Gas millage is not terrific on a Gen1 (SC) MINI...about 30 on 93 octane...most get high 20's (rims, tires, tunes, pulles all make a difference....as does the intake and exhaust)....with "normal" driving...agressive, or city driving is lower...
Tunes are not That $$ on a $$ per HP and I was skeptical...but my moded car runs smoother, and is more powerful, with better HP. The tune is not cheap...but still half the price (more or less) of a GEN2 tune...so when reading about the $$, be sure to make sure you are checking for the right tool and tune $$ for the GEN #.

 

i like how you call that "not terrific" when its about double the RX-8.
im sure its worth the money - decent hp addition, and on the stock tune, it just felt like that mini was restricted... or like it had a leaky BPV. exhaust, tune, or leaky BPV were the only things i could see making it hesitate like that.

 

well, i told my GF i was going to get something ATX for my next car, and she was not too happy when she found out i was looking at MTX, even if it is a mini (she really wants one).

she had a chance of me getting a mini s, but shes got no prayer if she thinks im getting a mini base. since part of the reason i was considering the S was for her enjoyment, looks like its off the list.

so for now, im probably getting a VQ30 maxima. not as much fun as the RX8 or the mini, but itll get me around town. and that saves me a good 4 grand to put towards my next car, which, who knows, could end up being a mini.

 

Just to bring some info to the table ...
While I agree that the prices you mentioned are OK and it can be much more expensive to tune other cars, Mini is FAR from being cheap.
All I needed to start tuning my Subaru was a $15 OBD2-to-USB cable off eBay, a laptop (which I already had) and ROMRaider which is open source and free. A hand-held tuner (Cobb Tuning Accessport) costs around $450-550 which includes a free copy of AccessTuner Race (it costs several hundred bucks otherwise). Any owner that is brave and has a solid grasp on tuning can do his own work. Custom maps e-mailed in are around $150-$200, depending on who is tuning you. These prices are somewhat similar in the Mazda and Mitsubishi world as far as I know. So as you can see, a LOT cheaper. Now you know
It is understandable why Mini is not as cheap to tune, the demand doesn't compare to the cars I just mentioned so there are not a lot of competing products out there, which is what drives prices down. And I think it's great that Jan does the work that he does.

Regarding the RX-8, there is nothing that impressed me about that car. I found others in it's class that did better in just about every department. When my Legacy GT was stock, I smoked RX-8s in straights without worries. Now at Stage 2 it is downright murder. And I get better gas mileage while at it too, even with a full-time AWD system.

 

Jan tuned my car once, just remotely, and the drive-ability difference is huge. The car was no slug before the tune, but, now it is so much better for real driving. The boost comes on much sooner and as a result, 6th gear, which was totally useless before, is now a gear you can use to drive up hills and pass comfortably at highway speed. Before, it was a flat (maybe) or downhill gear only in my opinion.

Anyway, buying a used car someone already tweaked is an option you can pursue. I bought one from a member, and it has worked out well, both for value and the instant gratification issue.