There's a new Mini Cooper S parked outside the gym I go to. It has all the Stratstone livery on it and sticker price is £23,395!
I can't believe they ask so much for what is a "Mini".
They obviously sell them but I would'nt pay more than £14k for one, regardless of any extras.
Anyone else agree?

Zips up flamesuit

 

My neighbour has a "Mini One" and had quite a lot of bother with it leaking when it rained. BMW couldn't solve it for ages. The stealer also ripped her off for an IPod connector that didn't do what it said on the tin. Car looks nice though.

 

Its about 16k for a basic Cooper S but the mini options list is as thick as the phone book.
We paid 16 for the wifes cooper but this included chili pack, tlc, chrome mirrors and a few more bits.
Residuals are high and they are great little cars so we think its worth every penny.
Nik.

 

When you look at what else you can get for £23k (including second hand etc), unless I lived in Central London or something, I'd never pay that much for a Mini.

 

You have to remember that this is the first premium car in the super-mini sector so they can get away with it, especially when you consider the residuals. The first one we had (hated it with a passion but my wife loved it) was purchased for £16.2k and sold eight months later for £15.8 and this was to a stealer so if I'd gone down the private route it may have been possible to get my money back. Not even a Golf has residuals as strong as that!

The general quality of the vehicle is far higher than most other cars in this segment (apart from a couple of areas with cheap looking plastics) and the majority of buyers are making 'lifestyle' purchases so care less for the sticker price. Wish I could get more customers like that.

 

Hey, it is a BMW

 

Hmm. Not my favourite company at present.

 

People will pay anything if they think it's trendy or fashionable, BMW know this and price this car accordingly. It may well be a terrific handling little car but it is still purely a fashion statement. Prices are beginning to drop on them to as there is a mass of them sitting in the 2nd hand market now.

These cars look "cute" and that says it all really I like the fact that lots of people hate the look of my car, makes a clear statement as in I don't give a sh*t what anyone thinks because I have a free mind

Next time you see a mini with a bloke in it I bet he has blond, spiky hair and shades on, even if it's dark

 

They can exceed 26k.
Other half rarely sells one under 22-23 these days lol But that is Surrey.

The top end ones are very nice spec I have to say, having spent a long weekend with one lol.
But I see your point.

She recently brought one over to SW8 to deliver. Second hand, 1 year old, £24,500 !
But in fairness when she parked it she did park it next to the girls dads Enzo lol

 

Good example...

MINI Cooper S Manual 2007 Mileage 3,968 .Colour Astro Black. Interior, Lea Punch Carbon Black .....£26,995

 

Looked at getting a Cooper for the wife to replace her almost 3 year old Golf GT TDi. With Chili pack it was nudging 16k and I'd have to get rid of my S3 and buy something bigger so I chickened out. Nice car but a lot of cash!

 

Lot of cash, but a lot of car, especially for its class.

 

25 K for a small hatch, BMW have it nailed down, a real coup and shows how easily the stupid are parted from their cash.

Quality ? not really that much better than anything else, a 1.6 litre Brazillian made engine.

 

If you're going to attempt to make snidey/bitchy comments, at least try to do so with a little bit of knowledge. Then MINI engines are built at Hams Hall. That'd be near Birmingham, not Sao Paulo.

 

The "Mk I" MINI One, Cooper and Cooper S use a Brazilian-built Tritec engine while the MINI One D uses a Toyota-built diesel engine. In August 2006, BMW announced that engines would in future be built in the UK, making the car essentially British-built again, with final assembly at Cowley and the body pressings being made in nearby Swindon at BMW's Swindon Pressings Ltd subsidiary.

 

Its quite clear we're talking about the R56, not the R53 model.

 

Yup I believe R56 has been mentioned numerous times now.

Nice to see it "british" built again

So glad they ditched the supercharger.
The Mini Cooper D is pretty good too
Out of interest the Mini diesel now only comes in Cooper guise no Mini One D

 

Why talk about how much it is outright. Look at how much it costs to own over 3 years. The Mini is one of the least depreciating cars on the market and consider this when you are calling people stupid for buying them.

 

I guess i must be stupid then for just buying a JCW R53



At least i like it!! Just as well really. Lols

 

Cool car mate, once the JCW bits have been done they are a lot more alive
As I have said, personally I love the Cooper S's.

Standard supercharged ones though do feel a little underpowered before the boost arrives.

 

Me too. I have an R52 JCW

 

Cooper S convertible with JCW !! So you can hear the charger scream

 

Ooohhh yes. The pop and bangs are worth putting the roof down

 

Haha nice one. Nothing like the sound outside, so where better to be than outside right on top of it

 

They may be pricey but the quality is ever present and don't forget about the 150 pound TLC option which makes for years of cheap servicing.
Nik.

 

From here: http://www.cbr.cam.ac.uk/pdf/wp295.pdf

 

Things must have changed since 2002, i can only speak about our MY07 which is spot on.

Nik

 

£39,000 for a top of the range Caterham....or £19000 for bottom of the range...they still sell as well though!!


I guess if you don't think they're worth the money ..you don't buy one...

 

I was actually giving BMW some credit. The engines were built in Brazil, as far as I am aware its related to the one in some Chryslers, Neon and possibly the PT cruiser not anything that has ever served under a BMW bonnet.

I guess people love them hence how they get away with the prices, personally I just see an overpriced, fairly compromised small car thats not actually very .nice to look at, especially the latest one, why are they making them uglier ?

Whatever floats your boat

 

I posted it as a topic for discussion not to to try putting people off buying them. In my opinion I think they are overpriced. But hats off to BMW as they must make a fortune on them!
A friend of mine worked at local BMW garage for a while. He said that there were loads of warrant issues with Minis. I guess "quality" has improved with the facelift models?

Nick