Where to start… I don’t want to bore anyone to death so I’ll try to be brief. My first two cars where Jeep Cherokees’ and then a 1994 Acura Integra GTR which I got in 98 and a few months later I totaled. So in 99 I got myself a Civic DX coupe witch I’m still driving. Yes it’s sad… A couple of years ago 2005-2006 can’t remember exactly I had the chance to move a mini from one parking spot to another for a friend of mine and I have since then been hooked. I have different times of intensity from viewing the mini website several times a day to just breaking my neck every time a mini passes me by and driving my wife crazy… Honey! look, look!!

Well it seems the time has come to get myself a Mini!! Since the time seems to be approaching pretty soon my obsession has reached insane levels (I should probably see a shrink for it)!! To quench my thirst until the time comes I have been hopping from one site to another until I reached the Mini holy grail of sites and I am now officially writing my first post of many to come.

I will be purchasing a 2009 JCW mini Hardtop in chilly red with black roof …. Hopefully options will be added, and I hope I can get your input when some decision making comes into account, also when some “mods” come into play. Let me add I have never been a car enthusiast or motorhead or whatever you want to call it, so please pardon my ignorance when I throw some questions your way… (plus there is a language barrier since my primary language is Spanish)

Well thanks in advance for all the help I hope I can get from you guys !!

 

Just wait until you've ordered the MINI, and are in wait mode.

Welcome! You are among friends...and inmates.

 

Thanks! By that time I will need something to keep me sane!!

BTW, what did I mess up that my post looks like that!

 

OHH you are in wait mode, did not notice...

 

the board doesn't support alternate sizes or fonts?

 

Oh yeah. Talk about obsessing. The worst part is that once you're in wait mode, you not only dream about your MINI day and night, you eventually start having some of the nightmares about having made the wrong decision on one option or another. My girlfriend sincerely hopes it all goes away once the MINI is in the driveway.

 

Did not mess with the font, although I did clock "preview post"... My wife hopes "I" go away but that's another issue.... LOL

 

Welcome to NAM from Middle Georgia Minis. Beware the MOD bug, if infected, there is no known cure. The symptons are a large credit card
balance and empyt wallet.

 

[B]MONOGORAMA IS 1,000,000,000% CORRECT!!! [B] Aside from the constant dreaming of how my life will be better once my car arrives (LOL) I too fret over any possible mistakes I may have made by ordering/not ordering certain options. I only warn you this..... Others may become annoyed and even dare I say.... Irritated over your constant obsessing. Don't feel let down, they are simply the unbelievers.

 

Thanks guys (and galls, just in case), That's why I want to discuss, eventually, what options I am considering and after I get some opinions I would be able to make a more educated guess...

What section of the forums you think I should post these discussions? Some of these options would have to take into account possible mods, I would not want to get an option I am going to later have to replace with an aftermarket part...

 

Yay! Chili Red/Black!!

Rock on.

 

One option I definitely recommend is the comfort access and I'll tell you why:

Zombies have taken over. They have you surrounded and the circle is growing smaller and smaller. You fumble for your keys. After what seems an eternity you find them. Trembling, you fumble to put the key in the lock but your hand is shaking so bad the key falls to the ground. As you bend to retrieve it the first zombies teeth tear flesh away from your neck. The futility of your struggle is pathetic and as you lay on the ground slowly being eaten you stop feeling pain, can no longer hear their ravenous feeding and your eyes welcome the darkness as life slips away.

5 miles away a women, lets call her Jane, is also surrounded but luckily she grabs the door handle without the need of her keys, pushes the start button and crashes into the undead who fall like dominoes as she escapes into the sunset.

just my .02

 

Romero's Zombie Axium... Well played.

 

I agree with the getting the convenience package. In addition to the keyless entry/ignition, the package also includes a built-in garage door opener and Bluetooth integration (If a person is being chased by zombies, they don't have to worry about fumbling around with the phone).

 

the JCW suspension to get that power to the ground. Otherwise it's a waste of horsepower and $.

As far as the asthetics that's your call, although in your car red leather/black cloth seats and the red colorline trim would be awesome. And consider a checkered dash!

 

To build on this...if you're wife isn't a Mini enthusiast (and thinking the car is "cute" doesn't qualify as one) don't tell her how many posts you rack up on this Board...in fact, it is better that she doesn't know that you are even on this Board.

...speaking from experience

 

DUDES!!! Chill, pockets are not endless.... Comfort key is a must!! I leave my keys inside my car on a monthly basis... we don't have zombies here as far as I know but we do have the "chupacabras", so for safety reasons it seems like a good idea also.

As for what options to get I meant on a performance level as all other options I think are more of an individual taste thing...

