This edition of Ask MotoringFile is focused on how to best spec a MINI. Here’s the question as sent in by Paul:
>Since you are up to date on all the varieties of MINIs I would like to ask you a question because I value your opinion.
>I am thinking of leasing a new Cooper S for 2 years. I don’t know if I should get a very basic cooper s with the 16″ wheels, lsd, xenons, or opt for a fully loaded jcw coopers with the engine, suspension, brake and 18″ wheel upgrade. I can afford the monthly payments on either cars. Is a loaded jcw car with the 18″ wheels, engine, suspension and brake upgrades really more fun to drive than a regular cooper s, and is is worth it?
>I drive a lancer evolution now, yet I realize the MINI is not as fast. I just want a really quick car that handles and brakes great. I also like the way the mini cooper s looks a lot. I don’t race people from stop lights, and I value a well balanced good handling car more.
>What would you do? You have driven them all, automatic and 6 speeds.
>If you had $35,000-$40,000 to spend on a MINI Cooper S how would you spec the car, and what options do you think I would want? I would like to know your thoughts. It seems like the motoring advisors at the dealerships just want to sell me more options on my new car that I may choose.
>Paul
Los Angeles, CA
A couple of good questions here Paul.
Options: It doesn’t take much arm twisting to get me on MINIUSA building a $40,000 MINI. In terms of what to get, there isn’t a bad MINI out there. The base Cooper is a great car for the money and I woudn’t hesitate to recommend it. However, if money isn’t really a concern, I’d recommend opting for the Cooper S. And while a stock MCS isn’t a bad choice, I’d also recommend a healthy dose of options if you’re going to make this a daily driver (and with an eye towards resale value down the road). Here are my must have options for a moderately specced MCS:
– Sport Package
– Premium Package
– Cold Weather Package (this depends on climate obviously)
– Limited Slip
Now here are a few nice options that I personally consider hard to live without:
– Chrome Interior and Exterior
– Rear Foglight
– Anthracite Header (depending on what exterior color you go with)
As far as seating goes, it’s really up to your preference. The leatherette typically a great choice if you don’t ever want to think about taking care of your seats. They’ll literally be floating in space when the earth is gone. The cloth is an excellent choice but must be taken care of (that means little if not no eating in the MINI!). Leather is always nice but fairly pricey and has a tendency to not wear well on the bottom cushion. A great compromise (and the one I’ve gone for) is the leather/cloth combo.
Now let’s look at those money is no object options:
– JCW Engine Kit (includes the JCW brake kit)
– JCW Suspension Kit (great way to button down the car even more)
– JCW 18″ Wheels (look amazing and contrary to popular belief, feel great)
– Driving Lamps (sort of a MINI trademark)
– Navigation (if you can handle not having the speedo in the center)
– Convenience Package (why not?)
– English Leather Seats (see above)
Unless you’re on a strict budget, you can’t go wrong with JCW products. Even if you have all the money in the world and want to mod your car to 230hp, a JCW engine kit is a great base from which to start.
You can check out the 2006 MCS I just built (with your question in mind) here.
Lease vs Buy: This is always a hot-button topic. Obviously the final answer will be very specific to your needs. Personally there are a few reasons why I would never lease a MINI. For one the overall pricing srtucture I’ve seen doesn’t seem very attrative when comparing it to simply buying the car. Secondly (for most of us) half the fun is making your MINI unique once you buy it. That’s somewhat difficult to do with a leased vehicle. But, as I said earlier, this desicion is very much a personal choice depending on your needs.
But enough about what I think about accessoies and options. I’m more interested in hearing from some of our readers on this topic…
230HP? Did I miss something recently Gabe?
I think the best and most simple advice for that question is to head to the dealer and test drive both. A test drive is worth more than 10,000 words.
Lease vs. Buy – I’m a numbers guy, so when I ordered my ’05 MCS a year ago June, I crunched the numbers to determine which made more sense. I was putting down $3,000 total and no trade.
