Mini Cooper S

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Sun 22 Sep 2002 09:14
Mini Cooper S - richard price
Any owners out there-any views on the car good or bad.
Richard Price
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Sun 22 Sep 2002 09:26
Mini Cooper S - Honestjohn
Jesse Crosse, the technical motoring journalist, bought one, in metallic baby blue and loves it. Says that the long gearing in 6th makes up for the hard ride on the motorway.

HJ
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Sun 22 Sep 2002 11:04
Mini Cooper S - Citroënian {P}
Hi Richard,

A good place to look for opinions etc on the mini is www.mini2.com

To be fair, it's mostly enthusiasts so I'm not sure of the impartiality but there are a few people there who've had problems as there are also people who love it.

Are you thinking of putting your name down for one?

Lee.
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Sun 22 Sep 2002 11:20
Mini Cooper S - Honestjohn
Thanks, Lee. A link to the mini2 user group was already in the car by car brakedown entry but no harm in adding another one.

HJ
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Tue 24 Sep 2002 21:49
Mini Cooper S - Citroënian {P}
Ah, yes - It's how I found the site in the first place!

Lee.
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Sun 29 Sep 2002 17:49
Mini Cooper S - Martin Devon
BRAKEDOWN??????
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Sun 29 Sep 2002 18:00
Mini Cooper S - Honestjohn
Re Brakedown. I never ever bother to check spellings of postings. Don't have the time.

HJ
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Sat 28 Sep 2002 15:14
Mini Cooper S - richard price
Lee,

My wife picked up here cooper s today, dark silver matallic, heated washer jet/mirrors, mutri func steering wheel, CD, sun room, and chili pack which contains a whole host of thing inc AC big wheels, on the road three years basic servicing/warranty years tax, £17128. Have driven it first impressions tight responsive car and fun to drive, if you are making a trip to the materinty ward expect baby to be born in the car, take the rolls instead.

Richard
Richard Price
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Sun 29 Sep 2002 21:17
Mini Cooper S - Citroënian {P}
Hi Richard,

Good to hear that you've got your hands on a new "S". I'd have quite liked one, but the extra outlay and increased insurance means it's out of the question for me.

It gets quite scary when you start adding those options, but it seems a lot of them are essential - I bet there's not many MINIs about without at least a SALT pack (extras bundled together).

On my travels around dealers I've seen a MINI One specced up to £17,800 with bodykit & numerous extras (a car that has a basic list of £10,300) and a Cooper "S" for £21,300 (£14,500). I think HJ is right about the used market being a nightmare - how can you compare a 17.8k car with a 10.3k? I see Parkers are already listing the Cooper and Cooper Chilli (+£1,000). It'll be interesting to see what extras retain their value.

That said, things like that matter only if you're selling the car!

Hope you all enjoy the new car, and be careful not to rack up licence points!

Lee.
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Sun 22 Sep 2002 11:48
Mini Cooper S - The Watcher
The Mini One is THE most over hyped car of the last 10 years! The Cooper S is good but value for the money? I don't think so.
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Sun 22 Sep 2002 12:33
Mini Cooper S - T Lucas
They seem to sell very well!
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Sun 22 Sep 2002 13:13
Mini Cooper S - Honestjohn
Thanks for your opinion, Watcher. Have you driven one? It's a fun car to be thought of in the same way as an MX5 or MR2 and which just happens to have the advantage of a couple of extra seats. If you think of it like that, and the fact it is almost depreciation proof, it's a bargain.

HJ
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Sun 22 Sep 2002 15:20
Mini Cooper S - Simon R
HJ
How long do think depreciation will be avoided?

The Cooper S needs about £1500 of extras to make it really desirable which then doesn't make it such a bargain. A Clio 172 or 206 GTi on import would be more car for the money, and 2 year ownership costs would be comparable?
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Sun 22 Sep 2002 15:53
Mini Cooper S - Honestjohn
But neither the Clio 172 or 206 GTi 180 carry anything like the status of a MINI Cooper S. That's the key to low depreciation: producing a car that everyone wants and not everyone can have.

HJ
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Sun 22 Sep 2002 16:29
Mini Cooper S - Steve G
With BMW's TLC package (5 years free servicing) and rock solid residuals the new Mini is a great buy. Just make sure you buy the essential extra's for easy resale.
My mother has a Cooper, very pleased with it.
The dealers seem very good as well, she has received several phone calls just to check if everything was OK.
As a Alfa Romeo owner this makes me so jealous ;-)
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Mon 23 Sep 2002 22:12
Mini Cooper S - Pugugly {P}
I have to take courage in both hands here......

Did anybody read the Sunday Times Motoring Section with the withering account of an owner's Cooper and its faults.

SWMBO owns a MINI which has been near perfect in its first couple of months. (yes - it has been soundly thrashed more than once). I am a BMWophile and my company has spent the GNP of a small nation on this brand in the last ten years so I am deeply biased.

Then interesting thing is the ST owner went out and bought another.//////.....

I agree with HJ- the only people who think this car is over-hyped are the ones that have never driven one....go on, treat yorself, pop down your local dealer....
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Sun 29 Sep 2002 21:26
Mini Cooper S - The Watcher
My main comment was about the Mini One and the fact that IF the car had a Rover badge on it, people wouldn't be falling over themselves to get one or writing rave reviews. That in a nutshell is what hype is.

As for those saying but it isnt a Rover, isn't it? imho it virtually IS a Rover car in all but name.

No, I haven't driven a One or Cooper but that doesn't mean I don't recognise hype when I see it.
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Sun 29 Sep 2002 21:46
Mini Cooper S - Citroënian {P}
Hype.

I've gonna get into trouble for this, but as I sat behind a Yellow MG ZR or whatever they're calling the 214 / Civic(+3 generations) it struck me that they make some horrible cars these days.

That is quite possibly down to BMW who used the company and ran off with one of its best brands. Or it was down to British Aerospace who did nothing with the company. Or was it down to poor management who decided to ditch the link with Honda. Or was it down to an ailment born of the troubles in the 70s?

But then who cares? Your point is that if it had a Rover badge on it, no-one would be falling over themselves to get one. I agree with you completely. The state Rover finds itself in means that a new Mini would probably be a Metro/114 with a new badge a large body kit or another incarnation of the 214. And wouldn't be half the car it is.

Watcher wrote:
>>imho it virtually IS a Rover car in all but name

It's the car we'd all love Rover to be building but they've not had the investment capability to develop it. BMW have, and they've done a good job so far as I can tell. They're at least building it in the UK.

There has been a lot of hype over the MINI, but that's because BWM have probably invested the GDP of a small country to raise its profile.

But don't write the car off as simply hype. Drive one and realise that it is fun, to drive, to sit in and to look at. It has been well promoted (hyped), but underneath the shiny brochures and clothing displays it is an excellent car.

Lee.
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