What To Look For When Buying A Mini Cooper

 If this is your first time purchasing a Mini then you should know all the models of Mini.

Mini Cooper- The most fuel-efficient and basic gasoline engine.

Mini Cooper S- They took the base model and added a Supercharger/Turbocharger (depending on the year).

Mini Cooper S JCW- John Cooper Works is a factory installed tuning kit to get even more power out of your Mini.

Mini Cooper Clubman- An extended version of the Cooper. About 6 inches longer.

Mini Cooper Clubman S- A Turbocharged version of the Clubman. Also can come with JCW package.

Mini Countryman- A four door SUV version of the Cooper.

Mini Countryman S- Turbocharged Countryman. Not yet but soon to be JCW.

 The Mini was reborn by BMW in 2002 creating the New first generation MINI. There were only the three models; Cooper, Cooper S, and Mini Cooper JCW. The Cooper has 115HP and got about 38 mpg. The Cooper S has 163HP with 33 miles per gallon. The JCW jumped to 200HP and still has 30MPG under its belt. The S and JCW first generation are Supercharged.

 I am a proud owner of a 2003 Mini Cooper S. Mine has 58,000 miles on it and it still feels as new as the day I bought it. I get about 30-31 in town when I have the price of fuel in mind. Other wise full throttling it most of the time and slamming through the gears I get about 22 miles per gallon.

 The second generation Cooper has 118HP with 40 MPG. S model has 172 HP and 36 miles per gallon. The JCW has a whooping 208 horse power and still manages to get 33 miles per gallon. The Clubmans have the same engine as the regular coopers but slightly lower 0-60 times and miles per gallon being longer and heavier than the original.

 Now on to the Countryman. The base model has 121 horse power and gets 35 on the freeway. The S model has 181 HP and with its All Wheel Drive system it gets 31 MPG.

 I absolutely love these wonderful vehicles. I would own each one of these if I got the chance. They have personality and zing. They are reliable, fun, and get great gas mileage. They may not be the fastest cars in the world on paper, but when you get behind the wheel of one of these bad boys they sure do feel like it. The car feel very well made and it grips to the road like a Porsche. The JCW has earned a spot right next to cars like Ferrari and Lamborgini in my opinion.

Ferrari LaFerrari First Look

Ferrari LaFerrari First Look If you can get over the somewhat dubious name, Ferrari’s Enzo-succeeding LaFerrari supercar looks fully prepared to carry a torch that has been passed along through four previous generations of Ferrari supercar. Ferrari Laferrari Left Side View Powered by the HY-KERS system that was developed alongside Ferrari’s Formula 1 racing efforts, LaFerrari incorporates a 789-hp, 6.3-liter V-12 internal combustion engine that is paired with a 120kW (161 hp) electric motor (a second electric motor powers the car’s ancillary components. Coupled with Ferrari’s F1 dual-clutch gearbox, Ferrari claims a sub-3-second 0-62 mph time and a sub 7-second 0-124 mph sprint. There’s no word on top speed, but Ferrari does claim that with a Fiorano lap-time of under 1:20, LaFerrari is a five seconds quicker around its home racetrack than the Enzo and more than three seconds quicker than Ferrari’s current front-engined flagship, the F12 Berlinetta.

Ferrari LaFerrari First Look

Ferrari LaFerrari First Look

 Ferrari LaFerrari First Look

Ferrari LaFerrari First Look

Ferrari LaFerrari First Look

The HY-KERS battery pack is mounted on the floor of LaFerrari and is constructed alongside the battery packs built for racing applications. Ferrari says the132-lb pack is charged both under braking (including during full-ABS stops) and also in any event that the car’s traction control needs to bleed off torque to maintain control. Instead of being wasted, that extra torque is used to charge the battery. The hybrid system fits within the car’s wheelbase, contributing to 41/59 percent front/rear weight distribution – an “ideal” figure, according to Ferrari. Ferrari Laferrari Front View What else? As we previously learned, LaFerrari’s chassis is constructed from carbon fiber for rigidity and light weight – four types of carbon fiber to be exact. The material is hand-laminated and cured in Ferrari’s race shop to the same technique as the company’s F1 machines. Speaking of F1, Ferrari’s top-tier racing drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa are said to have had input to the car’s interior design in an attempt to bring as much single-seater driving position to LaFerrari as possible. As a result, the driver’s seat itself is fixed and built to driver specification, while the steering wheel and pedals are adjustable to achieve proper reach.

Several active aerodynamic systems are fitted to the Ferrari, again drawing from past F1 experience. The front underbody guide vane, rear spoiler and diffusers are all moveable automatically based on the car’s electronic brain determining optimum position given driver input and road conditions. Brakes are provided by Brembo, a Ferrari F1 partner, and use light weight calipers and a new composition of carbon-ceramic disc. Unique Pirelli P-Zero tyres are found at all four corners. Styling was handled in-house, in keeping with current Ferrari practices. Chief designer Flavio Manzoni worked a bit of ‘60s sports-prototype in the front end (think 312 P) along with recent F1 (check out the nose’s vertical pillar). The overall effect is graceful sculpture instead of wind-tunnel exercise, which critics of the Pininfarina-penned Enzo will appreciate. There are still details we don’t know about Ferrari’s new predatore fondamentale; how much it weighs, how much it costs, and even how many gears it has are all yet-undisclosed. We do know that just 499 will be built and we suspect they’re already spoken for.