Hi All!

Well we had a great time at the dealership today. I must say that this was one of the most pleasurable visits to a car dealership in AGES! No Pressure whatsoever, folks were great, test drives went well.

Ok so here we go......below is our build thus far....perhaps this is out there for us but I seriously doubt it


My 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman
Base MSRP* $23,700
Destination & Handling $650

PAINT IT
Body Color Roof/Mirrors $0
Horizon Blue Body Color $500

PACKAGES
Premium Package $1,250
Dual Pane Panoramic Sunroof
Automatic AC
Leather Sport Wheel w/Multifunction
Cold Weather Package $500
Heated Front Seats
Heated Powerfold Mirrors & Washer Jets

PERFORMANCE
Roof Rails $250
Dynamic Stability Control STD
6-Speed Auto w/Agitronic Mode $1,250
16" Bridge Spoke (Perf. Run Flats) $0
Front Fog Lamps STD
Xenon Headlamps w/Power Wash $500

COCKPIT
Sport Seats STD
Center Arm Rest $250
Cloth: Checkered Carbon Black/Black $0
Anthracite Headliner $250
Interior Surface Piano Black $250
On-Board Computer STD
6-spkr AM/FM CD Player STD
Interior Color: Carbon Black STD

TOTAL MSRP AS CONFIGURED* $29,350

TOTAL ACCESSORIES ** $0
TOTAL MSRP AS CONFIGURED* $29,350

TOTAL COMBINED $29,350

If anyone knows of a dealership in the US that has one of these on the lot please let us know!!!!

Things we have decided upon....

1. We can go a couple of ways on color
a. Horizon Blue with Blue top/Black back
b. Pure Silver with Black top/Black back
c. Pepper white with Black top/Black back

2. Like the roof rails....provides flexibility for that extra storage on trips

3. Xenons are really cool but NO ONE seems to have them....Pros/Cons How do the halogens work for you all?

4. Automatic is still up in the air.

5. Convenience opening is ok but not worth it to us for $500...if one had it then we would perhaps go with it.

6. Anthracite headliner is a must. Piano black is pretty nice for interior.

7. Fog light is nice but not necessary for us.

8. Blue Tooth, while cool, simply would not be used by my wife. Nor would the Ipod integration into the stereo. The aux jack would be just fine for trips when I would use my IPhone/IPod.

9. Believe it or not the cloth seats were the most comfortable of the ones we saw today. I was amazed at how they felt...not your normal cloth seats....definitely not like the Honda/Toyotas of the past...it felt very nice. Leatherette is nice too but I found myself sweating alot on both that and the leather seats. Cloth did not feel that way.

The dealership has one of these that is VERY similar but without the Xenons and with the manual tranny. Not sure how willing they would be to come down slightly on the price because it does not have the Xenons or Automatic.

So send us your thoughts! We appreciate all the candid responses. One thing to note...we do have dogs and are curious if there are owners out there with dogs and cloth seats....how are they holding up?

Regards,

Mike

 

Get the Comfort Bluetooth package. If you have an iPhone...get it. You may not think it's worth it now, but it is!

I have the standard Bluetooth, not Comfort. I love not having to pull my phone out of my pocket or laptop bag to make or receive a call.

I wish I had the "Comfort" or even "Comfort w/ Smartphone" I would love to be able to toss my iPhone in the armrest for charging on longer drives.

With all the states passing hands free laws...more and more cars are going to come with this standard. It might help your resell value later on. If anything it will keep one of those silly, uncomfortable Bluetooth things out of your ear.

EDIT: I think if you order the "Comfort Bluetooth" the armrest comes with in the package. So you only really pay $250 for the package since you already had chosen the armrest in your options above.(check with the dealer of course)

 

Point well taken but considering I will be driving the car rarely, and my wife does not use the phone while in the car...the only benefit would be resale and that does not concern us much. Good points to ponder though!

 

If given the choice to go back I'd get the xenons. The standard halogens are on the weak side, from my experience. Some posters have mentioned that they are aimed too low off the production line, which may the issue. You can probably search the forums and find some good arguments pro and con. This is the most recent.

