Just placed my order in for a new Clubman…Yay!

That doesn’t add up-an early ’04 MCS was $19999 including destination; in January ’04 they went to $20449. So your car had to have no packages, maybe just metallic paint.

To price out an ’08 MCS that way would be in the mid $22k range, which is actually crazy cheap if you look at what the Euro is doing against the dollar. A Clubman would be $2250 more-not worth it to me, but not a bad deal for the additional doors and storage. $29k gets you a lot of extras…..

I don’t think that is outrageous since my ‘O6 MCS was about 24K and I am never giving it up!

The Clubman (what is it, R55?) is going to be our 2nd MINI come this summer. I can live without all the toys, and just enjoy the driving. I’ve got other toys at HOME for lounging and all that.

While I love to pretend that I need all those options on the configurator, and regularly save a NEW BUILD, maybe I should be more true to the original concept of Mini and just take a base model with NOTHING added!

the mcsa I was speccing came out to be around the same or maybe less than it would have been for 07, but with the 10 speaker stereo included as a side effect of the new packages.

its kind of the same with the MINI vs. Japanese … yes, the MINI is sexy and cool and performs, but the gremlins still persist. Was I bothered when I owned a MINI? … heck no … the tradeoff was worth it.

But the pricing IS climbing very rapidly on all MINI models and its happening with high priced add-ons that make the car perform/look better … good marketing strategy really.

I know a guy that paid huge dollars, like 2k over sticker, for a 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege. He paid well over $20k. There’s one on eBay right now that got bid up to, wait for it, $6500! Think you might get a little more than than for an ’03 Cooper S?

Honestly, the price differences are minor from ’07 to ’08. What’s changed is they way they package some of the options. For example, if you want Xenons, it’s going to cost more in ’08 than it would have if you’re counting them as part of the ’07 Sport Pack. But I don’t see many individual options that have gone up a substantial amount, and many are lower; Navi, Aero Kit, Bluetooth all down $100.

for me a mac isn’t as capable for the work that i do w/o the dual boot bit & still having to buy vista (making it even more expensive than i listed).

and, while one could argue the mazda speed cars are good values, my mini is infinitely better for me in an ultra urban area like DC, even though it’s more expensive.

but, u can always shop around to minimize the damage.

picked up a new hp lappy for $925. comparable mac specs = $1650, mac refurb = $1400. imo, can’t justify the price diff in the rapidly depreciating pc market.

picked up my first jcw w/ every package & aero kit for $22.4k, 1.5yrs old, 15k miles. sticker $35k+

second jcw w/ every package, panther leather, aero kit, space blue metallic for $28k, garaged for 9mo, 3.5k miles. sticker $36.5k+

imo, can’t justify the price diff in the rapidly depreciating jcw market.

Go buy your Smart car cheepo.

However, as it has been so eloquently explained by others in this thread, is that the MINI is marketed as a premium small car, not a point A to B econobox appliance. Sure, there are a plethora of other cars in the market that offer more roof, practicality and power for much less money. But that is where the comparison starts to lose credibility and fast. Take the Nissan and Mazda products mentioned before. Nissans and Mazdas are pretty much run-of-the-mill mainstream Japanese products. They lack strong resale values, reliability is not in the same consistency as Toyota or Honda, the warranties on these vehicles tend to be shorter than those of luxury brands, dealer service support is spotty and last (but not least), everybody and their mother owns and drives a Mazda (Insert model here) and Nissan (Insert model here).

Bu the way, I saw the Nissan Rogue at the autoshow last weekend and I was totally and completely underwhelmed…. Another “me too!” Asian compact SUV, designed to compete with Toyota’s RAV4 and the Honda CR-V….. Very good cars in their own right but simply put, they don’t compete in MINI’s turf.

Does Nissan, Mazda et al gives you strong resale values? Do they include scheduled maintenance? Do they have the desirability factor of a MINI? Nope, I doubt it. With this I am not saying that other cars from other manufacturers do not have any redeeming qualities. Is just that, at this point in time in the United States, MINI doesn’t really have a direct competitor.

So because of all the tangible and un-tangible attributes of the MINI, you will pay a higher admission entry price. Take another common everyday example…. Take 2 laptops, one from Dell and one from Apple. Guess which one commands a higher base price? The Apple. Why? Because while the Dell might be a decent laptop in terms of hardware, it is saddled with a pedestrian operating system (XP/Vista whatever) while the Mac has more innovative features, a higher end design and a vastly superior operating system.

Both laptops probably can do the same tasks at pretty much the same speed, but there is a difference that can be felt and seen between the two.

So, it is up to the consumer, to make that determination whether it is worth it to pay ä little extra” for that brand/model of car or that higher end laptop. Most people are happy driving around in Suzukis, Toyotas, Fords and surfing the ‘net in cheap Dells, HPs and E-Machines.

Some of us are happy to motor around in a more unique car like a MINI and surf the net in our sleek MacBooks…

It is all relative… There is no right or wrong… It all boils down to WHAT YOU LIKE.