[Evlkarl]

I had to bring my Budget Banger in for Service got some Problems with the Clear Coat on the Hatch and let them change the Oil after the Break In Period with 13ooK on the Clock. Some of you might say it is a Waste of $$$$. I am old School I do it with all my new Cars and I got the Oil Change for $ 79.00 plus Tax.

Lets get to the good Stuff now the Loaner yes the Cooper S in VO with black Top and Stripes.

Since Mini of Tempe kindly left the Window Sticker in the Trunk I will give you the Option List.

Great Way to compare it to my Mini since the S also has manual 6 Speed.

Vin Number WmWXm 7C59ET969799

MSRP $ 23 600.00

Option List

VO N/C
Leatherette Carbon Black N/C
Mini D/Cottonwood $ 350.00 no Clue what that is. Horse Hair Seats????
17 Inch Cosmos Spoke Black Rims $ 750.00 Yes I would take that Option since I like the Wheels

Heated Mirror and Washer Jets N/C
Universal Garage Door Opener $ 250.00 No Thank you my $ 49.00 Home Depo Unit will do just fine.

Rear Spoiler $ 250.00 Yes of Course love the looks of it

Bonnet Stripes in Black $ 100.00 Pass makes the Car look like a bad Eye Brow Job.

Roof and Mirror Caps N/C
Rear View Camera $ 500.00 waste of $$$$ IMHO
Auto dimming rearview Mirror $ 250.00 Pass I still got all my 10 Fingers
Center Armrest N/C Boy I hate that Thing mine does not have it woo hoo

Mini Excitement Package N/C
Mini Driving Modes N/C
Park Distance Control rear $ 500.00 Pass waste of $$ in AZ

LED Fog Lights N/C
LED Head Lights $ 750.00 Pass happy with the Standard Head Lights

Sat Radio 1 Year Free Pass got my Sat Radio for $ 20.00 on Ebay
Mini Visual Boost $ 500.00 Pass if it does not attract Birds who needs it
Enhanced BT USB N/C freebies are good
Mini Connected N/C
White turn signal light N/C
All Season Tires N/C the Car has the Run Flat Pirelli P7 205/45/17 never was a Fan of a Pirelli Tire I would get other Tires asap
Destination Charge $ 795.00 well Truck Drivers need to get paid too

Total Retail $ 29 395.00 WOW

Ok here we go 1st Impression on the 25 Mile Drive Home. Wow that Motor screams in the DSC Mode love love love it.

However the FWD pull is much more than on my F56. Not a Fan of the pull at all.

The Dual Exhaust sounds boring to me and is no pleasure to listen too. The Exhaust on the Abarth sounded mean and deep on the S safe the $$$ on Options and buy an After Market one

The Arm Rest feels flimsy to me and is on the Way would not order it.

OMG the Tire Noise on them Run Flats are awful like I said I would change them ASAP

The S is a 2014 and has 5263.6 Miles on the Clock I have to say the manual 6 Speed feels weird aka long shift throws and wackly. Could be because it is a Loaner.

The Controls next to the Shifter for the Radio etc etc what a dumb Place to put it save the $$$ order one with out all the fancy Stuff on the Display.

So there you have it my 1st Impression love the Cooper S the Engine is great but also the Car is a Noise Box with the Flat Run Tires makes my Mini sound like a Rolls Royce with them 16 Tires.

Yes my next Mini will be an S

Depends how long I will have the Loaner I will take a nice long Test Drive to see what else I love/hate about the S. I will keep you posted.

To Sum it up yes my next Mini will be an S but I think I prefer bare Bone Motoring and hey I know some of you Guys/Ladies think different no worries we all here on this Forum to share our Thoughts.

 

[02fanatic]

Old school can be a good thing! Check out pricing a new JCW without all the options most buyers pony up for on the MCS, and you may jump over into "my boat"!

A basic JCW without alot of options is an outstanding value, period! Only thing I added was driving lights, HK sound system, JCW bonnet stripes, and rear fog light...that's it....most everything else is "included" that is optional on the MCS, etc. (except the techno stuff)

I drive and listen to the engine...stereo may not even be on much of the time...I have no interest in all the hi-tech gadgetry...and I really doubt I'll miss it, since I never understood most of it anyway...my Garman GPS unit I bought with credit card rewards points 5 or 6 years ago is still in the box in my garage! I think I opened it once! I use my trusty ADC Map and Road Atlas when I go somewhere...then there's always my smart phone...all I need!

