New MINI S's are HARD TO FIND!
 

I am having trouble finding a fully loaded new Mini S in Manual.

Everyone is saying ordering is my only option.

Is this right?

The R56 are made in limited production, I had to settle for a R56 Turbo with Pano roof and hifi in the Astro black

I found one the color I like, but it has leatherette (what is that?) and it doesn't have nav.

Is the nav good in a new mini? Is it worth it, or is it a bad model?

Yes, if you want one, ordering it is the best bet, we only had to wait 6 weeks for ours.

Nav is cool! leatherette is fake leather.

What is fake leather like? Does it feel like leather? Whats the difference? Is it a good option, or is regular leather better? This is the first i'm hearing of it.

Also, it seems MINI is installing little NAV systems in mini's and covering them by warranty. Not sure much about them, but thats what the salesman told me. Is this better than stock nav? Why are they doing this aftermarket if it can be an option on a new car?

Anyone have any leads on a FULLY loaded Lightning Blue/Black 6 speed MiniS? I will buy tomorrow if someone can find one!

Once you sit on the seat, you will not feel any difference between leather and leatherette. IMO - the only difference is quality. Real leather will last longer than leatherette, and of course the smell of real leather is priceless. :D

If you are not into NAV, and the MINI you find has a NAV, maybe you can request dealer to remove the NAV so you can save a lot of money.

Good luck! :)

I found a mini with everything except NAV...I am supposed to go look at it tomorrow, they are prepping it for me.

Can I have them install nav? Is that possible? (I mean factory nav)

GREAT!!! Yes, dealer will install NAV (its revenue for them), but they will NOT remove NAV if car has one installed already - unless, you are good friends/family member of sales/service guys. :)

Cant you order it?

Trace - Where did you hear they can put the factory NAV in? I just spoke to the dealer and they said they never heard of installing factory NAV after it left the factory. They said it will also void warranty. Do you have any info on this I can forward to them to get them to do it?

Just the opposite. Leatherette is VINYL. It looks and feels like plastic to me but wears longer over time. The soft leather in the Mini won't last as long. The best option IMO is the Carbon checkered cloth.

I'm going to order a Pepper White with black roof, black stripes, Carbon cloth interior. Sport, Convenience, LSD, HID and Red Rooster color line and standard checkered trim. I think it comes out to 26,4XX

I can't see any of the dealers installing the factory nav. It's MUCH more then just the screen. It's a whole new speedo cluster, & a whole new radio & DVD unit. Then they have to install a whole new center console for the i-drive thing.

I think if they did it, you are looking at 30 hours of labor, & about $3-4k in parts.

Moto, I ordered my Mini back at the end of April and took delivery of it on June 13. That's about a 6.5 week turnaround for ordered cars, but each dealer will have a slightly different schedule.

I, like you, wanted a very highly optioned car w/ manual transmission. I searched the entire country, calling more than 50 dealers and having 3 dealers run regional searches. After 3 weeks of searching, I realized I had to order a car.

To clarify a few things:
1. Leatherette (aka vinyl) does in fact last longer and is more resilient than leather. However, it is not breathable and tends to make you sweat more during the summer months. Also, it does not have the lovely leather smell that makes car ownership so enjoyable.

2. There are 2 nav systems offered by Mini- a full blown $2,000 integrated system that is very similar to BMW iDrive; then there is a Mini branded Garmin unit that is designed to install next to the tachometer. This is a removable standalone system and it costs roughly $650. It is far more user friendly from the standpoint of entering destinations, but it is not nearly as cool as the full Nav system. The full $2000 Nav system integrates your audio controls, car computer, and park distance control (if optioned). I am glad I ordered the factory Nav system, but I find it to be counterintuitive and difficult to master.

3. The dealer will NOT install the fully integrated Nav system; the car must be ordered this way. At least, that is what my dealer told me. I would imagine if they were somehow able to install it after the fact, it would cost at least $3K - $4K, which is WAY too much for a Nav system.

4. The 2007 models have serious issues with cloth interior. There are numerous reports of premature wear and dealers having to replace seats within the first few months of ownership. The problem was supposedly resolved for 2008, but I don't know this for sure. As such, I strongly recommend either vinyl or leather.

5. If you do want leather, opt for Panther leather instead of Lounge leather. It is slightly stiffer and doesn't look quite as good, but it costs $500 less and is not as prone to the issues associated with the softer lounge leather.

6. As for deals - R56 cars are extremely popular now that gas is $4.50+ a gallon. Most dealers who were selling at sticker are now $500-$1K over. Other dealers want even more money over. I was able to get mine at a $1K discount, but that is becoming increasingly difficult to do. The trick is to deal directly with the fleet or sales manager, bypassing the regular motoring advisor.

I went to the dealer today and sat in the car I was told they had. Which was GREAT!

I am happy with the leatherette. I personally don't feel too much of a difference, and wouldn't really care too much for a DD to be honest. It doesn't have navigation, but to be honest, I will most likely have some sort of back-up camera/navigation set up custom installed at some point. We'll see.

My only gripe right now (and I know, I sound like a baby) is that the steering wheel doesn't have buttons on it to raise and lower the volume of the radio. i've had it in every car I've owned, and it is nice to have.

Can I buy a multi-function steering wheel and install it later? Anyone know where I can purchase this and possibly the nav system? Ahh, maybe I will end up ordering!

it's like fake boobs, harder. some like some don't, especially when u rub it. order it the way u want it otherwise u'll regret it.