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      10-04-2011, 08:29 AM   #13
ceb
NHTSA Nazi
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Drives: 335ix
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: MD

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Quote:
Originally Posted by SDeFranco1 View Post
My fiance had a "regular" Cooper. We were not at all impressed with it. Fit and finish was shoddy, dash rattle 3 months into the car, impossible to see traffic lights too. Numerous trips to the dealer for engine light nonsense then one final "update" that killed the car ultimately prompting us to leave it behind and we are over them. Although I respect people's decision to love them, I couldn't detest them more. Are all Coopers like this? Are the S models miraculously head and shoulders better than their underpowered counterparts? Anyone else have bad experiences with them?
I had one as loaner while my 335 was in the shop for two months. It was a regular Cooper and pretty much fun with one exception that drove me nuts - not being able to see traffic lights.

I'd suggest to the OP that his wife spend some time in a similar car driving around city streets with lights. Not being able to see street lights gets old real quick and was a dealbreaker for me. Aside from that, the quality seemed similar to other cars in that price range although the buttons and switchgear looked and felt as if made by Fisher-Price. The center mounted speedo takes some getting used to.

In Europe, stoplights are generally not hung from wires high up in the sky. They are generally mounted on light poles and visible from inside cars with steep windshields.

Please make sure that your wife checks this before she buys it. She may be able to see just fine if she is "short of stature" but if it is a problem, then it will zap the enjoyment out of driving the car.
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