If you want to know what I'm considering to this point, well here it is...
-Chilly Red paint with black roof
-Black Bonnet stripes
-Premium Package
-Sport Suspension (under consideration)
-Xenon Headlamps
-Rear Fog Lamps
-Center Armrest (under consideration)
-Leather Punch carbon
-Chrome Line Interior
-Piano Black interior Surface
-Comfort Access System
-10 speaker hi-fi sound system
-JCW Sport Suspension (under Consideration)
-JCW Strut Brace (under consideration)
-JCW Aero Kit
-JCW Roof Spoiler
-JCW CF exterior accessories (hood scoop, mirror caps, diffuser, under consideration)
-IPod Adapter
-Rubber floor mats

Basically there are some things here that I know I want that I would maybe have to leave to add them later... Basically this is it... Some of the things I have not decided on are being considered because I'm taking aftermarket parts, or other things into account...

 

OMG!!! i wish someone had explained the omfort option to me when i bought mine!!!! (dang it i new i should have got it)

 

Depending on where you live, I'd suggest the cold weather package. Heated seats alone are worth their weight in gold.

Also, when thinking about the bonnet stripes, you may want to consider going aftermarket from some place like:

http://www.minimotoringgraphics.com

I went with the bonnet stripes before finding the aftermarket graphics places... Ultimately, I think I'm okay with my choice, but would have preferred to have seen all of the options first (I am going with some A Panel wraps though ).


Sweet ride you've built though!

 

I will now explain why you need the automatic wipers (even though I don't have them)

The woman we called jane speeds away in her mini. Heart and mind racing she struggles to calm herself and think of what she must do next. Are her husband and children still alive? Up ahead the road is blocked (Who could have predicted this!?). When she gets closer she see's the putrid body amassed on the road. Their mouths soundlessly opening and closing. Clothes and flesh melded together as their liquified insides slowly leak down their legs. She closes her eyes and hits the gas. Her car shakes as she crashes into the undead. She opens her eyes but cannot see for the gore and brown death smeared on her windshield. Just then her automatic windshield wipers activate and a small grin begins to appear at the corner of her mouth.....

 

thanks for your input monograma...

I was considering the cloth seats until I read in the forums that the leather ones ofer additional lumbar support.
Fort the sport suspecion I think it might be better a aftermarket, but I'll probably start a discusion on that matter to get more input.
Thanks for the armrest input anything better and cheaper is better.
As for the stripes I kinda like my things stock looking, but I will look into it.
As for the spoiler I read it provides better down force, and I like how it looks, for the other stuff I have never been a fan of CF but I saw some pics and since the car is red/black I kinda like it, but this would be some thing I would do after I get it.
As for the stereo let me know what you are considerirng maybe I'll change my mind, I just can't aford to loose a lot of space with amps and or woffwrs in my trunk.
As for the suspension I think it's something I cab add later if I'm not happy with stock, PR roads are terrible so I not sure how bad will afect my daily driving and my clearance since there are so many potholes. I do have tokicos shocks an struts on my civic lowered 1" so I would not expect it to be so much diferent.

 

lol @ miniguy... i had considered the convenience package, I just trying to cut dow on the price. cars in Puerto Rico are much more expensive ... :(

 

Just to chime in.

As I understand it, the adjustable lumbar support is also part of the cloth+leather (like the Rooster Red) seats.

I'll be skipping the sport suspension option, it seems (from research here) that it's just a rear sway bar upgrade. And not a big upgrade either, but at least it's expensive

I'm with mongorama on the Bluetooth/USB and the speakers. For awhile I was planning on getting the speaker upgrade, but after a lot of reading here it seems that I should be able to replace the stock speakers with better equipment (without getting a sub/amp) for cheaper.

The best part of Mini buying, the tons of options. The worst part of Mini buying? Figuring out what options to get

 

Sure but if I'm paying for cloth-leather I might as well get all leather... I kinda not like interiors with exterior colors mixed... (just a mater of tastes)

So, are you saying that just by replacing the stock speaker with better ones I should be fine? That sounds great plus I save an extra $500.00 or so... A good set of speakers tweters should not be that much

Let me dig into the forums see what I can find on the hi-fi audio....

Oh, and monograma thanks for the stripes pages.... now I have something new to obsess about... LOL

 

As you say, the interior's all a matter of taste - didn't know if you were wanting cloth over leather but going with leather just for the lumbar

As for the speakers, there are some challenges with audio in the Mini (in particular, the cutoff of bass to the rear 6x9s). You're not going to get high-end audio out of the stock equipment of course, but if you just want better audio than the basic, it seems that the basic audio and replacing the speakers is a better value. Even the 10-speaker setup comes with paper-cone speakers as I understand it.