Driven both… prefer the Mini…

 

Own both?

I do...granted, I bought my E36 M3 19 years ago, and still love it.

 

I've never actually owned a BMW, but I've driven substantial miles, in a 330i. Really nice car! But, I love the go-cart feel of the MCS.

 

I do as well.
E90 and F56, among others.
Will likely upgrade the pairing later next year, with F80 on order and N56 likely to replace F56 when JCW version comes out.

Two very different cars for very different purposes: a stupid fast 4-door sedan/kids hauler, and a nimble fun to drive toy car that, in many ways, reminds me of the ex-E30 M3.

If you can justify and afford both - do it.
If not, enjoy whichever one you've got. No need to get bent out of shape over one or the other.

a

P.S.: I also owned an E36 - still miss that car, though mostly because I forgot how unreliable it was. I bet I will feel exactly the same way about F56 in the future

 

I do have them both in my garage, my wife drives the BMW and myself, obviously, the MINI, love them both, both different and both great so far (knocking on wood here), that's it...

 

It's not a BMW. If it was, the 2.0 would have 240hp, not 192

 

It's funny. but my E36 has been the MOST reliable car I've ever owned. Aside from a few random light bulbs it's only had 3 parts actually fail in 19 years.


A reverse light switch, the oh so common brake light switch, and the final stage resistor. (the resistor failed when the car was 5 months old, replaced under warranty.) It's now supercharged, (320 rwhp), and nowhere near stock. 6 piston Wilwood's, BBS Rg-r's... Yes it does have modern things like Bluetooth...lol I can't see you prying it out of my hands til I'm dead.


As far as I can tell, BMW doesn't make a car I actually want to own anymore. It's surprising how similar the MINI and the E36 are in terms of handling dynamics and feel. But every new issue of M car, just gets bigger and bigger, more weight, less actual feel. I guess that's what they call progress.


A good friend has a Z4 M roadster. The S54 is a jewel of an engine, but the car is just too small. I don't find the seats fit me very well. Golf clubs don't fit...


Maybe the I8... that looks interesting, but I really don't see a new BMW in my future.

 

It's funny how this thread is totally getting side tracked.
The op is not talking about wether or not bmw are nice cars to own!
He just seem to think people overuse the bmw label when talking about todays MINIs I think.
I gave my response a few posts back but it's a valid question

 

Since when did the OP have any influence on where all the rest of us crazies choose to take a discussion?

;->

 

Since never.

I just think it's interesting to see how the discussion changes based on people's personal car ownership and slight defensive position. I personally didn't want the conversation to be mis interpreted
.
But aside from that please, if you have other things on your mind go ahead. No one is going to dictate you or your "crazies" what to say or where to go from here (though I'm not sure where the "crazies" comes from).

 

Speaking entirely for myself - no disrespect intended.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

same here

 

BMW sells the 320i now as their “entry level" 3 series with the same engine (2.0) but only 180hp, so I guess is only a matter of some programming...at the end of the day if you wanna buy a BMW or a MINI just enjoy it! But if you drive a MINI:

 

Brother I'm feeling guilty here.

I remember the bikers wave, on two coasts and two continents for 20 years.

I remember the Mini wave, up here on the North Shore of Massachusetts, where Mini of Peabody has been doing a very nice trade now for 17 years.

The Mini wave faltered around 2008, just because the majority of owners had become folks who bought their car without regard to the sub-culture but for other sensible reasons.

By 2010 I was seeing 10-20 Minis per day in the local area, as total units sold up here reached into the tens of thousands.

Now in 2014 I'll nod if waved at, but only because my reflexes are slow as I'm not expecting it. These days Minis are so common that it's impossible to tell the new owners from everyone else, and equally difficult to spot the enthusiasts among the general public.

It was fun while it lasted though.

Kind regards,

Charlie