Alright! I have to ask you guys this. A guy in my company just bought a fully loaded Mini S type, manual...out the door for 30K. Looks absolutely awesome. Color:Red and has 2 stripes on the hood and materail is almost first class. He said he test drives many cars including our G and the Mini beats all of them. Power, price, looks, material you name it...the Mini seems to be out on top. What say you??? Is this sound out of whack??? But the Mini really looks sharp. Can our G beat the Mini....I know the Mini has less horse and all....but wieghs much less. Have any of you encounter the Mini??? Thanks

 

Can you say Italian Job? The mini is nice but when I see that car it annoys me for some reason. Like a little kid that wants you to push it on the swing.

Thanks - Joey Avino

 

a Mini Coupe is like a Fat chick... sure they look and are fun, but when you're in pulic it's kinda embarrasing...

2003.5 White Pearl G35 Sports Coupe

 

The mini is a neat little car but no where close the class of the G. Most of the 0-60 times I have found put it at around 7 seconds or a little under. That means even if you had the 5AT and took some Acid you should still be able to own him all day long even if he is the outstanding driver he says he is. It's not a contest as far as I'm concerned. One thing to realize is that when your in a small car the same physics of racing feel more intense because there is less car to buffer you. So I think that maybe that might be an effect. One thing to mention though because of the size and power to weight ratio of the Cooper S it's a blast in the twisties. From what I've heard it has very flat corning so that would definatley give it an edge in the turns, especially with a few mods. Peace. [img]/w3timages/icons/cool.gif[/img]

-Jason
Laser Red '03 6MT

 

yes the G will beat the cooper S with no problems, even with the John Cooper "works" package which it sounds like your friend has 0-60 for the car is around 6.7. I had looked at one after I saw the italian job myself, very nice cars and very fun though.

 

Mini Cooper isn't built for straight line. The Mini guarenteed would eat a G35C up in the twisties short of a bad driver. That car handles like nobody's business. Which is what it was designed for. And being able to fit into really small parking spots.

 

Just buy a cavalier and put a supercharger on it for under $20,000 if your going to make those kinds of comparisons. You sound like the guy comparing our G to an M3. They are very different cars so if parallel parking is your thing, get the mini and you'll be happy!

 

The G is a luxury sports car. The Mini is a 'sporty' car.

The Mini is front wheel drive. A Cooper S configured at $22k isn't a bad deal, if you want a front wheel drive BMW without the luxury.

 

The mini is probably a fun car, but that's about it. It will probably win on the twisties and may have better-feeling materials. But the quality is skin-deep, and according to the JDP survey, the initial quality is pretty bad. It doesn't have much by way of amenities or room. And while it looks decent, it's no G in the styling department.

 

I raced a Mini Cooper S one night and smoked it w/out going above 4500 rpm. When the guy asked if I wanted to go I asked him if he was serious. He even had paper tags still.

Russ

Black w/willow, 6MT, nav, & aero
Jax, FL

 

The MCS its a very fun car. My brother has one and he loves it. I am 6'5" and the car has plenty of room for me. Once i get the G hopefully in couple weeks i will write up a comparo. The G will take the Mini but they are both different types of cars so.

 

a few nights ago on my way home a mini S in green would slow down then speed up right next to me like he wanted to race so i droped down to frist and gave it some gas like up 5 and half and the mini was gone. The mini did sounds cool though u can hear the super charger

 

I went head up with a gorgeous Mini Cooper S at New England Dragway like the one you describe: red with white stripes and immaculately shined polished and chrome pieces all over the exterior, interior, and engine compartment... just beautiful. Girls would start to walk up to my glossy black G going "oooooo" then spot the Mini next to me and go "Oooooo--Awwww, I want one!" The guy had a racing banner across the top of his windshield that I've forgotten the name of, but I think he was the actual tuner because he was there working on a couple other guy's Minis with the same sticker.

Anyway, I had a poor, 14.7 second run in my 5AT and still left him more car lengths back than I could easily count. Unfortunately there was a glitch in the timeslip that had him getting from the 1000 meter to the 1/4 mile mark in 1.3 seconds to finish at 14.8 (which should be impossible), so I have no idea what his actual quarter time was. Well, he was a full second behind me at the 1000 meter mark and had been fading further behind at each previous mark, so he should have finished just under 16 seconds. Immediately after the race he came around to look at my engine (as if expecting to find something unusual there), but I didn't get to talk to him. I think perhaps the Mini guys don't really know about the G35. For coupes, our cars are pretty damn big and heavy, which is not what the Mini is about. I like and respect the little cars, but the Mini isn't an exceptional dragster, even well-tuned. But if they were RWD, I may have bought one instead of my MX-5.

Do watch out for the John Cooper Works limited edition Mini coming out soon though. That one has been bumped up to a little over 200hp, which at that weight should put it right next to a 3-Series or a 5AT G35 Sedan. I'd love to watch it kill some Hondas.

-Jack
Obsidian '03 G35 Sports Coupe
Titanium '03 MX-5 Shinsen #532

 

Mini Coopers reminds me of Steve Erkle...



Pearl Ivory G35 Coupe 6MT Prem/SplashG/BSM, Injen CAI, Injen Super SES

 

The MINI is fantastic!

No, it's not a dragster car, but isn't it rather boring to drive in a straight line? The brakes are PURRfect - not touchy like the G35's. The clutch and gearbox is smooth and friendly from the get-go. As soon as you get into the manual it seems like the car is tailor-made for you - it's highly intuitive, everything does what you think it should do. Just point and go.

The inside and weight of the car feels very large. You get a perfect 180 degree panoramic view because there are no long poles at either side blocking your view. It is the safest small car. The car may be easily totaled, but you'll walk away alive.

The interior puts the G35 to shame. It's got style - industrial art! The exterior and interior both can be customized in a myriad of ways. There are more luxury type options available than the G, such as automatic windshield wipers. There are tons more performance mods available such as pulleys, ECU remaps, short shifter, cat backs, cold air intakes, filters, and everything else.

It has tons more problems than the G35. Luckily, it comes with an excellent warrantee that includes free service/maintenance for 3 years.

I re-prioritized my spending and I'm going with the MINI. I'm saving 7 grand minimum on out-of-pocket expenses, $300 a year on insurance, and countless dollars saved from not having to replace the tires and brakes every year. And I'll get about 26 mpg.

I love the G35 and I'll definitely miss that torque, but I love the go-kart feeling of the MINI. It's the funnest car I've ever driven bar none. Twisties, here I come!

And please, if you haven't driven it, don't bother to flame me. You know not what you speak.

I'm not a total traitor - the G will probably be my NEXT car, after I get the condo.

"Moderation in all things, including moderation."