Look at it another way: how often do you get out of the Nissan smiling ? Then look back at the car as you walk away ? It's more than off-the-line thrust in the MCS. It's SO much fun to hear the supercharger whine when you feel frisky. Acceleration during passing is very good, and that's a lot more fun than stoplight dragracing (to me anyway).

If I want to blow off cars at the lights, I ride my motorcycle !

I think you would regret NOT getting it, at some point. Good luck !

 

I could see the pleasure a large engine could give in a place like orlando.. some of the streets there are just screaming for a good big block drag race.. never been to houston so i don't know the roads.. also another thing to consider.. is curb appeal.. when i tell women i drive a mini.. its always a "YOU DRIVE A MINI!" response with a big a$$ smile on their face... S2000 is pretty sexy but i don't think regular non-car enthusiast women know anything about the s2000 except maybe its a honda. but a Mini is a Mini flat out .. and for some reason they know that car..

 

You know, I don't have my MCS yet so I can't say for sure (although I have wanted a MINI for a long time). But, I did have an S2000 for 4 years and I loved it. But you know what, we never took it anywhere. It wasn't convenient enough to take on trips or to go shopping with. And two things I really hated were the trunk space and the passenger seat. I hated being a passenger in it. It was so uncomfortable and a real pain in the a$$ to get out of. My wife never wanted to go anywhere in it and it ended up just being a commuter car. I think the MINI with the JCW package will satisfy my power needs plus it has a backseat/hatch to put stuff in. I plan on being very satisified with it.

 

Quick note unrelated to your responses: after I post, my post doesn't show up right away, but appears about 10-20 minutes later. Is this normal?
Anyway...

Wow, thanks for all the replies, folks! First off, let me just say that I loved my Maxima. It got all kinds of compliments and was very practical and a good performer (for my tastes). Why did I sell it? It was an auto, and the suspension, which I sort of skimped on, became loose and annoying. Plus, the gas mileage was down right terrible at 14-15 MPG in the city (I do 90% city driving).

I live in San Francisco, and there are absolutely FANTASTIC twisties all around this area. Most of my "regular" commute is done on busy streets, but some of our busy streets aren't all that straight (no pun intended...). In fact, I'd say that San Francisco, being "built" on 7 hills, is pretty twisty and turny for the most part. Plus, there are really nice roads across the GG Bridge that I would take advantage of in a nicely handling car.

I think it really boils down to S2000 or the MCS. I am a novice with the stick shift, so either car will be a lot of fun to drive for me coming from an automatic (which I manually shifted most of the time.. ), but the S2000 is quite a bit faster in the straightaways, about even in the twisties (I think), more bland in looks, and has much less cargo room. Hmmm.. decisions, decisions.

One thing that I heard just about everyone say about the S2000 is that it needs absolutely nothing for it to be extremely fun and involving to drive in terms of handling. Is the MINI the same? Is the stock suspension on 2002-2003 models great, or just good?

 

It's because you're a new user. You may have noticed a window that popped up after you hit the submit button that informed you that you post may not appear immediately because a moderator had to approve your posts...

It will stop for you soon.

 

BTW if you're now down to a choice between an S2000 or an MCS, then I think the question becomes more of why you're buying the car...

An MCS is more practical than the S2000 from the shear sense that it can seat 2 comfortably + 2 more semi-comfortably (if you don't push the seats back) and still carry some cargo.

The S2000 on the other hand seats 2. I can't speak for the comfort level in an S2000 though. You can get some cargo in an S2000, but you probably can't get as much as you can in an MCS...

Both cars have vibrant and enthusiastic owners communities.

From what I've heard handling on the S2000 is pretty impressive, but then again so is the MCS.

Flat out speed... I think the S2000 has the MCS beat there...

So I guess the real question is what do YOU want out of the car. Good handling and performance in a fun car that you could also use to bring your new 42in plasma tv home in (sans box), or just good handling fun car?

 

I live in S.F. and the one thing you can almost always count on is being able to find a parking space driving a MINI. Oh, and being able to manuver around the crazys in a MINI.

One thing you should do is take a MCS out on some hills in S.F and see if you are satisfied with the takeoff response. On some hills, the e-brake will be your friend.

BTW, you might find that your gas mileage isn't all that much better in a MCS compared to a Max in city driving. You know S.F., stop signs everywhere.:impatient

 

I gotta think about that one..

I was || this close to buying an S2000 2 weeks ago, but the guy turned out to be a bit of a fibber after I saw that the car was in a wreck on the Carfax. Maybe that was a sign..

 

I will use the e-brake liberally as I learn how to drive a manual better.

Are you serious about the gas? If the 1.6L eats as much gas as the 3.5L (which was dissapointing with its terrible MPG) then I'll be pretty surprised.

 

I have another question:

My music is very important to me. I have a very nice Alpine headunit that I will want to install in the MINI, along with some components up front and possibly a subwoofer in the hatch. What will I need to complete this install, in terms of adapters and such, and how much would the parts cost? (I already have the headunit and will have the components, so please don't factor that into the price).

