I am planning to order a custom build for my first Mini (hardtop) and would welcome some advice on a few choices. I've been lurking on the forums for awhile and have done searches on some of these questions but a collection of answers in one place would be extremely helpful.

Tried to make a similar post in the 2d Gen Hatch Talk forum this morning but it seems to have fallen into moderator oblivion...so I’m giving it another try here.

While the power of an S is seductive, I am planning to go with a justa in light of cost, mileage, reliability, no-spare/runflat issues, etc. I expect it will still be a big improvement over the underpowered crossover I’ve been driving for years. Am I making a mistake?

I definitely want manual transmission, cold weather package, no sunroof (gives me an extra inch or so of headroom, less weight, no heat, noise, or leakage problems).

Questions:

Regular seats or sport seats? If sport seats, cloth or leatherette (will probably get aftermarket seat covers in any event)?

Center Armrest? (I’ve always had one in my cars, although people complain about this one and maybe with stick shift I wouldn’t use it as much?)

Standard 15" wheels or upgrade to 16 or 17? What are the pros/cons?

Fog lights?

Chrome interior accents - do they really dress things up or do they look chintzy?

Anything else I will later regret not including?

Thanks!

 

Ok I am pretty new here but I own a 2009 Mini justa and a 2013 Countryman. I am not sure how the 2013 hardtops are ,my 09 has alot silver on the dash and it looks really cool, where my new one is all black. I would definitely go with the sport pkg or at least get the xenon lights. My hardtop has larger non run flats and really like them . The leatherette seats are nice, and I like the armrest with its extra little storage. I have moonroof s on both cars but after hearing how hot it gets I am not sure if I would do that again. I can't believe mini doesn't put the solid cover with the moonroof. Our other cars are Vw s and they have that feature. Good luck with the build, I didn't get to do that. The justa was for my daughter and my CM was an emergency purchase. By the way I live in a hilly ski area and I love the hardtop, my daughter is 16 and I didn't want her to have a fast car but its still fast. I love it

Linda

 

No - Drive one first to be sure, but I think the Cooper is plenty peppy, particularly with the manual transmission.

My vote is for sports seats with cloth.

Again, I'd suggest spending some time in a car that has the armrest. I've got it in mine, and it's always folded up out of the way.

The smaller wheels come with tires that have taller sidewalls, which give you a nicer ride, especially on less-than-ideal pavement, but at the expense of some handling crispness. Unless you're planning to really push the car on a track, I think the 16s are a nice all-around choice. If you can, take a ride/drive in a car with 17s on a not-great road to see for yourself.

If you like, but be advised: If you order the front fogs, spring for the rear fog as well - otherwise your switch panel will have one empty spot. If you skip the front fogs too, you'll have two empty spots -- but they're arranged symmetrically and so it doesn't look so out of place.

I think they look nice - I got them on mine because it reminds me of the MGs that my folks had when I was growing up.

If you opt for front fogs, sport seats, and bigger wheels, you might consider ordering the Sport Package, which has all of these together.

 

Random question, but what’s a “justa”

 

A justa is what we call a base MINI Cooper. It's not a MINI Cooper S, it's justa cooper.

And remember any Cooper, regardless of engine, is greater than non-Cooper.

 

Get some Bixenons. They light-up the road soooooo much better than stock.

 

Love my Xenons, seat heat, and I like the interior chrome. Manual Cooper should have plenty of power. I have to have the turbo but it does have the trade offs you mentioned. I ditched my 17" runflats for Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus -great ride and handling. Love my Cocomats.com mats.

 

i don't think so. i have a justa, and while i would love a s i just couldn't justify the cost. it's pretty peppy even as a n/a.

good choice on the manual. i test drove an auto simply because that's what was available (never intended to get a slushbox) and omg it was terrible.


i have sport with leatherette. i like it. the sport seats are much better than the regular ones imo, i'm very glad that i went with them. i never even saw the cloth, all the cars at my dealer had leather or leatherette.

i'm not sure what people complain about. i use mine daily. i find it to be the perfect height for me and very comfortable.

that's really up to you. bigger the wheel more it will cost, both in ordering and when you need to replace the tires later on. the two things to consider are ride quality and aesthetics. the larger the rim, the smaller the sidewall, the harsher the ride tends to be. also though, at least imo, the larger rims look better.

if you want. they really don't do anything other than look good.

you may want to look into the sport package. it has rim options, the sport seats, and fogs included.

i'm not a chrome fan, so to me it looks terrible but it's really all a matter of opinion. go to a dealership and ask to see a car on the lot that has the chrome accents and see what you think in person.

xenons. they make a huge difference.

 

Three weeks ago I purchased a used 2011 MCS. It's a manual S and very zippy. Before I bought I looked at new and used non-S & S and manual & automatic. If you go with a manual non-S you should be ok.

From my experience and comparisons to a coworker's, I'd suggest:

1. Yes to sport seats. They are firmer and have lumbar adjustment.

2. Yes to the center armrest if you have used it on previous cars. I have one and like it on longer trips…though only one trip so far.

3. Yes to 16" wheels. Coworker has 17's. I think 16's are the better choice between the sizes. Te larger ones just seemed harsh.