Happy Motoring,

John

 

[Evlkarl]

the Car has no Sun Roof has Chrome Head/Tail Lights forgot to post it.

 

[02fanatic]

the Car has no Sun Roof has Chrome Head/Tail Lights forgot to post it.

Love it!

I love Isettas too...the Rivolta's did the world a favor when they created the Isetta.

 

[Evlkarl]

Agreed the base JCW is a lot of Bang for the Buck. For me it is the Starting Price of 30K to get Brain/Sticker Shock. IMHO if you start with a base S and sharpen your Pencil when you order the Goodies I think the S is a lot of Car for the $$ and still a Hoot to drive. And yes much easier for the Sticker Shock minded Buyer too.

For me and my needs I love bare Bone Cars and do the Mods myself.

 

[02fanatic]

Agreed the base JCW is a lot of Bang for the Buck. For me it is the Starting Price of 30K to get Brain/Sticker Shock. IMHO if you start with a base S and sharpen your Pencil when you order the Goodies I think the S is a lot of Car for the $$ and still a Hoot to drive. And yes much easier for the Sticker Shock minded Buyer too.

For me and my needs I love bare Bone Cars and do the Mods myself.

I hear that! We built our first home for $33k in Florida in the late 70's...HA! Now, cars cost what you could build a nice new home for...we sure have come far huh?

 

[Evlkarl]

I just built an S with the Goodies for $ 27150 bare Bone green black Roof 6 Speed Sport Package 17 black Wheels plenty of Fun for the Buck.

 

[uke]

I built a bare bones S with only the Sport Package (LED lights & 17" black cosmos), Sport Suspension, and armrest. None of the fancy electronic doodads (though I did add the MINI Portable Navigation System post-purchase-- love it to death).

I go out of there with a budget MINI, compared to the beautiful specs many others on this forum have. But I'm very pleased with the car and would not change anything in the initial build.

Coming soon, JCW tuning...

 

[Evlkarl]

My Mini Dealer did not contact me yesterday to let me know when I can pick up my Car so I will be test driving the S a little longer. Boy that Bugger is noisy with them run flat Tires on old Asphalt.

 

[02fanatic]

I built a bare bones S with only the Sport Package (LED lights & 17" black cosmos), Sport Suspension, and armrest. None of the fancy electronic doodads (though I did add the MINI Portable Navigation System post-purchase-- love it to death).

I go out of there with a budget MINI, compared to the beautiful specs many others on this forum have. But I'm very pleased with the car and would not change anything in the initial build.

Coming soon, JCW tuning...

The almost endless list of options & accessories is one of the biggest advantages of the MINI, and it certainly contributes to the desirability of the MINI brand these days where almost every other kind of car is "stamped out" with certain option packages (take it or leave it)...not MINI! The MINI's ease of personalization is a major thing that makes them so great!

 

[Tiger]

Personally, I didn't find the noise from the runflats to be... there. Maybe I'm just used to the Micheliens on my truck, but the cabin sounded nice and quiet to me, and I was in there a loooong time... 5 and 6 hours at a stretch. I also love the exhaust note. I only notice it when I want to notice, but in sport mode... ohhh yes. That's the stuff. I got to go through some tunnels too... that was nice ha

As for the armrest, I dropped it into the lower position and that was the sweet spot. Can still rest my arm on it and it made using the iDrive easier too. It fit me perfectly. Different strokes and all, but for me, I'd have been unhappy if I'd not gotten the arm rest.

And you know what they say... once you go Volcanic Orange, you never....... something something

 

[Evlkarl]

Had to return the Loaner yesterday my Mini is fixed and looks like a stunning Model from VC after they fixed the imperfection in the Paint. I had a chance to take the S for a looong Test Drive on Back Roads City Highway Driving. It was a Blast and loved every Minute of it.

Pinched my Skin 3x on the Arm Rest when it was in the Up Position so no Arm Rest for me ever.:laugh:

I would have bought an S from the Start but my Dealer did not have one with the Option and Color I wanted.

Mini of Tempe has done an outstanding Job keeping me happy great Customer Service.

On the funny Side. Mini Owner must like to take Souvenirs from there Loaner Cars both Mini that I had as a Loaner had the Floor Mats and Antenna removed.

Wonder if they would have noticed if I would have switched out my 16 Inch Rims for there 17 Inch Rims???.:laugh::laugh::laugh:

 

[Tiger]

Maybe that's why my dealer added the shorty antenna and the fancier floor mats (and left me the OEM stuff) for free when I bought mine!