 

If indeed ponder is in the Bay Area, there are several areas in which the MINI would be a blast to drive. I live in one...

As mentioned, these cars are not about off-the-line acceleration, and raw power. It's a 1.6 liter, FWD car with a short wheel base, so one shouldn't expect much of a drag champ here...

That said, I've found that these cars can go into turns so hot, and exit so fast, that they can carry speed out into straights beyond that of what more powerful cars can do simply because they had to retard their speed much more in that turn. Actually, a good example of this is onasled!

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...er.php?u=14344

Clicking on his photo sig will reveal a track session from early Summer of this year. These cars are a hoot to drive in canyons and excel on tracks like the one shown in that video (a course with plenty of turns and no long straights).

However, if your desire for performance is from street light to street light, then the MINI will most likely dissapoint.

 

I had an early '02 MCS with the first generation Sport Suspension + and the ride is very taught and communicates every expansion crack to the driver and passenger. That is not a condemnation but a reality of the stiffness of the frame and suspension. I used my '02 for many long trips in the 5 hour time range, each way. I never found the rides tiring, the seats are fantastic, very comfortable, supportive and adjustable. I ran the stock suspension.

I also used it for many Auto-X days and tested my ability to keep up with the fantastic handling the MCS has. There is a big difference between the race course/auto-x than the public highways. Without doing stupid things, you will never challange the capabilities of the stock MCS suspension on the streets. It is very confidence inspiring when on the street, it will whisper in your ear, "Is that all you have? Come on, lets go! There's another corner up ahead, lets go!" It can be intoxocating listening to the whine of the supercharger as it climbs over 4,000 rpm.

From about the mid '03 model year there was a suspension change that I understand was basically just a change to the compression and rebound values of the shocks without touching the spring or swaybar rates. Someone correct me if this is not correct, please.

My new '06 MCS has the newer suspension and I could tell imediately that the smoothness of the ride was improved tremendously without sacrificing the handling that I loved. The same handling is still there. The whispers still come as you drive down any road with some twisty bits. I can not drive without a smile on my face. I can hardly even think about driving a MINI without smiling.

 

If you don't need a rear seat and can afford a bit more...



or

 

the S2000 is pretty fast out of the box but remember its a high revving engine.. so that means in city driving your not going to be able to use most of the VTEC power. and without the car kicking into VTEC mode well its a bit of a slow poke.. and the only way your going to hit the 0 to 60 speed they post in mags and all that is by dumping the clutch which of course is not "legal" in city driving.. fuel mileage i have gotten about 21mpg in the city.. not too bad. when i'm on it i get 18.5 mpg.. best combined was 26 mpg.. overall 24.. expect that out of a S2000 too especially if your on the VTEC.. probably worse in the city. If you need a "daily driver" then its MCS all the way.. if weekend fun runner S2000 would be hard to resist.. as for the suspension, i think the 2002-3 have options of the sport suspension which is included in mine.. i like mine its not very stiff but still great in the corners.. also something to consider is the mileage difference between the MCS and the S2000 your looking at.. most of the time the miles are going to be higher on the s2000 and that might not be a good thing especially with a high revving engine.. i know honda engines are great but they aren't indestructible it revvs up to 8000 or so .. thats a lot of stress on the engine no matter how great its built..

 

Your only regret will be that you didnt buy one sooner

 

Remember the words of Nancy Reagan, JUST SAY NO....

 

An MCS might make sense for you, or it might not. We chose to buy a new 2006 MCS (Pepper White, Black Roof) out of the following four possibilities:

--A new MCS, configured the way we wanted it with 3 years dealer service and 4-year factory warranty.

--A late 1980s/early 1990s Porsche 911

--A 2003/2004 Volvo V70R Wagon with 6-speed

--A 2002/2003 Mercedes E320 Wagon 4-Matic

We decided to keep our 2002 Honda Odyssey minivan and our 1996 Volvo 850 (manual transmission and sport suspension from factory), so the new car would be an additional car, not a replacement.

Note that these are very different kinds of cars. Our decision was as much dependent on the context of our needs and existing cars as anything else.

The Mercedes wagon turned out to be more expensive, though we really liked them. We insisted on finding one with the Sport package (firmer shocks, fatter sway bars) and we wanted either white or midnight blue. This is a very difficult configuration to find; what we found was priced well over 30k, and "certified" cars from dealers were sometimes over 40k.

We loved the Volvo V70R with the manual transmission and the 3 dash buttons for adjusting the suspension firmness on the fly. However, we severely disliked the 2002 Volvo S60 we had for a while, and the V70R had many of the same design flaws (poor visibility, uncomfortable seats, etc.) This was a disappointment for us because we have been loyal Volvo owners for years. Interestingly, our insurance company increased our 6-month premium by only about $300 for the MCS, and it would have been a $1,200 increase for the V70R. I guess a lot of soccer moms are wrapping them around trees.