Another option you may want to consider are the white turn signals. The standard ambers give the headlights an "egg yolk" look that many are not too crazy about. Here is a recent thread about how difficult it is to remove them.

BTW I PM'ed you about the rear fogs. This is something I regretted not getting. Do a search on the topic and you'll see how difficult it is to retrofit.

 

If the MINI in stock is close to what you want... I say, "go for it"!
Especially if they'll give you some off MSRP or throw in some dealer installed options.
I know, many will scream, but... headlights are headlights.
I like to shift, so the manual tranny is OK.
When I bring my Golden Retriever I just throw a blanket over the cloth seats, no problem.

 

Mike,

How about some floor mats - at least for the front?

 

We will most definitely be getting floor mats. Not sure if we will go through the dealership or aftemarket. I have monster mats in my VW Jetta TDI and they have been a life saver! Keeps the grime, dirt, snow, rain, etc off of the cloth and they stay PUT! 70K on them and still going strong!

 

I purchased the rubber Mini floormats, and they're amazing! Definitely check them out!

 

Is there a good photo kicking around showing the egg-yolk versus the white look side by side? (There wasn't one in the thread you linked to...)

 

I haven't seen any side by side comparisons (esp. on a Clubman) but these pics might help. You can also get an idea of what they look like in MINI's configurator:

Standard ambers:




Whites:

 

Something that I would not have been aware of if we did not already have two Mini's in the family (an 05 and and 07). The only way to get any lumbar support is by getting leather seats. The 05 has great lumbar support and I can ride for hours in it. The 07 has, what feels like to me, negative lumbar support and I get a back ache after about 90 minutes. I got the punch leather seats with adjustable lumbar and they are very comfortable. I would have gotten the cloth seats otherwise. I have had back problems, including a herniated disk...so this point does not apply to all. I looked at adding aftermarket lumbar support, and it would have been about $200 per seat, but i thought it would have looked tacky....and probably would have been problematic over time (I plan on keeping my Clubby for many years and the aftermarket units rely on inflatable rubber "balloons").

Also, the roof rail is very handy!

 

Maybe it's just me but I will never buy a car without Xenons ever agin! My Mom has an R52 with halogens and they work but not the same. The other option I love is convenience. I never take my keys out of my pocket so no way to lock in the car which I have done a few times before LOL. Auto dim mirrors, rain sensing wipers are also on the plus side for the convenience package. I'm also with JohnJohn on the bluetooth. As more states put hands free into action it will be nice to have. If it was my car I would get just about everything other than the stereo upgrade. That is the one thing I feel like I wasted money on. As a side note I would try and get the floor mats for free when you buy the car.

 

The armrest by itself ala carte isn't worth $250 imo. I have it. I have the BT and to be honest I could easily live without it. It really depends on your cellphone useage patterns and you know yours better than we do. To use an iPod get a $10 wire and plug it in. I do that and it sounds great. You've no doubt read the many xenon vs halogen debates. I have xenons and they seem fine, but have never seen halogens. My wife's Mazda3 halogens kick butt though. Maybe you can try 'em at night somewhere before you spend $500 on something unneeded. Forget the Mini floormats. Cocomats only for these cars, seriously. My wife loves the Clubman too btw, just for the styling.She would never get the HiFi stereo either.

 

Thanks! Currently the Xenon's are iffy for us. Saw the Halogens and they seemed fine to us really. If we wanted a bit more brightness we could always replace the bulb with a higher (legal) output one....has anyone here done this?

 

I've got the Halogens, which DID come aimed a little low from the factory; this is a 30-second fix by turning two screws to adjust the height of the lamps. The Xenons look nice, but if you wan to save $500, that's one place to do it. Once the Halogens are aimed correctly, you'll be fine.

Scrap the armrest. you can do much better with after market on eBay, with much more storage for much less money ($85).

Why not get the standard black leatherette instead of cloth? Check out other threads; owners actually prefer the faux leather to the real thing.

I've got the PW/Black Clubby. Check out my Gallery. It's a very nice, classic combination and not like every other Mini on the road.

Good luck!

 

I have drove both halogen and the xenon back to back and i wouldnt trade my xenon headlights for a sunroof .It makes those late night trips so much fun when you can see what is comming and crossing the road quicker and all the bumps and dips in the road too .

