Hey folks, it's been fun to be on the site for the last few years (mostly lurking, I will admit) but I've traded in the MCS and have moved on. Sniff. She was the least reliable car I've ever owned (by a LONG shot, holy ****, what a lemon), but every time I sat in it, it blew my mind. Lots of soul.

The new ride:

2013 Ford Focus ST3 in red. Been raining so I haven't been able to get a pic yet, but it looks just like the attachment.

It doesn't have the brand cache or the panache of the Mini, but let me tell you, it's an impressive car. Full leather Recaro seats, 252bhp/270ft/lb, and a pretty decent stereo for about the same price as my MCS. Ford's been doing it right for the last few years. Never thought I'd own another one, but here I am.

Anyway, all the best

 

That car's a great value. I test drove one recently and what you get for the money is a lot and it's a good looking car too. Great wheels, great seats and lots of power to the wheels. What made me decide to buy my second Mini (aside from not having a lemon for my first one) was the fit and finish and the way it sounded and felt in corners and under acceleration.

Maybe the test drive model I looked at had problems but there was about a half-inch gap between the headliner and roof - large enough to put a finger through it where it meets the sunroof. I could push on it and the headliner moved substantially. I grabbed the lip on the gauges on the dash just to see how sturdy they were and the whole middle of the dash moved up with the tug. Lastly, there was a piece of black styrofoam behind the rear seat. painted black to blend in, presumably to reduce noise or something. I just don't see that kind of stuff on the Mini (maybe I'm blind to it because I like the car so much).

I ended up ordering the JCW Coupe and paid about $10k more for it, but I loaded it with stuff like the leather dash, recaros and carbon fiber everywhere. For me, I was willing to pay the increased cost because I felt everything was put together more tightly with fit and finish and I have a thing for the Mini's overall character and style.

Sorry to see you go but I can understand the attraction to the Focus ST. Ford is offering arguably the best value in hot hatches right now with the ST. I was going to order the bumblebee yellow/black combo if I got one. Those seats are just awesome and I like how small the steering wheel is. Talking to the car to tell it to change the temperature was also really cool. Happy motoring!