When considering Cooper vs Cooper S, it's worth knowing that most Australian states restrict P-platers from driving the S. (Power to weight ratio with the supercharger or turbocharger.) Don't know how old your son is, but if he's not off his Ps, this is a consideration.

Tony

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I know nothing!
1963 Morris 850 Saxon Green

Good point, hard to tell looking at the list of "not allowed" and "allowed" cars, a supercharger fitted for economy purposes is ok for P plate drivers in SA, however if it is for performance than a big fat NO. I have looked at the list of "allowed"cars, and it looks like all of the Cooper S's are on there, however I am not sure if there are non supercharged S's?

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It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog!!

1976 Mini SS
1971 Mini Ute (Custom) - really hubby's but I will claim half
1976 Mini SS Shell
Oh and an 850 shell waiting for our dear son to start his resto!

Makes no sense whatsoever that one.

Maybe its probably because an unmodified supercharged S is a little on the sluggish side until it hits around 4-5000 rpm, thats why lots of us modify them.
The turbo cars have more bottom end and are a fraction faster to the 100 kmh sprint.

it is a term used by half-wits who can't spell MINI

Touchy.

Harley answered that question correctly with BMW MINI.

Much easier than saying "Just a BMW Mini, not one of the real ones", just shorten it to BINI.

Oh look a troll.

Hate to upset you, but I am no half-wit. It is, in my humble opinion, not appropriate to call a "new" mini a mini on this forum. Bini is the best description for the new version. Be careful who you call half wit my friend.

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It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog!!

1976 Mini SS
1971 Mini Ute (Custom) - really hubby's but I will claim half
1976 Mini SS Shell
Oh and an 850 shell waiting for our dear son to start his resto!

I'm after a bit of advice from those that are in the know re; Bini's.
My daughter ( still on green " P's " )is very keen on buying an 07 Mini Cooper R56 chilli .
1.6 lit , 6 speed man , 48 k's, $20,000, ( which i personally think is about $3-4k overpriced ).
Firstly , what does the " chilli " mean ?, are there any reputable Bini car yards that people could recommend , that we could probably look at for other alternatives , rather than just the private sector ?
Gearboxs and clutches seem to be the main issues with these cars from what i've picked up so far , are there any other issues that are worth considering and looking out for ?
Any help and advice would be much appreciated.

The chilli pack cars had the following as standard over the stock car: chromeline exterior, 16" alloys, sports seats, upgraded stereo, and fog lights.
Caryards will be a good 3-5k more for the same car being sold privately, though there are bargains out there if the car was traded at a non-mini dealer.

For problems it would be best to check out a bini forum, I've heard more about the timing chain problems on those engines (death-rattle they call it) than gearbox issues.

So when did they go from super charger to Turbo?
What is the difference to say the R53 to the R56?

Steve,

The R56 came into existence in 06/07. The R56 is the current model, where the S has a turbo. The R56 includes both the cooper and cooper s. The R53 is the first generation cooper s (the R50 is the cooper and the r52 the cabrio both S and cooper) with the supercharger.

The R56 is, whilst similar looking, a different car with new engine, new interior and bigger (European pedestrian regs).

The R56 S has a problem with the timing chain tensioner due to the timing chain being only one link wide rather than the 2 or 3 that is usually used on other turbo charged engines. The Peugeot GTI, which has the same engine, has the same problem.

Can't say I have heard of any gearbox problems on the R56 cooper or S. The R50 cooper had gearbox issues particularly with the auto.

The 5 speed R50s were known for gearbox issues too.
They came out of the same factory as the autos.....surprise surprise.