To do the math, I asked what the residual value the car would be at the end of the lease. Then, I inquired as to what the interest rate would be on a purchase for 60 months (5 years). Based on the incredibly high residual value, I determined that after the 3 year term of a lease, I would actually owe several thousand dollars less via a purchase whereas if I leased, I’d simply have to give the car back with nothing left in my hands. The payment on the purchase was higher, but not significantly. I added the difference in payment over the 3-year lease to determine the difference and I still came out ahead via a purchase. This way, if I want to keep the car after 3 years, I can. If I want to trade it in or sell it, I have equity in the car giving me more flexibility.
I highly recommend doing the math. I don’t remember the exact monthly number difference, but I want to say it was roughly $75/month more to buy versus lease. For me, that was a no brainer.
Hope this quasi-analysis is of help. Good luck and Happy Motoring!
Oh yeah, regarding Nav. While the center speedo would be awesome, I am so directionally illiterate it is scary. The Nav is fantastic and the best single upgrade on my car, period. I will never get a car without Nav again.
Now if you have a great sense of direction, then it is probably not worth losing the center speedo for.
From your post it looks like you are looking for the fun factor above most else. This to me means JCW. And JCW suspension.
You are used to driving a car that is sporty and fun, so the standard S is the least you could do. If you haven’t compared the two I would recommend doing so, but for “butt dyno” the JCW will never disappoint. I went with it as I knew I would want it. I also was pretty sure I’d be OK with the S, but would always be wondering what I was missing with the JCW.
I wasn’t looking for re-sale so I just built the car I wanted. While it sounds like you haven’t yet finished the research to find out exactly what you want my guess is that you want JCW. Try to get in to test drive the S and JCW the same day, the same route. That should give you a really good comparison.
>You can check out the 2006 MCS I just built (with your question in mind) here.
Your link doesn’t work.
Working on my answer, the short answer is nav is addicting. You’ll never get another car w/o it again.
try now.
lease or buy!
depends on your driving habits. I put 24k on my first year. for me the no brainer was, buy! if you drive less than 12k a year a lease would be an option
Lotsa good portable NAV units out there that don’t require giving up the center of your console. some will even engage you in conversation. tapping that screen can be so distracting at speed.
my $.02
and no one mentioned the JCW brakes. get ’em.
<blockquote>and no one mentioned the JCW brakes. get ‘em.</blockquote>
I didn’t mention them because they come with the JCW factory engine kit. I agree, they’re a worthwhile addition.
Lose the sunroof. It adds 65 lbs. up high where effects on the center of gravity will make a difference in handling. Not a huge difference, but a difference none-the-less. Plus, you really can’t block out enough light on a bright day, the chintzy netting screen is lame.
In real-world motoring the MCS is all you’ll need.
Keep the spec light and you’ll get almost the same
USABLE performance as a loaded JCW in 90% of situations.Keep an eye on the upcoming new generation MINI and, by lightly speccing your MCS, you’ll be well-placed to trade-up to the turbo version – with minimal financial loss – when the new model’s bugs have been ironed-out.You’ll find that adding options – even with the JCW badge and cache – is only throwing money away when you trade-in. (Keeping weight down costs nothing, saves wear and fuel, and gives as much edge as adding equivalent costly horsepower.)
Toooooo many variables in a lease for me and I usually keep my cars for 7 years…….if i like them, also accountant is very anti lease so I buy.
I personally like the sunroof and the “LAME” netting. I live in SoCal, on very few occasions have I felt it was inadequate……like in Palm Springs when the temp was around 125 and in Florida when I bought my 1st MCS.
Nothing like a sunny day or even a balmy evening drive with the sunroof open…..but then I’m not taking mine to the track…….and I like eggs.
Gabe, overall I like your build with a few personal exceptions:
1. chrome mirror caps – I don’t care for them, especially on an S which is light on chrome vs a Cooper.
2. Black roof – While I’m generally a fan of the signature contrasting roof, I would probably do a checker graphic on the PW roof to cotinue the checkmate theme.
3. Not a big fan of the JCW 18″ wheels either – but mostly because of weight/ride – they <em>look</em> great.
One other thing about the weight reductions already mentiond: Once you begin breaking down the packages into some of their component parts to reduce weight you need to be careful because you may end up paying more for less – you would need to pare the packages down further to acheive the appropriate balance of weight reduction and cost effectiveness.
