Hey everyone. Took delivery of a mint condition 05 Mini Cooper Cabrio
two weeks ago. What a Car ! I ran 340 miles around town before refilling. I divided the gas I bought by the milage, to a total of 30 miles a gallon. That's with NO highway driving ! I got 30 WITHOUT driving like a granny either.

I have good pickup, and I can "chirp" the wheels in 2nd gear.
It's no "S", but it's not bad ! I went with a standard Cooper because I wanted the most gas milage that I could rangle. (my last car took premium and got 18 combined city/highway :-( )

I'm totally thrilled with this Cabrio. The most fun I've ever had driving,
and the gas savings pay for a good portion of the car.

Hope you're all having as many grins as I am.

Cheers,
Xtro

 

Congats- I am 2 weeks out from getting mine. I know I will be as happy as you.

 

That mileage sounds fantastic. Sometimes I wish I had ordered a Cooper.

 

Congrats & welcome to NAM!!!

 

Surrounded by MCs's around here I'm glad to know there's somene else who ordered a Cooper and for the same reason I did. Gratz on your new car! I'm about a month out give or take from taking delivery on mine.

 

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]I test drove an "S" and loved it, but after reading lots of posts about how a heavy foot will cost you at the pump, ( not that I would EVER do that ... ;-)
I decided to take the "frugal but fun" option. No regrets !

People say that shifting at 3000 RPM will improve your fuel economy in an "S",
then there's always the " better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it" argument for the "S". And they are an adrenaline rush !

With that said, the standard engine is surprisingly spunky with the 5 speed, and coupled with the fantastic mileage, ( and lower cost ) it was the right choice for me.

BTW, how do I join the "Chili Red" club ?

Xtro
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Good luck with the purchase. I'm sure that you'll love it. The fun factor ( and attention factor ) that you get with a Mini is unbelievable.

Xtro

 

Congrats - from one Cabrio owner to another....Yippee!!

Donna

 

Congrats, and welcome!

 

Congratulations, Xtro,
I hear you on the "fun factor!" I've had my MCSC for 2 months now and I still look forward to every opportunity I get to spend in it! I love seeing it in the driveway, the parking lot, my reflection in the store window... I had no idea what I was missing!

 

Congratulations! I should be getting mine next week!

 

>I love seeing it in the driveway, the parking lot, my reflection in the store window.....

Oh, so you do the "reflection in the store window" thing too, eh ? :-)

Xtro

 

Congrats, you are going to love it ! Good luck.

Xtro

 

BTW, how do I join the "Chili Red" club ?

Xtro
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Go to https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...highlight=croc and ske for a number

 

Thanks!

Actually, I think it'll be coming in today!!

Have my camera with me so if it's at the dealer today I'll be sure to take some baby pics before bringing her home, which might have to wait until tomorrow morning. :-(

 

>Congrats - from one Cabrio owner to another....Yippee!!

Thanks ! You have such good taste in cars !

Prior to settling down and starting a family 15 years ago,
I always had a convertible. My favorite was a 1970 Dodge Challanger Convertible, my least favorite (due to the fact that it was in constant
need of expensive repairs - I used to joke that you needed to start it with a credit card...) was a Fiat X19 Targa. ( Fiat - Fix it again, Tony ! )

When we started a family, gave up on my purchase of a convertible
Mustang, and I've owned station wagons and Mini's ( Mini VANS, that is ;-)
ever since.

I still own a Mini Van, but I'd have to say that the newest Mini in our life, the
Mini Cooper Cabrio, has catapulted the "fun factor" of driving back into the
the forefront of our family. I had forgotten what Joy Riding was all about,
but now it's an every day event. Running the kids around was NEVER so much fun !

I highly recommend a Mini (especially the convertible) to anyone that
has forgotten just how much fun driving can be.

Xtro

 

Don't just sit there, go get that car !

I'm going to try to upload some pics of mine tonight or tomorrow.
I'll look for yours.

Xtro

 

Update!

Just got the call from the dealer!

Will leave work early to go pick her up at 1:30 pm local time.

 

>Update! Just got the call from the dealer!
Will leave work early to go pick her up at 1:30 pm local time.

Did you pick up the car ?
Also, should be a pick of mine below this message "if" I did it correctly....
Xtro

 

I love the standard MINI. I test drove a used 05 MC cabrio. The seller was asking $24k and it had 19k of miles on her... I guess what turned me off from the deal wasnt the price nor driveability. It was the surface scratches on the paint, dirty interior... Basically the car was driven but hardly taken care of. For a price near new, it just didnt seem appealing and felt as though the previous owner bought it, drove it for fun and wanted to sell for $1000 or 2 off...

I drove a new MCS at the local MINI dealership and it felt much quicker over all. Having a heavy foot is largely dependant on how you are as a driver. I find that part of the fun in driving is listening and feeling the car respond to the throttle and adjusting it to the road conditions. Plowing through each road like a bat outta hell isnt exactly what driving's all about.

Most people on the M3 forums say they get anywhere from 13 - 16 miles a gallon whereas I can pull 18 in the city and 22 on the expressway. Theres much to be said about having control on the throttle versus the constant need to feel pushed back in your seat by just going forward... and inturn burning fuel needlessly.

sorry for the rant... I think the standard cooper is a great car, MCS has its obvious merits... but I think a keen driver can get nearly the same mileage in a mcs than in a regular mini if given the same disciplines.

 

We are into our 5th day. We also bought an MC for the same reasons (MPG).

So far, 220 miles and the gage still reads a little less than 3/4 tank.

 

> I think the standard cooper is a great car, MCS has its obvious merits... but I think a keen driver can get nearly the same mileage in a mcs than in a regular mini if given the same disciplines.

I agree that the "S" is a great car, and I have spoken to a _FEW_ "S" owners that are getting up to 27 MPG overall, which, for a performance car is amazing ! ( Most other "S" owners dispute that high milage claim, but if you do any amount of highway driving in your regular routine, I would believe that you could pull that off.) What steered me away from the "S" was that I mostly saw people post 22 to 25 MPG overall. Again, that's not bad at all when given the power of the "S", but I needed a higher milage car.

The 30 MPG I'm getting around town in my Cabrio puts as big of a smile on my face as the added power of the "S" did. I can't wait to take a road trip so that I can calculate my highway milage !

I think that one of the great things about the Mini is that you get to have a choice between between buying an MC, which is a great little sports car that drinks gas like an econo box, or an MCS which will outrun a Mustang
or out handle a porsche, while still giving you better MPG's than most other performance cars. If I could afford it, I'd have one of each !

Like I said in a past post, it's simply a matter of deciding what you want the most. Passing people on the strait away, or passing people at the gas pump.
In many ways, both models let you have your cake and eat it too !

Either choice is a good one.

Happy motoring !

 

Do you have stick or automatic ? I'm interested in seeing what kind of mileage your getting. Most of my friends are getting 28 to 30 around the township, and 35 to 40 highway. I haven't taken a highway excursion yet, so I can't quote my highway MPG, but based on what my buddies get, it should bring
a tear ( of joy !) to the eye !

My MCC has far exceeded my expectations. I hope yours does too.

Happy motoring.