4. Yes to front fogs. The original owner didn't buy rear fogs so I will be retrofitting that for a full switch plate and because we get fog in the PNW. I think all 2011+ models don't have the blank filler plates in the rear bumper like the 2010s so if you don't purchase rears won't be very visible on the outside, just the inside. Check this.

5. I have the chrome interior. It looks good. OTOH, I have the exterior chrome package and it seems a bit much to me.

6. Listen to both the regular and HK radio. I found the base to be flat and am glad mine has the upgrade.

7. Xenons are worth it. And adaptive are even better.

8. If you want it, get factory USB/BT. My readings show this to be a pain to retrofit.

 

Ditto on PNWMini........

I have only had mine a week so expert I am not........for me, the armrest is a must & use it all the time. I love the manual but I am a manual kind a of girl . Also, had to have the sunroof(s). I have a FJ & does not come with sunroof & I miss it when I am in it (boxed in feel). But it too is a sweet ride (for SUV that is). If the sunroofs are too hot then I will get the covers for them. I am big classic rock / blues music fan so the H/K was non-negotiable - had to have it. I love it! It has the chrome pkg (I think) which I probably would not have gotten it had I built it (again, back to the FJ no chrome) BUT I do like it. IF I make any changes to that, it will probably only be the mirrors. I like the sport seats & find them to be very comfortable. I have the cold weather pkg & the heated seats are wonderful & they def HEAT up!! I thought I would like to have the Mini Nav & connect tho was not a must on the list. For me, I am glad that I do not have it b/c I think the retro look of the speedometer is cool. Again, I am finding new things on the car everyday. I considered building one but getting a pre-owned made more sense to me if could find a car with what I wanted on it.

My suggestion is get what you want and pleases you - period. It's your car.... I really do not think you can go wrong w/any of the options available. The boys on this forum will be able to help you with all the pros & cons.

The biggest challenge for me was color & I am well pleased with my choice. Again, I am very happy with my Mini so far...........Make sure you have at least two keys!!! lol lol lol

 

I put a huge priority on lighting. The car my MiNi replaced was a Prius that was hit from behind and totaled on a dark country road when I stopped short for a herd of raccoons.

Yes - Raccoons. Long story. Anyways...

I got the xenon adaptive and they are awesome. I also had both front and rear fogs installed. A nice advantage of the rear fogs is the lack of a "blank spot" in the middle of my toggle switch gang. I have also found it wonderfully effective to get tailgaters to back off. I flick it on and watch them suddenly get smaller in my mirror.

The seats? That's something you have to try. Being on the slender side, I disliked the rather flat and open standard seats and loved the bolstered support of the sport seats - and so that made the S a no-brainer for me.

After purchase, I was at first regretting not getting the full tech package with the HK, but the channel swap improves the sound a thousand fold. Being an Android guy I was initially disinclined to get MiNi Connected with Nav but my inner geek would not be denied. I discovered that using an iPod Touch and a rooted and blue-toothed Galaxy S3 as a hot spot gives me 100% full functionality. In fact I think it's better than using an iPhone because I get in the car and everything just syncs with my phone and there is nothing to snap in or out - no wires to mess with.

I also got the weather package and the sunroof/climate package - absolutely no regrets. I thought things like the auto wipers would be too gimmicky, but they work wonderfully.

I did not get the convenience package but hear great things about it. I had a similar thing with the Prius - walking up to the car and having it sense you are close by and unlock - and start without plugging in the transponder/key. Frankly, I don't miss it as much as I thought I would.

 

agreed! i love my xeons and the adaptive light system (lights follow the steering wheel when i turn into a corner).

me, i basically checked almost all of the boxes and so far only wish i would have gotten the body kit installed at the factory since its about $3700 afterwards.

no matter what you add, your gonna love it!

 

I am a new Mini owner. I have always loved the look of them so while in Florida for the winter I found a dealer to test drive and learn more.
I was sold after a short test drive. I didn,t really want to purchase a new car and drive it all the way home to Michigan (especially in nasty weather) and add miles. The dealer suggested I order one just the way I wanted so that was the best decision I could have made.
They told me it could take 12 weeks to have the car built and delivered which gave me time to get home. it was ready in 8 weeks so it was here the day after we got home!
I ordered the 2013 Countryman S and what a great, fun car.
I have So much to learn and so fun to drive!
I think I will enjoy reading posts from other Mini owners!!

 

I would consider the pros and cons of xenons. I am over 50 and my eyesight isn't what it used to be, especially for night driving, but I opted not to get the xenons when I ordered my MINI, because I am too often blinded by oncoming drivers with xenons. From my point of view, they may feel safer to the driver who has them installed because they make the road ahead very bright, but they can be quite dangerous to oncoming traffic.

We have the Cooper S, which comes with fog lights, and we have found the basic headlights, along with the fogs, to be excellent, even for driving on dark country roads at night. The headlights are already very bright, and the fogs increase the width of the visible field. Accessory driving lights are another option.

 

Xenons= yes
JCW interior package=yes
Armrest=yes
16 inch wheels=yes
Chrome line interior=yes
Everyone will have an opinion on what or what not to get, that's what so great about Mini !