I took a Prius for a test drive. It was awful.

 

I did a lot of research before I bought my JCW. I could not find anything I liked better. I just was with a bunch of Porsche's, Ford GT's, Audi's Ferrari's, Mustang Cobra super snakes as well as full race prepared cars and My Mini was accepted with enthusiasm and fit into the atmosphere of the event I was attending.
So far I have not had any problems at all. My 2009 JCW has plenty of power and handles as good as any sports car out there. A bargin at $29,500. I always get 30+MPG and have gotten 34+.
If you want to see expensive problems just buy a Corvette. "OR" get the little Toyota electric car and let me know how much to replace batteries when they puke after the warrenty.
My opinion is you should buy a car you like. Forget about if it will puke after the warrenty is up. Enjoy the warrenty period and worry about what may not happen in four years.
Ronnie948

 

Man that says it all. Maytag or Go-Kart? Not a tough choice for me.

 

I'm on the waiting list for a PT Cruiser.....oh,wait....There prolly aint one of those.

 

If thats the case how the heck did you burn through 4 of them so far? Unless if those were all leases, thats kinda crazy :(

 

Nah, I don't lease. Leasing is for fools

All of them were purchased new and paid off accordingly in periods of less than 2 years.

MINI #1: 2002 R50 CVT, ordered June 2002, delivered August 2002, sold to a fellow NAMer out in California, February 2008. Paid $18,500 for it brand new, paid off in full June 2003, sold for $11K and change. Put around 45K miles, driven daily and saw at least 10K miles worth of roadtrips

MINI #2: 2004 R53 S 6-speed, ordered January 2003, delivered October 2003 (This was at the time when waiting lists ran into the months), sold locally February 2005. Paid for it brand new $21K and sold it for $22K (Yes I made money) after putting 17K miles.

MINI #3: 2005 R53 S 6-speed hardtop, ordered January 2005, delivered March 2005, still with me today, my hard working daily driver, 51K miles of fun . Paid for it new $22.5K, paid off in full May 2007, plan to keep it until at least 150K-200K miles. Absolutely love this car

MINI #4: 2008 Clubman S auto, ordered December 2007 (Oh my one year ago, how time flies! ), delivered tail end February 2008, paid $26.2K before taxes and fees, put down $13K cash (From the 2002 R50 sales proceeds) financed the rest with MINI Financial services for 36 months, plan to pay off the balance in around 6 months. 7K miles fun filled miles. Rock solid, love this car

Hope this helps!

PS: I don't like debts and if I have any I pay them off very quickly. Also we have a rule of never more than one car payment going at the same time.

 

Sorry couldn't resist!

 

OP: 60mpg for Prius? Is that EPA estimates or real life counts? Most Prius owners I spoke to have never gotten that kind of mileage. Most ring around 40+, maybe 50+ but never hitting 60.

Whoever-commented-on-Prius-battery-dying: They have an 8 year warranty on the batteries(IIRC) and many dealers have rarely seen a replacement. The batteries are tested to 150k miles according to Toyota but I would take that with a grain of salt. Oh and replacements for early model Prius is around 2.5k and 4k for newer models. You can get some used batteries from wrecked Prius pretty easily though(which is an alternative)

I'm not pushing you one way or another but I have a Clubman and it's the best vehicle I've ever owned, hands down.

 

 

If "Benny" is the last car I own I'll still be happy.

 

Fixed.Looks like the Prius powers that be blocked my hotlink.Note the Obama sticker and bike rack.

 

Have a look haha
http://priuschat.com/forums/


Anyway haha back to the OP, I'm guilty of complaining about the problems on this forum. Like the others have said before you can go on any car forum honda, 350z, VW etc. Only people with problems will speakout because everyone else is driving their cars. There's nothing like zipping through traffic on the highway in it or going through twisties at speeds an a normal car wouldn't dare go. Weeving in and out of cars into spaces most other cars can't fit in while peoples jaws drop. I was stopped at a redlight one time and someone almost rearended someone on the other side of the road stopped at a redlight while looking at my car. I'm a second Mini owner and It seems like the cars have there own personality. Maybe I'm crazy I dunno, but my 2003 mini cooper definitely felt like it had a personality, so does my new one, but I'm not in it as much since I don't bring it to college with me.

Definitely get an S though. I'd recommend the Cooper S.

 

That's what you get when you put bumper stickers on the SIDE of your car.

Seriously.... what the heck?

I guess when you look at your car like an appliance, you treat it like one.

