Talk me out of a Mini Cooper S

[remotemonkey]

my truck is faster than a mini S

gets a little better than 14 mpg, i can get 19 highway driving like a grandma. i just added an anti sway bar and my trucks body roll is nearly gone, if i added stiffer than stock springs/shocks it would handle close to a sports car. it has way more functionality, dash board set up is not as poorly designed, and the rebates toyota is offering on tundras is ridiculous

but it truly is the polar opposite of a mini

 

[EuroBoutique]

Get the mini if you are gay and want new gay friends.

LOL :biggrin: I think the MINI and new Beetle are cousins or somehow related!

Looks and jokes aside though:

I was looking for a good gas mileage 4-door "pratical" DD and while doing some MPG comparo's I was surprised to find the base Mini was over 30 mpg which is pretty good. I already have a good DD (my s2000) so for me the Mini won't work because it's just too small.....

However in your case and requirements the car would work but it's definitely no manly car as many of said. I've driven quite a few of these including the JCW version which was pricey to say the least! Quality seems ok but definitely not on par with Lexus or Mercedes....

To me, the Mini is another car I will HAVE TO mODIFY so don't want that problem so right now I'm looking at Mazdaspeed3 and the Honda FIT.

The new M5 is a beast but as you found out unfortunately it's also way too thirsty at the pump.


rk

 

[TURBO2GO]

Matt I think you already looked at the best car for your criteria. What do you care what some guys think about if a car is manly or girly? Some guys think all guys should drive are trucks.

The mini is an awesome car that is efficient, has awesome performance, is a ton of fun to drive, where no two are exactly the same.

Do you care about the opinion of a bunch of guys that really may or may not be all that familiar with the car? This car is SMALL. Small is not the same as girly. You can take this small car and put so much power and handling in it that it will run circles around "manly" cars. There were a ton of Minis at the Trackmasters event I was at and they were fast enough to keep up with anything out there. How is that girly? Some of the exhaust systems they have for this car sound downright awesome. They burble, and the car screams around corners. Have you seen some of these race?

I don't like these other suggestions as much, because none of them have the overall package the Mini offers. The GTI is a great car but do you want a car that is unreliable, less efficient, and that you will take a bath on in 2 years?The Mini had the best resale value of any car in the U.S. last year. Is your money valuable to you? Do you want to just take your gas savings and spend it on depreciation instead?

So what if someone's sister or mother has a Mini. I doubt its a JCW. Is a base BMW 525 the same as an M5? You own one, you tell me. Besides, you still have your NSX, right? what better car for an efficient DD than a turbocharged Mini to sit alongside your NSX.

If there is any hint of the car being feminine, its in the minds of some guys. If I gave you a suit that you wore, where certain guys thought it was too girly, but women thought looked great, would you wear it? Because I know PLENTY of young hot women and none of them think that a guy that has a nice mini is girly. They always want to check the car out and like it. You buy one and you will see how many thumbs ups you will get from women. The car is FUN. Some guys just don't get it.

I like the car with the front black-out treatment like this one:

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[john@johnhudakracing]

There were a ton of Minis at the Trackmasters event I was at and they were fast enough to keep up with anything out there. How is that girly?

Comparing rides at your average DE day usually has little bearing on car capability.

You must have had some slow cars and/or more likely drivers that day. Particularly sporting an NSX you should have been all over that thing.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Comparing rides at your average DE day usually has little bearing on car capability.

You must have had some slow cars and/or more likely drivers that day. Particularly sporting an NSX you should have been all over that thing.

Actually we had some very good drivers in a couple of the Minis. Yes, I blew them away on the straights but I had a tough time shaking them otherwise. Not all were stock.

In any event, lets keep things in perspective. We are talking about a relatively inexpensive car here, and I was pointing out that they weren't embarassing themselves on the track. I am not saying a Mini will outdo you and your car on a track. He is using this as an economical daily driver and for that, it is a pretty good little car.

 

[BD]

I couldn't believe it... One of my best bro (the guy who works at Nissan Corp) just bought a fully decked out Mini Cooper S and with tax and license, it came out to be $47k!!!! They are worse than Ferrari/Porsche/Lambo with the options (the $ vs.% of the actual price of the car).

Unreal. He was half way to a new NSX... Or 2/3 way to a GTR...lol

 

[TURBO2GO]

I couldn't believe it... One of my best bro (the guy who works at Nissan Corp) just bought a fully decked out Mini Cooper S and with tax and license, it came out to be $47k!!!! They are worse than Ferrari/Porsche/Lambo with the options (the $ vs.% of the actual price of the car).

Unreal. He was half way to a new NSX... Or 2/3 way to a GTR...lol

I would just get an S with some basics and get everything else aftermarket. You can get a nice S with some good options for 25K. 47K is just nuts. Almost all that stuff is available aftermarket.

 

[Matt_337]

Believe it or not, the Mini isn't out of the running. I've ruled out the S2000 since that was just a whim.

I think there is value in getting a JCW Mini because it adds over 30hp over the S version (208 vs 172) and also includes a few little knick knacks.

We'll see. My next post on this thread will be when I find my replacement dd.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Believe it or not, the Mini isn't out of the running. I've ruled out the S2000 since that was just a whim.

I think there is value in getting a JCW Mini because it adds over 30hp over the S version (208 vs 172) and also includes a few little knick knacks.

We'll see. My next post on this thread will be when I find my replacement dd.

Matt its a turbo car. How hard is it to get more juice? An intake, exhaust and turn up the wick. Not saying don't get the JCW, do it if you want to spend the money but I am sure you can do this aftermarket cheap. Just know that you will most likely start modding the shit out of this car because you will be comparing the mod prices to NSX mods and it will look so cheap... lol...

 

[Crazy Acura]

Yea the mini is so terrible that they are all sold out!!

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/22/no-new-minis-for-08-manufacturers-tapped-dealers-sold-out/

 

[TURBO2GO]

Yea the mini is so terrible that they are all sold out!!

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/22/no-new-minis-for-08-manufacturers-tapped-dealers-sold-out/

Wow... should have left your order in Matt!

 

[Matt_337]

Yea the mini is so terrible that they are all sold out!!

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/22/no-new-minis-for-08-manufacturers-tapped-dealers-sold-out/

This post made me curious so I checked back with the dealership. Yup, my spot was filled and now there are 2 others on the waiting list for a JCW Mini.

Sweet