MINI2GO: your point is well-made regarding the value of packages. (Personally, I’m content with a basic car and, because there was nothing I couldn’t live without in the packages, I was able to choose the (few) bits that I needed without penalty). When I bought my MCS,
last week!, it was after six years with the same car
(a Ford Puma) so the bare bones ‘S’ seemed pretty well-equipped to me!
$35K for an MCS? Wow… even when I spec out a JCW it only comes to a tick over $30k…
I’m a bit of a retro grouch so I tend to avoid too many gadgets… No convience package… no Premium package (personally, I’m not a fan of the MINI sunroof). Would only get the Sport package if spec’ing a JCW, otherwise I don’t feel it’s worth the cost. Especially since the wheels would be gone almost immediately.
Must have options:
Cold Weather Package – even though I’d replace the seats I’d want to option of seat heaters at a later date.
MFSW – It still kinda irks me that this is even an option. Cruise is std on most cars in the high teens these days…
Painted dash – while it somewhat restricts my color choices, I’ve become very accustomed to seeing a body color dash.
Anthricite headliner – reduces some of the “too many colors going on” in the MINI interior.
F/R fog lights – to fill in the blank holes in the bodywork.
Harmon-Kardon – for $550, it’s a good option for those of us who aren’t into swapping stereos.
Any other accessorries (chrome grill, parcel shelf, etc) would be purchased afterwards and installed by me as I see little point in financing parts and labor for a tack I’ve done before.
Of course, the great thing abotu the MINI is that there is no right or wrong answer to this question. Everyone has different tastes.
<strong>Here’s a question: Chrono Pack?</strong>
Universally omitted by everyone to date. Why?
Are they not actual gauges, but are fed info from the computer? That would be bad and therefore a no go.
To me it’s tempting to have full gauges installed from the factory.
Barring the above, my next issue is that it looks like it was pieced together by refugee Timex designers? This is based on pictures.
My spec, for what it’s worth:
MCS
Color: Good night. This is the hardest part.
Sport Package
LSD
MFSW
Rear Fog (yes, a hundred bucks to fill in that toggle rack)
Space Gray Cloth
Chrome Interior
Anthracite Headliner and Dash
Here’s the controversial part: R99s I’m expecting some money back for the S lites from the package.
The R99s are the lightest 17″ (I think) and have got to be the sexiest 17 from the dealer.
Purpose of this is a competive GS ride for local (maybe regional) auto-x. But still have nicely equipped daily driver.
The MINI is so great for this: Get a deal on some OEM 16″ buybacks from the dealer or Tirerack, put some V710s on them, and go punt cones.
<blockquote>Universally omitted by everyone to date. Why?</blockquote>
Yes, they are not actualy guages in the mechanical sense.
Other than that I think most people love the central speedo and simultaneously dislike the look of the optional central gauges.
<blockquote>The R99s are the lightest 17″ (I think) and have got to be the sexiest 17 from the dealer.</blockquote>
Get the JCW. Plus the brakes and suspension.
Paul, you didn’t mention whether you would consider a convertible. You should test drive one if you haven’t already. Top-down driving is a very different experience from the hardtop, and adds to the fun. JCW is available for the convertible.
Heh, talk about opening a Pandora’s Box, just ask a group of MINI enthusiasts how to spec a new MINI. 🙂
You will spend many hours, Paul, deciding exactly what you want, and after you’ve decided, you’ll spend many hours deciding again. And once you get the car, you’ll wonder if you should have specced X or Y instead. Welcome to the madness.
P.S. The Chrono Pack is evil!!!
Yeah the chrono pack sucks. The center speedo is my single favorite part of a mini. If you want something cool get the aux gauges behind the cupholders. They look cool, especially at night!
What’s so bad about the Chrono Pack? I’m getting ready to order an ’06 MINI Cooper S myself and am considering this option.
Also, what about automatic versus manual AC? Which is better and why? Has anybody had issues with the automatic system not working properly?
Finally, is it worth getting the sunroof or not?
Thanks for the advice!
Anyone else want to comment on the comment that a standard MCS will be a more valuable trade in once the next generation is out versus a MCS JCW?
JCW cars will be worth less on trade in once the turbo S is available?
Don’t Lease!!! It makes absolutely no sense unless you are in business for yourself and can write it off. 100% of the lease expense can be written off vs. depreciating the car over 5 years, if you purchase.
