You know, I get damn sick of myself when I get on a roll to investigate a new purchase.

So we need a commute car now... something that gets good mileage and is reasonably priced... easy right? March down and buy a loss leader Nissan or Toileta and be done with it. Yea, but you see... I have this passion for cars and motorcycles... so it's gotta be fast and it's gotta be cool. My wife and I have loved the MC since it came out (hell, I've loved the old one for decades) so that was a natural choice since it's been rated one of the better cars for mileage. Little did I know at the time - that isn't necessarily the case - but by that time I was sucked into minidom.

I've been absorbing information like a leaky sponge and I'm overloading like a 3 amp fuse. What do I want? First gen, 2nd gen, good mileage baseline, shitty mileage S, convertible? All my current vehicles get 14, 10 and 10 mpg so anything is better (2 of those are old classics so ya greenies gotta cut me a little slack, eh). But! I really need something that will sip through a tiny straw right now. Yet, I know if I settle for a standard I'll always be craving more HP. What's a guy to do???

I really want to find a well-kept first-gen S or maybe a leftover new 06 (who's got great deals going? Tell me!), and I'm sure you've all been through the wringer on this - but I prefer the look of the 1st gen by a fairly wide margin (my brain immediately whispered Beetle when I saw the 2nd gen fascia). Having said that, it's still one of the coolest cages on the road and the new model S gets better mileage than the old model standard... or so the numbers say. Is that true? Confirmation here would be appreciated.

And what about reliability? I'm thinking if I go used, then 2005 or 2006 might be a wise choice since that gave BMW a good 3 to 4 years to sort the 1st gen Mini. Am I right or wrong here? What about the reliability of Gen2? Based on past performance, do ya think it'll need a couple of years to get sorted as well?

Then there's the tranny... no doubt with a standard MC I'd go manual. However, for an S, since this will be a commute car for my beloved, I think she might appreciate the AT so she can keep her hands free for whatever else she doe... er... uh, maybe a manual would be a good thing after all. I prefer manual myself but did have a fun time playing with the paddles in a BMW recently so I could go either way.

So... what am I looking for? Please tell me because I'm drowning in a pool of TMI! :impatient

Looking for: what to look for used... what to look for new Gen1, what to look for new Gen2: packages, performance, mileage, fun factor, quirkiness.

Thanks for gettin' this far.. zzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

Good luck, you're all over the map with trying to balance MPG and power! If you can find a dealer with '06s in stock, you should be able to get a decent deal. If you are looking at an '05 or '06 MCS, remember that these are definitely not econo boxes. I drive 76 miles round trip to and from work a day with my '06 MCS - it is 72 miles of highway driving at 70+ and I get 29-30 mpg during the non winter weather. During winter, it drops down to 27-28. Keep in mind, these little beasties drink premium fuel, not regular. The MCS has plenty of power for my taste, can't speak on the MC other than neither my wife nor I thought it had enough get up and go when we took out an '05 MCa for a test drive. My wife's '05 MCSa has sufficient power and she loves it but there is a definite difference in the power curve between the auto and the stick. Both cars have been reliable for us but the each have only around 16K on them.

The '07s are rated at 4 mpg better and have more torque (I haven't driven one so can't speak from first hand experience).

Good luck with your quest.

 

Have you tried decaf?
MINI. Fun, economical, fun, and reliable. And fun. All get better mpg than your current ride, so that covers the first requirement. Mostly.
'05, '06, or '07. Tough question for somebody to answer for you. Trade value doesn't drop very fast on MINIs, so the depreciation factor may come in to play a little differently.
I say find a used one for sale and test drive it. Then hit a dealership. In the end it will be you and yours that have to make the call.
good luck!

 

I have a 02 MC and it gets on the average 30 -32 miles to the gal. I think that's pretty good mileage for a 5 year old car!!

 

I have an '03 MCS Works, and I average 28 -30 on my 40 mile daily commute. Compared to the 10 -14 you're now getting, I'd think that would work OK for you...........you'll probably like the S better unless you need the auto trans........can you get an S with an auto now, those in the know?

Edit: Went to the MINI USA site and yes, you can now get an "S" with the auto trans.

 

Welcome to NAM, dog rocket! Fun post! You'll have to head down to a dealership and test-drive each configuration. If you find a new '06, be sure to drive it, too. The manual trannies have been tremendously reliable...plus, they are FUN! I'd recommend a new or slightly-used 2006 with manual and the sports package, since you indicated that you prefer gen 1 of the New MINI. That will be a fun car, but really...any MINI will be fun and will triple the mileage you are getting in your current vehicle fleet.