Sorry about this way off topic thread. My mom needs to get rid of here VW Beetle convertible, it's getting that point where it's going to be a headache as far as maintenance and reliability is concerned. I'd love to put her in a Honda, but she just doesn't see any convertible model that appeals to here (she ain't drivin' no S2000). She really is attracted to the Mini Cooper convertible.

I come to this forum to ask for unbiased opinions on the vehicle as far as reliability and maintenance is concerned. I know not many of you may own one, but maybe some may know of others who own one and can give me there 2 cents.

She plans on getting the Cooper S with an automatic transmission.

Also, if anybody here has any inside contact info at a dealer in the DC Metro area, that is always a plus. But I was also told that they don't budge on there prices.

Thank you,

AJ

 

Of course she should drive one first but the Cooper Cabriolet is one of the worst visibility cars I have ever driven. With the top up, the C pillar is super wide and the rear window is quite small and additionally the rear seat headrests cut out much of that. With the top down, the rear seat headrests are still very much in the way.

The Cooper S also comes with the run-flat tires and and the package has a pretty harsh ride for most of the non sporty car public. That is why the Koni FSD dampers are selling so well for the Mini is because ride quality is the leading JD Power complaint on the Mini. Any truck space is mini-scule, pardon the pun. It is a very fun little car though. The regular Cooper non S rides much better and they have softened the '05 and '06 models from earlier years for better ride but they sacrificed handling to get it.

It is a great little car for the right person. I'd love to have a new Mini but as a #3 or #4 toy car and not a primary family ride at a $25K-ish pricetag.

 

Dare I say it? What about the PT Turbo Convertible? *runs away*

 

I can't say anything about the convertible, but both of my Dad's Cooper S's have been very reliable and problem free. The run-flats are an issue if you want to push the car, and the ride is a bit stiff. I think it's pretty comfy, but I'm also used to riding in a stripped out hatch with Buddy Club RSDs One thing you will want to consider is location of the nearest Mini dealer. There's the one in Towson I know, I don't know where any other ones are. That might be a bit of a haul for maintenance or if anything breaks. To my knowledge, regular BMW dealers will not work on them.

 

What about chassis flexing with the softtop or does she care about that?

John Cooper Works package for the win!

 

They're pretty reliable now. The downside is that maintenance/parts/labor costs are extremely high once it's out of warranty though - partly because of the complexity and lack of space in the engine bay.

This is a car where a clutch change costs $1500+ just in labor.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Newkleus &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What about chassis flexing with the softtop or does she care about that? </TD></TR></TABLE>
When we did some ride testing over rough roads, the Mini cabriolet seemed pretty solid with less cowl shake than a number of other open cars I have dealt with. Obviously more than the hardtop Mini but not what I would call a problem really. As a closed car driver normally, I have a pretty limited tolerance for open cars with much cowl shake (I hate a vibrating rear view mirror that distorts your vision) and the Mini didn't bother me there.

 

Great OT AJ. I'm waiting for my daily driver to die so I can rationalize buying a Mini. Why is your mom looking at the "S" and what is the general concensus about the "S"?

Is it worth the money, does it make it unreliable? etc

 

Hey AJ, (long time, no speak...)

It's been a while since I've driven one, but the thing that really annoyed me about the Mini in general was height adjustment on the seats. They pivot from the front. So if you're mom is short, say like 5'5" or shorter, the seat position might be a little weird.

 

My mom is 5'6" and just jacks it up all the way. No issues then.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SpiceyRice &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Great OT AJ. I'm waiting for my daily driver to die so I can rationalize buying a Mini. Why is your mom looking at the "S" and what is the general concensus about the "S"?

Is it worth the money, does it make it unreliable? etc</TD></TR></TABLE>

If you are serious about the car, I think the supercharger is a must but you will need to live with the poorer ride quality. Not to slam the non-supercharged H Stock autocrossers but everytime I drive one, I can only think "great car that needs more power, no wonder they put a blower on the S".

Most moms might be more concerned about the ride over a blower but otherwise the S would be my only consideration.

 

http://www.motoringfile.com/20...drive

 

I think my mom won't care about chassis flex...not a huge priority issue.

She wants the "S" for more "oomph".

I never thought about the seat adjustment. She is 5'0". visibility might be a problem for her.

I think the best thing for her to do, if she were to purchase one, is to drive it until the warranty is over, then get something else. For her...it's all about image.

I appreciate all the input from everybody. I'll pass the info along to her. She might be going to the dealership this weekend.

Thanks again,

AJ

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Newkleus &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What about chassis flexing with the softtop or does she care about that?

John Cooper Works package for the win!</TD></TR></TABLE>

If you havent driven a mini convertible or the works package, why are you even commenting on the issue?

