Ferrari Mailing List: Re: NFC - Mini Cooper S Convertible Advice

[JAshburne (JAshburne]

Scottie
 
You had me sold until you mentioned the "carving Florida's two lane  
...traffic" part.  I guess "carving" around the RV's might be the norm but  
carving a 
road (as in with curves) is a rarity in Florida AFAIK since everything  there 
is so darn flat and straight, with 90 degree intersections the rule.
 
Nice description tho  ;-)
 
John
 
 
In a message dated 4/24/2007 7:14:31 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
ferrarisimo [at] hotmail.com writes:

Larry,

In three words - GET A MINI!!!!!!!!!

I've had a  factory John Cooper Works car for a little over a year and  
almost  20,000 miles now.  I modded it up just a touch (over the   
standard JCW specs - reprogramed the chip, lost the cats, opened the   
intake, K&N - total cost less than a grand) and have dyno'd it  at  
over 200 hp at the crank - over 150 hp at the wheels.

Even  with 26 exotic cars sitting in the warehouse (that I really need  
to  get out on the road), I choose to drive it everywhere and   
everyday.  You can drive it hard or soft.  It is a mighty,  mighty  
tool for carving Florida's (two lane - with a @#$%^&* [at] !  RV holding up  
the 'passing lane') traffic.  I am often relieved  to get back into it  
after a day behind the wheel of a Miura,  Countach, Corniche, or XK  
whatever.

It is quick, nimble,  comfortable, easy to sit in, get in and out of,  
see around you from  -- oh, and it always starts and the A/C is always  
ice cold, and gets  a reasonable 23-24 mpg even with my lead - shift  
at the red line  everytime - foot.

FWIW, the Harmon Kardon system is pretty good (at  least as far as car  
audio goes - personally, I am more of a tube  amp, two channel, home  
system maven), that is unless I am on the  highway with the sunroof  
open and the windows down - when I find  that it could use just a  
touch more oomph.  On the plus side,  they have it set up so that even  
full volume is pretty much no  distortion, so I have no fear playing  
it turned all the way up for  hours at a time, when necessary.  There  
ain't no 26 hz bass  going on, but I never took you for one of those  
bass thumping  dudes.

All I can tell you is that most people that drive the MINI love  the  
MINI.  My buddy Fred drove it a few times and now has an  ongoing,  
open, offer to trade it for his Challenge Stradale for the  day, anyday.

Only potential downside is that they say that the new  convertible  
will come out by the end of the year, although given  their history it  
is more like early next year, so it remains to be  seen if that may  
hurt resale.  The new body has, so far, not  hurt prices on the older  
cars and my JCW is still worth most of what  I paid for it - that is  
at least until their is a JCW replacement  sometime next year.

Am I gushing????  Too bad, MINIs are freakin'  great.   I am freakin'  
coo - coo for MINI puffs!   Whooooooo Hoooooooooo!

Scottie


 



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