powerwrx

iTrader: (11)

hi all, maybe looking at getting a mini cooper S so i thought ide just see what you all thought of them, good or bad points

RMA26

Brothers bird has one, go like stink but a bit of a birds car if you ask me

Leslie

I have got the straight Cooper. Mrs Leslie and I were impressed as soon as we first drove it. The handling is as good as you will find in a roadgoing car, it is surprisingly roomy inside, comfortable to drive and easy to find a parking place. Surprising how much you can load in the back with the rear seats flat too. Its good for long distance driving too.

All my friends have been impressed as soon as they rode in or drove it, and the S will go like a rocket too!

Les

53

iTrader: (41)

In light of recent events, I think the Cooper S still screams 'Steal Me'

skinters

My friend has the cooper and is always moaning that it's a gutless dowdy engine.

But the cooper S looks like a proper little hot hatch.

powerwrx

iTrader: (11)

hmmmm do you reckon

Hoppy

Drove an S Works the other day and was very impressed. Best of the quick hot-hatches - fast and fun to drive. Bit of torque steer with 211bhp. But I don't like torque steer, I don't like the wacky image which has now gone way beyond the original IMHO with all those silly vents and frills, and the prices are just too high in today's market.

Also tried a Corsa VXR which I really liked the look of, but nothing much else. Was going to have a go in the new Clio but knew it would be a waste of time for me, even though it is probably the best of the bunch overall.

Then I tried a Golf R32. DSG box. Just fab. Not Scooby fast, but soooo refined. Two year old cars are advertised around £15k now (that's 50% of new) pretty sure they will drop to £12k post Xmas - most folks with a gas-guzzler or performance car to sell are still in denial right now.

It's a great time to buy.

Richard.

53

iTrader: (41)

Avoid anything obviously aspirational IMHO.

.....or keep the scoob.

Leslie

No more likely to get nicked than any other good car.

Its true the straight Cooper is not that pokey, but you should try an S to help you decide. At least I get over 40 mpg.

Les

Flatcapdriver

Depends. Are you referring to the R53 or R56 as they're worlds apart in terms of refinement, running costs and driveability.

R53:

Handling is pretty good although it suffers from bouncy/crashy ride partly attributable to the RFTs BMW insist on fitting. Good direct steering feel.
Engine - good torque but unrefined with the supercharger whine making it sound like a food blender plus woeful fuel economy.
Interior - good quality although there are numerous horror stories involving electric windows/PAS, particularly on early models. Interior space/packaging is a disgrace.

R56:

Handling improved, partly due to latest generation of RFTs but still not great and whilst the car has lost some of its steering feel overall a big improvement on the R53.
Engine - a gem. You wouldn't know it was turbocharged if you weren't told - no lag, plenty of torque and big difference to anything Subaru manufacture combined with good fuel economy.
Interior - packaging still poor due to lack of space but a big improvement over the R53 in terms of switchgear/refinement.

I'd say all the disappointments of the R53 have been identified and improved with the R56 with the possible exception of the steering which is a good thing given how poor the R53 was in key areas.

hodgy0_2

or even the original, like my 970s circa 1964

Flatcapdriver

That's in good condition. Did you restore it yourself?

Shark Man

I must admit, if anyone has looked at how a new Mini is built underneath, one can really appreciate how good this chassis is. When compared to other similar sized car, the chassis itself is in a league of its own.

I prefered the supercharged one, in-gear throttle response is slightly better than the turbo, plus the noise is very retro to the gearbox in old minis. Although later cars are better inside quality-wise.

Having said all that, I couldn't commit. Its just too estate agent/girly, and this comming from someone who generally doesn't consider image as a deciding factor.

Pity really seeing that the front end of the car is a single section. I really am amazed nobody has come up with any cool front-end body conversions. As its crying out for it IMO.

wolfie28

The wife owned a Cooper S for 3 years and absolutely loved it and so did I. Different driving experience to the Scoob, more go-kart like handling and no in gear lag. She sold it last year to buy a bigger car but she really misses it. We took a new Cooper S (now turbocharged) for a test drive last weekend and she fell in love again , infact she's going to buy one next year in yellow . The new model is more refined but still great to drive, very little turbo lag and the gear change is much improved.

