Mini Cooper

mark11original

Hi. I looking to purchase a Mini Cooper looking for a 2005 ish, Have been looking on donedeal and some are advertised as having a Chilli Pack. How do I know the difference between the Cooper that has a chilli pack and a cooper that doesn't? Some are advertised with run flat tyres, do all coopers come with these? Also some say they have "on board computers" are these not in all modern cars now to tell you your mpg and to tell you how many mile you have left in your fuel tank?

Mozoltov!

Difference in Mini's with/without Chilli pack are 3 spoke leather steering wheel and gear knob, sports seats, 16" alloys, cloth & leather interior and rear roof spoiler but I'm open to correction on this.

Also, the on board computers were, and might still be, optional extras on mini's.

Go for the Cooper S, I think they come with the chilli pack as standard and more!

mark11original

Ya would love a cooper S and they aren't a whole lot more expensive especially around 2004/5 but its the running cost of putting petrol into it, think they are only doing around 25mpg.
I want to get a pretty high spec cooper tho.

Owen

The chili pack varies with model, and isn't standard on any vehicle. Best place for advice is probably miniclub.ie - plenty of owners there.

Chili Pack on a Cooper included (From 05 onwards) a 3 spoke sports leather steering wheel, 1/2 leather sports seats, storage compartment pack, front foglamps, trip computer, interior lighting pack, 16" alloys, exterior chrome package, rear spoiler, second side drivers sunvisor, and floor mats.

langdang

The options choices were so extensive, every car seems to have a different combination - you could be searching for a while if you have a particular car in mind. I've seen One's specced up so much they were better than Coopers.
Runflats were not standard on the One or Cooper, only on the Cooper S (no space for spare on Cooper S). Some Cooper/Ones do have the run flats but anecdotal evidence suggests that they may be too harsh a ride on Irish roads.
The spare on the One/Cooper is under the car - you release a catch in the boot and it drops down underneath. I know that herself would be unlikely to tackle it wearing good clothes, so she has a can of tyreweld and a compressor for emergencies.
Great cars! Really enjoy driving her's!

mark11original

Some say they have a sports suspension, How would I know this for definite? Is there some way of knowing when lookin at the car? Some of the dash's and the door cards of the 2005 coopers are silver and more are more of a grey colour, was one of these an optional extra when new?

Owen

There's no way of telling. The Chili Pack gave you sport suspension by default, but it was deletable at no cost. It's safe to assume they all have sport suspension. Honestly though, the sport suspension is a great thing, it's the run flat tires which are the problem. Ditch them for normal tires, put a can of tire weld in the boot, and the comfort of the car is transformed, while still being chuckable in the corners.

The dashboard was anthracite in colour (The grey metallic effect) which extended to the door elipses and speaker surrounds. You could upgrade those to brilliant silver in the chili pack at no cost too - but anthracite remained the default option.

mark11original

Could you have a look at this for me and see what you think http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1503072 Is this a cooper with a high spec? I don't think it has traction control or heated seats. is it a chilli pack? Thanks for your advice

Owen

It has a double panoramic sunroof, which is a must as far as I'm concerned, both my works, and herself's 05 Cooper have it, and it brightens up the interior like nothing you've seen. That car seems to just have a Chili Pack, and a Sunroof, mileage is high for a MINI - 80k, most MINIs are low mileage car, mine (A 05 S) has 33k, and herself's (A 05 Cooper) has 40k Miles.

Traction control only became standard on the model change in late 06 to the R56 model, and Heated Seats were a very rare option - out of the 150 or so new MINIs I'd sell a year, maybe 3 or 4 would have heated seats. It was mostly an option sold with convertibles, or cars with full leather.

langdang

No traction control - the place where the switch should be is blank (second toggle switch in from the passenger side).
Heated seats would be rare I'd say.

That seller has a list of cars as long as my arm - he's a trader, not a private seller. If he tries to pass himself off as a private seller I'd be wary.
Wait up - I'm wary already - googling that contact number throws up car sales by Pat, John, Michael, Cathy....

mark11original

Here's a mini that i went and looked at yesterday http://www.charleville-nissan.com/used_car/used_car_detail.aspx?id=82347 It does have lower mileage alright 47K and heated seated seats but apart from that i don't think there is much of a difference. It would be bought for 8500 or maybe a bit less. The one on donedeal however is 2005. I joined the miniclub.ie by the way just last night. with either car i would definitely have to purchase 17" S alloys

Owen

Give me a shout when you get one anyway, I know where there's a set of 17" S Spokes, no buckles, but could probably use a refurb.

The car from Lucey's I don't think you'll get for 8500, they're advertising it at 9700, and saying that includes a straight sale discount of 2k, so they believe it's somewhere around 11,700. Good car, I think I actually sold it new from day one, but feck me if I can't remember who bought it or where it went.

mark11original

Thanks for the info, it is strange that he has different names down for different ads

mark11original

Ya ok will do thanks for help

tinkerbell

I have a MINI Cooper and I got a CHILI pack with it - this is the list of items in the CHILI:

Sport Leather Steer Wheel
16"−5 Star Blaster Alloys
Rear Spoiler
Floor Mats
Pass. Seat Height Adj.
Sports Seats
Storage Compartment Pack
Front Foglights
Manual Air Conditioning
On−Board Computer
Interior Light Pack
2nd Remote Key

I have to say, the MINI is the best little car out there, I love my MINI

Owen

The manual airconditioning is not included in the R50 Cooper from 01-06. It was only added to the R56 from November 06 onwards.

mark11original

Thanks. What does the Storage Compartment Pack consist of.

langdang

mark11original wrote: »

Thanks. What does the Storage Compartment Pack consist of.

glovebox! no glovebox as standard, just a shelf

Owen

Glovebox, nets on the back of the seats, cubby hole under the steering wheel.