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Thread: Mini for business car

  1. #1
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    Mini for business car

    I'm looking at getting a mini cooper to drive around as my business car. I've been looking and research for a few months now, so I'm getting a good handle on what to look for.

    My biggest question is which to get, an auto or 6 speed. I obviously need good MPG. Right now I'm leaning toward an auto, but there are few around in the price range and mileage. Is there a huge difference on gas mileage between the two (auto and manual)? I'm leaning toward an S. I just had a 1995 540i with a 6 speed and I'm kinda over having to shift in traffic so that's the reason I'm looking for an auto.

    Am I making a big deal over nothing? I'm not really thrilled about the CVT as the autos. I had one in an Nissan and hated it, so maybe manual is best? What do you guys think?

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by xlr8tin View Post
    I'm looking at getting a mini cooper to drive around as my business car. I've been looking and research for a few months now, so I'm getting a good handle on what to look for.

    My biggest question is which to get, an auto or 6 speed. I obviously need good MPG. Right now I'm leaning toward an auto, but there are few around in the price range and mileage. Is there a huge difference on gas mileage between the two (auto and manual)? I'm leaning toward an S. I just had a 1995 540i with a 6 speed and I'm kinda over having to shift in traffic so that's the reason I'm looking for an auto.

    Am I making a big deal over nothing? I'm not really thrilled about the CVT as the autos. I had one in an Nissan and hated it, so maybe manual is best? What do you guys think?
    I am not a fan of the automatics especially in a non s car..the 6 speed isn't to bad in traffic but frankly the auto makes sense if your in a lot of stop and go

  3. #3
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    Yea this is what I was thinking. I am shooting for an S model. Is there a huge difference in the base model vs the S model?

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by xlr8tin View Post
    My biggest question is which to get, an auto or 6 speed. I obviously need good MPG. Right now I'm leaning toward an auto, but there are few around in the price range and mileage. Is there a huge difference on gas mileage between the two (auto and manual)? I'm leaning toward an S. I just had a 1995 540i with a 6 speed and I'm kinda over having to shift in traffic so that's the reason I'm looking for an auto.

    Am I making a big deal over nothing? I'm not really thrilled about the CVT as the autos. I had one in an Nissan and hated it, so maybe manual is best? What do you guys think?
    Yes, definitely DO NOT GET A CVT!!! Every single one still on the road (not that many!) is a ticking time bomb. Google "MINI CVT failure" if you're curious. The good news is that all the S models and all the second and third generation non-S MINIs have defined gear auto transmissions. Not as much fun as the manual, but still relatively robust.

    What years are you looking at? Avoid 2001-2006 non-S automatics and also the convertible non-S automatic until 2007. You'd be safe with an S model automatic from any year.

    I go back and forth on the MC, MCS, JCW debate. For a purely business car, the MC would be absolutely fine. It's slightly softer strung than the MCS, which would help if you spend a lot of time on crappy city streets. Compared to any other subcompact, it's got a lot of pep. From what I've heard, that's even more true with the 2014+ (3rd generation). Haven't driven one of those yet.

    If this car is going to be used sometimes for recreational purposes, then the S boost is nice to have. But then again, so is the manual transmission.

    In my experience, the difference between MC vs MCS and Auto vs Manual in terms of fuel economy is basically negligible. On the highway you may see a few extra MPGs with, say, a manual MC compared to an automatic MCS, but you're still in the upper 30's no matter what. The difference is a little more noticeable in the city, but it's so far beyond what you'd get in a 540i that it's not even worth worrying about. On long highway trips in a manual MCS Coupe, I get about 500 miles to the tank. That falls to the upper 300's in city traffic, but we're talking about 12 gallons. Can't complain.

    I guess what I'm saying is if you avoid the CVT, you can't go wrong. Pick a budget point and start doing some comparison shopping. I'm sure you'll find something that works for you.

  5. #5
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    Good info, thanks!

    I'm looking at a couple 2005 Cooper S that are auto. So which years and models have the CVT exactly?

    My budget is $8000, but I'm paying cash so I'm hoping to be able to negotiate a decent car down to this.

  6. #6
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    No Cooper S had a CVT automatic. Any R53 S with an automatic got the Aisin trans which is fine. You will find it has paddle shifters on the steering wheel.
    If you are looking at an '05 S, keep in mind that the supercharger will need service soon if it has more than 80 or 90,000 miles. This also affects the water pump too.
    Every market has different price ranges depending on supply and demand. Around here, $8000 sounds high for an '05 unless it is very low mileage.
    -Donny

  7. #7
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    I wasn't aware of the supercharger needing to be serviced. Thanks for the heads up. I'm trying to keep them under 60k miles. I can't find a Cooper S in my area newer than 2006 for under 80k. So I'm looking at a couple 2005s.

    Minis are booming here in Nashville, but I can't find a lot of good used ones

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by xlr8tin View Post
    I wasn't aware of the supercharger needing to be serviced. Thanks for the heads up. I'm trying to keep them under 60k miles. I can't find a Cooper S in my area newer than 2006 for under 80k. So I'm looking at a couple 2005s. Minis are booming here in Nashville, but I can't find a lot of good used ones
    Most Minis that are approaching 10 years in age are going to be "good and used", both in mileage and wear and tear. Really no different than what you will see in any make approaching 10 years of service.

  9. #9
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    So what are the signs of needing this service on the supercharger? Are there actual signs or just a normal maintenance at 100k miles?

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by xlr8tin View Post
    So what are the signs of needing this service on the supercharger? Are there actual signs or just a normal maintenance at 100k miles?
    There is no easy way to determine when the supercharger will need service. They have a small sealed oil reservoir at each end of the rotors. Since the system runs under a vacuum 98% of the time, oil slowly gets pulled out past the shaft seals into the intake. When the oil is depleted, the supercharger bearings are destroyed, usually taking out the coating on the rotors, or worse. The rear reservoir on the supercharger also has a gear reduction built in to drive the waterpump, so this sometimes chews the gears to pieces, effectively disconnecting the waterpump drive. This leads to the engine overheating.
    Though difficult, the front (drive side) reservoir can be refilled on the car. The rear reservoir (with gear drive) can only be serviced by removing the waterpump and/or supercharger, unless someone has found a trick that I don't know about.
    -Donny
    Last edited by KeysCoupe; 10-03-2014 at 12:38 PM.

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