Hello, this is my first post, and I seek some advice.

I need some help with my decision. The only thing I have set in stone is I want a white car, small for good gas mileage, and something fun to drive.

I have a 3 yr old daughter ( will be 4 by the time purchase is made ) and I need room and safety for her too. My main concern is getting her in and out of the back seat.

So here are the cars I am looking at and reasons. Please if you have any imput on either of these choices please feel free to give opinions and suggestions

Mini Cooper S -

I've test drove the MINI and I loved everything about it. The interior is nice and doesn't feel cheap. Its good for my 52 mile one way trip to work daily, can seat 4, and its fun to drive. My only concern is that getting in the back seems to be a bit of a hassle. Is this true?

Mini Clubman S

Same as above, but I haven't test drove one. The added clam door is nice, but I just am not sure about its looks. My main issue with looks is the rear, but its just a car right?

Volkswagen GTI

I like that they offer a 4 door model, and it seems to be a very fun car to drive. Yes the MINI has the Countryman, but I personally dislike the looks of that car. Doesn't seem like a MINI to me. The interior is nice, but not as nice as the MINI. It also dont have as many options as the MINI, but thats good, because options add up quickly. Mileage is good also.

I'm sure I've left out some things, but hopefully this will give you guys a base idea of what I am looking for and wanting to get out of my new vehicle.

 

The only thing I have to say (after raising three kids), is I would not want to deal with a child's seat in my MINI.
I don't even like trying to grab a small bag of groceries out of there.

Others may have differing opinions.

 

My 2¢...get a MINI. Nothing else on the road is going to add the dimensions to your life that a MINI will. Take your child to the dealer and put the necessary seating stuff in each car and drive it as you would on Saturday errands or weekday commutes. I've had Coopers and a Clubman and prefered the Cooper...mostly for looks and a little bit better handling. As far as safety I was rear-ended on the interstate by an Infiniti M. Driver wasn't paying attention, never hit her brakes and nailed me. Her car was totaled and mine was repaired. They are very safe. Go for it and keep us posted...

 

Have you considered the Countryman at all? Just a thought. It isn't terribly big, gets good gas milage, and looks great in white. And I hear it still drives very much like a MINI.

Either way, definitely take the car seat and usual things to the dealer and try them out with your daughter and yourself in the car. I think the MINI Hardtop would be completely doable once she is out of a car seat...

I can fit 4 adults in my MINI pretty comfortably... but to fit someone behind the driver the driver needs to be like 5'3 or shorter. If my 6ft boyfriend is driving, no one can sit behind him.

 

thats what I was afraid of.

Thanks will do.

Thanks for the input. I dislike the looks of the countryman so its off my list for that pure reason. If I wanted an ugly car I would buy an xB

 

Get the Mini Clubman. Consider a base not an "S" also. The acceraltion will surprise you. It also has sport mode. Think about cloth seats instead of leatherette or leather so as not to wear out the seat material with a car seat. Also my 6'6" son fit very comforatbly in the back seat of a clubman...no problems. The Clubman according to experts rides smoother than a coupe also. Volkswagons have the worse reliability on the road of any car. That was reported about two months ago as Volkswagon attempts to overtake Toyota as the number one manufacturer in the world. It was said they would have hard time due to this fact and Volkswagn doesn't take reliability seriously. I wouldn't have my small child in an unreliable car and risk breakdown.

 

I recently bought an 07 Mini Cooper S...I had some reservations about getting one at first for fear it would be a pain getting my 5 year old into his seat. Honestly, I had more trouble getting him buckled in my lifted Chevy Avalanche than I now do in my Mini. He's able to get into his seat by himself, and I just kneel on the driver's seat and buckle him in. I imagine it would be hard to put a baby in their car seat...but a child toddler-age on up isn't very hard if he/she is able to jump into their seat on their own. Safety-wise I feel very comfortable in the Mini, especially having gone from really large vehicles. Just my input as a parent!

 

Clubman for sure - the looks will grow on you. Get the non S on 15" wheels and enjoy the best possible ride quality and MPG and utility. And it still handles like a go-cart!

Getting in and out of the back seat is a hassle in the coupe - wether your are 3, 13, 23, 33, 43, 53, or 93 years old. We are empty nesters so rarely have use for the back seat, but when we try to get or youngest college boy's 6'5" body in the back, it's interesting. When we had 3 boys at home it was always 4 door wagons and vans.

Now the CountryMan would look better with the oval headlights like the other models. Those wierd shaped headlights blow it for me in the looks department.

But it does have A BOOT MADE FOR CRAMMING.

 

I disliked the looks of the clubman (actually dispised them) until i saw the rally eddition last year. I now have a 2011 I will be first to say the clubman doesnt compromise any handling or fun factor...i absolutly LOVE IT.

The thing that i always hated was the rear color scuttles, i really wish mini would let you order them the same color as the car but thats only truely availible in silver. Even black they are different color then the rest of the car.

here's some pics of my black one (i know you want white) but you can always have those back plastics painted the same as your car pretty reasonably.

IMO I dont like the clubmans when they have differnt colors on the back. I mean the roof is ok but your just forcing the rear color i think. JMO of course.

 

fwiw, getting my kids in and out of the back seat has not been a problem. There are older than yours (8-11). As noted earlier, if they can hop up into the seat on their own, shouldn't be a problem. Getting in and out is really no different than any other two door car.

Probably the biggest issue is the back seat passengers normally can't open the door on their own (not without a lot of contortions to reach the handle). That may be a plus with a younger child.

 

My kids are grown, but I will tell you... I have a friend with young children and have babysat her kids. Car seats for kids this age do not fit so well in the back of my MINI. There was no room for the older toddler's feet (about the same age as your daughter actually) behind me, and I'm not a tall person. I'm only 5'3".

My cousin also recently sold his MINI when he and his wife had their first child because they couldn't find a car seat to fit in the back and the law here requires that children ride in a seat of some kind until they are 57" tall.

I love my MINI, I think it's a great ride. I would not choose the standard hatch, or even a clubman with toddlers. Not enough space for them and all their stuff too.

 

You're going to hate getting your kid in and out of the back seat of a Cooper. Go for the clubman, or consider some other cars.

 

LOL, well I was going to find a link to 3pedalMINI to show an example of a stunning Clubman, glad he got here first.
My kids were 8 and 14 when I got my first MINI, they had no problem getting in and out, but I'm thinking dealing with a car seat would have made me nuts. But I'm also one of those moms who vetoed soccer after one season because it made me nuts, too, so I'm absolutely not the tolerance queen .
We just ordered a Countryman, and while I didn't love the looks at first, I've really grown to like it and DH is currently in heavy talks with Aesthetic Creations for some graphics so I'm pretty psyched about the overall final product. It is also way easier than the MCS for family use IMHO.
It all depends on what you are willing to compromise on. I have a friend who got her first MINI in '02 when she was free and single, then changed up to a convertible when they came out. She has since gotten married and now has a toddler, but would never give up having a MINI. She got rid of the convertible, got another hardtop and her husband got a Countryman. For her there is no question, she'll have a MINI no matter what and made it work.
Annette