hello all, my name is Kyle and i hail from New York. As it stands right now i have a 1997 acura integra, but starting next year im going to have a daily haul of roughly 150 miles to get to my college's campus and return home, and im afraid the teg is a bit long in the tooth for that. Would you recommend a 2007+ cooper S for this commute?

It should also be noted that whatever car i buy will have a stick shift, and i do want to auto x every now and then.

 

Hey Kyle, I'm 20, college student in Utica, New York. YES, the mini is just what will make your commute safe, reliable, and enjoyable! But!!! For the winter you really should buy some blizzaks or other good snow tires, the mini is an okay winter car, but if u have winter tires, during the snow storms, you'll be cruising Why are you searching for a 2007+? Is there a reason, preference? Because some will argue the 2005-2006 models are the most reliable, also, if u do plan on autocrossing, the "R53" models offer more upgraded modifications. But the 07's and up do a little better on gas, so that might be a good choice for you.

Also, where in New York are you from, What college are you commuting too?

 

yeah, ive heard that about the snow tyres for any car. They really do make a world of difference. Are the earlier cars really more reliable? I was looking at the 07+ for performance reasons, and the newer engine block, but i do prefer the supercharger to the turbocharger. And im from Lindenhurst, Long Island, and ill be commuting to Stony Brook University.

 

Make sure you research the issues with the S. A non-S would be more reliable and better on gas for your commute, but not as good for autox.

Why are you commuting so far? Will you be driving it 5 days a week?

 

Forced induction is detrimental to reliability, isnt it? But i want the performance, and i can live with the extra expenses (how bad can they be? -gulp-)

And im commuting instead of dorming to save upwards of 15,000$ annually. And i will be driving it 7 days a week. I love driving, it has to be my absolute favorite pass-time.

 

I'm not really concerned about the amount of driving... it's just the time. I commute 35 miles each way to work everyday which is about an hour each way... so my 8 hour work day turns into 11 hours from the time i leave till the time i get home. It's just a really long day and hard to get anything done at home.

I commuted to college as well, except it was only 6 miles. You might find yourself sleeping in a friend's dorm a lot.

 

haha, i have about 5-6 friends who are all dorming, i plan on just keeping a sleeping bag in the back of the car

 

Welcome to the forum, yes a MINI will make a nice commute car, the gen.2 '07 will be fine, although a clean low mileage gen1 "S" is also a good possiblity. Depends on whether you want the supercharger or the turbo. there are a few more go fast goodies for the gen.1's. Depending on your budget you might be better off with a low mileage '08 or '09, assuming you will won't to keep the MINI till you graduate at least.

 

what extra go fast goodies does the gen.1 have? and why do you think the 08 or 09 would be beneficial?

 

"A non-S would be more reliable and better on gas for your commute, but not as good for autox."

The Cooper, S, and JCW models are all in different SCCA autocross classes in the stock category. The Cooper is dominant in H Stock.

 

I have a 07 mc, I drive 112 miles round trip everyday through the mountains of Colorado, using Nokian winter tires I have no problems in the winter and I drive over two passes each at 11,000 plus feet. Change to summer tires now and have put on over 30,000 miles in the last 11 months with NO problems.

 

I should of mentioned its an auto, with paddle shifters that I use all the time and I average 40mpg. And when I really have fun that might drop to 35mpg. Its a good choice.

 

Through the mountains with a slushbox tranny? Impressive!
I've noticed since we picked up the '07 MCS that the lifetime MPG calculation has been rising rather rapidly. (Started around 29.5 w/ 14K on the clock. Now at 32.2 w/ just over 17K.) Plenty of spirited driving by yours truly, but... makes me wonder as to the 1st owner's driving habits!

 

Slushbox tranny, haven't heard that one!!!

 

Slushbox tranny, haven't heard that one!!!

 

I'm guessing that the 29.5 mpg you started at wasn't for the lifetime of the car and that it was reset at some point (I reset mine all the time).

In order to go from 29.5 mpg @ 14K miles to 32.2 mpg @ 17K miles, you would have to have averaged 44.8 mpg over the last 3k miles. Possible? Probably... But unlikely.


Back on topic, though, I agree with HS: The Cooper is a great auto-x car. More dominant in it's class than the MCS at this point, now that the MCS has moved up from GS.

 

i am positively loving these mpg numbers being thrown around. Ive always loved the mini. Im cross-shopping it right now with a 2002 WRX wagon, a 350z, or a GTI. Being british myself deff adds weight to buying a MINI, and while they aren't the fastest cars i feel like an S is still very quick and possibly the most fun on four wheels. When i go to auto-x the guys with the MINIs always seem to have the biggest smiles

 

Being a previous owner of 2002 GTI, I can tell you the mini out performs it. The mini doubles the handeling(autocrossing) and I feel is quicker acceleration.

 

really? I was expecting the mini to be less fast than those cars, but much more fun.
Also, can anyone explain to me the pros/cons of the gen.1 and the gen.2 cars? And which is the fan favorite around here?