We used to say the Mini has the highest grin to dollar ratio

If you decide to modify decide where you want to go early..... a good plan will save you a lot of money......

I was out driving mine today for the first time in weeks and it still is a kick

 

I will definitely plan it out from the beginning. When I picked up the GTI there were a few things I wish I had researched a bit better prior to getting the car. I got all the main options I was looking at, but it was a few subtle things that would not have been much to add from the factory, but are expensive aftermarket.

Thanks again everyone for their posts. Everyone has something intelligent to say which seems to be a rarity on many car forums. =)

 

Not exact same situ as OP as mine was a 1.8T gti, so a mkIV... the mkV's corrected a lot of the issues I had with mine, particularly stock handling and stock shifter feel. I had to mod mine to get it handling decent, and after spending money and time it still could not be tossed into corners or have the steering feel of a bone-stock mini. I sold it and missed mainly the motor (and still love the inside and outside styling of veedubs, just about all veedubs, in fact!) but the mini is FAR more satisfying to drive and to own. It just feels more "special", as I think you have noted. That 2.0T is a sweetheart though, and the new VW gearbox is night-and-day with the mkIV box (I prefer it to the mini 6spd box too).

Aftermarket support of both cars is good but I have found the mini easier to shop for with more NA vendors offering all sorts of goodies, even for the relatively new-to-market R56. OEM performance support for the mini (i.e., JCW) is stronger and more diverse than I found it to be for VW.

Comparison of reliability, in my experience, is a wash. My veedub stayed tight over 3 years of ownership but with the usual laundry list of expected electrical problems, and my mini looks be be just as prone to electrical problems but has a nice all-of-a-piece feel to its structure.

Whatever you decide in the short term, good choice on a 5dr GTI over the 3dr GTI; to my eye, the mkIV and mkV looks great as a 5dr and fewer of those are modded.

 

I had a 2001 Gti (Mk 4 - 1.8T) and loved the car. I considered getting the Mk 5 2.0T instead of the Mini as it is more practical, 5 doors and more space. But in the end it was both the handling, fun to drive factor that won me over. The Mini is not the perfect car, if you have only one car (my wife drives an SUV) you might find the Mini a tight fit sometimes.

If you have the Gti, I would stay with it a year or two and then if you still want the mini, trade.

 

My god this is driving me crazy. It's funny, I get in my car and drive it around and I think, wow I would really miss this interior, then I get out of the car and look at the outside and think, meh. Then I drive my car and it's fun, but not fun like the Mini was on the test drive. And honestly, I didn't even push the Mini in the test drive.

Decisions...

 

I plan to get both. Well, I am getting the Mini (should be here any day now) and in a year or so my wife will get a 5 door GTI with DSG. That way I can get both cars to play with and my wife can drive an automatic.

By the way, I had a 20th AE GTI with the GIAC chip. It was a great car and I never had any problems with it. I miss it a lot.

 

Those were my exact impressions when I was going back and forth between the MCS and GTI. Loved the GTI's interior, like it just beat the crap out of the MINI's. But it came down to the fact that the exterior just seemed so cookie-cutter bland and the fun factor of the MINI simply could not be beat.

One thing that's funny. A friend of mine bought a GTI around the same time I purchased my MINI (something else which was in the MINI's favor; hate having the same car as anyone I know ) and now that gorgeous interior doesn't seem so great. If you spec your MINI right, the interior is quite luxurious. Now I honestly feel that my combination of carbon lounge leather, piano black trim, cream color line and anthracite headliner beats the crap out of the VW's! Granted it cost me, but is totally worth it.

Still want that DSG though... But if you're looking at a manual, not sure if that's a consideration.

 

I think you're doing the right thing here. When I bought my MCS, I didn't even look at the GTI, after I test drove the MINI, I knew I wanted it.

A year later, my friend bought the GTI, and I test drove it through the mountains, and found a lot to like about the car. Not enough to make me want to sell my car, mind you, but I felt, I dunno, like someone who had cheated on their girlfriend.

You may want an MCS not just cuz they're great cars, you might want it because you don't have one. I'm the kind of person that's like that. The GTI is a great car to drive as well, and people are right when they say it doesn't make much sense to pay more to get an MCS unless you wouldn't be happy without it. With the money you would spend to get an MCS you can dress up your car or add some suspension parts, and you may very well be happy with that. I would imagine that aftermarket parts for the GTI are cheaper as well...

