Mini cooper S or BMW 1 Series 120d M Sport 2dr Diesel Coupe

darren68uk

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ok guys

i got about £16k to spend, i know they are two different cars, but i love the look of the 1 series coupe and herd good things about the 120d

I owned a 54 plate cooper s and really would like a newer one, both seem around the same price for a 2009/10

or i could get a JCW mini 2007/8 ish !!!

i am going to go to a dealers and get atest drive in both, but just wondered what your views are,

oh also best to buy private or dealer?

thanks in advance,

oh and reasons for buying i want a quickish small car that wont bleed the fuel tank dry when i need to ease off the throttle towards the end of the month :D and as new as i can get that wont depreciated like a lead baloon:thumbsup:
 
Can't really help but I've just got rid of my 120d cabriolet. The ride was OK but the handling around corners was a bit bouncy. It wasn't the M Sport version though so that may handle better.
 
Can't really help but I've just got rid of my 120d cabriolet. The ride was OK but the handling around corners was a bit bouncy. It wasn't the M Sport version though so that may handle better.

hmmm yeh I know the cooper cab is the same around bends, something to do with the cars structure!! thanks for the input, just off to bath to see what the score is
 
My fiancee wants either a 120d or 123d as her next car. We test drove a 120d M Sport 3dr hatch and it was really nice, after my 2007 Z4 i had i'd only ever buy from BMW with their 12 month warranty as the couple of things that went on my Z4 cost a fortune and it had less then 20k on the clock.
 
thanks for the replies guys!!

errr dont know exactly what happened, but was mentioned a deal with 50% deposit and 50% in 2 years, and one test drive later I'm now the proud owner of a soon to be delivered Mini Cooper S :devil:

didnt even get to the next buiulding along with the 1 series jobbies on sale :facepalm:

but to be fair, i dont think i could have afforded a brand new 1 series, and that cooper S obsoletely flew
 
The 1 series M sport is a good car, however it won't match the fun that either a Cooper S or JCW will provide. The only benefit for the 1 series is its increased practicality over a Mini edition.
 
You didn't even get around to seeing and testing the BMW?! :laugh:
I'm sure either of them would have been a great choice, but I'd have gone for the Mini as well. Much better looking in my opinion!
 
You didn't even get around to seeing and testing the BMW?! :laugh:
I'm sure either of them would have been a great choice, but I'd have gone for the Mini as well. Much better looking in my opinion!

:rotfl:

I don't think I can even blame the sales man for hood winking me, the minute I sat in the S I was grinning :D
 
:rotfl:

I don't think I can even blame the sales man for hood winking me, the minute I sat in the S I was grinning :D

These 50% finance deals are getting popular. Great as long as you have the chunk for the deposit, no payments for 2 yrs then pay the balance. Enjoy the new motor. :thumbsup:
 
These 50% finance deals are getting popular. Great as long as you have the chunk for the deposit, no payments for 2 yrs then pay the balance. Enjoy the new motor. :thumbsup:

:smashin:

TBH it was a major concern/decision i made over buying the JCW just couldnt justify pricing myself out of my new car, even if it was by a couple of grand!!

I got some shares/savings coming out in two years that will more than cover it,

its def got appeal if you cannot quite make the full amount, but you really have to rain in your desire to go full monty on the spec sheet:D
 
wait till you hit the sport button,if you hadn't already done so on the test drive..:smashin:

well we took it out and i played a little and it was pretty awesome ( was already sold to me lol) then we pulled up back at showroom and he pointed out this and that and very last thing he said was "oh by the way this is the sports button"
DOH!!!! :clap:

so looking forward to pressing that! :D
 
wait till you hit the sport button,if you hadn't already done so on the test drive..:smashin:

What does it do?

I had a loaner a few weeks back.
 
What does it do?

I had a loaner a few weeks back.

It’s designed to give the Mini a more immediate, responsive feel – quickening the throttle response and removing some of the electrical assistance for the power steering system. The throttle element of it is fine – not too jumpy (unlike our Vectra VXR on ‘Sport’), and only subtly quicker than the standard program. However, the steering is much less impressive. The added weight feels artificial and gives the impression that there’s more inertia to overcome before the front tyres will start to turn. Worse, all the nuances of weighting and the finesse of the Mini’s precise and communicative rack disappear. I won’t be using the Sport button again.

From a long term Evo test, though they may have improved it's function since then.
 
wait till you hit the sport button,if you hadn't already done so on the test drive..:smashin:

Alfa's 'DNA' button works the same way in the Mito.
Why anyone would take it off 'dynamic' mode is beyond me though, the other modes are awful.
 
wait till you hit the sport button,if you hadn't already done so on the test drive..:smashin:

Same really with my VW Scirocco adaptive chassis control. Put it into sport and the suspension tightens and the steering is sharper, a hoot on the roads through the Brecon Beacons.
 
I couldn't tell the difference when i pressed the "Sport" button! lol
 
Just got a mini for the wife and im looking for the 1 series coupe for myself 2 great cars :smashin:

IMG_0044.jpg
 
If i was forced to choose between the 2 of them, it would have to be the BMW. I don't like Minis at all, IMHO they're driven by 20 something year old men who wear silly beanie hats and hairdressers ;)
 
mini jcw do look nice compare to standard cooper s

series 1 msport do look ok not the best design

my mate hired a 120d and said they quick for what they are and very good drifting for corners but said he wouldnt buy one as the design wasnt good enough for him to buy it

who drives round drifting round corners :suicide:
 
My 120d M Sport hatch is brilliant. On the way to work, it's quiet and economical. On back roads, it's a rear wheel drive sports car (almost!). When I was moving house, it was a load-lugging workhorse. And when the missus says, "What car shall we take?" I can reply, "Let's take the Beemer!" :smashin: I love it! 17" runflats will set you back at least £150 :rolleyes: but for me it's worth it for the convenience in the event of a flat. MY brother had the coupe for a bit, great car.

A couple of ex's have had Minis and the quality wasn't up to scratch, although the handling was spot on (for FWD at least). Ergonomics were god awful.

My hatch:

small-1.jpg
 
My 120d M Sport hatch is brilliant. On the way to work, it's quiet and economical. On back roads, it's a rear wheel drive sports car (almost!). When I was moving house, it was a load-lugging workhorse. And when the missus says, "What car shall we take?" I can reply, "Let's take the Beemer!" :smashin: I love it! 17" runflats will set you back at least £150 :rolleyes: but for me it's worth it for the convenience in the event of a flat. MY brother had the coupe for a bit, great car.

M sport + Run flats - isn't the ride as hard as hell?
 
I like a firm ride, and I feel that most cars pitch & roll an awful amount when braking or cornering, even under normal driving conditions. Add the sports seats in to the equation (standard on M Sport) & it feels like you're part of the car, unlike the awful playstation-like, feedback-less cars of today.

On the flip side, with the awful roads that we have here, yes I get jolted around now and again, but the only car I've driven with similar feeling suspension that deals really well with the undulations is an XKR-S - but that's a whole different animal ;)
 
Any car on Bridgestone RFT's is horrid, i hated my Z4 at times as it would crash over bumps and jump all over the place making it a scary place to be at times. Cars can be sporty and firm at the same time without breaking your back. At times i thought i'd done damage to my car because of some of the noises it would make going over the slightest of pot holes.

First thing i'd ever do if i had a BMW again with RFT's would swap them for normal tyres.
 

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