http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/...nds.topten.1.*

Mini is # 6.

 

Hmm. I don't know about this statement: "In the sub-$20K set, perhaps only the Scion tC rivals the saucy Mazda 3 in looks." The Cooper starts at $17k! What are these people smoking?

I also strongly disagree with the inclusion of the Scion xA over the xB. It's good to see the Cooper on the list, though!

 

Their pic of an '05 Cooper isn't.

 

It looks like the Cooper should have a Union Jack on top.


Art

 

OK - So before I get yelled at, are we talking about giving a new car to a high school or collage grad?

I mean, if you give a kid a brandy-new car aren't you sending the wrong message? Seems to me we ought to be telling kids that material things are more rewarding when one WORKS for them.

[quickly running off soap box and disappearing into the void]

- - m

 

I agree 100%. Perhaps I am just jealous though. I'm sure if my parents were rich enough to give me any kind of new car when I graduated from high school or college I would be sporting a different tune.

My rule is if you pay for something, you will value it so much more than if it is simply given to you.

 

I know my background isn't typical, and I'm just as likely to get flamed as you are, but I got my first car from my parents. I wasn't allowed to work in high school, and instead focused on schoolwork. I would up earning a half-tuition scholarship here at USC, saving my parents $50k. The car was dependent on the scholarship, but it was never really "earned" by me.


I'm all for working for what you get, but parents of different means will always interpret that differently. Can you really put a price on the happiness of seeing your child happy? Now I'll dislodge my tongue from my cheek..

 

I believe the articles speaks about college grads, not high school based on the cars they're reviewing.

My mom gave me my MINI as a gift because she makes enough money to do so and she felt I deserved it. Call me spoiled, that's fine with me. I don't really think it has to do with working for anything. If you're parents can give you a leg up by providing a car, so you don't have to make that payment or fix a busted car, awesome situation.

 

The worst is the KIA.

 

Maybe I am a "spoiled" College Grad. I just graduated from college last week But I am an old fart by typical college grad age standards.

I personally think that a kid that has made the effort to earn his/her Associate in Arts degree and/or Bachelor's and have gotten very good grades and maintained a GPA of 3.0+ deserves a nice car like the MINI, IMO.

To me granting new cars to high school kids maybe is a nice gesture, but the car becomes a distracting element during the most crucial time in their lifes and education. The car becomes the excuse for them to work too many hours to "pay" for the car and "Buy things" for the car, thus putting their college duties in the back burner.

 

Civic!

hummm... i drove a civic when I was in highschool and after graduating
college... more than a decade later Im still driving a civic. I must be
presenting myself to the public that I am making no progress in my
career.

 

SoCalSam -

[snip] ..."I don't really think it has to do with working for anything."[un-snip].

I think this is the problem...especially with (yikes - now I'm gonna get it! ) 'younger' people today. Working for what you want to achieve whether it's a new car or a home has everything to do with it.

C4 -

Why does a kid that's had their education provided for them (essentially by their parents) need to be rewarded by more material stuff? ...wasn't the opportunityto get the education in fact a 'reward'? ...Education is it's own reward, since it gives you the knowledge needed to chart your own course and work for the things you really want .

[dashing off soapbox again and vanishing into the void before being pelted by a number of thrown shoes]

- - m

 

Sometimes its not about Rewarding the Kid with the Car.
Alot of times they want to give their children the luxury of having a car at that age when luxury could not be given to them when they were growing up.
I know when i have children and when they get their liscence...im all for purchasing an affordable car for them...if i can afford it!...i never got that opportunity...but im sure my parents would of given it to me if they had the chance...times were different then....
I do agree it becomes a distraction...and that is why you set rules and guidlines!!

 

I can't disagree with anything you said. I have worked very hard all my life to get the things I enjoy today, including my education.

 

I Will just never understand how/why people think that thier kids should NOT have to "go through what they did" and "to give them a better life"

Come on Parents! What gave you the content of character you have today? What gave you the work ethic you have today? Do you really think that you are doing them a favor by giving them things.

Secondly, For all of the school kids here who say I had a car given to me so I could get school work done or scholarships....etc. I hate to break it to you, but life gets busier and busier. It doesn't get easier. By not learning to balance life at an early age (when failure is ok) you are not being set-up for success later on. When work requires overtime, your wife needs attention, the kids need shuttled....etc. Your ability to balance all this is not the diffrence between an A or a B.....It could be the diffrence of a divorce or a lower raise because you are exhausted at work.
You are supposed to be reciving training for life and all anyone wants to do is make it easy on you. Are YOU training for life, or just a job?

Responsibility and Adversity are what build character. Having a "better life" or a "leg up" does not!

 

Right on, planeguy!! - I couldn't agree more. Well said.

 

I worked all through high school to pay for my cars. I bought 2, totaling $1500. I paid 100% of them, vehicle itself, insurance, repairs (and plenty of them), gas, etc.

I paid ~30% of my college expenses. My parents decided to pay for community college costs for 2 years and university costs for 2 years; they also let me live at home while in school. They believed that I should go to community college, then to a university. On top of that, they pay a percentage based on grades: 100% for As, 75% for Bs, 50% for Cs, and nothing for Ds & Fs. I spent 1 semester at a community college and the other 7 at a University. Since I'm a straight-B student (damn homework), I paid for 35% for the first 2 years and 25% of the last 2 years. Got all that? I worked all through college too, which enabled me to gain a lot of experience!

I am in the process of buying a MINI; it'll be here in June! I'm graduating college in 2 weeks (time until graduation). The financing isn't done yet, but I am using $10,000 of my student loans (5k I used to buy a motorcycle—have since sold it, and 5k new loan) to finance 2/5 of my MINI. The other 3/5 will be financed through a bank, MINI, or maybe my father.


I feel right in between the "my parents gave me everything" people and the "I had to work for everything in my life".

 

I think situations like this should be evalueated on an individual basis. One thing i hate to see is some snotty kid in HS who is anything but humble about having their parents buy them a 40k bmw. If the parents are capable, and the kid deserving and humble about it, then I have no problem with it.

However, paying for your own car gives you a tremendous sense of responsibility and appreciation. I worked through HS to purchase a $300 car my junior year, and a 10.5k car my senior year(financed). I was very good with payments and insurance. I ended up wrecking it in a bad rain storm driving to school my freshman year in college, and was very distraught and out a good deal of money.

My father helped me out, and signed for my first new car(the mini), and made the payments for the first 6 months to let me get caught up and finish my first year of school. I have since made payments and insurance while working full time and pulling good grades. I also have a GREAT appreciation for my car, and while having 47k on it, it still looks new.

Having this experience, have a great appreciation for such things, and gained a sense of financial responsibility which a good deal of students do not have. However, I do admittedly have a problem with managing money when it comes to mods...

I believe that there is a lot that I am missing due to my obligation to pay for my car. I do not get to spend as much time getting the full collegiate experience, or time studying. I could accomplish a lot more if my parents were able to pay for my car. I could argue either way so long as the student is worthy of such a luxury. I also chose to take on the burden because i had the passion for a nicer car. But the fact remains...college is a very important point in your life, and you should be involved as much as possible for the greatest bennefit.

 

....also...thats a very eclecic list of cars...some much better than other, definately when it comes to quality

 

I agree that the list covers a wide spectrum. It could be useful to parents, grads themselves, or others contemplating a car in that price range.

The descriptions tend toward the commercial though--not quite as ludicrous as for designer products, but lyrical enough. I especially enjoyed the one for the Mercedes--it omits "reliability" in the list of attributes. But the one for the Prius is laughable--although some must buy that (admittedly excellent) car for image alone.

 

...And before we write this piece, a round of crack for everyone! Take a hit.

In addition to the fact that crack kills it apparently inhibits good judgement.

 

I don't think so MINI Cooper # 6. I think they got the number wrong. It's should be MINI # 1 and Ford Escape Hybrid # 6..

 

You guys might kill me for saying this, but at least in Canada I think one of the better college/university grad cars would be the Smart fortwo, not the Mini (you 'mericans get the fortwo in 2007 as far as I know).

When you're a grad, you're not likely to have any children, and probably won't for awhile, so you won't need back seats. What you really need is a car with low running costs, and (from what I've seen so far) the Smart seems to do that. The diesel version we get in Canada gets 60 MPG as a realistic fuel economy figure; I've seen more cautious drivers get 70. You get lots of safety features (front/side airbags, ESP, etc.), so insurance rates can be low. And it's easier to park, too, so there's less chance of spending money on dent repair or touch-up paint (in fact, the main panels are made of plastic, so they won't rust).

The Mini rocks, but the operating costs will definitely be higher. It's probably better as a gift car, or else the reward for landing a relatively cushy job. If I had the cash, I'd definitely pick the Mini over the Smart: it's much faster, has back seats, and has more luxuries out of the box. But that's a pretty big "if" for a grad, who may still be dealing with tuition debts!

 

Word is we're not getting any of the Smarts. I'm sad.

 

Ah, but you are! At the least, you're supposed to get the forfour (which is really just the new Mitsubishi Colt with distinctive styling, but still). There's certainly the possibility that the fortwo won't come, but I hear the 2007 redesign is taking the American market into account to some degree.