Newbie explains 2008 MINI purchase decision & then asks about donuts (the tire kind).
 

First, the David Copperfield part.

A long-term Saturn owner, a recent fender-bender of my 2002 SL2 (my fault) turned into a total loss and put me in the market for a new car.

I’ve never been much of a car guy, and (before now) never much understood people who were. I’d probably have considered a Saturn Ion, but I just couldn’t fathom why they put the speedometer in the center of the dashboard.

Based on on-line reviews of the most highly recommended new cars, we took 3 test drives. The first car was a Mazda 3. It was responsive like our 2003 Mazda Protégé, but she thought the 3 was boring (too conservative). The second was a MC (obviously charming [particularly the lighting package], no stress MSRP pricing, but dare I say not as perky as the Mazda 3, and [pet peeve] a speedometer as big as the moon in the center of the dash). The third car was a Honda Fit. I didn't anticipate that the Fit would hold a candle to the other two, and it was also a bit sluggish. But it was so inexpensive, with tons of cargo room and a nice dashboard. Frankly, I was on the fence here for several days, with no clear winner.

My wife and I had previously suggested that my next car should be something fun, instead of necessarily the most practical and logical (which had always been my criteria before). And reading so many of these posts, with so many happy owners, tipped me slightly to the MC. So we started pricing options. But after test-driving the MC S (as an option), we decided we could live without several of our initial choices (anthracite, armrest, metallic paint, etc.) in favor of the more powerful engine.

And now to my question.

Upgrading to an MCS means that I begin my new (fun) life with those expensive run-flat tires. If I want to replace them with regular (cheaper) tires after 20,000 miles (their expected lifespan), is there even room to keep a spare (or at least a donut) in the trunk? Does anyone do that? Or are there other alternatives? We plan to put 20,000 miles a year on the car, and I don't want to have to set up an escrow account for tires.

Thanks.

The only donuts in a Mini without runflats are the dozen from the local donut shop for you and your friends:lol: . Now for the real answer. Buy a tire repair kit or do as I did and get the pieces yourself (bottle of slime, mini compressor, and tire plug kit).:thumbsup:

You are right the runflats don't last which is why they are often used only in the winter then changed in the spring to the real tires and rims (the Bling).

I believe you can buy a spare and it will fit in the boot...many have even purchased nicely made covers! You won't have room for much else in the boot though.

Just because I'm curious... what Mazda 3 did you drive? I own a Mazda 3 now and am getting a Mini as something different. The MCSa I ordered is considerably more money then the 3 but the owner experience of a Mini is starting to make up for it. I did drive the 3 5-door Grand Touring and it drove as expected (which was to say very similar to my current 3 5-door). It didn't drive anywhere near like the Mini however.

But.. to address your concern directly. The run-flats always struck me as a bit of worry on the MCS but like another poster said you put a kit in the car and all should be well. I don't know of anyone that has been stranded because of the run-flats and I'm consistently told that more cars in the EU are being delivered without the donut. I think the 3 years of road side assistance will even come out and help if you truly get into a bind.

Of course there is room in the boot for a spare but there won't be much room after it. There are some pictures on here of individuals getting 4 tires with rims in the boot (seats down) so it can be done.

Oh... and about the speedo. You'll love it on the Mini for what it is and what it is is a bit of history and novelty. Otherwise you order the Nav and it goes away. I've come to love it actually because I don't consider it a "center dash". I have my dash behind the steering wheel where it belongs but I've also got a bit of history too. :thumbsup:

and remember:
The fit is.... in your rear view mirror where it belongs.
.

The least expensive model: 2008 Mazda3 Sedan iSport, manual.

Just to reiterate, before my MINI order I haven’t been much of a car enthusiast. So my opinion is just that of a commuter. But I liked the feel of the Mazda stick shift the best of the 3 cars I test drove. It has very little resistance (it feels like it’s mounted in congealed jello), which makes it easy to switch gears, and the 3 just felt like it wanted to go (as they say in their ads) zoom zoom.

I read that the Fit’s target audience is a driver aged 16 – 24 (not sure who the typical MINI driver is). So for some college kid (not me) dragging all their stuff back and forth to the dorm, all that cargo space would be wonderful. The MINI seems to get a lot of press about lack of space (even without carrying a donut), but since our kids are grown (and since we still have the 4-door Protégé), I just couldn’t make cargo space the deciding factor.

In the beginning of the search for a replacement car, it was mainly about the money (and not spending much of it). By the time we were considering the M/C S with a few options, the Mazda Miata was about the same price. But my wife said the Miata was even more of a stereotypical mid-life crisis car. And our car would no longer be one in a million. Or one in a hundred thousand (or whatever it is).

I have no regrets, only anticipation.

Just so I'm clear, my oh-8 MCS will come stock with run flats and no spare?
Or will it have regular tires no spare?
Either way, there's no spare, right?

That is correct - you will have no spare - you WILL have run-flats. I run around with a small bag of tools including a compressor as you will need that to keep your tire pressures at 33 psi as the temps drop and the tire pressure monitor bongs.. :-)

On the issue of tires, I know that I prefer the runflats at the current time only b/c they saved my bacon once. Now that I'm at 23k after 14 months, I have purchased a set of wheels and tires from a fellow member for a little more than the price of just the tires. That being said, the little more meant that I upgraded to the 17" R90s style wheels. Had I just wanted to stay with the 16" wheels and tires it would have been cheaper to buy a set of S-winders with new runflats from a NAM member than to replace the runflats I had. At which point I could sell my good condition rims to recoup some money. Thus, as long as there are people who want to have aftermarket rims or switch to non-runflats, I think that it is safe to say there will be an chance for those of us who want runflats to get them for a more reasonable price.

I went from a Mazda3 wagon to my MINI. I honestly don't regret the switch. I have the base engine MINI and it feels plenty peppy because the car is much lighter than the Mazda3. 3's are wonderful cars, though, but I will probably never get anything else but a MINI from now on.