I was going to lease initially, but the MA and the sales manager couldn’t get their story straight and botched the deal by getting greedy. The monthly lease figures they calculated for a 3 year lease were higher than those on my 60 month installment loan. I might add, I have a very high credit score, so that wasn’t a factor in the lease payments. Also the dealership kept telling me I had to come up with nearly $2000 in order to lease the car. Given the high resale value of the MCS, you would think that these cars would lease very favorably, but not so. Too much demand for the car.
I am rambling now due to my continued irritation with the dealer over the way they ruined my experience of acquiring my MINI. I do love the car though!
If my experience is any indication, I would buy vs. lease. I had a 2003 MCS with everything except PDC and Nav. In 2 years time I put on 10k. I turned around and sold it for $900 less than what I paid for it, so buying is the way to go.
<blockquote>What’s so bad about the Chrono Pack? I’m getting ready to order an ‘06 MINI Cooper S myself and am considering this option.</blockquote>
Most people don’t like the look of them and they move the beloved center speedo.
<blockquote>Also, what about automatic versus manual AC? Which is better and why? Has anybody had issues with the automatic system not working properly?</blockquote>
I love my auto climate control. I’ve always gone manual before my last two MINIs… now I won’t go back.
<blockquote>Finally, is it worth getting the sunroof or not?</blockquote>
Yes (a thousand times, yes)
JFW, just make sure you look at the Chrono Pack in person before you decide to spec it. It was originally on my spec list. Then I saw one at the dealership. I thought it looked cheap and tacky, like something from a toy car, so I dropped it from my list. I’m glad I did. Those with Chrono Packs, of course, may disagree.
I went with manual A/C because my MINI is a cabrio. I thought the auto controls would be a silly waste of money in a car that’s topless 8 months out of the year. I do agree with others that the manual control knobs feel cheap, so if I were to buy a hardtop, I’d probably get the auto climate control.
I’m all for sunshine and al fresco driving (hence the cabrio, obviously), but if I were to go hardtop, I’d probably spec the sunroof. That’s purely personal preference. Either you like driving under open blue sky or you don’t.
Paul – Gabe spec’ed you out a loaded $36k Mini! I’m sorry, but that is just ridiculous and doesn’t line up with what you are looking for at all. Between the sun roof, Xenons and JCW wheels, you’re talking more than 100lbs of flab and many thousands of $.
Given your description,which makes no mention of being interested in “luxury” options, and the fact that you currently drive an Evo, I would say:
Base S with LSD – $22,100
This is an incredible car for the $. Period. Drive it for a while, then decide if you need to mod or not. If the answer is Yes (which I predict it will be…) then start by installing a stiffer aftermarket rear sway bar – this is a no-brainer.
If you do care about warranty and want more juice, then look into getting a dealer-installed JCW kit (~$5500 and dropping). This will cost significantly less than having it done at the factory, as you won’t be extorted into ordering the $1400 Sport package or the JCW brake kit. Drive this a bit. If you really think you need more stopping power and better pedal feel, then look into new pads with steel lines, followed by an aftermarket “big” brake kit. While the JCW kit is decent (I picked up a slightly used one and am reasonably happy with it) there are far better kits available for the same money, assuming you can live without a factory warranty.
As for wheels… optional Mini wheels are universally both heavy and over-priced, and the JCW 18s are at the head of the pack. The stock X-lites are reasonably light and a good place to start. If you want to go lighter, then look into something reasonably priced, like Koseis. If you’re really into the bling of 18s, then only do with something truly light like Centerline RPMs or OZ Superlegerras. While you’re at it, slap on some sticky non-runflat tires.
There is no reason you can’t build a kick ass S for well under $30k, even with a JCW engine kit. Hope that helps. have fun!
<blockquote>Gabe spec’ed you out a loaded $36k Mini! I’m sorry,I’m sorry, but that is just ridiculous and doesn’t line up with what you are looking for at all.</blockquote>
Funny, I would have said the same thing about everything you just wrote. Oh well.
