What Kind of Motoring Do You Want to Do?

If you’re considering buying a MINI Cooper, you’ve probably already gone to the MINI website, www.MINIUSA.com, to see for yourself what all the hub-bub is about. The website provides a neat way to look at all the options and do some thinking long before you have to sit across the table from a dealer representative.

A MINI Like No One Else’s
If you’ve checked the MINI Cooper website, you’ve probably been impressed with, maybe overwhelmed by, all of the choices that are available. First of all, the car is available in two models in the United States, the Mini Cooper and the Mini Cooper S. (The rest of the world can also buy a third model, the MiniOne.) The major difference between the Mini Cooper and the Mini Cooper S is in the engine tuning, with the supercharged Cooper S producing more horsepower. There are also a few cosmetic differences.
Since the fall of 2004, you can also buy your Cooper or Cooper S in two different body styles, the two-door coupe with a hard-top, or the convertible with its three-position soft-top.
In addition, you can choose to add any or all of three major performance packages, or select specific options from within those packages. You can also choose from three different sizes of wheels and tires, and there is a long list of other Mini Cooper accessories and options to consider.
And that’s all before you have even confronted the truly significant questions of exterior and interior colors and trim materials. You may see lots of other MINIs on the road (and you’ll get to wave at all these new friends you haven’t met yet as soon as you’re behind the wheel of your own MINI) but your MINI doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s.
This seems like an almost overwhelming richness of choice. But making your decisions may not be as complicated as it seems.
We’re going to assume that since you bought this book, you do share a few things in common with us. You understand the messages in the MINI Cooper ads. You want your car to perform. Getting from Point A to Point B may be enough for most drivers, but you want to enjoy your time behind the wheel. You do want to motor.
But motoring is a broad term. We’ll need to get a little more personal and a little more specific here. This is the time to have a heart-to-heart talk between your intellect, your wallet, and the little voice down deep inside you that tells you how hard you should push the fast pedal.