I am not sure if this should be as difficult as it is so far. I have loved the Mini since it first came out. I test drove one back in 05 but ended up getting a Miata. I had a lot of fun in that car. It was a blast to drive, just not "practical" enough. A little over a year and a half ago I traded in the Miata for a G37. Pretty much loaded but with the automatic. I have really enjoyed the car but I have always felt someting was lacking. It just was not that fun to drive. Nice, dont get me wrong but almost boring. I put an aftermarket exhaust on it but that has been all so far. When I had my Miata I installed a CAI, exhaust, springs, sway bars, added speakers and a few other little things to personalize it. I just have not done the same with the G37.
Some people I talk to think I am crazy for even thinking about making the trade, like the Mini is a step down or something. I dont think that way at all. They are 2 different cars.
The G37 has the luxury thing going for it, plus 330+ hp. But I never get to use those hp's... I guess it falls back to the "It's funner to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow." I always had fun driving the Miata, but the G just gets me from point A to point B....
The other delima is image. I own my own business so sometimes I have clients in town. My wife thinks the car is too "girly" and sends the wrong image. I think it says "fun" and "enviornmentaly responsible". What do you think?
My wife is the greatest, we just have different tastes in cars.... She didnt care much for the Miata either but she supported me. She will in this case too but I do value her opinion.
So what do you all think? Am I crazy or headed in the right direction?
Be harsh, I post on other forums so I know what I am getting into asking a question like this.
By the way, great forum, hopefully I will be hanging around a lot....
Thanks for listening...

 

well honestly, if i were you i would keep the G37.
i love my mini but if i where to pic a car and money wouldnt be an issue i would get the G37.
why?
rear wheel drive, 2 door, luxury, fast, stlyish, exhaust probably sounds great.
you already bought the car so might as well enjoy it.

mini has its ups too, im not bashing the mini i like it alot, but yea some pple do tend to think the way your wife thinks.
some friends kid around saying "hey cool car... there wasnt any for men though?"


so yea, in the end its all down to personall taste.
here is a vid of my mini, i had a fun time installing everything and getting to drive it like its ment to be driven!

 

i say stick with the g37.

 

If you had fun driving the miata, you'd enjoy the mini, it's not a tail happy car like you're probably used to, but fwd can still be a lot of fun (and much quicker through the corners).
The aftermarket's been a bit slow in coming up with good parts for the new platform, but it's getting there.
Only a test drive will really answer your question, but if you get one, you can always get your wife one of the "It's not cute, It's mean !" shirts from outmotoring.com like I did

 

Life's too short.
Get the car that's the most fun to drive and never look back.

 

I use to own a 350z and test drove the G37 and the MCS. I didn't like the G37 coming from a 350z, it felt too much like a luxury coupe trying to be sporty and wasn't. The MCS felt just right. Test drive the MCS several times and see what happens.

 

The MINI is much more fun to drive than most other cars, but you will be giving up some comfort. You'll find the ride much harsher, and road noise is going to be higher. Take a long enough test drive to make sure that is OK after the G37.

If you decide to go for the MINI, you might want to consider a JCW. It has a more robust clutch and transmission to handle the extra power, and the engine has also had some mods to handle the higher boost of the larger turbo. So, IMO, a better platform for after-market performance enhancements (if you think they are needed).

I think the "girly" aspect can be diminished with choice of color, and some after-market cosmetic enhancements such as larger racing stripe, blackout, etc. Check out the thread for photos in this forum for examples.

 

Take a new test drive and get the car you want. I've never had mine called girly, anyone who really likes cars thinks it's cool. And I work with longshoremen, sailors and truckers. I've had some office drones who are stuck driving grocery-getters make comments, but they're just jealous that I could buy the car I wanted.

 

Trade-in your wife for the JCW.

Just kiddin' of course. What does your wife drive? If it isn't anything great, give her the G37 and trade-in her car for a JCW or a MCS and mod away.

 

I say keep the G37, I love my MCS, but because its a great second/project car, not a great every day car (although I do drive it every day).
As for it being a girls car, well most girls I see drive big gigantic SUV's.

 

The MINI may not have 330+hp, I wouldn't call my stock S slow.

You might want to go to a local autocross event. Most drivers will take passengers after their three runs that count. That will show you how the MINI shines.

BUT..... get what you want and what I think you want is a JCW.

 

Well if your not really happy with the G37 then whats the problem? Yes they are very nice cars but......they cant really stand out in a crowd, same thing as a BMW 1 series....nice but they just blend in. Get a new JCW and you wont think twice that you made the right decision. And after watching Topminis video how can you think they are "girly" cars Dang, that is one nice sounding R56.

