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It's Friday afternoon. It's TGIF, Miller Time, etc. So what recent Inside Line long-term car would you want for the weekend?
Limited to small, sporty cars, your choices would include: The 2007 Mini Cooper S. Our previous 2002 Mini Cooper S...
Or maybe the 1984 Ferrari 308. If you could get it out of Oldham's hands, that is.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor
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slickersdrip says:
01:55 PM, 09/21/07
Whenever I read these lists I'm sad that I'm 6'4".
toyota_f1 says:
01:57 PM, 09/21/07
The Ferrari hands down. If it were spoken for though I'd say the new Mini Cooper S would be next.
firstwagon says:
02:56 PM, 09/21/07
Glad I'm 6'2" then.... Mini Cooper S for me (unless Grandma wants to take the kids for the weekend then I'll arm wrestle for the 308)
automaton says:
03:46 PM, 09/21/07
I am 6'5". The only one of these I know I can get reasonably comfortable in is the Mini. It actually does pretty well for tall persons, so long as you don't plan to put any live humans in the back seat (pint size or otherwise). I haven't been in a Ferrari 308 or an Eclipse, but it is physically impossible for me to clutch a Miata and the Civic isn't very comfortable.
When I car shop this is the question that must be answered before all others - "do I fit?"
[/hijack]
SubyTrojan says:
05:45 PM, 09/21/07
Nice photo, Brent!
"You chose wisely." -old knight from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
estreka says:
07:56 PM, 09/21/07
As long as I have another vehicle at home, the 308. I wouldn't trust the Ferrari as my sole transport, though. Also, Edmunds would not hold me liable for the condition of the car.
Otherwise, the Si. There's very little you can do in that car.
dragonzsoul says:
02:02 AM, 09/22/07
oh c'mon! the Si hands down! and you guys still have the Si?!?!
tiff_c says:
05:24 AM, 09/22/07
I'd take the 2007 Mini Cooper S for the weekend if it was just my wife and I, or if I was just staying local then possibly the Ferrari, which I wouldn't trust on too long a drive. The Miata is fun I used to own one and if it's not a broiling hot day then that would be fun as well, that would be my 3rd choice, too many sunburns in my Miata but it was a great little car.
autoboy16 says:
05:41 AM, 09/22/07
There should be a top ten post about cars for tall people!!
Wasn't the eclipse, si, and 02 mini retired? So i'm guessing they get pulled off the air but still get tested. Like the fj cruiser for camera shots....
SubyTrojan says:
10:26 AM, 09/22/07
All the vehicles Brent listed except the 308 and 2007 MCS are no longer in the fleet.
Perhaps Brent meant, "Out of these fun-to-drive LT cars we've had, which would you choose?"
blueguydotcom says:
11:19 PM, 09/22/07
Seeing as how I have a 2007 Cooper S, I'd pick the miata - it's a better handling car and it's blessedly RWD. Sigh, if only my fiancee weren't so sun-phobic...
Cooper's a good second option though. Still it's stuck with FWD, so the fun factor is way dialed down.
banhugh says:
08:02 PM, 09/23/07
I would pick the Si too. But the sedan version with Navigation and summer tires. The Fiji Blue, with tinted windows.
penboy says:
11:41 PM, 09/23/07
For me personally, it would be the Miata first, or the Mini Cooper S if I needed some semblance of a backseat. I couldn't drive a car that looks as bad as the new Civic(especially the sedan, but the coupe included), and while the Eclipse has a lot of great features, it's still a bit brutish and front-wheel drive.
bromans says:
10:04 AM, 09/24/07
Yeah, the Civic and Eclipse (and '02 Mini) are long gone. I added the '02 Cooper just to see if anybody would want it over the '07. The other cars are all "recent" vehicles.
Personally, It'd be a tough choice. But just for a weekend, I'd take the Miata. -- Brent
dragonzsoul says:
04:28 PM, 09/24/07
fine, i'd agree. miata over Si, but that's it. Si over the Mini, no contest.
penboy: trust me, the engine makes up for the looks. and the looks grow on you haha
blueguydotcom says:
02:26 PM, 09/25/07
The engine on the Si only reinforces my belief that honda lost its way long ago. Driving the Si is like driving an orange county mod car all the time...obnoxious muffler, washboard suspension, cheap interior, no power...
ateixeira says:
10:12 AM, 09/26/07
I'd say Miata but I already own a 93.
Meh, maybe I'd take the Miata anyway, a do a comparison test, old vs. new.
eldaino says:
08:40 AM, 10/29/07
blue guy, you are so harsh on the si, all the numbers and praise for the interior goes against your opinions.
high revving vtec engine, great manual tranny, good ergonomics, and lower weight than the competition. (gti, sentra, mazdaspeed etc, all except for the mini.)
if anything, honda is one of the few that is staying true to its roots.
si all the way. well, and then the mini.