 

Well one of the things you seem to like about your VW, is the electronics. That's the kind of stuff the aftermarket mob will have (if not already) for the Mini in short order.

You could also look at the optional sport seats for the Mini, they hold me pretty well.

 

I've driven both and am considering both the GTI and an R56 MCS. I liked the GTI, especially the plaid seats and the usefulness of the package. It has about the same interior space as by bigger dimensionally audi wagon. However, I look at the GTI and the feeling I get driving it and I think that I'd love it with the new TDI coming out. It has a sensible shoes feeling to me, in the best way possible, and that means that I should be choosing a motor that gives away a little in acceleration and gains a bunch in fuel economy. The 2.0 is just not very efficient around town.
I've pretty much decided on a MINI because it feels and looks more fun. My order will be placed on 2/1, so I have about 4 weeks to either find a great R53, swing back to the GTI camp, find a cheap holdover car to wait for the factory JCW car, or buy my S4 at lease end and deal with its issues.

 

Thanks again for everyone's responses. I do suffer from "grass is greener" syndrome to an extent. I stopped by a local MINI dealer on my lunch break and didn't ask for a test drive, just hung out in the showroom and played with all the features on the inside to try and get a feel for it. My impressions are, although some of the appointments look different, possibly even cheap, the feel is actually quite good. It fits the car. After looking at the placement of the radio, HVAC controls and the numerous toggle switches, and getting a feel for the functions everything seemed pretty nice and livable. I sat in the back seat and thought, it's not that bad if someone HAS TO ride with me. =) The trunk space even with the seats folded all the way down would be one of the biggest issues although it is rare that I carry a lot. It is nice to have when you need it, though.

Reality: The reality is I like my car very much with the exception of the clutch and, having driven the MINI, the lack steering feel and overall connection to the car is definitely lacking when the GTI is directly compared to the MINI. It IS somewhat not sensible to sell the GTI after only a year of ownership and move to the MINI, which I strongly considered before purchasing the GTI (2006 model). However, if I could be reasonable with the MINI specs, get a good trade-in, and end up with the same or a lesser monthly payment, a switch may be in order.

I need to hang around the problems/issues forum to get a better feel for the bad side of MINI ownership.

 

I can't see paying the prices MINI wants for the options I would consider for a brand new MINI. I will casually keep an eye out for a good used bargain but for now the GTI is to stay.

 

Well that changed pretty fast. The price BMW puts on their options can be downright scary! I spent exactly $10,000 in options and my MINI isn't even 'fully loaded.' Base price of 21K, yet it's not at all unusual to see MSRP's almost double that.

Definitely take a look at the Marketplace. Pretty easy to find yourself a sweet deal. I've drooled over a few GP's listed there and I'm not even a big R53 fan.

Best of luck on your decision!

 

From what I am hearing, I'd suggest you bypass the R56 look at getting a clean, stock, "well-appointed" 05-06 R53 and modding it to achieve your "ample torque" goal. For $2k in mods you can have a real screamer with a much higher Fun-to-Drive index than the R56 for much less $.

 

I'm keeping an eye on the marketplace every few days. I think I like the R53 overall better anyway.

 

I was going to buy a Mazdaspeed3, until I drove the Mini S. I also test drove an 07 GTI, back to back with the Speed3. Speed3 was the power king, and the GTI and Mini (both 07's) felt comparable. The Mini may only be rated at 177 HP, but it only weighs 2700 lbs, where the GTI weighs 3200 lbs. Plus I have heard of dyno runs that show the mini actually puts out 175 HP at the wheels, even though the claimed 177 HP is at the crank.
All I can say is, when I drove the Mini, I could feel the smile on my face. To be sure, I took it on three more test drives against the Speed3, and even though the Speed3 is faster and may do better on a skid pad, the feel of the Mini was perfect. I know what you are saying about the interior, but I'm ok with it, and when you are driving, its the road that you see, and feel.
I am probably as torn as you are, but for a different reason. My thread is "all set to buy a Mini, but..." -my concern is reliability, long term engine reliability. It seems that major problems are few and far between though.
Good luck!

 

Bravo!!!

Go Jackets!!!

I thought about getting a Mellow Yellow one as well just because of being a Yellow Jacket myself!