 

Dude as I know for a fact that if you buy a Mini Cooper S then you def will be beating Nissan 350z's. Their are videos on it on youtube.com

 

What kind of business are you in?
MINIs are great for advertisements!!!

 

Possibly a Wig Weaver?

 

I've had Porche, Lexus, Acura TL, my last car was an '06 Caddy CTS. I, too, own my own business. I, too, was a bit concerned about the "girl" thing.

Here's the bottom line. Purchasing a Mini is a Practical decision:
* Reasonable gas mileage
* Safe
* Highest resale value 4 years in a row
* Great price for a BMW
* AND, it's a hoot to drive

These are all points that your customers should appreciate. Bill Gates drives (when he drives) a very sensible car. Who cares what you drive?! You're the one who has to enjoy it.

I actually took one for a spin on a whim when I looking to purchase a BMW 330-530. It was great fun to drive and I saved a ton of cash! That's good business sense.

 

Reading between the lines I think the OP has at least halfway made up his mind: Mini wins. My philosophy is that when you spend over about $30k on a car a lot of it is about image, not practicality. G37 is what I call a "chumpmobile". Not derogatory mind you but I think you get it. Big HP, big comfort/quiet and luxury features but sporty like a Bimmer too. Tommy Bahama shirts go right with it for we middle age chumps, but my stepson is 21 in the Navy driving a Hundai subcompact and he's looking at a used G35 too (or a Jeep Wrangler, the image gets confusing at 21). The Mini is a little more in the "minimalist" genre, ala the VW Bug back in the day. They paint that pic with their print ads very well: "get motoring", "take the top down", it's all about the fun. Plenty of "chump options" too and they make a bundle on that part but the image is different than a G37. I think it depends on how you see yourself in a car the next couple years. You already saw yourself in a Miata and a G37 and you're still peeking at a Mini and posting here. That tells me a lot .

 

I'd stick with the G37. Get some new wheels and some nismo parts and make it fun to drive and get the MINI in a couple more years... Unless you have the cash to burn that is.

 

Depends if its 2 door get Mini. If its 4 door keep it. The G37 is hot in 4 door its like super sex all rapped in a hot sweaty **** star package.

 

We went from an fairly modified '02 S (me) and a stock '04 S (her) to an '06 M3 (me) and an '08 S (her) in April/May of last year. I DD the Cooper about 25 miles to the subway station, where Missus proto takes over and drives the remaining two miles to her work.

So with a year of wheel time in two very different cars (one of which is somewhat similar to, though more focused than, a G37), my suspicion is that you will miss the power and RWD. I'm not going to incite a flame-fest here by going through the things I prefer about my M3 over the Cooper S; the latter is a fine car, I just don't see myself going back to one as "my car."

And while 'fun to drive' may be subjective, I'll also say that anyone who tells you that--stock for stock--a Cooper S can hang with a 350Z/G35 (even through the 'twisties') is laughably misinformed.

 

I would stick with the G37 I was going to purchase one of those since my mini costs the same as a G37, but I was driving 500 miles every weekend and I needed the gas mileage instead so I went with the mini. Don't get me wrong I love it to death, but i prefer a smoother quieter ride somedays, lol.

 

thanks, im actually quite impressed how peoples mind change when they hear such a "race car" noise in such a small car, they are like WTF?

i was washing my car this past week and i saw another mini being washed, and a girl stared at my car and waved, i was like OK hi.
so i proceded to wash my car then she came over and was like wow nice car! what mods do you have, i told her... and she was like "i have the CAI i put it in myself"..
first girl i ever meet that modded her car, its all in the mini enthusiast way of life!

if you own a mini your gona customize it, if you own a g37 your gona go do whatever pple that own g37's do..

all in all, its your choice!

 

First of all I want to say thanks to everyone for responding.

Second, you really have not helped at all...

The points that have been made so far are pretty close to what has kept me from pulling the trigger. I really do like my G37, I just like the tossability of a small car. In a perfect world I would have a JCW and an Audi A5. But I am still a few years away from being able to afford 2 cars...

My friend suggested throwing springs on my G37 to see if that quenched my thirst for the "fun to drive" factor but that does not change the size of the G.....

I dont know... I am going to go drive a Mini again and see if I can figure it out...

Keep the opinions coming please. I really appreciate it.

 

Do you want to impress people or have a fun ride?

 

trade you mine for it seriously keep it