<blockquote>As for wheels… optional Mini wheels are universally both heavy and over-priced, and the JCW 18s are at the head of the pack. The stock X-lites are reasonably light and a good place to start. If you want to go lighter, then look into something reasonably priced, like Koseis. If you’re really into the bling of 18s, then only do with something truly light like Centerline RPMs or OZ Superlegerras. While you’re at it, slap on some sticky non-runflat tires.</blockquote>
Actually the JCW wheels are lighter (23lbs) than several 17″ OEM wheels and incredibly durable based on my experiences with the always interesting Chicago roads. Obviously if you’re heading to the track every weekend you’re going to ditch the OEM wheels regardless so I’d recommend staying away from them. However if money isn’t a huge concern and you want a fantastic looking wheel that will be durable and match up well with the design of the car, you can’t go wrong with any of the JCW offerings. I agree that the 18″ OZ Superlegerras (or the Superturismo) are a great aftermarket choice and are about $100 cheaper per wheel. They also save you about 6 pounds of un-sprung weight per corner. They were my plan B.
I think a lot depends upon what kind of Mini you want and why you like the car. I can afford to spend about $30k on the car, but spec’d my Cooper at about $21K. I already have a modified Audi TT that will go as fast as I care to. I drove both the MC & MCS and decided that for what I like about the car (wonderful handling, style, fuel economy) the Cooper was the way to go. Once that was decided, I wanted to stay light, so I stayed with the 15″holies for now, and did w/o the Sunroof (dont’ like em anyway). The standard “sport susp.” was plenty stiff for my needs (might add a rear sway bar), and I was impressed enough with the “leatherette” upholstery that I didn’t see the need to pop for cowhide, but did opt for the sport seats. I put on Xenons, HK stereo, Chromeline, Anthracite, heated seats & ended up about $20,500.
The ring girl is done!……….CLANG!!!!!!!!! Round 2…….and in this conah………
<blockquote>
Finally, is it worth getting the sunroof or not?
</blockquote>
Not if you live in the Southwest. Then I’d definitely skip.
I don’t think my spec would change <b>too</b> much…
MCS
Hyper Blue/White Roof (gotta have the white roof)
JCW everything except those blingin’ wheels
LSD
R99 Wheels (double spokes)
Chrome interior bits and body painted dash
Everything in the Premium package except the sunroof
Cold weather package
Sport Package (for the Xenons and front fogs).
This comes to just a tad over $30K.
If I had to save a few bucks, I’d drop all of the JCW components (and the Sport Package), go ala carte on the options and go after market for the go fast goodies after I took delivery.
Oh yea, definitely a no go on the lease for me too. I drive over 40K miles a year and have to find a lease plan that is affordable, nevermind the tax advantages. It just costs too much!
<blockquote>Funny, I would have said the same thing about everything you just wrote.</blockquote>
Everything? Not even one nugget in there? Wow, thanks.
The main point of my clearly worthless post was that you do not need to spend “$35,000-$40,000” on a Mini to get, in Paul’s own words, a car “that handles and brakes great.” Despite being engulfed by Gabe’s ruthless flame, I stand by that assertion.
<blockquote>Despite being engulfed by Gabe’s ruthless flame, I stand by that assertion.</blockquote>
Whoa… I didn’t intend anything as a flame. Sorry for the confusion. I just thought it was funny that I saw something totally different in the question. If he had asked for a minimal track car I would have gone another route in my response.
And I agree btw… the best pure performing MCS is one with no options other than LSD. I just didn’t see Paul wanting something like that based on what he wrote.
Yowza, touchy topic, this MINI speccin’.
<blockquote>Whoa… I didn’t intend anything as a flame. Sorry for the confusion. I just thought it was funny that I saw something totally different in the question.</blockquote>
No worries. I guess I came at you first by calling your spec advice “ridiculous”… Sorry, I just have a violent reaction when I hear about Mini’s that cost more than $30k. It just seems wrong.
$35K+ for a Mini? You’ll excuse me while I laugh my butt off. One of the greatest things about the Mini is the value it represents, and blinging it out with everything on the option sheet throws that out the window. If you care about value and not losing your shirt at resale time, get your MCS and go light on the options.
And there’s a lot to be said for a totally base MC; what a bargain in a car that is great fun to drive.
Lease or buy?
