towzer

My wife's now decided that her MR2 roadster isn't practicle and wants to change cars.

We looked at a Mini Cooper and a Cooper S, though haven't had a test drive yet, but I'm not sure whether the £3K premium for the S is worth it... ie will she really notice the difference AND appreciate it?

Has any body driven both cars? If the difference is like going from a Fiesta to a Scoob then I'll probably save a bit more and go for the S, however if the difference is there but negligable then she gets the standard Cooper.

I suppose there is a hidden agenda on my part because if we go for the S then bye bye PPP for my STi UK.

Phil

Steve Perriam

the S is much much much quicker than the cooper which tbh is pretty damn slow.....the new mini is hardly very mini is it !

v overweight.

dont forget that because its a bmw the standard level of equipment in a mini is imho cr*p.

depends wot she wants.........if she wants / likes a bit of speed and ability to accelerate then i doubt she'll be happy with a standard cooper.

excellent handling on the S (only had a brief drive in my ex's standard cooper the day she got it so was not exactly pushing and hence it might be better once it had done a few miles?) and a fair turn of speed.

but in all honesty i was less than impressed with its acceleration and reckon that to be a decently rapid car (or equivalent to a 172 / type r / cupra etc) its needs the new Hartge 200bhp conversion (but bye bye warranty).

if you looking for a small hot hatch then make sure you take a look at the Clio 172 (and maybe the Cup to?)

check out www.cliosport.net for all things clio

much quicker imho than the S and with so many more extras for £14,500 on the road, or 12k for a Euro import !!

try a few different cars and see what you / she like.

zax

Currently driving a rental Mini Cooper and surprised myself by rather enjoying it I'll be trying out a CTR and hopefully a Cooper S at the weekend so can't compare at the moment. I've found the basic Cooper very "chuckable" so far, bearing in mind it's winter here, the roads are icy and it's running on spiked snow tyres. It seems to handle very well and I found myself wishing it was a bit less slippy out there. Plenty of power for these conditions but in the dry I think it might seem a bit more lethargic.

Main don't likes for me are the interior (too much shiny plastic), the seats (I just can't get the hang of the slide/tilt mechanism) and footwell space (I'm 6'6" and have plenty of headroom but it's very cramped by the pedals). Mrs Zax absolutely loves it, maybe yours will too? Waiting time could be an issue, it's 3 months for a Cooper and 6 months for a Cooper S over here...

scooby-new

The cooper is slow- if your thinking about one of them then just get the Mini One and save the extra £1000's.

If u actually want to move quickly in your mini then there is only one choice the S. I actually found the S pretty slow compared to my MY96 Turbo Wagon- in fact I left my friend for dead when he tried to follow in his.

Not so bad for around 16K ish- but there is very little room in the back or boot- so it pretty impractical.

ukhuskynox

We bought a Mini Cooper and decided against the S because of the higher Insurance and crap MPG.
Yes the car is heavy but "IF" driven properly is as much fun as a scooby or a classic mini.

So save the money for the PPP and buy a Mini Cooper

blair

If I was in your shoes I'd convince the wife that the Cooper was better value and has just as much bang for your buck as an S.

I've got a Cooper as well as a Scoob and there is no point in comparing the two cars - they are both very different machines.

The Cooper is still great fun though and is a hoot on twisty A and B roads. The Cooper S will be just as much if not more fun, but as mentioned above isn't the best cost wise.

I'd recon the best combo all round would be the Scoob with a PPP and a Cooper

Hope this helps



A

towzer

thanks for all the replies, your comments are in line with my thoughts.

We'll be test driving both cars this weekend but I'm guesing we'll end up with the standard Cooper.

Phil

cullenj

Anyone know what the current waiting list is like in the UK? Need to sort out a car for the mrs and was thinking about a mini/clio172.

Steve Perriam

better ½ was looking for new car back in nov.

when we tested the dealers Cooper S they could not have sold us that one til it was 3 months old cos of BMW rules (so she would have got it last week!)

new one at the time was April with a maybe Feb depending upon additional allocation they were expecting to hear about before xmas.....

172 was much easier as you would expect....2 local dealers both said a new standard 172 in 4-6 weeks.

not sure if this has changed for either car since mid november ?

cullenj

cheers for the info, better call in to a dealer on saturday for the latest.
James

ukhuskynox

BMW service V Renault service

I know where i'd spend my money !

andyjd

mnangrybeats

The only option which most would like in the MINI is Air-Con, the One,Cooper and S all get electric windows, ABS, Tyre pressure Warning etc..

I have owned a Cooper for 12mths & now a Cooper S which I have had for 4mths, the Cooper is slow but fun, without the optional Sports Suspension Plus it is reasonable softly sprung but is still great fun..

The Cooper S is 14.5k, however dont forget for £100 you get 5 years or 60k miles free servicing.

The Cooper S NEEDS to be fully run in before can appreciate how much better it is over the Cooper. Handle far better much more fun, less silver painted plastic in the cabin.

Ok it's not as fast as a Clio 172, but MINI does offer a better overall ownership package IMO. 3 years time the Clio will be worth bugger all and the Cooper S will have lost no where near as much IMO. Btw I have beaten a timed route I did in my TVR Cerbera in my Cooper S. Driven well it flatters the driver and inspires confidence.

Mine is going into Birds to get the Hartge conversion and 328x28mm brake conversion, 10th of Feb.

With 185bhp/ton you scooby drivers better watch out. Can we wait till its dry though :-)

[Edited by mnangrybeats - 1/23/2003 7:03:54 PM]

Steve Perriam

lol 185bhp /ton !!

think we saw pics of yours m8 ?

u posted a link to some back oct/ nov time ?

was yours the black one ? seem to remember you posting b4 in mini / 172 threads etc?

mnangrybeats

Yeah thats me next month will have better pics and some footage at Donington..

In contact with AmD and Birds Aim to get 240hp, start with the Hartge conversion first which gives about 210hp,

Pics here http://www.angrybeats.co.uk

towzer

how did you all finance your Mini's, did you use BMW finance?

Test drive is tomorrow and I'll post the results.

Phil