I just sold my Z4 to upgrade to a more "practical" car. I thought that was going to be an E46 330 but I drove one and found it to be boring next to my Z4. But the R53 MCS was fun and really in line with what the Z4 offered in terms of driving satisfaction, with the added practicality of a back seat/hatch.

While my parents have absolutely no say in what I get (I'm a grown adult living out of the house buying and insuring the car all on my own) they had a little car buying intervention on me. They are worried that the MINI won't be big enough/comfortable enough for me and I'll end up dumping it for a 3 series in the near future anyways.

For reference I owned the Z4 for 3 1/2 years and had a 2000 323i for 2 years before that. I sold my E46 because it was boring- even with H&R race springs, konis, sways and other mods. I drive 15,000 miles a year on So Cal streets, which are some of the nation's worst in terms of quality. It wasn't much fun in the Z4 and the MINI does drive similarly, although it is higher, doesn't have the long scrape-happy front end, and has more comfortable seats. I'm also sort of playing around with the idea of a WRX wagon, but they are $$.

My question for you: For those of you who daily drive your MINI and have it as your only car, do you find it to be too small and does the ride quality get to you after a while.

Also, is it possible to transport 4 wheels with tires in the car? That was one of the biggest failings of my Z4. It could only carry two wheels at a time.

 

Well, for a daily driver my R56 does the job very well. It's a very comfortable ride now that I switched out the runflat tires, and I get pretty good mpgs...Since I only commute to and from work with myself, the MINI is all I need! You'd be surprised what all fits in it, and although the R53s are a bit smaller, I can't see that it would affect what you can carry by THAT much.

Saying that I can only give you examples of what I have stuffed in my car:
-2 adults (one 5'4, one 6'4), along with a toilet in a box, nurmerous boxes of tile and grout, and wall insulation
-2 adults (one 5'4, one 6'4), 2 dogs (a terrier mix and a labrador retriever/pitbull mix) 2 dog crates and 2 backpacks
-4 wheels without tires, although I'm sure that wheels with tires would fit as well.

Also, see these threads for versatility options:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...in-an-r56.html

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-bookcase.html

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...th-a-mini.html

although not all specific to the R53s, you can definitely see that for most people, the MINIs will do whatever you need them too!

 

I had a Saab 9-3 modded, now i drive a R56 S and love it there is plenty of room for people, the back seats fold down and you can move small pieces of furniture. make sure you get the sports kit, or the JCW suspension.

 

I fit my four track wheels with tires as well as a jack and a big plastic bin full of tools every time I go to the track. (Back seats are always in the down position.) You may have an issue with the suspension combined with your crappy roads, but dodging potholes is lots of fun in a MINI. Regardless of the suspension you get, you may want to consider upgrading the shocks to KONI FSD's after you get rid of the runflats, if the car comes with those.

 

Twice a year I put 4 wheels with tires in my convertible with the top up. I will say the 16" are easier to fit then the 17" but it can be done. Mine is a daily driver and I have a daily smile as well The roads out here on the east coast aren't much better than your roads out there. I'd say look for a nice 06 JCW you won't regret it

 

Mine are 17's and fit no problem and my top doesn't go up.

 

Never been too small, ride quality has been too jarring on the extreme north pothole ridden roads that were designed for only SUVs and trucks in the first place (scraping getting in and out of parking lot in some place that just didn't think anyone drove cars anymore).

Not sure on your budget but if it's going to be a daily driver you may want to look at the R56, as the MINI like the Z4 comes with BMW repair costs and if nothing else the R56 will have the warranty support.

 

i drive my R53 almost daily. for me, the only thing limiting the loading capacity with the rear seats down is my M7 rear strut brace. i sell aftermarket rims from Japan on the side & sometimes use the MINI to show my rims/deliver them to a buyer. as for the ride, we have really effed up roads here and combined with the coilovers & low-profile tires the ride does get to me sometimes but its not necessarily jarring (this is of course relative). if you don't track or auto-x your MINI, nonflat tires & Koni FSD's will be a great upgrade

 

My previous MINI was my daily driver and my current one is too. The ride is fine without runflat tires. I've put 4 17-inch wheels with tires in mine, and 4 16-inch. No problem. I've also fit in vertical blinds, a 9-foot rug and furniture, among other things.

As far as the ride - in CA you should be just fine.

 

I drive in the worst of the worst So Cal roads you mention (San Diego) with the R57 as my daily driver - comfort etc has never been an issue for the last one year. Granted my commute is ~10miles (20-40 mins depending on traffic).

 

I drive my lowered R56 as a daily driver and it is essentially, my only car (spouse has a 350Z and I've got a VW New Beetle convertible). We've finished most of our home renovation using just the MINI. Lumber goes on the bike rack and I brought home the two of us and a 54 bottle wine fridge in the back. I've carried 4 wheels/tires in the back with little trouble.

For excitement, I take it out to the twisties and I take it to autocross. On the highway, I get 34mpg +.

Not sure how you can beat a deal like that.

Craig

 

My '03 R53 is my daily driver. It has plenty of room. If you fold the seats down you'd fit 4 tires. You can always install the Rear Seat delete for a little extra space ( a few inches shorter than the seats folded I do believe). The Supercharger gets kinda loud after 3,000 rpms (since its a 6 speed you can easily stop from going over) but I always feel as though the car is singing to me when this happens you will feel the road so if your roads are as bad as you say, I'd lose the run flats (you'll have to get AAA as there is no spare in the R53). My mom doesn't like Driving it very much (supercharger noise is too much ) but i absolutely love my Mini.

