So i'm selling my lancer and Im getting a 2003 mini cooper s. below is my MOD list that i can hopefully get done in 2yrs. hp-220


Project: 2003 Black on Black Cooper-S

Stage 1
-Borla sport line exhaust $720
-Alta CAI $200
-Momo race air shift knob $85
-Alta Short throw shifter $200
-20%tints $150
-Shave off every emblem

Stage 2
-Mini Madness Header and cat $1200
-Tinted taillights and side markers $100
-Tinted Reflectors $20
-Eibach Front and rear Sway Bars $380

Stage 3
-Madness engine and gearbox bushings $125
-NGK spark plugs $60
-Nology Wires $180
-AF ratio Monitor $140
-Alta 15% pulley/puller/belt $250

Stage 4
-Ramp 7 ECU $750
-ALTA oil catch can $120

Stage 5
-17x7 BBS RK’s $850
- 205-45-17 yoko ave es 100tires $400

Stage 6
-H&R Coilovers -$1200
-KMAC Camber Plates - $370
-BMP pro cooper s Front strut brace $270

Stage 7
-Stoptech Big brake kit w/axis pads/ss brake lines THE WORKS $1700

Stage 8
-Stubby Antenna $30
-M7 mesh grill $160
-Alta Gauge pod $170
-Mini gauge pod and gauges $260

Stage 9
- Quailfe Limited slip dif. $1100
- Stage 1 outmotoring clutch kit $300

Stage 10
-Madness t-shirt $18

Total Cost – $11,500 W/O Labor

 

be careful with it, those things are like death traps in accidents.

 

Actually the Cooper S comes with 6 airbags standard. In a head-on collision they hold up A LOT better than a Ford F-150.

 

what if you get sandwiched inbetween 2 cars? but ya fords are crap so nothing new there.

 

You find that reassuring??? Isn't the F150 considered the *worst* truck to be in durning a crash?

 

i just got back from test driving a mini cooper s not 15 minutes ago. that is a sweet little car, and i do mean little. there are so many cool things about it, the coolest being when you open the doors the window slides down a little bit just before to equalize the pressure in the cabin so you don't get that WUMP of air when you close the door. when you close it, it just slides back up. COOL! the back seat is an absolute joke though. granted, i'm 6'3" and long legged, but if i was driving it unless your legs where 1/2" thick, you couldn't even put them on the ground. i kid you not, that's the gap between the seats. one half inch.

handling was nice and tight, the shifter definitely needs to be replaced with a short shifter, along with a leather shift knob (polished is too slick). the guages are GORGEOUS! very unique and great layout. i love the huge tach right on the steering wheel.

all in all, i'm still seriously considering this as a possible next car.

one thing though... it was a 2004 S with pretty much NO options (no HID, no sunroof, no audio upgrade, cloth interior...) and they had a kelly blue book sticker that said the price was 27,995!!! i was like, WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! no freaking way. i tricked one out online last night and was between 24-25 LOADED.

 

If I was to spend $28k I'd get the STi to complement the Evo. If I needed a smaller car with good handling I'd take the Focus SVT for $18k and save $10k for something else. Mini is just like other BMWs ... way too expensive.

 

I had a Cooper S for a while when I was in LA. Awesome little car, and yes it's little. It is a 2 guy or 4 chick car - no way anyone can get behind a person who's over 5'9". 4 short people would still be tight.

The handling was very good, especially for a front driver. With DSC off, the tires were constantly chirping in the canyons - fun, but not really reassuring and probably not that fast. Brakes were capable, though I had the front right smoking pretty badly after one run (30-60 MPH and dropping roughly 1500 feet in 2 miles). Power is ok*. If you do a lot of interstate driving, you will not like this car. It pitches severely over expansion joints (not surprising given its length and stiff suspension). The gauge layout is cool - for 10 minutes. After having to look over to the right for the 100th time to check your speed, you'll be wishing that Speedo was next to the Tach. Cost? Eh, to each his own. There are better pure values at that price point, but it's a sweet car. Not sure I'd drop $11,000 in mods in one, either, but again, to each his own. I'm sure Melaz will love the car, especially after getting a bit more power.

* The power is actually pretty good, but the gearing is WAY to tall. 1st gear redlines at close to 45 MPH and 2nd gear redlines at 70 MPH - ridiculous for a 160 HP car - and 6th gear is only available over 70 MPH. I'd look into getting the final drive reduction increased by about 15-20%. With that, the car would haul ***.

 

If that's the case, so is the BMW 3-series. The Cooper is based on a chopped 3-series chassis. Actually, overall structural rigidity (doesn't help in a crash necessarily, but), bested the 3-series coupe by a considerable margin.

The Cooper held up very well in NHTSA tests, even though they don't cover the gamut. You're still considerably safer in a Cooper overall than say, the current Buick Regal.

 

awesome little cars. Please post some pics once you get it. I considered going to drive a Mini S when I got my SRT but the nearest BMW dealer that was carrying them was nearly 2 hours away. I hear nothing but good things.

 

Had a 2003 Cooper S with over 210 bhp, suspension and brake mods. If you like cute, buy a Mini. I had some problems with mine, and BMW isn't any better than Mitsu on mods. Front lsd is an absolute must! Parts are very expensive. Stock Evo blows it away on all fronts. Don't bother with the Mini, unless you want to be cute.