Mini fun.
If I could just write that for my blog and not get into trouble, I would. But seriously, it's the most concise and true explanation of the Mini.
Usually my choice for cars to drive is based the fact that a smaller car is better on the crowded streets for parking...
Our the Mini is the best choice. It's not a compromise to be able to fit into the tight parking spots available to me at night, the thing is an absolute blast to drive.
If you're not holding onto the steering wheel with both hands when you accelerate hard, it's like a wild horse trying to get away from you. You can blip shift pretty easily and it's got a great growl for such a small engine. Not only that but the handling is tight and you can corner reasonable hard.
"Yeah but..."
Save the reasons why not to like it, pal. If you don't get a kick out of driving the Mini 'round, you better check your pulse.
Scott Jacobs, Senior Photographer
If you're not holding onto the steering wheel with both hands when you accelerate hard, it's like a wild horse trying to get away from you. You can blip shift pretty easily and it's got a great growl for such a small engine. Not only that but the handling is tight and you can corner reasonable hard.
"Yeah but..."
Save the reasons why not to like it, pal. If you don't get a kick out of driving the Mini 'round, you better check your pulse.
Scott Jacobs, Senior Photographer
blueguydotcom says:
01:21 PM, 04/ 3/08
Love my mini. It turned 1 on Sunday. And on that day a bunch of us happened to be out wandering around to look at new cars for my sister. A few moronic salespeople made snide comments about how small the Mini is and all the passengers answered that they were quite happy in my Mini.
My sister likes my Mini so much she took a long look at the Clubman before her husband whispered too much parental guilt into her ear.
plazomatic says:
01:37 PM, 04/ 3/08
Agreed. FUN!
Constant fun. Cornering fun. Accelerating fun. Toodling about in town fun. On and off ramp fun. Highway fun. Parking fun. Passing gas stations fun. Fun sound. Fun feel. Fun look. Short drive fun. Long road trip fun.
Two all-beef patties special sauce lettuce cheese pickles onions on a sesame seed fun. :)
dougtheeng says:
01:56 PM, 04/ 3/08
I agree with you all! My MC is 3 weeks old, and I love it. Its quick [enough], fits my 6'2", 250lbs frame, is quirky/unique (changeable interior mood lighting anyone?) and makes me smile.
I know there are plenty of people who will speak ill of it - who buys a car for mood lighting? Why pay $30,000 for a 118HP "2" seater?
To them I answer: Drive it, and you'll know.
SubyTrojan says:
02:12 PM, 04/ 3/08
Maybe someone over there could photochop Mike (Magrath) out and Scott (Jacobs) in? :o)
That would be fun--maybe even fun-ny.
7driver says:
02:13 PM, 04/ 3/08
"Usually my choice for cars to drive is based the fact that a smaller car is better on the crowded streets for parking. Our the Mini is the best choice."
Better than the Honda Fit?
crowb says:
02:34 PM, 04/ 3/08
The Mini is smaller than the Fit, is it not?
karjunkie says:
02:38 PM, 04/ 3/08
Doug: you paid 30K for a non turbo mini...YIKES!
firstwagon says:
03:14 PM, 04/ 3/08
Easy to do. Mini options are way overpriced.
hondacura4 says:
03:17 PM, 04/ 3/08
Ive always liked the idea of a "premium" fun to drive small car and so far the Mini and the GTi fit the bill. As good as the Mini and the GTi are $30K is too much.
blueguydotcom says:
03:19 PM, 04/ 3/08
30k for a base cooper is a really, really loaded cooper. I got to 25k with my Cooper S and the only two options I wish I had would add 1k (comfort access and LSD).
firstwagon says:
03:44 PM, 04/ 3/08
Maybe he's Canadian. (I love the US prices.)
Here a base Mini starts at $24,800 and the Cooper S starts at $29,900.
Our dollar is at par with the US buck and has been for a while but most car makers continue to rip us off.