To me, it’s all about the residual value and whether you think the car is really going to be worth the proposed residual in 2 years. Minis have about the highest residual value in the industry so far, but will that continue? With the model changeover coming, maybe not. The lease gives you a free put option: you can make Mini take it back, or buy it yourself at the contractual residual value if it’s worth that much or more. You don’t have to worry about where prices will be in 2 years – that’s Mini’s problem.
The lease gives you downside protection and the freedom to move if you change your mind about what you want to drive.
This only works if you don’t put a lot of miles on your Mini, though.
I think Josh had it perfectly when he said:
<blockquote>I think the best and most simple advice for that question is to head to the dealer and test drive both. A test drive is worth more than 10,000 words.</blockquote>
This includes the difference between a sunroof and not…
I have a 2005 $38,000 (OH CRIMINY!!!) MCSJCW that I absolutely LOVE
The reason that I agree with Josh is that I had my car for about 1000 miles before I put on the JCW kit, if you think ~30HP is a subtle difference like I mistakenly did… then you’re in for a huge surprise.
In my opinion, the JCW kit takes the MCS from a really fun car to a absolute blast to drive. The JCW kit is ruthless and ready. It’s a whole lot of fun for not that much extra. I also speced the JCW brakes and suspension, all making a large difference. For my loaner car I was given a MCS40 Special Edition (I don’t know which one because the badge wasn’t in the car). There was a large difference between the two non JCW cars, and an ever bigger one once back in my suspended/braked/horsepowered MCS.
Bottom line:
I really love my car. Yeah, it was expensive but it was my very first new car and I wanted to do it right the first time.
Cheers All and remember not to take this stuff too seriously (all this nonsense about who’s flaming who)
Jono
MCS+LSD+CWP /// WMS
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I lean toward the base MINI configuration, but of course that’s what I own. 🙂 Extra bits add weight, by and large. Some random observations:
1. Agreed regarding previous comments about wheels and tires. Many people have observed that the runflats ride harshly, so if you can bear the thought not having a spare in the S, get some ordinary tires. And the 17s or even 16s are just fine. Lighter wheels are good, so choose wisely.
2. I can’t understand automatic climate control in this car (or many others). I fiddle with automatic climate control just as often as I do the manual controls, mostly because my body doesn’t have the same idea about temperature as a car’s thermostat anyway. Save the money.
3. I like the cloth seats, although I agree with Gabe that the half-and-half seats are nice if you insist on burger skins. The cloth seats are probably the lightest.
4. The onboard computer is a poor value. Gives you miles per gallon and estimated range, basically. If you care you’ll log mileage and fuel anyway. The money is better spent elsewhere.
5. If you live (or drive) in a cold weather climate get the Cold Weather Package. If you drive long distances, get the Multifunction Steering Wheel (i.e. cruise control).
6. Sunroof, well… It is weight, it does lower the headroom, it lets too much sun in when there’s too much sun, it adds some road noise, it complicates the roof graphics (if you’re into that), and it costs a chunk of change. Some people must have it. Whatever.
7. LSD and DSC would be good ideas.
8. With the exception of Cold Weather (if applicable), disagree about the packages unless they save money. I don’t think the packages are at all necessary.
9. I’ve thought long and hard about the JCW kit (factory or otherwise), but the fact of the matter is that it doesn’t change the S’s numbers a whole lot. The stock S has almost twice the horsepower of Europe’s base MINI, so it’s pretty well powered. Compared to the Cooper S v. Cooper power/price differential, the JCW kit is an awful lot of money. I think I agree with the other posters who’ve pointed out you can always add it later (and selectively), but you may not see the point.
10. So many car buyers look at the monthly payment, but I would instead look at the bottom line price (including tax, title, license, and any fees), the interest rate (for financing), and the total of your payments, including interest. I also recommend credit unions — many of them have excellent car loan rates. Sometimes the dealer does better, sometimes not.
As you can see Paul, there are many different options and opinions about what the ideal MINI is. Having come from an S2000 I felt the only thing that would suit my needs is the MCS with the JCW, which as you can tell as mixed reviews. Like the EVO an S2000 doesn’t have a whole lot of options. I wanted leather heated seats, an auto dimming mirror, and a few other creature comforts that I wasn’t able to have in the S2K. I drive 15k-20k miles a year and wanted more comfort while still having a sporty ride. My MINI spec’d to about $34k and I don’t regret it at all. I bought the car for me and not for resale purposes, which is my advice to you. Get what you want and enjoy it, but I’m pretty sure coming from the EVO you’ll want more power than a standard MCS has to offer.
