's(nudge nudge smartbomb) and to be honest I think it looks better than some of the Coopers that I have seen.

We are going to have a Superchip fitted around easter time which should bridge the gap in terms of performance so for just over the price of a cooper with the wheels, i'm well chuffed. Also the all black coachwork looks sexy as hell.

Check out the gallery under Neil Curtis for a picture of my beast and then tell me you'd prefer a Coop.

ONE - WON!
COOPER - POOPER!

(i didn't mean that, I'd have one now if I wasn't so impatient)

nc

 

[Paul]

We could actually have a One joining our family in the future, so I wanted to know how people are finding them?

 

[Neil Curtis]

Touch wood, no problems whatsoever with the car itself in four months and 3200 miles. Power does seem a little retarded as standard but still has a little raspy rumble exhaust note. Does come alive above 4000rpm though.

great fun

nc

 

[Dogger]

My choice was a combination of the cheaper insurance, better MPG, smoother ride quality and the ability to spec it up to the eyeballs whilst still coming in cheaper than a basic Cooper.. There's also the later option of the superchip upgrade and tweaking the suspension to bring it in line with the Coopers. 9 out of 10 people I've spoken to about the cars didn't even know there were 2 versions of the MINI, so having the Cooper wouldn't have been a 'status' thing for me either (I only have a vague understanding of the history of the Cooper/Mini association as it is!)

I wasn't too struck with the colour options for the Coopers either (although the Silver and Black combo catches my eye every time). I saw an article in AutoExpress back in April of last year which had a picture of a Yellow ONE and I fell for it straight away and ordered the car there and then.

I could have had a basic Cooper in Silver and Black for not much more than the price of my ONE, and I could have had it a month or so earlier, due to the Yellow paint being a late entry, but I'm glad I waited. As my car is used for daily work runs on the motorway the early reviews of the Cooper's suspension being a little harsh gave me the push I wanted to go for the ONE instead. I think at the time I ordered it the matching roof colour option on the Coopers wasn't available either and I think that the Yellow roof works well in contrast with the darker windows.

I have fond memories of owning 2 classic Mini's which were bought for the same reason Millions of people have owned one - they're cheap and cheerful, and I remember thinking when I saw the Cooper and ONE's together that for me, the Cooper wasn't really 'in keeping' with the whole 'peoples car' ethos.

(oops, this sounds like it's turning into a bit of a rant...but it's not meant that way!..)

If I'd been in charge of the product range I would have released just the one model, but given a whole range of options for different tuned engines, roof colours, suspension etc - that way you could be individual without people knowing about it (does that make sense? )

 

[smartbomb]

Thanks for the replies,
I guess the main reason I have opted for the Cooper is due to having a mini Cooper at present. It would be great to replace it with another. When the MINI range was anounced I only ever considred a Cooper, but did weigh up the ONE. It is great value and I could have a very high spec ONE for the same price as the Cooper I have ordered. The Cooper swung it due to the extras it has over the ONE ie. the chrome grille and choice of roof colur, extra performance and cachet of the Cooper name.
Insurance isn't a problem as the Cooper cost little more than my current Cooper.
I figured that as I'm spending virtually every penny I have I shoul dhave exactly what I want. I feel that if I had a ONE I'd be delighted with all the extra that I had with it, but somehow would still hanker for the Cooper.
With the Cooper, I have gone for the chili pack, which is great value, and having chosen that don't think I'd prefer a better spec ONE. Besides the only things I do want excpet audio are in the chili pack. Air con and a lot of the other options whilst great to have, don't really appeal.
It's interesting to hear feedback on the ONE, but my decision has been made as far as model is concerned....
Any more ONE comments are welcome....

 

[smiffy]

I ordered a MINI ONE because of the Insurance & VFM. I order the chrome bumper inserts as they were only £80 bargin!
Plus if I want more power later on I can just add a superchip & it will be right up there with the Cooper's Power (& insurance )

 

[StephenR]

I have owned my red Mini One for 3 months now and covered about 4,000 miles, the main reason for choosing the One over the Cooper was to keep my insurance costs and my loan repayments down. I also don't really like the different colour roofs on the coopers, so in that respect I prefer the look of the One.