7driver says:
04:09 PM, 04/ 3/08
If you go to miniusa.com and go hog wild with the build configurator (but saving some money by picking packages instead of a la carte) you'll end up with $38,050 for a Cooper S. That's just for factory options. Clicking on all the JCW accessories brings it up to $49,294. Tack on stuff like a glove box organizer, chrome plate frames, chrome bonnet scoop, sunroof cover, driving lamps, etc and you are well over $50k.
blueguydotcom says:
04:26 PM, 04/ 3/08
7driver, that doesn't change the fact that a cooper with a 30k price tag has a whole buncha stuff on it. The car starts at less than 20k.
7driver says:
04:57 PM, 04/ 3/08
Blueguy, understood. My own personal preference would be an S with (ZCV) convenience pkg, (2TA) LSD, (226) sport suspension, (210) DSC, and (522) HID for $25350 including dest. and then go aftermarket for wheels, tires and nav. But I'm just saying that with a non-turbo maxing out at $34,900 before accessories ($41,887 with all the JCW goodies), $30k for a Cooper is quite believable.
opfreak says:
05:24 PM, 04/ 3/08
yes the mini starts nice. And then you add stuff all of a sudden, you can buy a 1 series. and like 7driver pointed out... you can top out in 3 series range
dougtheeng says:
05:27 PM, 04/ 3/08
"Maybe he's Canadian. (I love the US prices.) "
Yah, I'm Canadian. And yes, we get screwed here in Canada with car prices. The cheapest Cooper you can get in Canada starts at $22,800. So, add a few options, add in taxes, etc, and boom...$30k.
Shoulda made that clear from the start I guess.
firstwagon says:
05:44 PM, 04/ 3/08
The $22,800 model is the Cooper "Classic". It's a more base model that isn't even available in the states.
Our $24,800 version seems to be the same as the US $18,050 version.
No wonder so many Canadians buy cars in the US and import them.
blueguydotcom says:
06:05 PM, 04/ 3/08
first, a coworker was in Canada recently and took a picture of a 335i's sticker - 70k. Ouch!
That's insane.
karjunkie says:
04:33 AM, 04/ 4/08
All I can say is, as much as I love the Mini. once you get to 30K on a Mini, I start to drift in sentiment to a Mazdaspeed3 or the GTI. A fully loaded Grand Touring MS3 is only about 26K!
sabastian says:
06:08 AM, 04/ 4/08
Like BMW, Mini seems to love putting fully loaded cars on dealer lots. The cheapest Clubman S I've been able to find is still $29,700, and the cheapest 128i coupe I've found is $36,000!! (WHOA!). Go easy on the options and order what you want. A Clubman S, the way I want it, is $28,350. That's a bit more like it.
blueguydotcom says:
10:18 AM, 04/ 4/08
karjunkie, true if all you want is performance, the MS3 is exceptional. The GTI is also a solid car for someone looking for real room for 4 with a dash of above average performance.
huyracing says:
11:10 AM, 04/ 4/08
the GTI is actually right there with the Cooper S in performance and its more usable and rides better, etc. i don't think you can beat it for the money.
still I find something charming about the Cooper S.
louiswei says:
11:14 AM, 04/ 4/08
I really like the Cooper S but just can't justify the price. Yesterday on the way home from work I saw the nicest looking Cooper S I've evern seen. It is bright blue with white racing stripes and white rims. When I got home I went to the website and build one just like that with options that I want. The price turned out to be $29,300 (with manual tranny)...
Ouch!
blueguydotcom says:
12:20 PM, 04/ 4/08
The GTI isn't on the same level. We own an A3. It's an entertaining car. It's got the same drivetrain, chassis, engine, etc as the GTI. I drove the GTI 4 door right before buying my Cooper S. The GTI has tons more usable space, is bigger, less fuel efficient, has worse resale, no included maintenance, more body roll in corners and is not nearly as tossable.
The GTI would have been about 2k cheaper than my Cooper S. Of course checking depreciation its value has dropped far more than the Cooper S and I would be out the money spent on service - oil changes, year 1 maintenance. The gulf will get larger by the end of year 2. And the GTI is saddled with the VW dealer network. We have an Audi right now...VW/Audi provide horrible warranty coverage.
After our experiences with VW/Audi cars (3 in 8 years) over the past 8 years we can safely say VW AG is a pretty awful company and they do not treat owners nearly at the same levels as BMW/Mini. My wife loves her A3 but she has sworn up and down that she will never again buy a VW AG product.