BMW Mini Cooper S, any good?
Discussion
vrooom said:
not good as real mini.
You must be on something! the old style Mini IMHO is a pile of sh1t compared to the New Mini.
Don't give me all that crud about the new model not being a proper Mini, your right it ain’t it's better by miles, no comparison.
If you don't believe me, go try a Mini Cooper S Works
That'll convince you.
It's ALMOST as much fun as the Chim, but without the V8 rumble.
Balmoral Green said:
All I know is that on Fifth Gear and Top Gear it was wupped by a Skoda Fabia vRS. But they're not cool, and Minis are. Seen a Cabrio?...yeah right! I couldnt stop laughing! My budget wouldnt go that far. Sorry, i've been drinking.
As a point of order, the one Top Gear compared with the Fabia was the Cooper, not the Cooper S, which has another 30 bhp or thereabouts.
Big Al. said:
not good as real mini.
You must be on something! the old style Mini IMHO is a pile of sh1t compared to the New Mini.
Don't give me all that crud about the new model not being a proper Mini, your right it ain’t it's better by miles, no comparison.
If you don't believe me, go try a Mini Cooper S Works
That'll convince you.
It's ALMOST as much fun as the Chim, but without the V8 rumble.
I've owned 6 proper mini's and driven a MINI Cooper (non S) and you are correct in that they are a more refined car generaly, and for a modern eurobox it handles very well indeed. In the smiles per mile stakes it's not even close to the original mini however, and what amazed me was how little space there was inside! There is literaly no more rear legroom than an old mini unless the driver is very short, and boot space is a joke. At least the original mini had an excuse for small inside dimensions, small outside ones!
Any good? You betcha!
I seriously considered getting one as my 'practical' car. They handle so well, go like stink, look great, and they are so cool. Only thing that put me off was the price, as an only fun car I could stretch to that, but for a 2nd car I couldn't justify spending the same money as my Chimaera.
I'm going to get a second hand 325i instead, completely different I know, but I dont need two 'fun' cars. I need a 'real' 4 seater with a big(ish) boot, so that kind of rules the Mini out. Shame though because I think it's a great car! I just love the fact that BMW had the guts to fit a supercharger to such a mainstream car!
I seriously considered getting one as my 'practical' car. They handle so well, go like stink, look great, and they are so cool. Only thing that put me off was the price, as an only fun car I could stretch to that, but for a 2nd car I couldn't justify spending the same money as my Chimaera.
I'm going to get a second hand 325i instead, completely different I know, but I dont need two 'fun' cars. I need a 'real' 4 seater with a big(ish) boot, so that kind of rules the Mini out. Shame though because I think it's a great car! I just love the fact that BMW had the guts to fit a supercharger to such a mainstream car!
hertsbiker said:
any thoughts please.. ta.
I've been lucky enough to own a couple of Porsches, BMW etc etc..
And the Cooper S is one of the best cars I have ever owned.
A truly awesome piece of kit. A quick test drive does not do it justice - when you get to own one it really gets under your skin.
I have not owned a car for longer than I have had the Cooper S, and yet I can think of no reason to change it.
Pros:
Fast.
Fun. Reliable. Full of character.
Great handling.
Dealer service is fantastic.
Really cheap to run with the TLC package.
Good residuals.
Cons:
Small fuel tank ( fill up every 200 miles or so).
Quite a harsh ride with 17' wheels and runflats.
BUY ONE !
Mr2Mike said:
There is literaly no more rear legroom than an old mini unless the driver is very short, and boot space is a joke. At least the original mini had an excuse for small inside dimensions, small outside ones!
We'll I'm a six footer! Just driven 1900 miles around France and no complaints from the two rear seat passengers both adults. Boot space is a little cramped but, buy the Mini luggage and it you'll be surprised how must you can pack in.
So, two weeks in France with 4 adults and luggage, fishing gear and SEVEN fishing rods! not bad I reckon.
And what's more BLOODY fast to boot!
hertsbiker said:
any thoughts please.. ta.
Fantastic! I have 'the works'
Pros:
Superb chassis, handles 200bhp through the front wheels and barely intervenes with traction control!
Great build quality, interior and service (free for 5 years!)
driving position is spot on.
room in the back fine.
Proper A-B pace, with lots of
Good residuals
Cons:
Not the most efficient engine (25mpg ish)
Hard ride. ditch the runflats (which I'm doing ASAP) and go for 16" wheels (which I did)
Small boot.
Expensive.
Balmoral Green said:
We'll I'm a six footer!
I remember from the old Austin-Rover sales training manual that the headroom in the 'old' Mini will accomodate a bloke of 6'4".
Anyway, its daft to make any comparisons, the only thing they have in common is four letters.
I can confirm that you can get 3 6'3" 16+ stone blokes in the back of an original mini - doesn't do the suspension any good mind
I just hope you dont live in London.
With the obvious exceptions of people in this forum, most MINI Coopers S seem to be driven very badly by a...er... how can I put this?
A certian type of person, who seem to have forgotten about other people sharing their road space. Like Bus'. And pedestrians. And other road users in expensive cars. And...
But they are nice cars, and built in Britain so they cannot be all bad!
With the obvious exceptions of people in this forum, most MINI Coopers S seem to be driven very badly by a...er... how can I put this?
A certian type of person, who seem to have forgotten about other people sharing their road space. Like Bus'. And pedestrians. And other road users in expensive cars. And...
But they are nice cars, and built in Britain so they cannot be all bad!
toppstuff said:
Has BMW fixed all the build niggles that plagued them?
Reckon so.
Overwhelming majority seem very happy.
BMW dealers seem to work very hard to handle any problems.
I'll vouch for that. Wife had a very minor oil leak with hers when it was about 3 months old and they bent over backwards to sort it out. Collected car from home and delivered it back again, and changed the offending casing as a precaution even though it was only the gasket that had weeped.
And residual values are incredible - Mrs Stuff's is 15 months old now, and allowing for spec and mileage it's worth more than we paid for it new! Ok that's forecourt price so you wouldn't get that as a trade-in, but even so.
Los Angeles said:
Thanks, Topstuff 'n Blackstuff. (Are you two related?) How about service and spare parts cost? I've heard a few scare stories for BMW owners. I ask coz my eldest daughter has arrived at car-owning age and is looking to her dad for advice, guidance and the number to my bank account, in perpetuity.
Don't know about the USA, but here in the UK BMW offer a deal called TLC ( Tender Loving Care) whereby you get 5 yrs servicing and/or 50,000 miles servicing for an upfront fee of just £100 inclusive.
5 years of ownership and an annual service for the equivalent of £20 a year !
Amazing deal.
Together with the good residuals, makes Minis the most sensible car on the market to own financially speaking.
The deal here is that when you buy one new you can pay an extra £100 (about $180) to have free servicing for 5 years, which you'd clearly be a fool not to take up. The warranty is 3 years on them too, so can't really comment about spares prices either!
That being said, when the time comes that you do need to pay for something don't expect anything to be cheap in a BMW dealership, they aren't exactly renowned for cut prices! As said earlier, the service is exemplary, but you don't get that on the cheap, though if you factor in the low depreciation it still pans out better than most alternatives.
(Not related to TopStuff - or at least not knowingly!)
That being said, when the time comes that you do need to pay for something don't expect anything to be cheap in a BMW dealership, they aren't exactly renowned for cut prices! As said earlier, the service is exemplary, but you don't get that on the cheap, though if you factor in the low depreciation it still pans out better than most alternatives.
(Not related to TopStuff - or at least not knowingly!)
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