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Why are Mini Coopers so expensive?

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GroceryGTIer

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Tri-state
I admit, I have never test driven one, or been in one at all, but I was looking at pricing on upcoming models and the John works is almost 40k! Is it just a highly overpriced car or does the quality REALLY justify the cost?
 
GTI Jake

GTI Jake

Autocross Champion
Location
Charlotte, NC
GroceryGTIer said:
I admit, I have never test driven one, or been in one at all, but I was looking at pricing on upcoming models and the John works is almost 40k! Is it just a highly overpriced car or does the quality REALLY justify the cost?
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It’s a line owned by BMW so there’s the price structure lol

I haven’t driven or been in one, but did work on a JCW Mini recently. I was surprised to see it came factory with Brembo brakes
 
oddspyke

oddspyke

Autocross Champion
Location
Delaware
Car(s)
2016 GTI, 2018 ZL1
It's very overpriced, but still awesome to drive.

Often times, with nicer European built cars, what you're paying for is a very specialized factory and supply chain that is capable of making every vehicle custom ordered for every customer with a short turnaround. This is very expensive. However, because we live in America and have rediculous franchise dealer laws, you don't get the benefit of custom ordering your dream car and choosing every detail; you have to find one on a lot. But you still get to pay for that fancy factory.
 
N

Navi

Autocross Champion
Location
BK/NYC/Hamptons
they are really nice as far as build quality and driver feel. When you drive it, they feel solid and feels like a go cart. You get what you pay for. Once out of warranty, you need to unload that mother fucker though.
 
vbrad26

vbrad26

Autocross Champion
Location
St. Petersburg FL
Car(s)
'15 CSG GTI 2DR M/T
They are a blast to drive.
My wife (then girlfriend) had one towards the end of high school and the beginning of college, she had the last year of the supercharged S's before they went turbo.
It was a 6 speed and even totally stock it was really fun.
Loved the little supercharger whine when you were gettin' it, and it handled great.
I had an RX-8 with coilovers at the time and it was almost just as fun because it felt like a little go-kart.
I considered buying one not too long after she got rid of hers but I just couldn't say no to the GTI.
 
KevinC

KevinC

Autocross Champion
Location
The land of Wyatt Earp & Doc Holliday
Car(s)
'19 Golf R, '21 M2c
I had a loaded '10 S that I bought new. I added an H&R Cup kit (which featured Koni Yellows, painted in H&R blue, with the Koni stampings still on them), and 17" BBS LM's. It was sharp looking as hell, and handled well, but the steering was COMPLETELY devoid of any feel at all - just overboosted numbness. MINI should offer a manual steering rack, no need for boost in that tiny thing. It's one of the reasons I sold it after 2 years.

 
vbrad26

vbrad26

Autocross Champion
Location
St. Petersburg FL
Car(s)
'15 CSG GTI 2DR M/T
KevinC said:
I had a loaded '10 S that I bought new. I added an H&R Cup kit (which featured Koni Yellows, painted in H&R blue, with the Koni stampings still on them), and 17" BBS LM's. It was sharp looking as hell, and handled well, but the steering was COMPLETELY devoid of any feel at all - just overboosted numbness. MINI should offer a manual steering rack, no need for boost in that tiny thing. It's one of the reasons I sold it after 2 years.
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Oooo, very nice though!
 
Chad13762

Chad13762

Go Kart Champion
Location
Henderson NV
Had an '07 R56 (S) - bought used with 25k miles. I wasn't impressed by the build quality. Rattely/creaky hard plastic everywhere. Turbo was toast at 80k and DI carbon buildup was an issue. I had to walnut blast the intake twice (maybe because the turbo seals were leaky?) Torque/bump steer would almost make it change lanes if you weren't paying attention.

It was a lot of fun when it was running though. Boost came in quickly, and it handled well if you anticipated the steering weirdness. With some minor suspension tuning, it would rotate at will. It had to be drivien "in-anger" to get the most out of it.

 
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Chad13762

Chad13762

Go Kart Champion
Location
Henderson NV
Sandman GTI said:
Cool, but when I think my GTI is small I just look at a mini.
I would think interior room is tight.
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Well, it is called a "Mini." ;) For all practical purposes, it's a 2-seater. With the rear seats folded down, it's capable of a Costco run, as long as one is skilled at Tetris. Like a lot of cars, they keep getting a little bigger with each generation. I'm not that familiar with the latest gen though.
 
N

Navi

Autocross Champion
Location
BK/NYC/Hamptons
the latest generation is huge for a mini.. at least the one's I was used to when they first came back to the states. I was next to one yesterday and thinking "damn the Countryman is same size as a GTI." Then it drove off and I realized it was a 4dr mini cooper S lol. Looks almost the same size.
 
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