My opinion - Good:

Quick, excellent handling, very responsive, massive option list so you can personalize the car to your taste, Harmon Kardon stereo upgrade sounds superb, TLC package (servicing package - £150 for 5 years servicing), holds value reasonably well and reliable.

My opinion - Bad:

Very girly, expensive, poor level of standard equipment, interior not to everyones taste, pedals a little close together, runflat tyres (when worn out replace with normal tyres but carry some way of emergency inflating the tyre as there is no spare), gear change notchy and can be skittish when pushing on in the wet/damp.

A few pictures of the old Mini.




Hope this helps.

Wolfie.

hodgy0_2

most of the mechanicals i do -- but bodywork, and painting not really, best left to the professional’s imo

the "new" mini gets a fair bit of stick from the "mini classic" beardy brigade but I,ve always thought it was fantastic and worthy update to the original

although do think that the scoops and vents of the S are a bit ott

(not driven one so cant comment on driving dynamics etc)

great rallying pedigree too, Mini coopers won outright, the Monte Carlo rally in 1964,65,66,67

53

iTrader: (41)

Unless you are selling your scoob cause someone kicked your door down to steal it. Cooper S's regardless of how they drive have steal apeal.

The one above is a case in point, gorgeous ! and very attractive

drb5

iTrader: (4)

https://www.scoobynet.com/private-sa...ml#post8070361

Flatcapdriver

That is good value. I just chopped in a '56 plate MCS for a JCW and its now on the forecourt for £13.5k with 30k on the clock.

ScoobyDriverWannabe

Theres always the GP aswell if you can live with only 2 seats


supose their an aquired taste though

Shark Man

You are probably in the same circles as the guy who works down the road from me. Having a garage full of concours minis, from a Worsley hornet to a Downton. All of which are pretty much as-new condition.

I think the new mini's worst thing is its identity. As a car in its own right its superb (especially in the small car class), if it was given a different name and differernt bodystyle it could have gained impressive credit without pretending to be something its not (a mini).

hodgy0_2

aha Downtown -- the STI of the 60's mini

yes -- your prob right re identity (seems to be what rankles the pipe and slippers brigade)

i've just always thought it looked like a cracking little car, bit different

Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

Got a mate who has just had his Mini Cooper S tuned to 245 BHP, and it is quite impressive.
Got the diff, bigger intercooler etc etc..........

Still would not trade it for mine................

Rill

She-who-must-be-obeyed has got an R56 Mini Cooper S JCW ....I was a little dubious about her getting one right up to the point I took it for a test drive! Awesome motor, true german build quality, great fun, just like a road legal go-kart.

My only criticism is that it does tend to tram-line a bit, I think due to a combination of the 18 inch alloys, sporty suspension setup and bloomin' run flat tyres.

Jamescsti

I drove past the Mini Garage in Bradford yesterday, had bucket loads of Cooper S Mini's on the front of the forecourt in every colour imaginable, has the market suddenly dropped on these? Or do people just prefer the Cooper?
Just wondering

crofty

I have a 2003 cooper s at the mo, in black with all the bits, including the superb Harmon Kardon hifi, I have ditched the hideous run flat tyres in favour of some Goodyear GSD3s which has transformed the ride and handling.

I have also had the excellent GTT 220bhp kit fitted and its now a little flying machine, thats handles like a go kart, and is huge fun

My only criticism is the fuel consumption 27mpg at best.

Rill

Might get rid of the run-flats on my wife's mini but my only concern is that her car doesn't have a spare wheel. What are you doing with regards to a spare, a can of that tyre sealent stuff?

crofty

Got one of the "Slime" kits, which includes tyre sealant and a compressor, worth the risk for the improvement in ride and handling imo.

Rill

Thanks crofty, I'll look into it.

Mikee

My 05 Cooper S in hyper blue goes on autotrader tomorrow, they are an absolute hoot. It's my wife's main car and she absolutely loves it ( I'm hoping she'll love the baby too when it arrives in may).
I'm sure we can all remember the cheeky smile that arrived on our faces when we got our hands on the scoob for the first time...it's like that- just smaller and not quite as quick. Mine has all the toys too which makes it a nice place to be on the road.
There are few cars I'd recommend in this genre but these cars are fantastic- that's precicesly why we got one! If anyone is interested then PM me! Good luck Powerwrx, hope you enjoy yours as much as we have ours!

Mikee

My friend has just got rid of the runflats- says it has totally transformed the car...much much better.