TheStig Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 ^Honestly dude, there is no reason you need an AWD Mini unless you have some SERIOUS power under the hood or are driving on roads that require it which I don't think there are any of in New Jersey. Getrag makes some great drive systems, they even made one for my car, but don't expect it to be cheap. It's going to cost a LOT to just purchase the thing and even more to have it installed. Don't think you will be able to go lightyears faster either, you will feel little to no difference should you do it. The Mini is light and sporty enough as it is. The money you could spend on an AWD system would be much more benificial upgrading the current engine-bay if you really want a fast car. They didn't turn these things in to rally cars for no reason, they do just fine with a FWD setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElToroExtreme Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I work for a German Import shop, so not only do I get the parts cheaper then anywhere else will I also pay NOTHING to have it installed! When my boss is done with my car he will have done a stage 1 250hp upgrade, then a stage 2 310hp upgrade, and finally stage 3 375hp upgrade. Stage one is the cheapest, obviously. First thing I want to get rid of the automatic transmission!!! But I'm doing power mods before I do the AWD system. For the record NJ has some SWEET back-roads. I hang out A LOT with my MINI Group out in PA, so the AWD will come into play during the winter rally's! Thanks for the concern, but Ive got all bases covered! She'll be running low 13's to high 12 1/4 miles times! ADMIN EDIT: I went through and edited this for you. You've been here long enough to understand that every sentence does not need a ton of "!!!" at the end of it. It just makes posts easier to read, you know? Thanks - Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheStig Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 ^You know for that kind of money you want to sink into your car you can buy something like a used STi or an EVO that will do all of that right out of the box, right? Not trying to sway you or anything, just want to point out that even at discount this will cost you a lot of money and effort... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElToroExtreme Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 IMO STIs and EVOs are run of the mill... i dont want something that i bought off the floor and to do more to it will cost a fortune!!! Mine for 205 hp will cost a mere $1000 Installed!!! Free software which is the most expensive part... that alone boosts HP to 200 and torque to 201 ft lbs. Besides my MINI turns heads with look not with a loud obnoxious coffee can exhaust... Besides if you love your car (as much as I do) you dont mind dropping the money!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheStig Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Ha, okay dude, whatever you say! Have fun with the Mini, I hope its worth it in the long run! And I do love my car, I love it to death, but even I have a limit as to how much is too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameron Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Mini's are very cool - but they are not sports cars. If you have so much money to sink into it, why not pick up a BMW 135i? It just seems backwards to try and squeeze a sports car into a platform that wasn't designed for it. Sure it might be fast, but it will never be "good"! And while I'm personally not a huge fan STIs and EVOs (I'm totally a German car guy), they are certainly not run of the mill. They are amazing cars, rare, and brilliantly engineered (with a rich and entertaining history). The Mini, while being very cool, is just a production car. Cameron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElToroExtreme Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Im gonna be autocrossing it in the future!!! Planning ahead... My boss is then gonna buy me a new Mini S Convertible and take Tempest off my hands So even if the S--t hits the fan... I got a new one to fall back on!!! Im a MINI nut always have been always will be... Ive driven the M3 and M5 coupes they are 10 fold faster then my car... but their handling is horrible... and very expensive to sure up!!! Something about the MINI just keeps me to it... In my mind on an 06 spending 10k in upgrades is worth it... it will be faster then the 1 and 3 series... and with all the upgrades ive still spent less!!! I paid a mere 19,500 for tempest add 10k worth of mods thats only 29,500 a one series starts in the mid to hig 30s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Freeman Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Heres my ride...2000 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Edition. 155k miles and has yet to give me a single problem! It's funny to watch people in Hummers and FJ Cruisers try to keep up with me off road! And, I'm also working on restoring a 1976 Jeep CJ7. Most of the mechanical is done, now I'm gonna start doing cosmetics. I'll post pics up later. All pretty and clean! I swear, it didn't look that deep... Getting dirty... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElToroExtreme Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Very nice!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParkTrips Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 ...but their handling is horrible... as someone in the market for an M3 who has driven several E46s M's.. I think thats pretty much an absurd statement! Maybe the Minis is better, it is pretty light and all, but I think to say the M3 or M5 handle horribly is flat wrong. Also, what are you doing with just $10K that will drop the Mini's 60 time by 2 seconds? I have trouble believing a 375hp boost will cost less than $10K, but I guess thats because you get *cheap* labor I looked up the 06 Mini Cooper's 60 time and it was in the high 6's... the 335 will match an E46 M3 at 4.8s and I'm pretty sure that the lighter 135, which comes with the same turbo'd 6, probably does a little better! oh, and you want to talk about a car that can handle well, the 135 is the sh!t. I test drove one of those and honestly liked the ride a bit more than the old M3... At least you like a car from the BMW family and I do agree with you that I'd rather have a BMW or Mini or a lot of things before an EVO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceace12 Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I want a 128i, but I want it for it's styling. I am no longer into cars for power. Unless I get a drag racing car for the track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParkTrips Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I'm still not sold on the looks of the 1-series... or any of the latest BMWs. I don't think its ugly, like many seem to, but I don't necessarily like it yet. But I think that tends to happen as car design evolves, people need time to adapt. Or maybe its because the E46 and E39 models were just soooo damn sexy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElToroExtreme Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 I'm not to sold on the looks of the new one series either. Also the price. Why buy a one series when I can get a 3 series for like 5k more! Joe. Remember thats handling remark is coming from a guys who only drives a MINI and for year at that point. so I'm basing my opinion on that! and the 10k will never get me 350hp I'm looking about 250-275 for the 10k. the 350 is astronomical. Thats when I trade of Tempest to my boss and get another MINI, and let him have his fun with it! More HP more after market HP more chances of something failing. As anyone knows that had a BMW they aren't cheap to repair! