No other retro-style carline has quite captured its former glory as well as Mini. Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Cooper S might pack a lot into its diminutive dimensions, but is that enough to counter a not-so-small price?
When thinking about legends, whether it be a sports legend or a legend of stage and screen, that title is based on past work, not present expectations. That’s why Acura naming its original marquee model the Legend holds greater sway now than it did when the name was first adopted. Because nothing in Acura’s present-day lineup is anywhere near as interesting as the models offered when the marque first launched.
That was confirmed last Friday with a 1987 Acura Legend Coupe that came our way. The two-door edition was introduced that model year, joining the sedan that arrived a year prior. Nicely appointed and featuring appreciably low miles and a clean presentation, there was a lot to like about that Legend. Unfortunately for its seller, their pricing acumen wasn’t among the Acura’s assets. At $12,000, the majority of you felt it was too expensive to consider, and when the time came to count the votes, the Legend lost in a 76% ‘No Dice’ denouement.
Third time’s the charm
BMW, the German maker of machines that ultimately drive, has long had a hard time with its acquisitions of British car builders. The company has, so far, attempted ownership of Land Rover, Rolls-Royce/Bentley, and the Austin Rover Group. Of those, the company has lost Bentley to Volkswagen in an ugly legal row, sold off Land Rover to Ford, and divested itself of the remainder of the Rover Group, save for a couple of factories and the rights to the Mini Cooper brand. Today, BMW’s British holdings are limited to Rolls-Royce and the Mini Cooper marque. Talk about your widely separated, bookend brands!
Today’s 2015 Mini Cooper S represents the retro-styled model’s third iteration since its re-introduction for the 2001 model year. Few other retro-modern cars (the New Beetle, Ford’s Mustang, Chevy’s Camaro, among them) have fully captured the essence of their earlier models as well as the Mini. Yes, it’s substantially larger than Alec Issigonis’ original masterpiece, but that’s necessary to meet current safety standards and customer comfort demands. The Mini is still one of the best-handling, most engaging, and fun small cars on the planet.
Mixing up the details
This one, in Chili Red with a black roof and twin stripes, is claimed to be in excellent condition. It’s also claimed to have a 1.5-liter engine and ALL4 AWD, although neither of those features tracks with the S model. Based on the factory specs, this S should have the uprated 189-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder BMW B48 engine under its clamshell hood. That’s mated, happily, to a six-speed manual, which, by all accounts, should be driving the front wheels only.
Aside from the drivetrain discrepancies, the ad seems to check all the boxes for info on the car’s condition. It sports a criminally modest 35,000 miles on the clock, which amounts to a little over 3,100 miles per year if spread out. It also, according to the ad, has a fairly fresh set of tires on its gun-metal-gray factory alloys. Everything on the car is claimed to be working as it should, and the seller describes it as “Good dependable.”
Lightly used
It looks pretty good, too, although the pictures, shot in the middle of what appears to have been a spring rain shower, lend an added bit of drama and urgency to its presentation. There seem to be no issues with the exterior bodywork or copious plastic trim, nor any significant clouding of its bug-eye headlamps.
One of the hallmarks of the Mini buying experience (if you’re picking up one of these diminutive rides from new) is the lengthy list of options Mini offers to personalize the cars. The seller of this one doesn’t tout any major options, but does call out the navigation screen and Bluetooth/aux-in stereo as notable cabin features. It also has a John Cooper Works “surfboard” badge on the boot lid, matching JCW license plate frames, and a spoiler that might be from a John Cooper Works car as well, so there may be some mechanical monkey business that came from the factory on this car as well — or the owner is a big JCW enthusiast.
On the downside, the rear glass has had a heavy tint applied, and, like a lot of tint, it has failed spectacularly over time. There is also a pair of floor mats (also JCW-branded) with a dizzying Alice in Wonderland pattern that might be too much for the easily unbalanced. Aside from those issues, there seem to be no complaints in the cabin, as the upholstery and all tactile surfaces show little to no wear. A clean title closes the book on the car’s bona fides.
A Mini price tag?
The most interesting thing about this car’s ad is the apparent discrepancy between what is expected of the model and what is purported to be present on the car. AWD? With the smallest engine? Cooper S with all the JCW badging and parts? It makes you wonder whether the seller has had a basic misunderstanding of the model’s specs throughout their ownership. Or maybe this is some weird mashup that Mini actually made available. I may be wrong, but I think it’s the former.
Regardless, there’s no confusion surrounding the $10,000 asking price for the car. That gets what appears to be a solid, low-mileage fun car that also laughs in the face of those incredibly tight “compact” parking spaces that urban planners love to torture us with.
What’s your take on this Mini Cooper S and that $10K price? Does that seem fair given the car’s condition and kit? Or is that too maximum a price for any decade-old Mini?
You decide!
Sacramento, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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