 

That wont do the same it will be a little bit brighter but not the same as the xenon .You need to drive both at night and see for yourself .Mine came with the xenon and i had to get a loaner for a week while some work was done on mine and all i kept saying is man this sucks i want my xenons back .The other thing that sucked was the standard stereo in the loaner mine came with the upgraded sound too!Oh yeah i say plus one on the cloth sport seats with the checkered cloth mine came with that too and i originaly wanted leather and the loaner had them and i missed my cloth seats the whole time too.I am also looking into a aftermarket arm rest off ebay .I dont think the option one for 250 is worth it .

 

I have a 2008 MCCS.

Q. Xenons are really cool but NO ONE seems to have them....Pros/Cons How do the halogens work for you all?
A. I do, much brighter and auto leveling.

Q. Automatic is still up in the air.
A. It is faster shifting than the manual.

Q. Convenience opening is ok but not worth it to us for $500...if one had it then we would perhaps go with it.
A. It is a nice option. Let's you enter and start the car with the key in your pocket. Cool.

Q. Anthracite headliner is a must. Piano black is pretty nice for interior.
A. Anthracite headliner, love it. Piano black finger print magnet.

Q. Fog light is nice but not necessary for us.
A. Save your money!

Q. Blue Tooth, while cool, simply would not be used by my wife. Nor would the Ipod integration into the stereo. The aux jack would be just fine for trips when I would use my IPhone/IPod.
A. Get it. The ultimate in hands free and it uploads multiple address books from your phones.

Q. Believe it or not the cloth seats were the most comfortable of the ones we saw today. I was amazed at how they felt...not your normal cloth seats....definitely not like the Honda/Toyotas of the past...it felt very nice. Leatherette is nice too but I found myself sweating alot on both that and the leather seats. Cloth did not feel that way.
A. I have the cloth/leather red/black and they are great

Hope this helps.

 

Mike,

Your Clubman build is very similar to my Clubman. I picked mine up the end of March. So far, i have just over 2000 miles and no issues what-so-ever. More photos on My Gallery.

 

Thanks for the responses folks! Still going back and forth on options! Not entirely sure on the Xenons or the Black or Blue roof. Gotta surf for some clubman s' with the black roof on them!

 

Congrats! Its gonna be a long wait. I would add the clear turn signals. If you don't get the rear fog you will have a switch missing in the switchplate, and if you are OCD like me that would make me nuts. I never use the rear fog but I got the full switchplate!!!! My dh uses the rear fog to "wink" at other drivers. Xenons are great, I feel blind in my older cars without them. I have the comfort access and its one of my fave features. I put the key in my purse or pocket and love not having to ever use it. My very most favorite option is the usb key. I have virtually every one of my cds in there as well as a huge collection of iTunes. I love it!! Very easy to use too.

 

what do you mean by the USB key? Does that mean you can hook up a thumb drive to the cable and use that vice an Ipod?

 

Yeah, if you have the USB input (next to the standard Aux input) you can plug in a thumb drive and play music from it. In fact, many prefer this to using their iPod because: 1. there's no iPod to steal 2. they can more easily update that music for trips without using iTunes 3. using an iPod with a lot of music on it is a PIA with the stereo system because you have to scroll through hundreds of artists/albums using the radio controls (starting with A every time). It can take a really long time compared to using the iPod itself. Thumb drive make it simpler.

 

Yeah...what Newt said

 

I got my clubbie with the cloth seats and all options you listed. Also got the bluetooth and the ipod setup. I use my phone a lot so LOVE it. Also really enjoy having the ipod.
Cloth seats rock, very comfortable to me and I do a ton of driving(31k in 10 months) I am very happy to have kept the $2500 in my pocket.
Also really like the xenons. Very sharp headlights. You will get foglights if you have an S so don't bother paying for the cute ones.
I personally refuse to pay $250 for a black headliner and have the grey, works fine.
Sunroof is sweet, except they all refuse to open when they are hot. Need to cool car down then mine will open fine.
This has been the perfect car for me. Tons of fun to drive, 32 mpg and good looking to boot.
Good luck with your decision, hard to go wrong.