RE: Mini 1499 GT announced
Discussion
300bhp/ton said:
I think you are simplifying to the point of not being rational.
Not every buyer will get a discount. And there is nothing to say there won’t be discounts on this model too. A dealer can always adjust their margin if they so want.
And some people will care about looks more than go. As for £2k difference. Which is probably unlikely for a given scenario. Unless you are paying cash, is probably not much of a difference. Maybe £500 more deposit and £10/month on finance. If that.
So paying more for a worse car is fine?Not every buyer will get a discount. And there is nothing to say there won’t be discounts on this model too. A dealer can always adjust their margin if they so want.
And some people will care about looks more than go. As for £2k difference. Which is probably unlikely for a given scenario. Unless you are paying cash, is probably not much of a difference. Maybe £500 more deposit and £10/month on finance. If that.
Mr2Mike said:
So paying more for a worse car is fine?
More for a different car surely. Worse means huge personal bias. Which is silly to introduce as a valid point. It really doesn’t take much to spec a Cooper to more than the price of a base model Cooper S. Yet plenty of people still buy Coopers.
This is true for most car manufactures ranges.
300bhp/ton said:
More for a different car surely.
More for a lower specification car with a few extra bits that in no possible way represent value for the additional cost.300bhp/ton said:
Worse means huge personal bias. Which is silly to introduce as a valid point.
Worse means worse. A lower spec car is fine, unless you are paying more for it than a better one, in which case it becomes 'worse'.Holy thread resurrection! Somehow this car passed me by and I saw one for the first time the other day and wasn't sure what it was! I assumed it was based on the Cooper but it seems like it's based on the One, so less power but then the 1970s 1275 GT wasn't hotter than a Cooper either, so I guess that makes sense. However, as the owner of an R56 Cooper, I've never been a huge fan of how the F56 MINI looks. It's a bit beaky at the front, the rear lights seem a bit big and the interior has lost a bit of the character of the R56. However, it does supposedly address many of the issues that I have with my R56. It's a bit more spacious in the rear, bigger boot, smoother ride etc. My R56 is getting a little tired and I'm considering replacing it. My first thought was a Fiesta ST. However, the new one is going to be 19k+ and I think the front and rear styling has lost a little crispness. I think that the 5 door actually looks better than the 3 door and I would prefer a 3 door. The old ST is of course cheap and plentiful but I hear that they have a tendency to not be where you left them and being quite common, depreciation over the 2-3 years that I would intend to keep it could be high. The new VW Up GTi is also an option but it seems that there is quite a waiting list and some of the reviews seem to suggest that it's not quite as good as it should have been. Fiat 500 Abarth is the other option and I expect it would be a hoot in a lairy Uno Turbo kind of way but having previously had a 500 (albeit an early 1.2) on the fleet, the handling and ride of the MINI are in a different league.
I actually like the way this 1499 GT looks. The black and gold colour scheme is pretty cool in a 1970s Esprit JPS/Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am kind of way! The JCW body kit, black wheels and JCW interior also enhance the look of the car (and a lot of the appeal of the MINI is in the styling). I get what people are saying about the Cooper/Cooper S being better value but even a basic Cooper S looks a bit s*** both outside and in, so you're going to have to spend the money to get one that looks decent. The comparison between my R56 Cooper and this 1499 GT is an interesting one. My car wins on most of the "Top Trumps" figures (power, top speed, 0-60 etc) but the 1499 GT is actually a bit lighter and has 20% more torque, so I wonder whether it would feel just as lively if not more so? Mine's a fairly basic spec Cooper. It has 16 inch alloys which I don't love the design of (in fact I think I actually prefer the look of it on its black 15 in steelies and winter tyres)! I have faux leather seats but no heaters, so a fairly basic interior, the seats aren't that amazing, although I do like the dash. I love the car but the engine is probably the weakest link. It's happy enough to rev but not as sweet as say a Honda VTEC at high revs and not much get up and go in 5th/6th. With a bit more mid-range turbocharged torque, the 1499 GT might be different and the limited nature of the car ought to mean lowish depreciation. I would probably be sold if it had the "Cooper" level of tune but surely that power can be unlocked through a cheap remap?