The Porsche was hard to give up on. You can actually buy a respectable 15-20 year old 911 for MCS money. However, the back seats are an unkind place to put a dog, let along two kids. We don't plan on making our kids ride around in the back of the MCS, but it has to be possible when necessary. Also, the prospect of paying for maintenance on a 20 year old Porsche with something like 100k miles on it was a bit frightening.

We chose the MCS, and we have not regretted it. It is a blast to drive. It is far more fuel efficient than any of the others. The advantages of the wagons (space) were redundant given the rest of our cars, etc. We will buy a used Mercedes wagon when it is time to replace either the Volvo or the minivan, but that will be a couple years from now.

I guess my point is to keep in mind that the decision has contextual components beyond whether you like the car or not.

The biggest recommendation I have for the MCS is that it is a car that gives lots of driver feedback and rewards lots of participation. I don't even bring my morning coffee when I drive it to work because I enjoy being completely engaged in driving the car. I frequently drive it with the radio off.

Our budget was $25,000 or a little more. Our loaded MCS came in at closer to $26,000 by the time we added everything we wanted and paid tax and fees on it. We looked at some used MCSs, but figured it made more sense to order a new one the way we wanted it since the used ones have depreciated so little. Also, some MCSs get driven pretty hard--do you want to buy one of those right before it goes out of warranty?

 

If you are paranoid, don't do it

 

First of all, does anybody have any stats that an automatic Maxima is as fast as a MCS? Having driven both, I am skeptical...

Second, you live in the Bay Area where traffic is as bad as, or worse than LA.

Third, since you do live in SF, you will be thrilled with the Mini because you will actually be able to park the darned thing.

Fourth the only place you should be testing speed is on a race track (and you have a very nice one close by) and after attending driving school. Otherwise you are just a danger to everybody. On a track, a stock Mini would demolish a Maxima. Further, if properly driven it would give a S2000 a good run for its money.

Fifth the S2000 is a high strung, low torque rev happy car. To make it go fast, you need to rev the **** out of it all the time. Conversely, the MCS having a supercharger has more low end torque and will feel better.

 

About a year into ownership of my '03 MCS, I was offered an even swap of my car for an '01 S2000, which I turned down. Why? not because the Honda wasn't a fantastic vehicle (which it is) but for two reasons: 1) I already have a couple of roadsters, so another one just wasn't what I wanted/needed; and 2) I've grown so attached to my MCS that it'll be hard to replace it with just about any other car (tempt me with an Audi S4, BMW M3, or Lotus Elise). But that said, the MCS is not for everyone.

You will notice a big drop in torque from your Maxima and previous rides, some people adapt quickly to the peakiness of a small displacement engine, others don't. In SF, I can only imagine that you will miss the torque with so many hills, and I also can't think of a worse city to learn to drive a stick in.

A slightly modded MCS (pulley, ECU, cat-back, tires/wheels) should be a sub-15 second 1/4 mile car, but it's all on the top end, not a torquer.

 

For every member here who will tell you the suspension is great, there are five other members talking about getting springs/rear swaybar/coilovers/etc.

 

I so tried that when I initially approached them about possibly trading up towards a newer car and they said "Nope, it's pretty much a dealership requirement. We can't sell you a car without this add-on package."

Somebody has apparently lied to me, and it's most likely them.

 

To be fair, MCS's don't exactly have that much torque off the line. Oh sure, you can chirp the tires, but that's more a factor of the car being both light and FWD. Plus, I'd daresay the Maxima is indeed faster than an MCS. The Butt-Dyno can be misleading on a small car. I've driven a few friends' cars back to back with my MCS and while my MCS would feel faster, I'd get simply roasted.

As well, please don't start the "Well if you speed on a public street, you're a menace to society", alright? Everyone here speeds, You speed, and everyone where you live speeds. It's just a fact of life.

 

I was looking at the same two cars also and all it took to make my decision was two long test drives. They are both great cars and they are both really fun but they are so different. I think you will know which one you want if you spend some time with each. I can't imagine a better town to own a MINI than San Francisco. I thought the S2000 was great but I wasn't that happy with the overall driving experiment. I only started to have real fun when the speeds were really high and the revs were way up. The suspension was overly harsh, even for a performance car, and I was just getting out of a two-seater convertible and was looking for something a little different. When I drove the Mini, it was everything I hoped it would be. I had been a fan for a really long time and my expectations were super high. I drove the S2000 first and then the MINI. And afterward the only thing I was thinking about, was what options and what color MINI to get. I recommend the MINI highly and I have never regreted buying mine. I have also really enjoyed the aftermarket community and tuning the car has made it more fun and more mine. The fact that the MINI has a lot more cargo room has made it possible to take the car more places which is another big bonus I hadn't considered when buying.

 

yah, if it's your only car get the MCS. The S2000's are for people that
already have another car or a family van/suv.