RE: Shed of the Week: Mini Cooper S

[s m]

Dave. said:

There was a crossover period in 2004 where they built cars with a mixture of pre and post facelift bits, mainly the grill, steering wheel, and headlights.

I ordered a 2-spoke MF steering wheel on a late 05 car
X lites would have been standard wheel as non Chilli pack but I had the 5-spoke Cooper 16” as a NCO

[Dr Interceptor]

2-spoke wheel stayed right up until the end of the R52 in 2008 on all non-packed Cooper and Cooper S's.

[Dickie-D]

I have an 03 Cooper S with the Chilli Pack. On mine, that pack did not include Dynamic Stability Control, but it did include the overly heavy 17" alloys and awful runflat tyres, both of which promote bump steer and a terrible ride quality on all but perfectly surfaced roads.

Put light 16" wheels on it and proper tyres and it makes a big difference. The brakes are weak, especially compared to a modern car, but as others have already mentioned they can be replaced with R56 MINI brakes for better stopping power.

I have never felt self-conscious getting out of a MINI. It has been the best car I have owned so far. Servicing, maintenance and repair costs have averaged £466 per year in the 14 years it has been my daily car, although I do no more than about 4,000 miles per year and it has never been on a track. I expect the R53 MINI engine will outlast my previous E30 325i Touring and build quality seems good to me, although there are some rattles from the top of the dashboard now, at 63,000 miles.

I even achieved 40 miles per gallon on the most recent tank of fuel, including a trip from London to Norfolk and back, driving sedately with my wife on board.

Most people in the know advise buying a facelift R53 model for its shorter gear ratios, preferably with an LSD too.