 

Driven my friends new MCS JCW car around the block. Felt like a go kart around a turn (only a few fast cars I've driven).... (I did not push the car to the limit(the mini) but it was stable with a harsh ride. I did notice it to creek when pulling into the driveway. His old MCS had a huge sunroof. Did you ever think of the coupe with the sunroof?

 

All the hardtops have "sunroofs".

 

I test-drove a Mini S convertible and hardtop a couple of months ago when i briefly considered going to Stock class autox. The dealer only had an auto hardtop so i tried the ragtop with the manual, to get a feel. Honestly, it's a decent car, but it feels like it's put together like POS. Shakes, ratlles galore. The shifter feels like something on a 20yr old VW. Engine revs like it has a 75lb flywheel. It has a decent, linear power band, just enough to keep you honest. I dont want to imagine what the base engine feels like. Overall, seriously disappointed with the car. But then again, if style matters over substance, it would fit the bill.

Now, immediately after i test-drove the 2006 MX-5 with the sport package. Now we're talking. Here's a car that I would run at an auto-x and daily drive anytime. The body and interior felt like it was a million times tighter than the Mini. Not a single shake or rattle. NICELY damped suspension. EASILY better ride AND handling. It actually feels more "BMW" tight than a Mini ever dreams of being. And the shifter on the Miata is just pure sex. Nice, free-revving engine and better performance. Damn, i was short-sifting the thing through 6 gears just for the pure pleasure of it. Man, for less money than the Mini S ragtop, for me it's a no brainer. And did i mention the shifter? I wanna have sex with that shifter. Now, if there's a need to carry 4 people and drive it in the snow, now that's another story...

Anyways, the usual disclaimers apply here: take it FWIW, YMMV, etc, etc...

 

My Dad says his Cooper S Works is the single best car he's ever owned. This from a guy whose owned all the pony cars, vettes, Formula Atlantic's and Fords and a couple SRF.

He LOVES the Cooper S x 10.

He swears my daughter will take it with her to college someday. She's currently two.

FWIW- It handled good and did have okay power but I wasn't gonna romp Dad's car too much.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jsi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">IShakes, ratlles galore. The shifter feels like something on a 20yr old VW. Engine revs like it has a 75lb flywheel. It has a decent, linear power band, just enough to keep you honest.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

I considered one for a while.. but i had all the same complaints. The interior is very cheap feeling, the plastics scratch easily and dont feel put together very well. That and the stupid *** speedometer. Shame the car looks so neat on the outside and handles so well.

 

The flywheel is this ginormously heavy dual-mass unit, so I understand everyone's complaint with that. The interior of our cars have been very good though, and the shifter has been very nice, if not quite as precise as the one in my hatch. I'll agree on the cheapy plastic feel, but they're not rattling or anything. Then again, I do have a less-than-reputable opinion on interiors...my dusty and dirty stock interior works just fine for me

And the speedometer thing, who ever looks at their speedometer when they're driving a car like that?
(&lt;----every member of our family has gotten a speeding ticket in the Mini...)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sscguy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The flywheel is this ginormously heavy dual-mass unit, so I understand everyone's complaint with that. The interior of our cars have been very good though, and the shifter has been very nice, if not quite as precise as the one in my hatch. I'll agree on the cheapy plastic feel, but they're not rattling or anything. Then again, I do have a less-than-reputable opinion on interiors...my dusty and dirty stock interior works just fine for me

And the speedometer thing, who ever looks at their speedometer when they're driving a car like that?
(&lt;----every member of our family has gotten a speeding ticket in the Mini...)</TD></TR></TABLE>
Sunroof is optional
Also you can make it so the Speedometer is displayed in the LCD on the Tach

 

Are those new options for '06 or something? The sunroof was absolutely NOT an option when we got ours, and there was nothing about the speedometer.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sscguy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Are those new options for '06 or something? The sunroof was absolutely NOT an option when we got ours, and there was nothing about the speedometer.</TD></TR></TABLE>
I have driven a pair of non-sunroof hard top MCS, one an '04 and one and '05. In fact, I don't think I have driven a sunroof Mini. Could be that was just what the dealer had or was pushing to sell, dressed with the options.

To the '06 MX5 nee Miata, I have heard good things about it until you put on soft compound autocross rubber then the car gets floppy and flacid and basically undrivable from what I have been told by three national level Miata autcrossers. We have already taken that into effect for our prototype MX5 Koni dampers that we have built. Now we are looking for a car to test it on, seems like autocrossers are jumping ship from this new chassis pretty quickly and it is hard to find a car.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CRX Lee &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have driven a pair of non-sunroof hard top MCS, one an '04 and one and '05. In fact, I don't think I have driven a sunroof Mini. Could be that was just what the dealer had or was pushing to sell, dressed with the options.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Bastards!