As the development of my 96 NA Miata continues it has become less and less ideal to use as my daily driver...not to mention I just feel bad about driving her rain and shine ever day.

The requirements for my new Daily Driver were the following...not in any order.

MPG higher than 30 mpg average
Manual
Blue Tooth
Fun to drive
Safe enough to use as a kid taxi....I was getting funny looks dropping my 4 year old daughter off at daycare in the gutted, lowered and loud STS Miata.

After lots of internet shopping I narrowed it down to 3

Mini Cooper, Fiat 500 and Ford Fiesta.

Mini was number 1 on the list, but was about 4 thousand dollars more than the other 2.
I liked the Fiat in concept, but was not sure the 100 hp would be enough.
The last and only American car I ever purchased (outside of a bunch of Jeep Wranglers) was a 1968 Pontiac that I got when I was 17 (in 1989). But the Fiesta has a European heritage.

Going in I knew a lot about Minis, I have done numerous test drives in the past, visited the factory when I was in the UK a few years ago and have had my butt kicked by them in HStock over the past few years. I knew that it was going to be hard for the other two to win out, but bottom line is this is a third car for me and I am going in 0 down and need to be below X per month to make the deal....I was not sure Mini would be willing to haggle.

Fiat did right off the bat....so I went to the nearest dealer and took a drive. I have to say I was surprised at how quick that car felt and how it handled...much more than I had expected....especially given the reviews I have read. But, it did really well...merging out on to route 22 in NJ is no small feat and the car was quick enough not to make me crap myself. It felt nice to drive too. The fit and finish was definitely better than the japanese cars I have had, but less than the Germans (VW, AUDI, BMW). It has a certain coolness...in a kind of ironic way. It is just hard to get around the fact that I was driving a character from the Cars Movie. Anyway, my wife and I both liked it more than we expected. After a surprisingly good test drive and over all impressing us much more than expected, we also got the numbers we wanted on a Bianco (white) and went to meet with Mini. I will not hesitate to look at another in the future.

I had a bad feeling going in because I had had a bad experience with them in the past. But, my wife - surprisingly had never driven a new mini, despite the fact that her dad worked for them and she is English. Her Mom and Dad had a few of the original Coopers, but never a BMW version. Once we got to the Dealer in Morristown NJ, my initial concerns were gone - everyone was friendly and helpful. Our sales guy Lenny was awesome and we even compared Ink...he has me beat, but I have a few years to catch up.

Immediately you can see where the extra money goes. The fit and finish is on par with the Audis and BMWs I have been in and or owned. The car feels bigger, solid and very much like a little tank. Despite the Heavy Feeling the car is like a go kart on the road (how over used is that description)..but it is solid, tight, turns like a happy Spaniel and the little motor has an amazingly broad power band. Still, I was not sure that they would be able to meet my $$ requirements. After a very short negotiation they dropped the price enough to reduce my monthly payment by 20 dollars which got me within 50 of the Fiat...I felt that this was a reasonable amount to pay for what I consider a step up...and probably the best small car you can get.

The other plus side of this car is that in the event my miata can't make it to an event the Mini will fill in just fine.

After I took delivery of my all black cooper I went for a drive with 4 people on some really fun back roads...I did not push the car as it only had 20 miles on it...but even so it was fun and we averaged 32 mpg...I am happy with that and it bodes well for this being a fun and economical commuter.

Today I am cleaning out a garage over at my parents place to keep the miata between nice weather jaunts and autocross sessions. It will also be nice to not have to finish work on the car in time to take it to work on Monday - that will take the pressure off for sure.

 

 

And you can share wheels with the Miata.

 

Slowclimb.... Great post, thanks for sharing

 

Nice post!

I recently made a similar transition: from my 1996 Miata M, although mine had remained mostly stock through almost 180,000 miles.

I'd cross-shopped Turbo Beetles, and the Fiat. I had a blast in the Turbo Beetle, but stick shifts weren't available (last fall). And you could only get them in 4 colors, and with "packages" of options. I had an enjoyable Fiat test drive, but was holding out for the Abarth. Which still hasn't made it to the dealers (at least here in STL). I made it through the USA announcement of it, but then test drove a Cooper S.

And that sold me.

So I took delivery of my MINI last week, and I'm having a blast so far. We handed off our Miata to its new owner on Friday night, she's thrilled to have it.

Good things all around.

 

That sounds fantastic. Welcome to the club, haha! I went from a Jeep to a MINI, big difference, but I don't look back.

Have any photos, by any chance? :D

 

Super - you'll find the Mini is a great fun car with lots of personality
and plenty of get up and go when you need it.

 

Thanks all....looking forward to slowly modding the car. Here it is next to my miata...which scratches the mod itch for now.