OK, I have had this little sucker two months and 2,000 miles now, and can honestly say that I probably made the wrong decision in buying this car. While it does everything quite well, I simply need more room for myself and my passengers. If it wasn't so darn cute and took up so little space in the garage, I would recommend a Prius or Camry hybrid, etc instead. While the Cooper is more fun to drive, be aware that it is....well, Mini.

As one buddy of mine reminds me: "what part of "Mini" didn't you understand?"

I need something bigger

 

I agree with your buddy

 

So do I

 

true, that's when I purchased my LR2

 

There's always the Clubman which has more room in the back. Just a thought.

CROC 411

 

Roads are too bad around here, and I just need more room. Every pot hole knocks me' bunghole in, eh? Low profile tires are for good roads

 

I'm 6'4" and the mini has more driver and passenger space than any other mid-sized 4 door cars I've been in. Although admittedly, my decision was made before I started looking. And lucky for you, the resale will make this a relatively inexpensive "mistake" if thats what you think happened.

 

I don't get it, though. Unless you are routinely carrying around four adults, I find the MINI pretty comfortable.

The front seats have as much room as a 3 series, and with the back seats down, I haul a lot of stuff.

We just comfortably made a trip to Florida with our family of four in my wife's 06 Cooper. They were down there for 3 weeks, I flew down, stayed for a week and drove home with them. We looked at a clubman for my wife, but as of now, she likes her cooper better.

 

You won't have ANY trouble selling it!!!

 

Are the 2 other people children? How large/old are they?

My only concern about my incoming MINI is taking long car trips with my girlfriend. We have a tendency to overpack, and if we're going down South for Chirstmas (where both our families live), we're going to have presents...

Did you use a car carrier? There is no way I'll get one of those trailers... After I graduated, I drove my dad's Jeep Cherokee from Atlanta to Virginia with all my college furniture on a trailer. I had to stop somewhere in South Carolina and give away my chest of drawers because the thing was so unstable. I guess it was just good luck that that barrista at Starbuck's was looking for a good chest of drawers...

 

There is only one thing small about a MINI. It is short. Otherwise, it is taller than most sedans, and as wide as most.

 

Simple: this is my work vehicle and some of my co-workers that I pick up from the airport are biguns'. This vehicle is simply not big enough for them, their golf clubs and luggage. 2 people with computers and 3 day bags and this baby is maxed out. Also....a company ride really needs 4 doors. Everyone likes it until they have to ride in it. Then they all *****.

I'm not a hater, but this is just too small for me.

Anyone looking for a loaded BRG, standard shift S with <2K on it? Only thing I am really missing is leather (have black leatherette)

 

I'm amazed that you could make this "mistake". Did you think the car was going to "grow up" as you owned it? I mean, space is space, and you knew what your needs were. It's quite clear on first glance that unless you run the front seats pretty far forward, the back seat is best suited for those under age ten.
Two possible solutions: 1. Roof rack. 2. Taxi cab.
IF your situation wasn't about hauling passengers AND their golf clubs you could possibly consider removing your rear seats and putting in one of those kits that replace the seat area, giving more room for gear.
Your loss will be someone else's gain.
No Mini is worth losing over a bunch of golf clubs. This is the wisdom of my people.
Interior space (beyond the two very roomy front seats/headroom/etc) is fairly limited in the Mini. We have a Toyota Yaris beyond the Mini and the S3 (see gallery) and the even the Yaris has considerably more room than the Mini. However, driving the Yaris is about as exciting as driving a phone booth. Gets great gas mileage, though.
Me, I wouldn't give up my Mini for all the space in the world. A year and a half into ownership, and I still look for excuses to drive it and then reasons NOT to go home.
Last thought: Clubman WITH ROOF RACKS.
Good luck.

 

-the two most boring cars in the world to drive! I test drove vehicles for 18 weeks for the automotive industry about a year ago. I can honestly say that although the Camry Hybrid and Prius get great gas mileage they are the most boring cars to drive. The Camry handles horribly, it feels like a huge boat floating across the highway. I'd look at the Nissan Altima or the various Mazda models, -they are much more fun and still get decent gas mileage.

 

Yeah, there's no way you should have an adult in the back seat on a regular basis, the Mini is definitely not the right car for such a purpose.

As Tygo mentions above, though you're lucky the resale value is so high. You should sell it ASAP before the gas prices creep back down to reasonable levels.

 

I agree, its a very small car. Its only suitable for one or two individuals.

 

I could not live with the Mini being my only car. It's too..... well..... mini. My second car is a Honda Pilot. Between the two cars we're well balanced.

 

My daughter (8 years old) teared up at the thought of me parting with the Mini, and my wife reminded me that we still have a Tahoe and a Range Rover when the need to haul others and gear occurs. I guess I need to just view it as our around town and personal commuter. That should work. It is a kick for all that, and a land rocket to boot.

BTW: she wouldn't get rid of her Range Rover even if gas went up to to $10 a gallon, and I need the Tahoe (with beefed up suspension and engine) to tow my 6K lb boat.

The Pooper stays

 

Go to Europe and drive over there for about 2 or 3 weeks. You will then realize that the MINI is not mini. It's a midsize car.

 

7 and 2. no car carrier or trailer hitch. If you and your girlfriend have more stuff than will fit in the back of a MINI with the seats down, I'd suggest simply learning to pack less stuff!

Last christmas our flights were cancelled and we drove the MINI to florida, packed with winter clothes and presents, and that was a bit tight. For a summer vacation, we only need a couple overnight bags and one medium suitcase, which fit nicely in the back of the MINI with the seats up.

If we don't get a clubman I'm probably going to get a hitch and a platform (not a trailer) and put a big plastic box on the platform, to add some additional 'trunk' space. But for day to day use, we really don't need any additional room.

 

Man, there is nothing I enjoy more, (besides driving my MINI) than to park in between two Suburbans in a parking lot and walk away. Looking back at my car makes me smile soooooo big at the sight! What more can I say? I also have recently had 2 near misses in this car where some idiot came over into my lane and actually made contact with the black plastic around the wheel well and hit my mirror. If I was in anything bigger, I may have been totally side swiped!

I'm 6' 3" and around 250 and I fit very well in this car! I keep the back seats folded forward all the time and have my pooch bed in the back, so it's a 2 seater now!

 

The MINI is not for everyone....even if it is pretty darn cute....I understand your concerns. I'm sure you'll find something that suits your needs. It might not be as neato though, but that's okay. YOU are the one who has to drive it...Let us know what you end up with...

 

See my above note. I'm keeping it, but will save the trucks for when I need them too.

 

I always look back with a big, goofy grin too -- but only at my MINI safely parked far away in a remote corner of the parking lot, preferably in an end spot or next to a median.

Between two Suburbans?? Yikes! I'd be in a panic!

eburr, glad to hear your MINI will still be in your stable of cars. Gotta let your hair down once in a while.

 

One thing you could look into is the MINI FINI cargo carrier. It is a hard plastic container that hooks into a receiver hitch on the back of the mini. The one I saw was at the Mini's On Top event and was shaped like a golf bag. It looked very robust. It was the owner of company driving the car, he wasn't carrying golf clubs but he had a couple of baby carriages and other stuff in it. I believe the company is located in Ohio and they drove all the way to NH with that thing on the back so it must be pretty rugged.