I actually like the way this 1499 GT looks. The black and gold colour scheme is pretty cool in a 1970s Esprit JPS/Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am kind of way! The JCW body kit, black wheels and JCW interior also enhance the look of the car (and a lot of the appeal of the MINI is in the styling). I get what people are saying about the Cooper/Cooper S being better value but even a basic Cooper S looks a bit s*** both outside and in, so you're going to have to spend the money to get one that looks decent. The comparison between my R56 Cooper and this 1499 GT is an interesting one. My car wins on most of the "Top Trumps" figures (power, top speed, 0-60 etc) but the 1499 GT is actually a bit lighter and has 20% more torque, so I wonder whether it would feel just as lively if not more so? Mine's a fairly basic spec Cooper. It has 16 inch alloys which I don't love the design of (in fact I think I actually prefer the look of it on its black 15 in steelies and winter tyres)! I have faux leather seats but no heaters, so a fairly basic interior, the seats aren't that amazing, although I do like the dash. I love the car but the engine is probably the weakest link. It's happy enough to rev but not as sweet as say a Honda VTEC at high revs and not much get up and go in 5th/6th. With a bit more mid-range turbocharged torque, the 1499 GT might be different and the limited nature of the car ought to mean lowish depreciation. I would probably be sold if it had the "Cooper" level of tune but surely that power can be unlocked through a cheap remap?
Krikkit said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Why buy a low powered Mini and tune it, when there are higher powered Minis to buy?
Because you like the styling, equipment and price of a special edition like this?cerb4.5lee said:
Those figures pretty much mirror the standard 2 litre Cooper S now. Impressive stuff.
A month or so ago, I had a 5,000 mile, 18 plate, Cooper S as a loan car from my BMW dealer while my 5 series was in for a service. It handled well, but felt flat as a pancake performance wise. It really was quite disappointing overall.
schmalex said:
cerb4.5lee said:
Those figures pretty much mirror the standard 2 litre Cooper S now. Impressive stuff.
A month or so ago, I had a 5,000 mile, 18 plate, Cooper S as a loan car from my BMW dealer while my 5 series was in for a service. It handled well, but felt flat as a pancake performance wise. It really was quite disappointing overall.
If it was the facelift you drove then I have read a few poor reviews of it, I believe the Turbo has been changed(not for the better), and its also gained 100kg of weight for some crazy reason.
Mine is the pre facelift 2017 model and while its not quick it does feel peppy even at very low revs. I'm used to driving a Mercedes GLC350d though weighing 1890kg, so the Mini always feels light and nimble after I've been in that.
schmalex said:
cerb4.5lee said:
Those figures pretty much mirror the standard 2 litre Cooper S now. Impressive stuff.
A month or so ago, I had a 5,000 mile, 18 plate, Cooper S as a loan car from my BMW dealer while my 5 series was in for a service. It handled well, but felt flat as a pancake performance wise. It really was quite disappointing overall.
schmalex said:
A month or so ago, I had a 5,000 mile, 18 plate, Cooper S as a loan car from my BMW dealer while my 5 series was in for a service.
It handled well, but felt flat as a pancake performance wise. It really was quite disappointing overall.
I haven't tried the latest MCS but I've always thought they look a little slow on paper relative to the power and weightIt handled well, but felt flat as a pancake performance wise. It really was quite disappointing overall.
I think the normal Cooper is probably the sweetspot of the range, driven a couple of them and they go very nicely with warm hatch levels of performance. The 1499 GT seemed a little pointless as it costs the same but has a detuned engine.
The original was my first car, that one car could have so many coolant related problems was a surprise and an education in swearing.
Was a lot of fun and felt a little special to me at the time.
The new one doesn't look right, there was an image of a square nosed one posted that looks far better.
Was a lot of fun and felt a little special to me at the time.
The new one doesn't look right, there was an image of a square nosed one posted that looks far better.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff