If your looking at getting a Mini, make sure you get the options that you want. If not, you'll regret it later. They are not the fastest cars out there, but they sure are fun to drive. We have had ours for about 2 years and we still love it. It compliments the other cars that we have very well. It is still fun to drive everytime I get in it. We ended up with an 06 Cooper S with everything except for the Nav. and leather. Great car except for the tires are not very good (Goodyears). We've had problems with them bubbling.

Fun car, not the biggest but very fun to drive.
We'll see how the maintenance cost is long term. We've currently have 29000 miles on it.

Mini's are unique.
And there owners are very loyal just like Jeep Owners.

 

I was a long time VW fan until I was converted over to the Mini. My first love in cars was a 1991 Jetta which I drove over 250K before maintenance costs forced me to trade it in. I drove a new Beetle for 6 months and then a VR6 Jetta for about 4 years but they never felt the way the old 91 did, too fluffy. When I got my S, I was instantly in love. Like the 91, it was a driver's car. It reminds me a lot of the old 83-84 VW Rabbit GTI. The S to me has the perfect balance of performance with all the modern day convenience yet not too much fluff. My hubby has the new 2008 GTI in the driveway and it is nice and certainly not a slow car but I'd rather drive the Mini any day.

 

I agree with you on the VW crowd, especially in the Atlanta area. My husband and I were into VWs for years but something happened a few years ago and everyone got competitive and stopped helping each other out. The Mini crowd is a lot like the old VW crowd. Every time I pass another Mini on the road, we wave and everyone on the forums has been super nice and helpful.

 

Thanks again for everyone's responses.

 

Don't know your region, but the MINI is a fair weather car. If you expect to be able to just get into a frozen car and go, then you might grow annoyed with a MINI. Also, with typical mods or a JCW you can expect to get around 200 hp--not exactly inspiring. However, if you are not concerned with power and just like the excellent handling and fem/metro cute factor, then the MINI is for you.

 

I see a lot of posts here about the VW GTi. I used to own an 1985 GTi, which was nothing more than a faster Rabbit with slightly better seats and wider tires. This was nothing like what I'm experiencing in the MINI.

I realize that things have changed in 20 + years, but are the newer GTi's that nice? I just haven't checked them out. I also had a 1990 Miata that Corky Bell installed one of his turbochargers in. That was one quick Miata, but I don't believe it was quite a quick as my Mini?

Just curious, what did I miss?

 

Twenty days later and I am back on here. That should tell me something, right?

 

I think that you're brain is trying to tell you something.

 

My brain is constantly telling me things. I just don't know. I am trying to justify it by my gas mileage improving, but that would be marginal at best.

 

Well if you're worried about the power difference, don't be worried about that. Look for the RMW threads around here. Danny @ MINICorsa just dyno'd 262 WHP

 

Truthfully I am worried about two things. 1) Price when combined with options similar to the GTI I would be coming from and 2) Having the Mini as my only car. In the past year I can probably count the number of times I have had more than 1 other person in the car or 1 other person and my dog in my car. Cargo room is more of a concern, but with the seats folded down it seems adequate.

 

And that required fairly serious mods. Getting even such a modest amount of hp out of an MCS is non-trivial.

 

I am not too concerned about high HP. I would be interested in a tuning package and suspension package and be done. Most likely would consider adding these options at the factory. I have also considered moving to a 2005 or 2006 used JCW Cooper S.

 

HellOkitty,

Just noticed your post. My 1st car was an '84 GTI. Loved that car. Always fun. I'm picking up my MCS tomorrow. So, I am pumped to have just happened across your post. It's exactly what I felt when I test drove the MINI. Though I understand the current version has lost some of the rawness yours has. It still seemed pretty fun.

Cheers.

 

I'm sitting on the very same fence. For the past 20 years, when I've searched for a fun, economical, versatile hatchback, all roads have led to the VW showroom. I'm on my fifth Golf now, an '02 TDI. My wife and I have thought about adding a third car to the stable, since our Subaru Forester is a gas-guzzler by my standards (25 mpg every tank) and we both drive a lot. My first instinct is to get another TDI, a New Beetle perhaps. But it's been almost a year since new TDIs were sold, so used VW diesels are selling at bubble-market rates. For example, my Forester and Golf sold for about the same price. Now the blue book value of the two cars is about the same, although the Golf TDI is two years older! In short, it's a tough time to find a good deal in VW TDIs. I wonder about trying out a MINI for a few years until more turbodiesel choices appear, new and used.

Time to consider Plan B. I have a mid-life car crisis coming due, and what better way to express than than with a MINI? I took a short test drive in one recently and was laughing out loud at the joy of handling a steering wheel that actually felt like it was connected to something, and a car that felt so connected to the road. No, a MINI won't carry four adults in comfort, or carry much in the trunk, but I'm talking about a third car here. It doesn't have to be so practical.

My doubts about the MINI relate to the persistent hassles of my VWs. Tell me, MINI owners, do you often scrape and damage your car's nose on road obstacles, or the road itself? The A4 Golf/Jetta/Beetle ('99-'05) combined low ride height with soft suspension, so they bottom out easily on speed bumps, driveways, anything but flat & level roads. I finally had my suspension lifted two inches, horrifying the tuner crowd but giving me a much more useful car that still handles well.

Can you lift a MINI, or have you ever wanted to? What's the stock ground clearance?

And what about car keys? VW keys have a fragile connection to the key ring that breaks often and isn't covered even within the warranty period. Replacement costs $150-250 (dealer prices). How much is a MINI key worth, and how do they last?

Savvy VW drivers know their worst enemy is the dealer's service department. (I was quoted a $120 hour of labor to read error codes- what do Audi and Porsche charge, anyhow?) There is a strong network of independent TDI and VW specialists who never fail to save me time and money, now that I've found them. How's the base of unofficial MINI support?

 

Given the ride height you want, it sounds like you want some sort of small crossover vehicle. +2 inches on a MINI sounds extreme.

 

Without reading everything, before I made my decision it came down to the GTI, R32 and Mini. If the R32 would've come in a manual I probably would've gone that way- although I actually would've rathered a modified GTI engine. In the end, the Mini has LSD where the GTI does not and is just more fun to drive. The nimbleness due to weight was a major factor as well. I don't even have my mini yet, but those were the thoughts on why I pulled the trigger on the mini.

 

Hmmm...tough choice. I have owned 2 MKV GTIs, the current one is a 5-door. I was going between the Mini and the GTI for some time, heck, my friend and track buddy sells them and Crevier Mini. In the end, it came down to the GTI for one reason...room. I needed the extra space, and for a daily driver, it was perfect for me. Now, if I did not need the space, it would have been the Mini hands down!

 

I have been having adulterous feelings about a GTI lately...

I am wondering just how much longer I can take the contorting and bending it takes to get my son into his car seat, in the back of my MINI.

Before my MINI ownership, I owned a '96 GTI, and a '00 Golf GL. I am now considering returning to VW, specifically to their 4-door GTI. I am indeed a lover of the "hot hatch" genre of car, and the GTI is the poster boy for that.

Obviously, the two-door model is sexier, but at this stage in my life, the four doors have great appeal for a father like myself. I'd get to effectively have my cake and eat it too; performance AND functionality.

I have yet to go test drive the new GTI, but if I do, I want to definitely test drive the DSG-equipped version. I have been a manual transmission fan all these years, and all my cars have had a stick, but I do wonder if what I've read by some overzealous automotive writers is true; "The stick shift is officially obsolete".

Without having tried the DSG, I'm torn as to what I'd want. I do love the control of the manual, but it would also be nice for my wife to be able to drive it... Does the DSG and accompanying steering wheel paddles offer enough of a "fun-to-drive" factor? Does the DSG truly do what you ask, when you ask it? Do you miss the clutch pedal, and rowing your own gears?

What are your thoughts: DSG or manual?

 

Simple solution: Get the Mini Clubman. Additional space, great handling and its a Mini (at least that is what I'm told--sight unsees so far). Seemingly, you'd have the best of all worlds.

 

Johnnieoh,

I test drove a DSG equipped GTI and found it surprisingly better than Porsche and Audi sliptronics that I've driven in the past. It really is a good transmission and I'd recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone that doesn't want a clutch pedal. I wasn't sold though. It dumbs down the driving experience. I thought this recent article in the L.A. Times about the R32 hit the nail on the head:

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedi...,4700482.story

 

Hey, maybeamini, I too have a TDI (Beetle), but I am selling it. It is still running strong after 213k miles, but I guess it's time for a change. I put the oem steel skidplate in with Bilsteins.

 

Wolfgang 80:

That indeed was a great article on the DSG-equipped R32, from the LA Times. I realize that is only one man's opinion, but it is hard not to see his many points. My resolve to keep on driving manual transmissions just got quite a bit stronger.

Thanks for that!

JeremyAZ:

I haven't yet seen the Clubman in person, nor tried to shoe-horn my son into the back seat, via the 3rd door. But, I do plan on giving the Clubman a fair chance, rest assured. The pictures look nice, but I have to see this car, and more importantly, climb in and out of it, before deciding.

 

The DSG is the best transmission on the market at this time hands down (any category, period). Jury's still out on BMW's just announced twin-clutch. But, it does dumb down the driving involvement. Having said that, it IS a manual, just controlled electronically, and it does exactly what you want when you want it to. It actually out accelerates the "manual" GTI on behalf of such quick shifts, pretty impressive.

I too have driven the GTI, and it is a great car and very roomy as well. Fun to drive, but it doesn't give you the same feeling as driving my MINI. I feel that if I owned one I would just see it as "another car", but my MINI I truly enjoy every day.

JP:
If fuel savings is any consideration in getting a MINI, then I think an R53 is out. Mine is stock and I really don't do all that well with it, but then I don't really try either. An R56 is much better in this area.

 

AHA! That's the million dollar question when enthusiasts ponder the MKV GTI. I'll tell you this: A few that have chosen the manual, have wished they chose the DSG, but the opposite is rarely true. I chose the manual, and have driven quite a few DSG equipped models, but in the end it came to the connection to the car. I felt a bit disconnected, or muted with the DSG. Shifting is quicker with the DSG though, and there are times that I did wish I got it, but never when I'm on track.

Here is a quick shot of mine: