Jplus,

MINIs are great cars for people who love to drive. Most people buy cars to get to places. MINI owners enjoy getting there. They are, however, not like many other sports cars (Camaro, Mustang, Corvette). I like to think that a MINI is like a fighter plane where these other sports cars are more of long range bombers. Toyota and Honda (with some exceptions) make cars that would be more comparable to commercial airlines.

There is a price to be paid for the joy of the drive. MINIs require more maintenance, the others require more fuel and higher insurance. The vast majority of those on this forum would likely say that the trade-off is worth it.

I would be hard pressed to explain to someone just looking for a car to drive to work why they should buy a MINI (or Mustang, BMW, Porsche and so on) over a Honda. They will all get you to work and cost you a heck of a lot less over 20 years.

Buy a MINI only if you love the drive and are willing to pay for it. Buy a MINI if you say a fighter plane is what you are looking for in a car.

Another option that will be only slightly more expensive to maintain over the long term than a Honda but will be slightly less enjoyable of a drive than the MINI is Mazda. My daily driver is a Mazda3. I typically take back roads to work over the highways just for the fun of it. It is not quite as fun as the MINI but it needs nearly no maintenance.

Good luck with your decision.

 

The drive is so much more fun in a MINI. The extra advantage with the handling and fun is you get good gas mileage. It not cheap to own like other cars but it makes up for it and driving a pleasure.

 

One thing to note: MINI's poor reliability reputation was mainly due to the earlier 2nd generation cars. The 3rd generation has, so far, proven to be very reliable. That said, these are essentially small BMWs and will therefore be more expensive to have serviced than a Honda.

 

Welcome to the forum

Is it the right car for you ... do what I did, drive one and decide .. I did .. and bought one

 

 

A lease is only a good deal for a few people. If you want to get a new car every few years and you know you will drive the amount of miles covered in the contract, it might be a good deal but otherwise it would not. It is not for someone who wants to keep a car for 20 years.

If the Mazda3 is too big, the 2016 Scion IA, later the 2017 Toyota Yaris IA and now the 2018 Toyota Yaris sedan may be a good car for you. I bought one for my kids and we love it. This car is sold in other countries as the Mazda2 and it drives like a Mazda. A little under-powered, but excellent handling and the perfect size for someone who thinks the Mazda3 is too big and the MINI is just right.

 

What miniCPA said!
If a car is only transportation, the Mini may not be for you!
If you want to stay young, the Mini is for you!
If you want a car to just drive to work, buy a economy box!

 

+1 on what everyone herein has said. If you do go with a MINI something wonderful just might happen. You might discover the joy of motoring and find excuses to get away for weekend romps into the woods, find the roads less traveled. We drove a little upstate a few years ago and can attest to the outstanding countryside. Going topless is the ultimate but for the city a hardtop would be preferred.

 

JPlus:

Regardless of whether you buy a Mini or a Mazda, read this thread here:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-the-deal.html

The advice in this thread applies to buying any car.

 

The reason servicing a Mini is so high is because of the high cost of parts and that servicing/replacing parts often requires you to remove bulky items (tire, front bumper, etc).

If you're looking for a fun small car (but not practical for more than 1 person), consider buying a used MX-5 Miata. They are tiny fun sports car that are very easy to service (thus making repairs relatively cheap). They have a cult following and often retain their value.

You should go to your local car clubs and dealerships and ask for test drives.
If the roads in your area have numerous potholes, I'd suggest getting a car that has a higher clearance. Stock Mini's are very low to the ground and are susceptible to scraping.

 

 

Check out VW GTI too.

 

You're looking at the newer minis. They don't really have the problems like the old ones. Well, at least they haven't surfaced yet lol. I had the same view on Mini Coopers but bit the bullet anyways.
I do all of my own work though. For major work, I take it to a friend of mine who is pretty knowledgeable about euros.
I came from the Honda world. This feels like a really refined civic. Everything the civic is missing the Mini has. The car is just fun to drive.
I'd say get one but grab a "S" trim at least

 

When we took delivery of our 06 R53, I only had a fraction of the knowlege as today. Looking back, I would make the same decision--no regrets. Bottom line--our MINI injected fun into our journeys and if it cost a tad more than an appliance to maintain, it was well worth it. Can't put a dollar sign on a grin. Good luck.

 

Thanks everyone for your helpful input! Great passionate people here!! I got the pros and cons. Now up to me if I am ready to value and pay for it, understanding that this car falls into a premium car maintenance category and the related costs and that I will have to rely on the service dealer shop for maintenance, I also understand that it's not a car that I can just drive and forget. The dealer suggest an extended warranty for peace of mind but then it add a big chunk to the price. BUT I still find some good reasons to buy a mini, size/style/fun aspect, so I want to give myself more time before deciding. Just enough time before my old Honda dies

 

Not quite (although the dealer would looooove for you to think that). You will get your first three years of routine maintenance – basically, oil changes – provided by MINI of North America through any MINI dealer. I suggest you use this; if anything does go wrong (it happens) they won't have anyone else to blame it on.

There is a one year period between when the "free" 3 year/36,000mi maintenance runs out and when the 4 year/50,000mi warranty runs out. In that period I tend to have the dealer do service – again, just in case.

But, here's the important part: you can have your service done by anyone and so long as it is done to MINI specifications, your warranty is still valid. (Thank you, Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975.) I wouldn't suggest Jiffy Lube for a MINI, but any good, competent auto shop can do the work.

They love selling these. They have huge profit margins -- it can easily double or triple their profit on the sale of the car. If you want this, bargain hard -- they typically sell the warranty to you at a 2x to 3x markup from what they pay for it.

That said, be very clear whether it really is a warranty, because usually they're trying to sell you on pre-paid maintenance (but they call it a warranty, to confuse the customer into buying it).

The pre-paid maintenance plans are even better margins for dealers! Typically they'll want to sell you on something that costs $2000–3000, that extends the 3-year "free" maintenance to 7 years, so that you are basically paying $500/year for $200 oil changes. (An independent shop would charge you $50–75 for it.)

If you get the impression I think it's a bad deal for the customer, you're right.


It's a Honda. Take care of it and it will never die. That's the problem with Hondas -- they don't give you an excuse to replace it with something more fun

(The only thing more stubborn than a Honda is a Toyota Hilux. Those things just won't die no matter how you abuse them. Their descendents, the Toyota Tacoma, are almost as good.)

 

+

I recommend you drive one of each, you might find that one calls to you over all the others.

But what do I know, I only own four...

Motor On!

 

While enjoying the warranty service of the dealer, with advice from other MINI people in your area, find an extremely reliable MINI service shop and make good friends with them. You'll be glad you did miles down the road.