As far as the sunroof debate…I’ve always had one(except for my convertible) and I hate the one in the MINI, hence the reason I don’t have one. Again, a personal choice you’ll have to make. Good luck in whatever you choose.
Hi guys ,
Well i’m waiting for mine ordered end of auguste . Must arrive over her in december … In fact it’s Gabe fault !!! As soon as i got the info about the jcw manufactured kit !! So i’m waiting now ..
MCS+JCW manufactured full kit (brakes and slip)
pepper white/black roof/ full airbags/carbon dashboard/black interior/int chromeline/recaro seats /new jcw 18″ black/xenon/ext mirrros/carbon intake/ carbon rear airwing/ rear swing bar/ etc …
Then i’ll replace suspensions, and chip . Hope to get more hp .What about a the front aerokit of the GP ?? What’s the 230HP about ?
It’s my personal “replica” before Peugeot engine . White and carbon !!!
Where could i get a carbon roof ???
I had so much fun and pleasure with my 2003 jcw (exept the clutch !!) had to have an extra one . We’ ll have time to see how R56 goes .
It’s almost christmas . Thanks Santa !!!!
Wow… make sure to send in pics when you pic it up!
Hope you don’t “eat” me for this noob question but…
Why anybody has not talked about Aero Kit?
¿?
PS: Later I’ll talk about the price of a MCS here in Spain so you all can laugh over me ^^
“Don’t get the JCW engine upgrade! ”
The reason I got the JCW kit was because it did not affect the warranty and because of the Cooper name and rarity would keep the value up. Bad thinking on my part. Have an ad on cars.com, craigslist and the local paper for the last 2 weeks and “NOT” one call.
I do really love driving the car though. If you want to have expensive fun, get the JCW kit. Want any of that cost back, then don’t.
I have a deposit down on a GP. This experience is making think twice.
I am in the camp that thinks $30K plus MINI’s are not a good value. My recent MCS purchase includes Sport Pack (should have gone a la carte since I replaced the wheels/tires immediately), HK, auto AC, anthracite headliner, rear foglight, cloth, MFSW, and metallic paint. $24900.
<blockquote>I am in the camp that thinks $30K plus MINI’s are not a good value.</blockquote>
Heck, if all you wanted was bang for the buck, you’d buy a ’94 Miata and drop in a V8.
My S cabrio with lots of goodies was $29.1k. A reasonable price for what I got, I thought. To the MINI buyer who gets out the door at $20k for the basic fun package, I salute you. To the MINI buyer who drops $40k on a fully-loaded cherry-on-top chariot of decadence, I salute you too. If you have the bucks, why not? Should one get a 3-series with a couple of options instead for the same money? No way! Or worse, a Yukon Denali with chrome spinners? Perish the thought. If more people would flaunt (or exercise, based on your point of view) their wealth with loaded MINIs instead of bling bling SUVs, the road would be a better place. One shouldn’t buy a vehicle “by the pound.” (Oops, I’m not going to digress into the SUV debate…heh).
It’s pointless to draw an imaginary line at a particular price point where a MINI suddenly and magically goes from “a good value” to “ridiculous.” That’s what makes a MINI such a great car: it can be tailored to suit any need, taste, or budget.
Value is in the eye (and pocketbook) of the beholder.
I say load it up, Paul, until your wallet cries “uncle.” You can’t go wrong with anything you spec. Except for the Chrono Pack, of course. 😉
I have an 8 months old MCSa and placed an order for ’06 MCS JCW. The only thing that stopped me is the ’07 new MINI. I decided to wait a year and see if I like the new model I’ll buy it (I hope it’ll be introduced next Fall), if I don’t like I’ll still be able to place an order for the late ’06 model, which I think is perfect.
I was going to spend $40K without any doubt, since there is no other car than MCS JCW in that price range that I would spend money for at this point, later… maybe!
