Well, thinking about selling the S2K to pick up a 2005 Mini Cooper S. I put a lot of highway miles on my car, and it's much quieter inside and better for hauling a few more things back and forth on my roadtrips. Anybody here driven one? I drove it this past weekend and was very impressed with it. What are you guys impressions of the car? I've got connections to get a free chip/pulley/exhaust if I so desire, so straight line speed won't be an issue if I get bored with it.

 

I took an extended test drive in a friend's.

Engine - incredible low end torque, but it seemed to run out of breath above 3000 rpm.

Transmission - yuck. That long stick makes for a really long throw, and the big ball at the end was more cute than functional. Of course, with the low end torque, you can shift it less by never using the even numbered gears.

Steering - wheel is too big, takes too many turns to turn the car.

Space - pretty impressive for such a small car.

Moonroof - best I've seen on any car. Huge, and you can look out of it from the normal seating position. Almost as good as a T roof.

I wouldn't recommend it for your purposes, because it frankly didn't feel comfortable at highway speeds. It really seemed to be designed for around town. I'd rather have a car that feels comfortable but noisy on the highway, like the S2000, than one which seems like it would be happier looking for the nearest exit ramp, like the Cooper S.

 

Personally, I liked the stick. The throw is longer than the S, but the feel of it was great. Very positive withouy being overly notchy. The ball was a little too large, but not uncomfortable or difficult to use.

Steering wheel size, I didn't really notice it as being a positive or negative either way. But I did appreciate the feel and effort of the mini's steering. Also, it's only 2.5 turns to lock, not what I would consider excessive.

And it felt fine at highway speeds to me, the car that I test drove was a regular highway driver for the owners, and they loved it. Frankly I don't feel that my S is particularly confidence inspiring on the interstate in many weather conditions. It's competent in the dry, but even with fresh tires (performance tires) in the wet it's marginal. I put over 20,000 highway miles on the car last year so I have quite a bit of experience with that.

 

I've driven an 05' S, and an 03' S. The 05 has revised gearing, which is much more agressive. It has a bit more go in 1st and 2nd. I'm planning on getting a Cooper S for the wife soon. I think they are fantastic cars, and for the money you get a ton of options.

 

I had an '03 MCS before my S2k...I loved the mini...it feels just as fast if not faster than the S around town...makes a great whirring noise from the blower...styling that will never get old..perfect proportions....

The 17'' wheels ride very hard because of run flats....I actually preferred driving mine with blizzak snow tires...sounds stupid but true

Shifter is top notch

Sunroof looks cool and is very functional.

Writing about it is making me miss it...

somewhere my 16 year old brother is probably doing burnouts in it

 

I imagine changing to non-run flats and carrying around a can of fix-a-flat would take care of the rough ride issues. Still seems noticeably smoother than the S.

One of the reasons i'm buying the 05 instead of an older car is the revised gearing and the available LSD. Plus part of the charm of the car is the high level of customization, and i'm getting this sucker exactly how I want it.

 

The '05 MCS has alot of great improvements over the previous generations. As mentioned the new gearing really gives it some pep on the lower gears but aside from that there have been alot of new additions, including as of 1/05 builds, the Steptronic option w/paddle shifters, a limited slip diff option with manual cars, and as standard, a passenger airbag monitor.

The rest of the '05 changes are also nice, new headlight/tailight design, new grill, new steering wheel, new gizmo options, new trim options, new colors, new exhaust and more HP.

That's why I'm selling my '03 MCS that I picked up last October for the '05 replacement coming in in a few weeks... we liked the car that much!

Did I mention the resale is great on these things? I came out ahead buying one used, owning it for 5 months and putting 13k miles on it.

 

for Mini Cooper S

spare parts..

My friend has Mini Cooper S,

He is always complaining about the spare parts pricing

 

Yeah, the resale is encouraging. How long did you have to wait for your 05, from ordering until delivery? I imagine I will order within the next 2-3 weeks.

 

[quote name='S2000AD' date='Feb 21 2005, 11:46 PM']
& regarding the wind noise inside the S2000, why you don