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParkTrips Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 I know I personally would never supercharge a BMW simply because of that.. maybe the Dinan package since its covered under factory warranty.. but still... 5s 60 times are good enough for me anyways, I'm more into tuning the suspension and such I agree about the pricing. A moderately optioned 135 coupe is easily $40K. Thats probably the #1 reason I'm looking at M3s instead, though I wouldn't mind picking up a CPO'd 1-series in a few years and its all good as long as you dont' deny the M3 and M5 are still good cars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElToroExtreme Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 Not in ANY way! They are amasing. Im looking into doing BMW sales around my area. But the dealership doesent have M certified Sales and Service people, so for right now they dont sell them. I talked to the showroom Manager there, and they wanna start selling them, but non of their sales people will leave for the 2 year course! So i opted when the economy picks back up to go to doing BMW M only sales. 10% commission and you deal with people that have an @$$ load of money to spend! BTW. DINAN Kit for my car $5287.60 without installation of course! for 25HP. Im almost out of warranty anyay so i wouldnt spend the money! There are a million other MINI tuning companies to buy stuff from! I do have my heart set on the Getrag AWD system tho! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceace12 Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 One of my co workers bought a 03 or 04 330 with the 6 speed. That thing looks so nice inside and out. I wouldn't mind having one of those either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElToroExtreme Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 German cars are great. They are just VERY expensive to maintain! As long as you can afford the maintainance you will have a lovely time with a German car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParkTrips Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 Im looking into doing BMW sales around my area. But the dealership doesent have M certified Sales and Service people, so for right now they dont sell them. I talked to the showroom Manager there, and they wanna start selling them, but non of their sales people will leave for the 2 year course! So i opted when the economy picks back up to go to doing BMW M only sales. 10% commission and you deal with people that have an @$$ load of money to spend! 2 year course? on one of my test drives, the guy told me BMW sent him up to the PDC in South Carolina to take a couple days of classes, but 2 years?? wow, that's hardcore BTW. DINAN Kit for my car $5287.60 without installation of course! for 25HP. Im almost out of warranty anyay so i wouldnt spend the money! There are a million other MINI tuning companies to buy stuff from! I know, and Dinan superchargers go for an easy $20K, compared to $11K for the AA s/c... either way, quite expensive, and not something I'm too interested in personally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElToroExtreme Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 Was he the first M salesman at that dealership? If the dealership has an M certified salesperson, the course is i think 2 weeks... But for a dealership that doesent have any M certs it takes a very long time! Im just doing some pulley reductions inloo of buying a new supercharger! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhcp1fan Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 The Batmobile Just Kidding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Yeah...I'm gonna gloat! Just bought my first new car ever, a 2008 Civic Hybrid sedan in silver with blue interior. EPA estimates 40 city / 45 highway miles per gallon. It has a built in Aux jack for your iPod, two AC power ports, full climate control, digital instrumentation, volume controls on the steering wheel, power everything...so awesome! Definitely a huge upgrade from my old but reliable Corolla. My new toy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hercules Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Nice! May I ask - What made you go with Honda over Toyota? I've been doing some shopping and comparing myself lately... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Are you talking specifically hybrids or just a general good fuel efficient car? As far as Hybrids go, The Prius was priced a little bit too high for me (starts around $24, but to get all the Prius-y stuff it raises it closer to the 30's when all is said and done...eek). Plus Priuses in LA are EVERYWHERE, probably not an issue for you where you live, but it's like they are breeding out here. It was never really in the picture for me. I test drove the 2009 Corolla, and it was okay but sort of felt a little underwhelming for the price, and Toyota makes it very confusing on packages and options. Still good mileage for a non-hybrid though. The Civic Hybrid had a really decent price for being a hybrid, and I was able to score a really good discount through Costco of all places. Plus, the CH only comes in two versions, one with a navigation system and one without. Makes choosing very easy. Obviously gets great mileage, and the Civics are constantly ranked as some of the best cars out there. The interior kicks ass, much more sleek and modern versus the Corolla. They are very much in demand, I pretty much got the last model they had. I got REALLY REALLY lucky it was the exact color I wanted AND I got the Costco discount. The dealer we worked with told me as of today they will probably be marking UP the Hybrids past MSRP when they get more in. My timing and luck just ended up being really good. Obviously I'm paying a premium over the regular Civic since its a hybrid, but I feel like I made the right decision for me with my income level and driving habits (plus my stereotypical democrat environmental feelings...just gotta get my Obama car magnet on the back and I'll be a west coast liberal cliché ). You can probably get a really great deal on a regular Civic, they get great mileage (27/36 I think) and have the same body style and interior as the Hybrid. My girlfriend has a regular 07 Civic and she loves it. The Corolla is an good car, you just don't get as much bang for your buck. If you are looking for fuel economy and a compact car, there's also the Honda Fit, which Jahan has. I'm not a fan of the styling (a little to "cutesy" for my taste) but the Honda guy was raving about the mileage and it gets ranked very well, with a lot of great features. It's also pretty cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParkTrips Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 ^ Will you get the full tax credit or are they beginning to phase it out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hercules Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 ^^ Thanks Wes. And yes, I was talking about the hybrids in general. Right now I have a 2001 Civic, but I'm looking to get a hybrid to save on more milage, and my car has over 160,000 miles on it already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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