I test drove an 07 sti today and was more impressed than I thought I would. I expected it to feel kind of cheap . just with alot of hp. Insted, it felt really solid and handled really well. So here's my dilemma. The subaru dealer offered me 20,000 as it is with 10,00 miles(towson mini only offered 17,500 ) and after I sell wheels(enkie j10's),dfic,m7 exhaust and hdi intake that shold get me another grand. I paid 23,800, so I would have only paid about 2 grand to drive this car for 1 1/2 years. I was going to put jans head on and finish modding but, I keep reading about guy's like spiderx getting his head before me ,when I know for a fact that I told jan I wanted his head at least tree weeks before spiderx decided he want jans head. I talked to jan about three weeks before the motd. So I'm tired of waiting for the good stuff and am thinking of buying the Sti. Does any one on here have both, do you think I'll miss the mini or will the Stimake me just as happy? Would any one here get the Sti if they could? Ok, let the flames fly

 

Well I had an 04 STi, before I bought my mini. Do I miss the Sti? Nah not really. I miss the power, but it was not nearly as much fun to drive as my cooper s.

Don't get me wrong the Sti is an awesome car, I just prefer my mini. I think the interior on the STi is better than that of the mini. I never had any squeeks, or rattles in the STi. Can't say that about the mini. But I didn't buy the mini to be a luxery car or anything. I like the mini for what it is. Fun to drive.

-Jay

 

If you enjoy the thought of 14MPG, go for it.

 

Sounds like you just need more HP in the MINI.

-Cody

 

I'd say go for it! The STi is an awesome car and I am a big fan. You might miss the fun factor of the MINI at times, but the STi is a great car in my opinion and you will definitely have fun. There is also huge mod potential in the STi which it seems you are into as well. AWD is a plus also...

::Sigh:: hoping for the day they make the MCS in AWD...

 

well sti is a great car.. but an evo might be better.
o and if power is waht u wanted, u picked wrong car to begin with. just let ur mini go to a owner who will enjoy the car as it is..

 

power isn't what I bought it for but, I do want more power and from what Iv'e read on the mini web sites 99% of mini owners don't love the mini (just the way it is). Every one on here has change something on their mini after they got it

 

Be careful to note that there is a difference between not being happy with a car and changing it, to changing the car because you love it and want to make it your own. I think the vast majority of MINI owners fall into the latter category. It is one of the things that has drawn such a diverse group of people together, the sense of making these wonderful little cars our own.

And to your original question, I would actually rock a Subi. I wouldn't give the MINI up for it. Too much cop attention, to many 17 year olds wanting to race you at every stoplight, to much *bling* for me. And most of all: TOO MUCH WING

 

That would **** me off too! All Wheel Drive would be sweet and just imagine the amount of power you can put to the ground spending the same amount of money modding an sti vs a mini.

Good luck to you!

 

Sounds like a good deal. The modding capabilities of the STi and the AWD give it the potential for something that is really fun to drive. Drifting comes to mind, as does rally performance. If I were in the market for an AWD car, I would get a Subaru.

 

The great thing about the MINI is the people that come with them. We have met a lot of new friends through my wifes MINI, and I really don't see the same demographic being there with the STI crowd. The MINI is more than just a car, it is a community, and you have to consider the community that you will be giving up when you give up your MINI. I hang out more on the MINI forums than I do on the VW sites, and I own a Jetta.

 

I would love another suby... Although after putting significant amount of mods into my last one. I was generally at 11mpg.

The sti is sawheet. I think im going to get one for the woman and do some basic modding work to it. I don't think I could replace the mini with one tho.

either way you'll have fun. If you can handle the negatives that come with the sti, then go with it. 4wd high hp and a huge modding market make for fun times.

 

The STI is a fun car, so is the Mini, but they are different. I think what you need to do is follow your heart.

As to having to wait for the RMW head, everyone is waiting. Yeah, a few folks are saying " I got one coming this week" the real fact is that they are still in production and very few have been shipped. Your best course of action would be to contact RMW and confirm your order.

 

one word insurance, check the numbers on an sti, GULP:(

 

That being said - it is probably true for such a highly desired item right now.

I'm waiting for the Mohammed head.

But there is also a highly secret confederacy of back-scratchers here among the NAM illuminati that is open to only a few. Somehow its connected to Katrina and Bush, but not sure exactly how as yet. I'm wearing a tin-foil beanie right now so they can't read my mind as I type this.

 

Seems like several jumbled issues. You'll get more for trade at the Sub dealer. Not surprised. They have more cars with less demand to sell. You are pissed because someone got a part before you did. May make you pissed but what does that have to do with getting the car you want? You also seem to being justifying your favoring the purchase of the Sub because most people don't like their MINIs (evidenced by the fact they mod them). A less than certain hypothesis, to say the least. If you want the Sub, you don't need to justify it. If you really can't decide, consider this: You can easily mod a MINI for more speed. You can't mod more fun into a Sub. On the other hand, you can't get AWD (yet) on a MINI.

 

some underlying good points here.

While I love subaru's I have come to realize a few things about cars that are mainly street cars. In the end of my subaru's life it was stripped with a cage and had more HP then I could safely use on the street.

This comming from some one that usually gets around 21mpg in their mcs. So I'm on the gas kicking butt almost all the time.

