Anyone have a Mini Cooper

What year Coopers were they, and were they S or non-S models?

Just in case you were interested further:

http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/

 

I just sold a Cooper S and it was a great car for the price.

 

I had a 04 S. I have owned many BMW cars and cycles. Build quality almost, but not quite. Great fun car that was comfortable on the interstate. I would have kept it but we had too many cars.

 

How was the gas mileage? I will be looking for a commuter car later this year and I am interested on your take...

 

The car is great around town. Easy to park and weave through traffic. I would rate it less than ideal on the highway. The suspension is pretty stiff and doesn't like road irregularities. But, in the canyons and even the track the car is alot of fun.

By the way, the gas milage is not great. I averaged just about 22 miles per gallon combined.

 

I just test drove an '07 Cooper S 6-speed today. I loved it -- hate to trot out the old 'handled like it was on rails' cliche but ... it applies.

The good:

- Driving position - lots of adjustments, and even tall guys should be able to get it about perfect
- Steering: BMW knows how to do this without overboosting
- Cornering: Not perfectly level, but impressive in this segment
- Seats: Fit me well, although I'm a lean guy
- Pedals - aluminum with rubber strips are grippy, well-positioned and look good. Dead pedal is enormous and well-positioned.
- Sunroof - best ever, no buffeting, with cool sunshades
- Instruments - you can set the speedo to appear as a digital display within the tach, which is right in front of you. Once you've got that, you appreciate the clear view over the hood to the road - no big dash cowl to spoil the sensation of speed, and...
- The car is friggin' tiny, so you feel the rush. The car's exciting at 70mph, and with more road it could probably be even better.

Less good:

- Braking was a bit touchy - probably brake-by-wire technology.
- Gears are too close: maybe because it was first drive, but it's hard to tell what gear you're shifting into. Sixth gear seemed like a highway-only gear.
- Crappy/cheap-looking armrest in the car I was driving. It's an option. I would pay to get rid of it in a manual transmission-equipped car.

I didn't drive the 'steptronic'. I'd like to, because part of the reason I need another car is for city, stop-and-go driving.

I also didn't test out the iPod interface - didn't have mine with me. I talked to the owner of an '06 (previous) model and he said it was rudimentary and not well-integrated. I'm hoping they rectified that with the '07 redesign.

 

What year is yours? I understand the 2007 model has a new engine (turbo'ed) and actually does a lot better.

 

My family has a 2005 Mini Cooper, manual tranny. Pretty good car, but we had some minor trim issues with the plastics cracking, but that was all replaced under warranty.

Also, we had a sporadic problem during the winter where the car would not rev over 3000rpm.

The suspension and road noise are my dad's main complaints. The new 2007 S we tested had a better ride than our 05 with 15" wheels.

We're actually trading it in late this month or early June for either a new S or an 07 MB C230. My dad's grateful for the value the car holds, he's getting about 3k back towards the new purchase.

 

BMW redid the interior extensively in the new model. It seemed higher quality to me. Time will tell.

 

Thanks for the first hand feedback. Later this year, I will be moving to Lafayette and my practice will stay approximately 80 miles away ONE WAY on a fairly new wide & open highway (read little traffic). Needless to say, I will be using my GFs Mazda Protege for a couple of months, and then I will be looking for something with a little more room and a little more fun to make the commute in. I have only a couple of requirements: 1.) Fun to drive (ie not boring), 2.) Good gas mileage, 3.) Will need to survive 200,000 - 300,000 miles RELIABLY, and 4.) At the end of its usable commuter car life, make a pretty decent track toy.

I am considering three options for the commute which I will be making roughly 4 times a week:

1.) I thought about the WRX STI, but I have heard that the gas mileage is not the best.

2.) I am considering the MINI because I have heard good things reliability wise, but I was hoping that it would get a little closer to 30mpg so I could justify it.

3.) I am thinking about saying Fck It and getting a Porsche 964. They can be had for really good prices and I have a good mechanic.

Thoughts? Again, your input on the Mini is VERY helpful. The Mini is the only car of the three that I have not driven.