 

Cars have problems - just ask the M3 owners with blown engines, or Jags with electrical problems. The MINI can be expensive, but the vast majority aren't. The MINI is pretty unique these days. I was a bit worried about maintenance costs, but mine has been realtively trouble free since 2005. You pays you money, you takes you chances.
You can definitely get a cheaper people mover that's cheaper to maintain. Whether that's worth the tradeoffs is up to you.
Motor on!

 

I hope you really don't base your decision about a MINI because of forum/watercooler talk. My two MINI S Cabrios have been the most fun cars I've ever owned. ROAD TRIP takes on a whole new meaning! (In a good way... a really really good way!)

BTW- I have never heard of the Prius being referred to as a "transportation appliance"... that was hysterical! Thanks.

 

Also a Prius looks like crap

 

OK, OK! Maybe this is just the kind of enthusiasm I was trying to elicit from the group. I was fishing for some reassurance here, since there are so many negative posts regarding maintenance and dealer service issues. This post was not a joke as many of you had suggested, but if nobody responded I would have assumed consensus and thought maybe this car is not such a great choice for me. Although, I am going to have to change my username, since I really do want a Clubman, but can’t really swing a Clubman S (gotta have the S). I think I am going to the Mini S and maybe the Clubman S will come sometime down the road. Thanks to all for your input. And don't be angry with me for this post, it was not done with bad intention.

 

My wife and I are on our second MINI since late 2003. I still smile everytime I drive it. We switched to a cabrio and my smile is even bigger.

 

And it's terrible looks are actually GREAT marketing.

Instead of being a Hybrid version of a regular car, it is DISTINCTIVELY a hybrid, so Prius owners can be sure that everyone knows it's a Hybrid... since that's what's really important, of course.

Also, it's quite aerodynamic.

For those two reasons, you'll notice that the new Honda Insight and the Chevy Volt have almost the EXACT same basic shape.

1. Recognizeable as a Hybrid (read: ugly)
2. Aerodynamic


Glad we could help

BTW, we will *eventually* forgive you for comparing the MINI to the-car-that-shouldn't-even-be-mentioned-in-the-same-sentance.

 

I think he got the picture...see post #42

 

Get a Cooper.....fewer (or none) of the issues you mentioned and even better mpg (reading that is of importance to you). Plenty of zip, too!!

 

Car forums tend to have three flavors:

1) Cheerleaders, and any problems are immediately dismissed as "minor, known issues" and anyone reminding the owners of them gets shouted down;

2) Hate Myself for Loving You, where the car is in the shop more than the street but still loved, and the posts are all ranting;

3) a happy medium like NAM where it is safe to rant about issues, but also okay to wax orgasmic about how much you love the car, and share tech info on how to fix issues, deal with problems if they arise, and so on.

I've only been here at NAM a few months and I was scared after ordering my MCS, after reading the "Problems subforum" for a few days. But I love my Mini and don't regret ordering it one bit, 10 weeks later. Of course I only have 3500 miles on the car, but *KNOCK ON WOOD* I have not experienced any issues but a rattle from the passenger side - usually the seat belt. then again NJ doesn't get extreme heat or cold, which seem to exacerbate the two "big issues" of cold start rattle and sunroof gremlins. A melting hood scoop is ugly but doesn't hurt enjoyment of the car. If I get it, I'll probably order a "real" scoop that actually lets air in.

 

I had my reservations too after reading the problems/issues threads. She's got her quirks, but nothing that I would call a problem, we have had her for four months now and she's purring right along. My previous car a Ford started to give me a heartache after the first 3 weeks and she lasted 13 years. So initial problems really have little bearing on how long a vehicle will last as long as you maintain it. So far our MINI is ahead of the curve and I hope she stays that way, but I do expect issues to pop up. Why, because the more options you choose the more there is to break - that goes for any car! I don't really like to compare cars even among the same brand, each car has individual characteristics and quirks. A pedal may feel harder or softer and both maybe in the specified tolerance of the manufacturer. I don't dismiss that sometimes there is a problem when you compare and realize something acts or feels different, but it's not always the case. Know the issues, but perfection doesn't exist - that said everything should function and if something pops up let your dealer know ASAP. If you continue to have reservations and are inclined to fall apart after the first problem, please do yourself a favor and choose a car with less emotional appeal. There's good advice in the previous posts - good luck - relax and take a few deep breaths and relax again!

 

Agreed. My brother owned a Honda Civic and had his share of problems with it. It wasn't as reliable as they all claim. He was fixing it so often that he gave up and got rid of it. He said the body structure wasn't that good either. I wonder if he got a lemon by pure fate. MINIs got good ratings from Consumer Reports and I only buy cars with a "good" or "excellent" rating. Never regretted it. Kept my last car about 8 years and the one before that? 10 years!