No disrespect but I read this month somewhere it is 50/50 being brought over from Oxford to the US.

 

You guys are killing me...The "S" gets crapy MPG...give me a break...buy a Prius...

 

Yes, because $20,000 more from a Justacooper is totally worth the $800 a year (figure pulled from think air) you'll save on gas.

Me, I went with a Justacooper since I was able to get more options at my price range. I just need a car to get to/from college, and I'm a technophile, so I'd rather have more gadgets than speed.

 

No way...it only does one thing. Coopers do it all!!!!!!!

 

Say it like it is....If it fits your budget then it is the perfect car....but lets stop with the MPG BS. My JCW is getting almost 30 MPG cruising at 72 MPH. Not bad by any standard.

 

Get in the game...at least quote the entire post...

 

You mean Cooper S does it all

 

Ahhh, I can't help myself....here is another feeble attempt to /thread

Cooper
--More budget friendly, so for the same price as an S you can load up on other things like convenience package, navigation, etc.
--Out of this world fuel economy
--Adequate power for 99.9% of all applications (the only application not covered is lead-foot driving )
--Conventional spare tire
--Fun as heck to drive
--It's a MINI

Cooper S
--Turbocharged engine not available in a Cooper
--Gobs of power for 99.9% of all applications (the only application not covered is outgunning Corvettes and Mustangs, judging by this thread)
--#5 on Road and Track's "The Fast and the Frugal" 10 Hottest Cars per gallon, August 2008. I.e. for the amount of power it has and thrills it gives it is still very economical
--Hood scoop, spoiler, stainless steel pedals and all those racy bits
--Fun as heck to drive
--It's a MINI

One thing that really drives me nuts is how people try justifying their choice by pointing out the flaws of the other. I think y'all need to be reminded that we all drive BMW Mini Coopers (see last two bullets).

OK, unsubscribing from thread now.

 

I need more butter!

 

You prefer the Popcorn B, whereas I prefer the justapopcorn model.

 

OP had bought a jasta Cooper several pages ago, but this discussion will never end...

 

i would choose the one with the big speedo in the middle..

 

Good points.

 

Yeah not sure about the mpg's BS of an S either. Just got back from a 1500 mile trip to Illinois. Worst mpg running about 80-85 against a 25-35 mile an hour headwind was 33 best mpg and best mpg running about 70 -75 was 36. These were hand calculated and not OBC.

 

Depends on what you mean. In the mpg game, manual Coopers offer the most impressive mpg numbers while still retaining that famous MINI handling. That's a winning formula for many. Yes, a Prius will do somewhat better in mpgs....but as a whole package it is sorely lacking (at least from a MINI perspective).

Superb #s considering what automakers consider acceptible these days. However, a Cooper could easily have seen mid-40s or better.

This need not be seen as a criticism...the two cars are superb overall, but each excel in certain areas. Some owners will want one, others will want the other. That is what a thread like this is all about...comparison. At least it was at one point in the far distant past.

 

This is an obnoxious subject. Some people are happy with their Coopers and nothing is going to change that. Ditto for S owners.

I am in the camp of much rather having a "bare bones" Cooper S than a fully loaded JustACooper anyday of the week. To me great handling needs to be complemented by a great motor.

 

I'm with you ClubmanS. I went bare bones S with roof rails and english oak... thats all I need...

 

That’s what I love about MINI you can go bare s, I can go loaded Justa. Neither is a better car just a better fit to the owner. Now if we were talking Auto vs. Manual there is only one correct choice there.

 

Someone has his panties in a bunch.

 

The choise might be easier depending on what one had before.

In my example I'm buying an MCS for my wife. She is currently driving 106hp Civic. So I decided just a MC wouldn't be that much different... It has sligtly more power but it also weights a little more... So it was relatively easy to decide towards MCS - to feel some
difference.

 

Price should be irrelevant....there's no need to option up a Cooper (unless you want to). Paying $20-21K for a car w/ plenty of oomph, great mpgs, superb handling, the necessary amenities is quite a value!!

 

I agree, I have a lightly optioned justa, and I love it. Price to me does matter, I just can't see owing a highly optioned MC upwards of 25K or a moderately optioned or highly optioned MCS pushing 30K. At those higher costs there are other vehicles that come into play I'd drive.

 

What do YOU know... you bought a friggin STATION WAGON.

 

You wear panties Thats weird.

I am on a road trip with my new JCW now, decided to drive because I really wanted to drive my new Mini. Here are some observations from a first time Mini owner....

Left Florida with 785 miles on the clock and currently have 2,019 and I will be heading home Thursday afternoon. I am beyond impressed that I was able drive 19 straight hours only to stop for gas....and I can say that was not often. This is the first front wheel 4 cyl car I have ever owned..I will give a accurate fuel consumption report when I get back...right now I am getting about 29 MPG overall...and I drive pretty hard. My MPH avg was 74 from Florida to Boston, sounds low but not an easy task to get that as an average.

Top Speed on the Nav was 119 and you would never know it. I find it hard to cruise at 70 in this car, seems like I am not moving...is it just me? I really dont feel the speed like I do in my Vette or MB...

The only thing that is a little hard is the suspension and Torque steer under hard accel. I installed H&R coil overs and on Florida roads I didn't have an issue however, on some of these roads aroung the NJ, NY and CT area I took a real beating. The stearing is a little twitchie and I am not sure if it is the coil overs or not since I have nothing to judge it against.

Overall I am 100% happy and can't wait to drive her home.

 

Here was *my* thinking:

The general reasons we decided on a MINI were the following:

- Great Handling
- Character/Look
- Custom ordered EXACTLY how you want it
- Great Gas Mileage

Both the Cooper and Cooper S have all of the above, with a slight advantage to the Cooper in gas mileage... and IMO, a slight advantage in look to the Cooper S. However, after looking at the MAIN reasons we wanted a MINI, they both offered everything we REALLY wanted. Essentially, we would be very happy with EITHER.


So, now it came down to a few less-important items:

- Oxygen Blue Paint (Advantage: Cooper)
- More straight-line speed (Advantage: Cooper S)
- Price w/ equal options (Advantage: Cooper [~$2500])

So, while I would *like* the extra straight-line speed, after considering the price bump and the Oxygen Blue paint my wife really wanted, we decided that we would stick with the "regular" Cooper.

In our opinion, the Cooper offered 100% of the "MINI ownership experience", 100% of the options we wanted, and 90% of the driving fun for $2500 less... and it came in the color we really wanted.