Thank you very much.

I'll have my mom test drive it asap. As of now, I have my eyes set on PW/B w/ stripes and CVT only. Should come out to be under 20k.

Also, for those who has opt'ed for HID, does it have a good beam pattern, how does it compare to BMW Bi-xenons?

 

Wow! great choice. As a matter of fact, our 2002 Cooper CVT is also PW/B but has no bonnet stripes. The car is pretty much a basic model, with the only options being the CVT transmission and the Multi-fuction steering wheel (MFSW) with cruise control and remote stereo buttons. We paid $18,500 for it back on September 2002 . My wife is also a very simple person. She is not really *Woowed* by sunroofs, auto A/C's, NAV or anything of that nature. She also enjoys her cars pretty much in base trim.

I personally like a little more flash, hence my choice of a '05 MCS CR/W with the Union Jack on the roof and the full exterior chrome package.

Pepper White is a great color, classy, understated and very easy to maintain. With black top it looks best IMO. Believe it or not, this is a color combo that still after almost 4 years still turns heads!

As for the headlights, all my MINIs have been ordered with the standard halogens and front fog lights. Never have experienced a problem with visibility at night. The Xenons do provide much brighter illumination and this could be specially handy if you do a lot of night time driving in dark rural roads or very poorly lit streets. If your driving is mostly in the big city under well lit streets, the Xenons may be a little overkill, but it is your personal preference. They do look stunning tho, when viewed from outside the car!

If you are going for a basic Cooper, I recommend whatever you do get the MFSW with cruise control. It is well worth the $300 expense for it.

Any other questions, leeme know...

 

Very informative. Thank you!

As far as HID, I just want my mom to have a safe car because her eyesight isn't perfect. She won't be needing CC since she rarely drives on the freeway.

How did you get it for 18.5k? Was the price cheaper back in 2002?

 

Then the Xenons will make it a good choice for her then!

Have you consider getting her the DSC (Dynamic stability control)? Since you want a safe car for her, why not make it even safer?

Also... Even if she will not use the Cruise Control often, the MFSW package gives you the remote stereo buttons. In case you haven't noticed, the buttons on the stereo head unit are very small with the exception of the power/volume control ****. Unfortunately, the ergonomics and location down low the center stack of the stereo force you to take your eyes off the road to even change a radio station or CD track. The MFSW is well worth it for comfort/safety and future resale value. If you ever take the car on a road trip, having the cruise control will make the long highway jaunt more comfortable

 

Well, I have DSC (or ASC) on my car (97 M3), and I really hate it. It only helps you when it rains. Any other time, it makes the car handle unpredictably. I have thought about it, but concluded that she is not enough of a spirited driver to put that in use. Besides, $500 option just for that is going to talk me into getting the Sports Package instead.

On a side note, do you know about the MTH software, especially the tuner file? I believe that might be a worthwhile upgrade for $500, something my dad and I can enjoy too.

 

Honestly, I am not well acquinted with the MTH software but feel free to check the Performance forums and talk to the MTH gurus in there.

 

Xenon for safety, auto AC for convenience (plus the micro charcoal filter), Run Flat tires for safety, but they make the ride bumpier. CVT takes some getting used to, feels like a wind up toy until you understand the pedal relationship, also SD (sport drive) really makes the car fun for you & Dad. I don't think your Mom would care about anything else except glove box organizer.

 

What's the glove box organizer? What are its unique functions?

My mom doesn't use AC, even in 90F weather!

 

You'll get the charcoal filter regardless of the A/C controls being manual (3 rotary dials) or the automatic climate control.

A/C is standard factory equipment on all US Spec MINIs.

The glove box organizer is a $30 plastic mod that you put inside the oddly shaped glovebox compartment and allows you to keep neatly organized your owner's manuals, car papers, iPod, pens, etc without them flying around inside the glovebox.

This is an aftermarket mod. You can order one directly from MyMini:

http://www.myminiparts.com/

Hope this helps.

 

It's unique in its ability to organize the glovebox

http://outmotoring.com/glove_box_organizer.html

Check out Outmotoring for alot of cool Mini accessories

 

thank you both for the answers.

The OE tires of a non-S are Pirelli 3000's right? What are some of the popular high performance replacements? It's difficult to find anything in 175/65/15. Will 195/55/15 fit on a 5.5" wheel? Tirerack spec says optimal width for that size would be 6", but I've managed to fit 225/50/16s on a 6.5" wide wheel.

I believe tires are one of the most important factors in terms of safety as they directly relate to brake performance.

TIA.

 

Yes, the standard factory rubber for the Cooper model equipped with 15" rims is Continental ContiTach 175/65/15 radials. These tires are too skinny for my tastes but will provide a comfy (For MINI standards) ride due to the taller profile. In my wife's MINI, we replaced the factory 175/65/R15 rubber and bought brand new Continental ContiTach replacement radials in 195/55/R15 size from TireRack. They fit the 5.5 factory 15" 8-spoke Wheel (R82 - No longer in production), perfectly fine. Now the car has a slightly larger foot print (Better handling/traction/ looks) and a lower profile but still provide a comfortable ride.

The 2002 MINIs have stiffer tuned shocks than later build cars, so the car rides firm but comfortably over any road surface.

If you want the optional 5-star 16" rims in your Cooper (R83 I believe), your car will come equipped with Goodyear all season RUNFLATS. However, you will still get a spare tire mounted underneath the car. The OEM size for the optional tires is 195/55/R16.

For the Cooper S, the standard rubber is Dunlop SP5000 195/55/R16 all season or performance runflats mounted on R84 V-spoke rims (Hardtop) (This is what I have on my '05 MCS).

The optional tires for the Cooper S are the 205/45/R17 Pirelli Euphoria runflats mounted on 17" "S-Lite" rims (One of the heavier tire/wheel combos).


If you can afford it, I would suggest selling the new OEM 175/65/R15 tires and mount 195/55/R15 rubber, that is, if you intend to keep the OEM 15" rims.

 

Thanks. How was the gas mileage affected from changing the tires to 195 width?

 

Very negible, in fact, I think if anything the mileage improved

Also, it didn't affect the accuracy of the speedo.

 

Interesting how the gas mileage was not affected. What's your wife's car's usual gas mileage? Can you get 30mpg usually?

 

I would say around 29-31 MPG in city traffic with the A/C on all the time. Mileage could have gone down 2 MPG after switching the tires. The car is fairly economical, so if it did, wasn't that noticeable.

 

Sure you do, from this comment and other ?'s about the MTH tuner files, I think MOM is going to have a hard time actually getting very much drive time in this car. I think the plan is to spec it to what you want to drive or you'd just go out and buy her a base MC with the CVT transmission for about 19K.

 

haha... if it's my choice, it would be a 6spd S.

Anyhow, she's only driving it for daily commute. On weekend, my dad drives her around. You could call it a family car, not her personal car.

 

So your eye is on the weekends, eh? Then I say Sport seats, HK stereo, MFSW, maybe the sport suspension with the 16" runflats, but not the whole sport package. Skip sunroof, DSC/ASC etc.

 

Sport seats is under consideration, HK and MFSW isn't necessary. Sport suspension or runflats are not worth the money IMHO.

Tentative plan is a non-S CVT with Xenon, 7 hole 15" (lighest wheel Mini offers), and Pirelli summer tires.

 

I have my eye on two local cars:
-One is a 2004 S with 70K miles, one owner, all highway miles.
-The other is a 2004 with 29k miles, loaded .
There is about a 5k dollar price difference.
My question is, are there many things to worry about with the high mileage? Both look to be well taken care of. Any advice would be appreciated.