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OT - MINI Coopers
- Thread starter Gonz
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2005
- Messages
- 9,772
My boss drives a Cooper "S" and it's a pretty sweet ride. His is loaded; has the GPS screen, etc...all the toys. Feels fast and feels like it really handles. He's really happy with his.
One issue - there was a fuel injection software issue with some of them; not sure of the particulars but he did just get an OEM software upgrade that seems to have taken care of the problem. I believe it was a really bad off idle stumble when cold but he claims the software upgrade made it go away.
No real way to know about long term reliability as they are relatively new cars. However, in PDX they are sold by a very well known BMW dealer (where the wife's X3 came from) and they are fantastic, customer service wise. So, with their support, I'd say the long term prospects are pretty good.
Good Luck - B.B.S.
One issue - there was a fuel injection software issue with some of them; not sure of the particulars but he did just get an OEM software upgrade that seems to have taken care of the problem. I believe it was a really bad off idle stumble when cold but he claims the software upgrade made it go away.
No real way to know about long term reliability as they are relatively new cars. However, in PDX they are sold by a very well known BMW dealer (where the wife's X3 came from) and they are fantastic, customer service wise. So, with their support, I'd say the long term prospects are pretty good.
Good Luck - B.B.S.
CoventryCat86
Corresponding authority
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2003
- Messages
- 12,599
I like them!! Well, I'm kinda partial to them because the OLD Mini Coopers were British. :laugh:
I think BMW owns the name now and they're made in Germany so that's good! :thumbs:
People who I know who have them love them. Fortunately, they're not that expensive.
I think BMW owns the name now and they're made in Germany so that's good! :thumbs:
People who I know who have them love them. Fortunately, they're not that expensive.
BMW owns the Mini name. They design them and build some of the parts in Germany, source some of the others and build some of the parts in England. They're basically a German car in the end. They get assembled in England, Oxford to be specific.
Look sporty and are fun to drive. They also handle as well as front wheel drive car can be reasonably expected to.
In the end, I don't like them. They're front wheel drive, they cost a bit too much for what they are and I've got my eye on other, imo, better alternatives in that price range. Of course in the Mini Cooper price range I don't believe in buying a car new. I'd rather get a nicer and faster used car for 10-15k with the excess to fix it if there are any problems (like say a 94 or 95 BMW 540i) than get a nice equipped Cooper S for 25k.
Look sporty and are fun to drive. They also handle as well as front wheel drive car can be reasonably expected to.
In the end, I don't like them. They're front wheel drive, they cost a bit too much for what they are and I've got my eye on other, imo, better alternatives in that price range. Of course in the Mini Cooper price range I don't believe in buying a car new. I'd rather get a nicer and faster used car for 10-15k with the excess to fix it if there are any problems (like say a 94 or 95 BMW 540i) than get a nice equipped Cooper S for 25k.
Charles U Farley
New Member
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2005
- Messages
- 39
Had one. 2005 Cooper S. The wife drove it. You could practically fit it in the bed of my Avalanche. It was fun and peppy, I loved the 6 speed. The only problem was the novelty wore off for me early on. In the end, it was entirely too small.
Got rid of it and bought a 3 series.
*edit*
I will say they hold their value quite well. We had been looking for one for quite some time and was amazed at the prices they were going for. 2002's and 3's were going for ~$21k with 30k miles. We shrugged our shoulders and bought a cooper S from the dealer downtown for $22k with all of 2.5 miles on the odometer (damn test drive).
Got rid of it and bought a 3 series.
*edit*
I will say they hold their value quite well. We had been looking for one for quite some time and was amazed at the prices they were going for. 2002's and 3's were going for ~$21k with 30k miles. We shrugged our shoulders and bought a cooper S from the dealer downtown for $22k with all of 2.5 miles on the odometer (damn test drive).
knightlaird
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2005
- Messages
- 433
Greetings! Yes, the MINI Cooper is a fine vehicle, but I believe that there are better cars out there for the money. Personally, I am awaiting the arrival of the 2007 Nissan Versa at Nissan dealerships later this year. Haha! Seriously, based on the research that I have seen, the Versa appears to be a great vehicle for the money. We shall see. Regards, knightlaird
Zeebra
Daddy still loves Padrón!
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2005
- Messages
- 2,024
My wife's cousin is a mini cooper nutcase. Guy's part of some local mini owners group in L.A. and is all over internet forums on the mini. Kinda like cigar forum members maybe? 
I like the way they look, however I doubt it would be practical with a baby car seat in the back
I like the way they look, however I doubt it would be practical with a baby car seat in the back
CC, do you know for sure these are assembled in Germany? I'm staying at a hotel in Greenville, SC, where BMW assmebles the X5 and Z4. Most of the guys who drive the car haulers stay at the hotel here. A lot of them drive trucks loaded with Mini's and Z4's. I imagine they're shipped to the Port of Charleston if they're made overseas, but it doesn't make much sense to me why they'd have Mini's and Z4's almost always on the same trucks...
Edit: Gonz, I don't think this is off topic. This forum is for discussion of anything but cigars, so the only thing off topic would be the discussion of cigars.
Edit: Gonz, I don't think this is off topic. This forum is for discussion of anything but cigars, so the only thing off topic would be the discussion of cigars.
Gonz
Ultra Runner
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2005
- Messages
- 4,827
According to the MINI website, and a window sticker I saw on one of the cars at the dealer, they are assembled at the BMW Group Plant in Oxford UK. The parts configuration was something like 18% german, a very low amount US and the rest UK.
I'd have to check, but it's likely that the Z4's are made at the Oxford plant as well, and I know for a fact they Charleston is one of the ports of entry for the MINI.
Once your order is placed for your MINI, you get the VIN and some other tracking number. You can track it's birth on the MINI website throughout production, and then you can find out what ship it's been placed on, and via some other website you can track the location of that ship while it crosses the Atlantic (and on through the Panama Canal if your car is being delivered to CA). These folks on one of the online forums that I've been lurking at are way further off the deep end than we are!
Specifically the one we're looking at is the MINI Cooper S with the John Cooper Works kit, which bumps the horsepower up to 207 with a better supercharge and air intake, better suspension, and upgraded exhaust with less backpressure. It will actually be my wife's Spring/summer/fall fun car, then it won't see many miles during the winter.
I'd have to check, but it's likely that the Z4's are made at the Oxford plant as well, and I know for a fact they Charleston is one of the ports of entry for the MINI.
Once your order is placed for your MINI, you get the VIN and some other tracking number. You can track it's birth on the MINI website throughout production, and then you can find out what ship it's been placed on, and via some other website you can track the location of that ship while it crosses the Atlantic (and on through the Panama Canal if your car is being delivered to CA). These folks on one of the online forums that I've been lurking at are way further off the deep end than we are!
Specifically the one we're looking at is the MINI Cooper S with the John Cooper Works kit, which bumps the horsepower up to 207 with a better supercharge and air intake, better suspension, and upgraded exhaust with less backpressure. It will actually be my wife's Spring/summer/fall fun car, then it won't see many miles during the winter.