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Original poster

Anyone know about minis?

18 replies

Chopchopbusybusy · 26/05/2013 19:52

I'm considering buying a Mini Cooper S convertible. They look very lovely but I need convincing. Any experience?
I'm also considering just the Mini Cooper S, given that there won't be that many days in a year that I can use the convertible. Or should I just go for the Mini Cooper. I like the idea of something nippy.
My DDs are older teens now so we don't go out much as a foursome any more and if necessary they would be happy to squeeze in the back, so I'm happy with the size of the car. DH has a bigger car for when we really need one anyway.
Please come and help me decide.

OP posts:

TheFallenNinja · 26/05/2013 20:51

They are a soulless, dull drive. Regret mine.

BikeRunSki · 26/05/2013 20:55

I had a Mini Cooper about 10 years ago and loved it's nippiness!

preggersbycheggers · 26/05/2013 20:58

My mil has one which I have driven quite a bit. It's a hard drive and not relaxing whatsoever. The clutch is incredibly stiff on it and its very expensive to run.

Make sure you test drive one first!

LaurieFairyCake · 26/05/2013 20:59

I loved mine. Very nippy - had the Cooper. Very solid too. I didn't find it dull.

It's a very pretty car but has been very copied in the last ten years.

LaurieFairyCake · 26/05/2013 21:00

It is a hard drive, you feel every bump - which is a good thing IMO as its a drivers car. Its not 'smooth' but instead has loads of feedback and nippiness

Original poster

Chopchopbusybusy · 26/05/2013 21:31

Ooh - mixed! And not very positive. Fallenninja - which model do you have?
Bikerunski, what do you think is expensive? I've checked the insurance cost and it's slightly cheaper than my current elderly car. I can prepay under £300 for 5 years servicing and MPG looks promising. Am I missing something obvious?
Hoping to test drive tomorrow.

OP posts:

Original poster

Chopchopbusybusy · 26/05/2013 21:32

Sorry it was preggers that said it was expensive to run.

OP posts:

WMittens · 26/05/2013 21:36

...you feel every bump - which is a good thing IMO as its a drivers car.

Really?

WMittens · 26/05/2013 21:40

MPG/expensive to run - remember MPG is quoted using the NEDC test to give standardised figures - it's often done using computer control, so it's extremely unlikely you would see the actual figures in like for like driving. Also, manufacturers can 'tune' the car to perform well in the tests.

If it's a new model Cooper S it has a turbocharger, so if you're enthusiastic with the throttle it's going to start going through petrol; if it's an older model with the supercharger, that was sapping power from the engine to make power.

LaurieFairyCake · 26/05/2013 21:42

Yep, all those dull cars where you don't feel the road are soulless to me. Much more fun driving a classic car like an MG than the soulless car I've got with suspension where you don't feel anything.

I loved the feedback in the Mini. I also felt the same in the Alfa spider, triumph stag and mx3 I had.

I just don't like an entirely comfortable ride where it feels like I'm driving a soft bus.

WMittens · 26/05/2013 21:54

Stiff suspension transmitting all the bumps isn't the same as 'feedback' - a well set up car can absorb the bumps but still tell you what the car is doing - Lotus being well known for their expertise in this area. For most people driving on the road, feedback through the steering wheel is more than enough.

My Nissan 370Z was too stiff at times (not helped by large wheels and thin tyres) - a nasty bump could send it off line pretty quickly and the steering was very twitchy. It was pretty well behaved when the back stepped out though, with the ESP on or off.

Too many consumers (maybe or maybe not convinced by manufacturers) think "stiff" means "sporty" - because racecar. No thought to how it handles on the road, race cars are stiff so stiff must mean fast. In one of Jaguar's models, there was a 'Sport' button because it was expected of cars in that segment (and most segments now) - it temporarily stiffened suspension because that was what consumers expected, but it slowly returned to standard because they'd got it right to start with.

LaurieFairyCake · 26/05/2013 22:04

That's why the stiffness only works if its nippy too, which the Mini is.

You can feel the bumps but you're also very well cushioned in the snug seats.

CajaDeLaMemoria · 26/05/2013 22:06

Go for the Cooper over the convertible. The convertibles break all the time, they are always back in being fixed. The Cooper has a nicer drive, too, and is cheaper to fix.