 

[smartbomb]

As much as I like the ONE, I just love the 5 star wheels and baulk at the £780 they'd cost on a ONE. However that aside it is cracking car and obviously chosen by the wiser element. I never properly considered a ONE, as I could just about afford a Cooper with the bits on it I wanted. My dealer has hassled me to add a sunroof or aircon, which I've never had or wanted. To get put of my mini and drive a tractor would be an improvement !
I spose I could shell about £100 for the chrome grill strips for that Cooper look, but would prefer to add the £100 to the Cooper.
£1300 seems like a helluva differnce which it is ! but for me the Cooper was always first on the list....

 

[Dave Wright]

One thing to note - you may be able to chip the One to bring the power up to that of the Cooper, but the Cooper has a different final drive ratio to improve in-gear acceleration.

Regarding the ride, the standard Cooper rides very well, its the Chili pack which has received some adverse comments.

BMW rejected the option to produce a true Mini replacement and decided to concentrate on the sporting heritage. I think it was basically designed with the Cooper in mind. In UK sales, the Cooper outsells the One by a margin of 3 to one. With the Peugeot 205 for example, the GTi was outsold four to one by its non-sporting bretheren.

Having said that the One does have its plus points. The idea of a contrasting roof colour was strange to me to begin with (though now I'm sold). Also my interest in cars began in the 70's when sporting cars were de-chromed and replaced by matt black. To me the One's matt black grill looks quite sporty!

 

[smartbomb]

I'm a fan of classic cars and just love tonnes of chrome ! When I'd had enough of the 'joys' of owning a couple of chrome laden classics, I looked long and hard as to what was on the market. The mini was ideal ! classic shape and loads of chrome and after 2 years of ownership I still have a thrill driving it. Now that I have become a bit more sensible the only car I could replace it with could only be a mini or MINI. I opted for the Cooper as I love the extra chrome bits !

 

[batemano]

I had to make a compromise between performance and insurance costs. So the One just sneaked it, although now I wish I'd waited and saved my money for the Cooper. I have just had a go in the Cooper with sports suspension and for some reason I found it to be more comfortable than my One. Has anyone else found this?

 

[ricardo]

Until the "S" appears...

I feel that if I had a ONE I'd be delighted with all the extra that I had with it, but somehow would still hanker for the Cooper.

When the "Cooper S" appears on the roads, it'll be the turn of the Cooper owners to hanker after the perfomance model!!

In another thread, someone made the comment that the One is a model without a real purpose. Personally, I think it may be the non-S Coopers that end up with that stigma. The "S" will be the real performance MINI, the One will be the VFM model and the unblown Cooper will be piggy-in-the-middle.

The thing they all have in common though is that they're all brilliant little cars.

 

[smartbomb]

I have gone for the Cooper mainly on the grounds of the the added oomph and the little extras that it has over the one like the white/black roof option. As a chrome fan the appearance of the S doesn't really excite me all that much, as it looses most of it ! I couldn't afford one anyway ! As it is I'm selling my gran to get this Cooper ! I agree that the ONE is terrific value, but don't think that I would hanker after an S when my Cooper arrives. For starters the insurance would be sky high and the price is a bit that way too. The ONE is a cracker, I just feel that for me would be like doing a marathon and getting a cab for the last 365 yards...

 

[Dave Wright]

I agree - I don't want an S. I'm not after a car with that level of performance. While I think the S is good value for that class of car, the £2,900 difference in price clearly separates it from the Cooper (provided you don't go mad on the options list). Besides, I don't like the bonnet air intake!

I don't think sales of the S will come anywhere near sales of the standard Cooper (and neither does BMW).

 

[smartbomb]

I'm more than happy with my choice of Cooper. I love the appearance with the lashings of chrome.
I did consider the ONE, but felt that the pepper and chili options were better VFM than adding those onto a ONE. Ok it is more when you look at the list price, but after careful calculations the Cooper won it in the end, as I'm not after aircon etc....
The S to me looks a bit ugly, don't like the airscoop, and the de-chrome does nothing for me either. The basic price does include a few nicities but not that many !

 

[timlowden771]

Mini Insurance

The reason I went for the Mini one was for the Insurance. Being only 19 when I had to get the car insured, insurance made a bid difference. I was quoted £1300 for a bog standard mini cooper, or £600 for a mini one. With the money that I saved I was able to spec up my one.

 

[smartbomb]

Wow, very expensive insurance for the Cooper ! See why the ONE is a better buy !
Luckily my insurance is only £80 on top of my current Cooper and is very reasonable...under £400 for a MINI Cooper....

 

[smiffy]

Got a quote for £600 for the ONE & over £830 for the Cooper. With the money I will save on the ONE I can get a better spec ONE