 

I had the same concerns as well ... but after a drive and reading quite a bit over here ... decided to make the move and haven't regretted it one bit. Good luck ...

 

I personally had a mark five GTI and I really liked it but I can't really say I loved it. The GTI had HUGE amounts of interior space (I could fit 4 adults in the car better than my e90 330i!) a boatload of torque, great value (fully loaded at 26k before tax and fees) and had a huge boot. When I was in the market for this size of car for a commuter, the GTI was the best for me because of these reasons and the MINI, although I LOVED the drive, was out of my price range and hard to locate one with my preferred options. All the while of my ownership of my GTI (I had a 330i in the garage too), I drove about 15k within 6 months and got rid of it. I liked the power, the storage, and the consistent 26mpg, but something was really missing.. The car felt blistering fast compared to the MCS at that time, but it felt like there was no soul into the car. Kind of like the Z4M Vs a Non-s Cayman. The MCS overall, felt more like the drive I was looking for. The interior is warming at nighttime and it feels much more cozier than the much useful GTI. The power, although I was accustomed to the ample torque the GTI had, was very BMW- like. The powerband felt relaxed and smooth all the way through (Although it was supercharged). The interior of the MCS felt more solid and refined. The colors and type of material they used felt more expensive and very bmw-esque. In all, the Mini felt more inviting and the driving experience was much more exhilarating. I don't really miss the GTI much, it was a great car but it didn't really do anything for me.. I had many mods on it too within that 6 month period and it was a fully loaded car, but I still didn't connect to it. After I sold it, I drove my 330i and after drove my friends MINI. I absolutely fell right at home. Maybe its because I've been driving BMW's the majority of my life but the MCS is more of my type of the drive. Currently, I am in a situation similar to yours but I am looking for a commuter/track/fun car and the MINI is of course, at the top of the list. I've taken a test drive in the newer R56 with the turbo engines but it doesn't feel the same like my friends R53 although it doesn't feel bad. Im still kind of torn as well but I think I will eventually make out with the R56 in the end and do many tasteful mods to it. You honestly sound like you already know what you want. Go take a test drive and take a brochure home with you. I swear you'll never put it down. Good luck

 

Thanks for the posts. I too drove the Mazdaspeed, but it feels like a much cheaper car, although power was ample. My chipped GTI would probably hang with the Mazdaspeed.

Steve: Thanks for your posts. I wholeheartedly agree with the driving feel of the MCS vs. the GTI.

 

I don't know if altering steering setting works on your year/model GTI, but if you can VAG .com (http://www.ross-tech.com/) your steering down to the zero setting it makes a very positive difference in improving the steering feel/making it stiffer. I've driven an A3 set at zero vs the lighter factory settings and it really made the difference in my enjoying the car.

I understand car fickleness and won't encourage or discourage it, I'll just advise checking your local service options and what people have to say about the Mini dealer you'd be going to. Not all dealer service depts are equal and you might as well see how they rate in the event you do get a Mini that needs attention under warranty.

 

Yes you can change the steering. I might have the guy that did my Revo software change it for me. He lives nearby.

There are only two Mini dealers in the Atlanta area, Global Mini and Hank Aaron Mini. If I recall HA Mini is supposed to be the better one. I've been to both and at least the sales staff seems better at HA.

Another thing...Having been on the VW forums for over a year now, it seems that the people here are more willing to help than to get into pissing matches. Maybe I am not looking in the right place on this forum, but many of the posts on VWVortex and Golfmkv.com are immature. These posts are not only from the members but also forum sponsors which, to say the least, makes it difficult to want to purchase mods from them. It really takes the fun out of having a car community online.

 

I have owned a lot of VW's over the years. My first car was a beetle. Having owned VW's I always thought it was normal bringing your car in for repairs. Then I got rid of my Passat and bought a 05 Xterra and it has never had a problem. No more VW's for me. I have a 07 MCS that I bought in June and I'm really impressed with the quality of it. No problems so far.

 

VW definitely has their history. The new models are much, much better than before. I few minor issues here and there, but nothing more than say, the Honda Civic Si or Mazdaspeed 3, the two other cars it competes with.

 

I'm glad to hear their getting better. I hope you don't think I was picking on your car. When I had my Vdubs and they were running good they were very enjoyable.