 

Tested an '05 and it was a real blast. The '07 has a turbo and didn't try it, but the salesman complained that customers didn't like the lag it had and he was telling them to downshift whereas the supercharged cars were always on boost. What other car makes you smile everytime you see it?

 

I was unaware that one model had a turbo and the other had an s/c. Does anyone know if there is a difference in performance?

 

I drove one when they first came out. manual. S, I think (they've had those since the start, correct?)

Loved the car. Hated the plastic inner door handle. felt too cheap. ruined the hole experience... little detail, but it really bothered me.

Now I have a car that you open the door with a wire... go figure!

 

But the wire is probably hundreds of dollars, so it's OK.

 

Cajun, you don't want to commute 80 miles a way in a WRX of any type - I did a 45mile/way, 90miles a day commute for a summer in my WRX and it was too much. Granted, it was in Dallas so there was some traffic, but I just don't think it's comfortable for that length of commute, especially since you're a big guy. That's when I started looking for a freeway cruiser which lead me to get the A8. Not after putting 50,000 miles on the WRX in about 32 months.

On the flip side, those cars have an industrial quality and the only thing I did was change the oil (Mobil 1 every 8k), 6 tires (boston potholes = frequent alignment and miswear issues), and one "major" service for a few hundred. Nothing broke on the car.

If you're driving that far, you should look for a BMW 5 series or even try an 00-03 A8 or S8 ($17-30k). I've even seen 00/01 M5's for under $30k, and 01 740's and S-classes are now in the low to mid $20's. Heck even a 02/03 Cadillac DeVille you could prob get for $13-15k would be nicer for freeway driving. Treat yourself with an executive sedan for such a long commute. Besides, you need one "lawyer's car."

 

Have you thought about:

Mazdaspeed 3 - 20 MPG (EPA Estimated, so take that with a grain of salt)
Honda Civic Si - Edmunds saw 25 MPG
Volkswagon GTI - 23 MPG (EPA Estimated again)
Sentra SE-R - 24 MPG

Those are all pretty fun cars. The reliability should be good on the Civic and VW. I dont know about the MS 3 and Sentra. They are brand new cars so they havent really been proven reliable.

 

Consumer Reports:
Least reliable
Vehicles listed in scoring order, starting with the worst score.

SMALL CARS: Chevrolet Cobalt, Nissan Sentra (2006), Volkswagen Jetta (5-cyl.), Chevrolet Aveo.
FAMILY CARS: Volkswagen Passat (4-cyl.)*

 

Just offering an alternative opinion. I'm 6'3", 286 lbs. I had no issues taking my WRX up to the Sepang F1 track (it's about 250 miles one way), *and* then doing the track day for a couple of hours then heading back straightaway. And I have a bad back and neck too. The sedan is fairly comfortable for the driver and the front seat passenger (the rears are very cramped though). The STI may be harsher, but it's still livable for long drives as long as the roads are paved well.

 

I think the STI is great for the daily...its a VERY easy manual (relatively speaking) and the car can take huge miles and lots of beatings...



That being said...a 07 mini S would be great for the city...

 

my wife drives one . I keep stealing it when she is out of town . very fun car to drive . for the money , you can't beat it .

 

Scottie (thecarceirge) has a JCW manual and loves it. It has around 225 hp and he says it handles better than any car he has owned. He takes care of high end cars for a living so he has some good company to compare the car to. Plus they look cool.
BT

 

Ry,

How do those big sedans do gas wise on the highway? I never considered them because I need at least 25mpg...The thought of an M5 is TEMPTING.

It is funny that you should mention that I need a "lawyer's car"... I bought a 4wd Jeep Cherokee Classic two months ago because more and more of my PI cases are involving ATV type accidents, and oil field injuries...I am now spending just as much time jumping levees and hub deep in mud in the woods viewing accident sites as I am city driving!!!

The PI lawyers in New Orleans drive Ferraris and Lambos, we "country" PI attorneys drive 1-ton 4WD pickups and 4wd Jeeps with mud grips!!!

 

I am a owner of an 05' MCS. I have to say, its a great car to own. Pretty much everything is good. Its great around the city. The handling is just perfect for a FF car. I would recommend the car to those who want european fun for a good price.