I love the sunroof! I use it in a variety of ways, and find that I want it open, with the windows down, to have the best of a convertible, without the hassles of one! :smile:

:smile: It is just fantastic to drive along with the heated seats on and the sunroof open at night, glancing up (when safe) at the stars, and smelling all the chapparal in the Santa Monica mountains!

I had a British Union Jack sunroof flag installed, which does a fine job of cutting the sun, but I liked it without, as well.

Clover

 

get the sunroof
get the sunroof
get the sunroof

 

Get the Sunroof. Get it , get it, get it. if you don't you'll wish you had.
i agree with most of the above posts, climate, autocrossing, etc..

It's your car in the end, i have mine already.

i use the sunroof daily, and i'm in maine where we get snow for 5 months and rain and fog for the other 7.

 

I'm not a hardcore racer b ut will auto-x and probably will be attending some track days. I currently drive a Miata with headers, roll bar, bilsteins, tein springs and of course the factory LSD...it's badass Needless to say no FWD car should be without a LSD if it's supposed to be a sporty car. Joe you don't have to drive ***** to the wall so to speak to enjoy the benefits of a LSD. It really helps pull you through a corner and for that very reason alone I want it. When test driving a cooper s over the weekend I lit up the inside tire more then once in a turn, yes I drive pretty aggressively. Also I'll likely mod the car and haven't counted out a JCW in the future.

Like I said I'm eh on the sunroof. I'm sure I'll use it from time to time but generally I keep them closed so I think I'm going to skip it. It has nothing to do with weight though. 50-75 is nothing in a street car. I could never spend 25k on a new car and turn it into a racer. That's what old cars are for.

Thanks for the opinions everyone, I have some time to decide!
Mike

 

RUKnight:

I hope you don't mind if I jump on to your thread, but I'd like to ask the sunroof devotees--

Doesn't the wind deflector drive you crazy?

I didn't even consider a sunroof when I bought my '03 because I didn't care for the thought of all that Sacramento sun streaming onto my leather seats... or my unprotected head or shoulders. OK, CalifZeph, I may have been a little hasty there. But I was also not impressed with the wind deflector in the car I test drove. It seemed to be cheap and noisy, not on a par with the rest of the car.

Feedback, anyone?

 

I don't find anything about the sunroof cheap, and it's not particularly noisy. You can find a happy "noise medium" by adjusting the open level of the windows. :smile:


I never expected to love the sunroof as much as I do. My first MINI didn't have the sunroof, and it was fine, but I really like the options that having one offers!

Clover

 

In my last (non-MINI) car, I had a sunroof, and I've not had any issues yet with my '05 MINI's sunroof. It's a nice feature. Pricey, but nice. I almost aways drive with the sunroof cracked open, but that's because I smoke. On the other hand, I hardly ever drive with it completely wide open. Passengers love the look of it, and it opens up the interior of the car, even when the sunroof is closed, especially for folks stuck in the back seat. I recommend getting it.

Oh, I don't know if you are male or female, but I just thought I'd also add that, IMO, the ladies REALLY like car's with a sunroof!

As to the MFSW? I'd take a pass on that. My new 3-spoke MFSW (ok, not so new, but folks out there know what I mean) isn't all that user friendly. I think you'll find yourself using the regular radio controls more often than the MFSW controls. Cruise control is always handy for long road trips, but you can get that seperately (right?), as well as a standard leather wrapped steering wheel, which IS nice. Also, there seem to be some issues with the latest MFSW's buttons not all working properly. I myself have this problem, and I've yet to get it fixed by my dealer.

As to LSD. I've never had that, and don't really feel I need it. But, those who care are very excited about that option becoming available. It's not a terrible price for LSD, as I understand these things, but it is still a very pricey option, that you may or may not need. On the other hand, if you ever plan to do much wet, icy, winter driving (or driving on gravel roads and such), then I DO recommend DSC. It's saved many a MINI driver from totalling their MINI's, and it can always be shut off for racing purposes.

I don't know if the leather/cloth combo is available in your model MINI, but it wasn't for my '05 MC. Though breathability of cloth over leatherette issues were a concern for me, I now wish I'd gotten leatherette...since my dealer ended up sticking me with the wrong cloth interior in any case! (I'm still playing with them on that, but I'm sure it will get me nowhere. Be sure to double, and triple, check your order before your car gets built, both online, through MINI USA, and especially your dealer. Because, later, if something goes wrong, they'll just point the finger of blame on you, and wipe their hands clean of the issue. (Apparently, MINI dealers are incapable of admitting that they've dropped the ball, or otherwise been in error.)