With the subaru for me to be having fun I was on teh ragged edge. Wether it was on the edge of the available grip, safe speed etc etc. For me to have fun in that car I had to really really be either braking laws or endangering lives.

The opposite is true about the mini and that's why it's held in such high regard in the true car collector world. The mini is a car in which you can have fun in with out doing mach 10. You can get on the track and keep up in the corners (and down right **** some high hp car owners off) and then pull off the track and cruise down the road and turn heads. It's all about what you want. If you want a quiky design, a head turner, something uniqe that can provide safe and readily available fun... keep the mini.

If you want bucket loads of mods and more hp then your concious knows how to use correctly on teh street. A fairly troll filled community and street racer type following... get the suby.

 

mini- Your analysis is right on about MCS cars. You can have so much fun with them without the constant worry about crashing the car or getting in an accident going 150+ miles per hour.

Also, the Mini has so much more "wow" factor and attracts more audience. Overall, it is an eye catcher for the lack of a better word.

 

[QUOTEYou are pissed because someone got a part before you did. May make you pissed but what does that have to do with getting the car you want? You also seem to being justifying your favoring the purchase of the Sub because most people don't like their MINIs (evidenced by the fact they mod them). ][/quote]
I got pissed that I was reading on here that one of the more well known members was supposedly getting jans head before me wqhen I knew for a fact that I told jan I wanted his head before that member even made up his mind that he wanted one too. When I was Looking to buy a new car it was between the mini and the subaru. The reason I bought the mini was because I thought it would be more fun to customise, but then I found out it cost twice as much to mod. Even that didn't faze me but getting passed over for a better known and respected member did. But that's not the only thing that made me think of getting the subie, it was the thing that pushed me to actually think about it harder. the other factor was the subie would be a better family car(four door and real trunk). I have an 18 month old son and whenever we do things as a family we have to take the Suv to carry the stroller and diaper bag

 

just let ur mini go to a owner who will enjoy the car as it is..

sprp85 posted this and thats why I said that most people on here mod there cars because they don't like them just the way they are. I should have probably said most of them mod their car because they want to make them different than everyone elses

 

Well, none of that matters now because after spending some time thinking things through and spending two hours driving the Ripper today I've decided that I'm keeping him.

 

In May 2006 I traded my '02 twin-charged MCS for a new 2006 STI. The STI was OK but the stock vehicle definitely needed help. At 500 miles I installed front and rear sway bars, Cobb sport springs, Cobb AccessPort engine management, Cobb big *** turbo down pipe w/ hi-flow cat, ss Cobb heat sheilds, engine/tranny mounts, ss brake lines, took off the big-*** wing and replaced it with a carbon fiber wingless deck lid. It had gobs of torque and hp but I can honestly say I never had a really fun day driving it. 7 months later I ordered my R56 MCS and have been happy as ever since. I do miss double the hp and torque but that will soon be remedied again.
If I had the chance to go back in time w/ the knowledge I have now I wouldn't waste my time and money on the STI.
The biggest difference was the tossability of the MINI. The STI feels like a lump tooling around the streets compared to the driveablility of the MINI. And more importantly is the MINI community and friends that no other marque can equal.

 

I'd take the fit and finish of the MINI any day over a raced out Japanese econobox. I drove the STI, not only was I unimpressed with the HP (It's no faster than my MINI, runs out of steam up top, and probably barely puts down more power than some of the moderately modded MINI's on these boards) but with the handling and general stability of the car. It's lumpy compared to the MCS. You just can't add HP to an economy sedan and turn it into a sports car. Weight is a HUGE thing with handling, and it just doesn't compare to the "Kart Like" driving style of the MINI. The Evo is a nicer car, but I'd still take the MCS over an Evo. You're also comparing cars that come stock with 120+ more HP than the MINI, have a starting cost $10k higher than a base MCS, and weigh 600-700 lbs more.

A few MINI racers i've talked to say they easily pull away from Evo's and STI's on the track (Lots of power yes, but none of it makes it to the ground...), some of those cars are making 300 bHP but only putting 210-230 to the ground (Yes, 20-30% drivetrain loss ).

As for your issue with the RMW head, understand he probably has 30+ people waiting for heads, and limited cores, I suggest you call Jan, he's a fair person, it's possible the orders got mixed up.

 

mini all the way!!
people do tend to flame a lot..i really dont like that about forums especially me coming from the honda-tech forums. almost EVERYONE flames..one reason why i love mini forums..almost no flaming.
but modding a mini is indeed very fun because it is SUCH a unique car.
then again. sti would be just as fun too. watever you want is wat you want. dont let other people decide for you.

and that is that.

 

I have had many cars over the years of my driving and when I 1st test drove an MCS I was blown away by the way it handeled and drove. The car actualy hugs the road and it has that "kart like" feel to it that I haven't felt in any other, that is even after I have been in my friend's porsche 911. I have been in a 360 Ferrari as well and honestly I love the way my MCS feels and drives. There is no substitue for the way it drives and handles.

<street racing content deleted>

There is no other car that I have driven that even comes close. I have had it for over 3 years and it's by far the funnest, most exciting car I have ever owned. I'm to a point that I am even starting to love the little interior squeeks and noises.

It just reminds me that it's a Mini