Order a nicely specced Cooper S with all the convenience and aesthetic options you find appealing. Leave off all the JCW stuff including the engine, suspension, brakes and wheels. For the money you can do a heck of a lot better in all respects in the aftermarket. There are better performance modifications, better suspension parts, way better brakes and lighter, better looking, less expensive wheels available in the aftermarket. Personally I’d rather spend that $7,245 worth of JCW stuff and seriously trick out my MINI. Probably with several bucks to spare.
My 2 cents.
Jason.
To be honest, I drove a MC, MCS & MCS auto, not knowing which I would purchase, but leaning toward the MCS. I really enjoyed the more seat of the pants ride that I experienced in the MC, although, I ultimately purchased a loaded MCS including the LSD but not the JCW kit. I got all 4 packages, as well as Leather, H/K, rear fog and chrome (in and out). For just under $28K, I couldn’t be happier. Kinda wish I had waited until ’06 so I could get the factory install on the JCW w/ brakes, but I do love my electric blue (discontinued color in ’05) MCS. I was also pleasantly surprised by the MCS Auto on that test drive. In short, you can’t go wrong no matter what your preference or budget. MINI hit a homerun with these offerings, overall. Let’s just hope that they don’t screw it all up with the next generation MINIs.
I never thought the center speedo was that well loved.
Heh…….. I went for the Chrono Pack, just because it eliminated the center speedo (which I cannot stand). To each his own, which is what’s great about MINI.
🙂
Though at 40k, there are about 50 other cars I’d buy than an MCS.
I chose to lease my 05 MCS. I am really interested in the next generation “S” with the turbo engine. By the time my lease ends, all the bugs should be worked out of the new model.
“Here are my must have options for a moderately specced MCS: Sport Package, Premium Package, Cold Weather Package (this depends on climate obviously), Limited Slip”
You consider that “moderately” specced! You’re adding $3600 worth of options to a $21,150 MCS base price. You’re adding 17% over the base price in options.
If you ask me, “moderate” would be one package, plus LSD or DSC. Three packages? That’s “loaded.”
Geez….There is a lot of hoopla about grabbing options on the MINI. Mine’s set to roll off the line on Monday the 21st, and I went full boat. It’s not for resale, but for the fun of it.
Here’s how I spec’d mine. Oh, and I’m buying and not leasing. I plan on keeping this baby for a while.
– 2006 Cooper S
– Purple Haze Metallic
– Silver Roof, mirror caps, bonnet stripe
– Cordoba beige leather
– Anthracite head liner
– Convenience package
– Cold weather package
– Premium package
– Sport package
– Factory JCW kit
– Park Lane interior surface
– Chrono pack
– Rear fog lamp
– H-K sound upgrade
– Aero kit
– JCW suspension
– Anthracite JCW 18″ wheels
– CD changer
– Illuminated “S” door sills
This baby spec’d out just under $45k. Now that’s a LOADED one if I’ve ever heard of one.
If I get lucky, it’ll be a New Year’s present to myself. If not, an early birthday present.
Motor On!!!!
Hi…
This was an interesting article… I have just recently (11/11/2005) purchased a Mini that matches most of the spec on the right, without the JCW package, but it has the 18″ wheels, chrome interior, sat nav, sunroof, multi-function steering wheel, harmon kardon, etc… It’s great…
Check out the photos…
<a href="http://homepage.mac.com/gskoglind/PhotoAlbum99.html" rel="nofollow ugc">http://homepage.mac.com/gskoglind/PhotoAlbum99.html</a>
I’m in the UK, and it wasn’t cheap, but I love it!.. I was happy to see a white Mini in the example car here!…
I can’t decide if I want to add the bonnet stipes and the front lights…
Gary
Looks fantastic Gary!
I have a MCSC. Mine cost a bundle. It’s fully loaded. I don’t think it was ridiculous to spend 35k on a car I plan on enjoying for a long friggin time. Add JCW and that will take it to over 40 grand. I own cars until they are basically falling apart. I still have a car that was purchased in ’95.
I think it needs to be emphasized that if you would like to load up YOUR MINI, consider this…is it something that YOU will enjoy for a long time? Or are you just looking to make it more “valuable” as a car. If you choose the latter, you’ve lost already. Cars are not good investments. They depreciate. Spend the dough and enjoy if that’s what you want to do.