I like the OBC, mainly because it lets me see my current speed w/o looking over at the big, not all that well tick-marked, speedo. It also shows outside temp, and warns you when the roads may be icy, which is pretty cool. Most of the other features are...not of much interest to me most of the time, especially since it seems to be slightly inaccurate with MPG figures and other related numbers. Though it seems as accurate as the speedo when it comes to speed.

One thing I think that it would've been cool to have, but that I couldn't afford, was the onboard navigation set-up. At $2000, it's about twice as much as after market, but it is cool, works pretty well, and is covered by your warranty. The chrono package is also an option worth considering, but it puts the speedo and tach in a spot that's not all that visible through the steering wheel, even worse than when you just have the tach on the steering column. (Though, with the standard set-up, it's been no problem for me.)

What kind of wheels and tires are you looking at for your MINI? I just have the base model wheels with the holes. I don't like the runflat tires, because of their harsher ride, and the base model wheels with the holes are the lightest MINI stock wheels, by several rolling weight pounds!

Also, do you have any interest in the extra chrome trims? I've got both of those options, and despite my first fears of it all being too much chrome, the look has turned out to be quite nice, without looking outlandish in any way. However, the no chrome look seems to work just as well, and would save you some money. All these options add up fast (as I'm sure you've noticed!), so it's important to keep that stuff under control. That being said, it's important to get what you REALLY want, so that you will have no regrets...even at a higher payment level. Now that I have my MINI, I feel I could've done with just a bit less in options, and still been quite happy, and yet have a bit more cash in my wallet at the end of each day.

If I had to do it again, I'd drop the HK stereo upgrade (it's fine, but truly not anything to write home about), the MFSW (but keep leather and cruise, if possible), the Automatic Climate Control (as it just doesn't really end up offering you much more than standard A/C, which is standard anyway), and I would've gone with just black (dark gray) leatherette seats (which are more durable, and truly quite nice, and thus not ended up getting screwed by my dealer).

Any other questions?

 

I've had reservations because of the weight penalty...then....Autumn rolls around It's too cold outside to keep the side windows down but just perfect with the top open and the heat up Secondly, less roof to wax

 

Damn straight! (About less roof to wax.)

 

Get the sunroof!! If you are bothered by too much sun coming in, either opt for the cover mentioned earlier, or spend some extra money on a perforated sunroof decal, as I did. Mine looks great [perforated Welsh Dragon decal, on a sunroof with a white top...silk green '03 Cooper], I get tons of looks and compliments on it, and it dramatically cuts down on the amount of sunlight reaching the interior when the sunroof is closed. Since I live in SW Ohio, I enjoy the sunroof cracked open slightly most of the time. Before I got the decal, the interior was so bright that I had to get a baseball cap with a long bill to shield my eyes from the glare. Thankfully, that problem is now solved.

 

Welcome to NAM, WMWNY! We demand PIX of that awesome-sounding sunroof flag! Please yield them forth!


Clover

 

Wanda, if you are going to the Dragon, Oct. 21-24, you can see it there. I'm staying at the Fontana Inn. I'm so braindead on a pc, I can't even scan a decent pic, though.

 

Tee hee! Wicked Wanda is my all black MCS...I am Clover. And yes, I will be there (Wanda is staying home until next Spring), with sndwave and CruzinChris, YuccaPatrol and koolmini, Ryephile and Sarcux....etc., etc., etc.! We're going to have a big crowd!

Clover

 

What does LSD stand for?

 

Limited Slip Differential, best way I can describe that is it sends power to the outside wheel on a turn. FWD cars have a tendecy to spin the inside tire on tight turns.

i think I'm going to end up getting the sunroof just because. It comes in the premium package and if i hate it I can tint the hell out of it or make some sort of permenant shade. In the spring and fall it'll be a nice touch even though I plan on getting another miata at some point. As for the rest of the spec I'm pretty set on it. Thanks for all the tips and advice though :smile:
Mike

 

Clover...I'm going to meet up with Sarcux and Ryan at the rest stop in KY on the 21st. Looking forward to meeting and putting faces to names I've seen.