 

My '08 MCS hardtop works well as a dd, though I don't commute per se, except to the tennis club and the gym (which is practically every day ). My wife and I also go food shopping in the MCS, and it fits 7+ bags of groceries and a bag of dogfood easily with the back seats down (their permanent position, frankly). My expectation is that we'll get the same with the cabrio.

 

I went for years with Miatas as my only car / DD... Was considering another, but went with a MINI instead. With a back seat and boot that will actually hold things, I'm not sure what I'll do with all this practicality!

 

my MCSa is a DD and I drive 70 miles daily on the notorious 405 freeway.

Since you've driven a Mini, I'm sure you'd agree that it is very roomy, especially the front seats. Loads of headroom etc.

When I need to carry stuff, I just fold down my rear seats and I have more than enough room to carry a lot of things. I actually drove with 4 passengers and some luggage before and nobody really complained. Just gotta be clever

But one thing I warn you is the Sport Suspension.

They are rock hard and combined with Mini's short wheel base and big wheels (17+) and they are quite bad, especially on the freeway.

Sometimes, it gets so bad I find myself very frustrated.. And I'm not a 50 year old man either, I'm 24.. honestly, this car rides harshier than my previous E46 with Bilsteins and H&R sport springs.

If you don't have kids, I think Mini can be a perfect DD.


drew-

 

haha yeah, my mom doesn't like that sound either. She gets terrified

But she still adores the car.

Girls love this car I swear.. a perfect ice breaker

 

I commute ~60 miles round trip everyday in my R56, and for me, it's the prefect commuter car. I actually look forward to getting up and going to work, just to spend 35 minutes in my MINI. Mostly winding rural roads, which adds to the fun ... much better (IMO) than SoCal freeways. No complaints from me on the stiff ride ... seats are very comfortable.
The most I remember stuffing into it was three adults (6'1" M, 5'5" F, 5'8"F), 2 weeks worth of groceries (15 bags+), and various other Walmart sundries. My daughter was fairly smooshed, but didn't complain during the 20 min ride home from the store.
+1 on the recommendation to buy a newer MINI. Paying BMW's service costs for an older, higher mileage MINI sort of gives me the *******.

 

glad you are not suffering from the ride.

It must be the So Cal freeway... they are aweful.

I forgot to mention the ride is very tolerable when the road is smooth.



drew-

 

I have an R56 and I've put 25k per year on it the first two years as a dd and occasional weekend (or longer) escape vehicle. Since my commute is only me, it is great for that. Regularly run errands and cart my kids around to their activities when needed. I have packed it full with my wife, daughters, and all the stuff needed for a day of soccer matches - folding chairs, coolers, bags, etc. The only downfall is when our son is also with us as it can't seat five - so we resort to the minivan.

 

I parked my modded and lowered Mustang to drive my mini to work. I put 75 miles a day in bumper to bumper traffic sometimes. I prefer to drive the Mini. Driving the stang with a racing clutch, cams etc was tearing the car up. Spent over 10k in repairs last year. Looking forward to driving the mini around town for a long time.

 

Thanks, I figured so much. My dad just called me up and said "I can't in good conscious tell you that you are 24 years old and your mother has no say in what car you buy... I won't say that and I didn't say that. Just think about it"

The funniest thing is that I almost got an MCS when I was SEVENTEEN and my mom had no problem with it what so ever. Now all of a sudden it is a death trap with no space and no suspension and its going to spontaneous combust or turn itself into semi trucks or something. I'm not sure what she is being so paranoid right now. Probably just over the lack of control.

I'm going to drive another E46, MINI and WRX wagon this evening just to solidify my choice. Then probably give mommy a call to tell her all is going to be ok.

 

I've had mine sine 2002, and it has been my daily driver, commute car, family wagon, whatever it has done it. I commute 2 to three days a week in it at 140+ miles round trip, and I find it very comfortable. I ride share and none of my passengers have ever complained about the ride. I feel totally safe in it, alot of my commute is dangerous 2 lane road, and I wouldn't choose any other car. My dads got hit by a F350, damages my dads car some (back on the road now) and totaled the F350. Safe enough in my book.

Reliable - I've never been stranded, currently just over 126,000 miles.

Nik

 

I drive 40 miles a day for my commute, and my R55 is my only car. I find the newer cars to be a bit smoother riding than my recently sold R53, and the Clubby with it's longer wheelbase is even better and has plenty of room in it for people and stuff. It is not compromised on the track, either. True, it's not an all out racer, but it's no slouch either!

Over all, there were things I liked a little better in my R53, but even more things I like better in the R55 - I'd go with a new one if you can......or a current model used JCW if you really want performance.

 

My car is a daily driver for daily commute and once a year, a roadtrip vacation for a family of 3. Usually lasting a week.

I recently returned from a 3 week road trip with a friend. Two old geezers in a 9 state roadtrip carrying:

1-hockey equipment bag full of clothes
1-small suitcase full for clothes
2-full size golf bags with clubs
2-lawnchairs
emergency food rations
2 comforters (relatives gave them to me to bring home)
lots of camera gear (film-slr and lenses, 2 digital cameras, 1 medium format camera)
netbook computer
and other miscellaneous stuff. It all fit.



I think that's pretty practical.

 

I am on 2nd R53 in the last 7 years (3 yrs in LA) during that time the MINIs not only done daily driving duties (1.5 yrs in Philly-worse streets than LA) but made 6 cross country trips, bunch of auto-x, several dozens of track days lugging 4-8 extra wheelsets and luggage plus tools.
My suggestion is an 05-06 JCW and change the runflats. Do not do any suspension mods other than swaybay. You may be fine with FSDs and or proggressive springs but anything else maybe too stiff for some.