Forgive me forum for I have sinned
#1
Forgive me forum for I have sinned
I heard that my brother was considering buying a MINI Cooper and I called him and talked him out of it.
He is looking for a fairly unique and efficient car for him to commute. He defined what he is looking for as “Artsy”.
With all of the customization available and the limited number of MINIs on the road, MINI would sound like an ideal option.
The real background:
He drives 50,000 miles a year and puts 300,000 to 500,000 miles on a vehicle. His driving is entirely highway. He does not care about cars or driving and sees driving as a necessary chore. I believe he drives the speed limit on the highways to maximize fuel economy. I doubt he has ever taken the long way for the heck of it. His mechanic is not close to home or work and does not specialize in MINIs. His current vehicle is a diesel Jetta that has been constant problems for the past 300,000 miles or so. His commute is between Florida and Georgia so All Wheel Drive is not necessary.
I asked him what else he was looking at and he said also liked the Subaru Crosstrek.
His priorities are:
· High fuel economy
· Reliability
· Safety on long highway drives
· Sufficient for a one person commute
· Unique and Artsy
· Enough room for a larger guy who is often on the road for 5 hours at a time.
I have never had an interest in SUVs of any kind so I don’t know what is out there in the Small SUV which I suspect may be a good option. (Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, Toyota C-HR, Fiat 500L…)
· What are your thoughts?
· Do I get kicked out of the forum for my sin?
· Am I off base with my opinion of MINI not being the car for him?
· What else would you recommend?
I appreciate your thoughts, recommendations and feedback.
He is looking for a fairly unique and efficient car for him to commute. He defined what he is looking for as “Artsy”.
With all of the customization available and the limited number of MINIs on the road, MINI would sound like an ideal option.
The real background:
He drives 50,000 miles a year and puts 300,000 to 500,000 miles on a vehicle. His driving is entirely highway. He does not care about cars or driving and sees driving as a necessary chore. I believe he drives the speed limit on the highways to maximize fuel economy. I doubt he has ever taken the long way for the heck of it. His mechanic is not close to home or work and does not specialize in MINIs. His current vehicle is a diesel Jetta that has been constant problems for the past 300,000 miles or so. His commute is between Florida and Georgia so All Wheel Drive is not necessary.
I asked him what else he was looking at and he said also liked the Subaru Crosstrek.
His priorities are:
· High fuel economy
· Reliability
· Safety on long highway drives
· Sufficient for a one person commute
· Unique and Artsy
· Enough room for a larger guy who is often on the road for 5 hours at a time.
I have never had an interest in SUVs of any kind so I don’t know what is out there in the Small SUV which I suspect may be a good option. (Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, Toyota C-HR, Fiat 500L…)
· What are your thoughts?
· Do I get kicked out of the forum for my sin?
· Am I off base with my opinion of MINI not being the car for him?
· What else would you recommend?
I appreciate your thoughts, recommendations and feedback.
#4
The following 6 users liked this post by Whine not Walnuts:
bluonyx (03-20-2019),
bratling (08-06-2018),
FlyByMike (08-06-2018),
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#5
#6
6th Gear
iTrader: (8)
Seems like a Civic or Jetta is the ticket on this one. Crosstrek really isnt a bad choice either.
Artsy...I wonder what the Renegade gets in terms of fuel economy? Its basically a Fiat, so hard to say how reliable it would be in the end....
There is nothing better than sitting up high on freeway drives. The trucks dont bother you as much....others can see you, and more importantly....you can see them!
Artsy...I wonder what the Renegade gets in terms of fuel economy? Its basically a Fiat, so hard to say how reliable it would be in the end....
There is nothing better than sitting up high on freeway drives. The trucks dont bother you as much....others can see you, and more importantly....you can see them!
#7
All for the best as you probably saved your Brother from a lot of headaches down the road, the forum from a bunch posts of how the MINI is always breaking down and expensive to repair while his other car never needed anything in over 200,000 miles, and yourself from becoming his personal MINI service advisor and tech.
Sounds like your Brother is getting more interested in cars though since he wants something artsy or unique. The opinions on it’s look can be polarizing, but the Nissan Juke has a unique look to it and is a lot closer to Honda and Toyota in terms of reliability. A similar car would be the Hyundai Veloster.
Sounds like your Brother is getting more interested in cars though since he wants something artsy or unique. The opinions on it’s look can be polarizing, but the Nissan Juke has a unique look to it and is a lot closer to Honda and Toyota in terms of reliability. A similar car would be the Hyundai Veloster.
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#8
I want to help him out since he tends to buy before he puts much though into the decision. He went from a Saturn with over 450,000 miles that never broke down the Jetta that needed thousands in repairs every year starting in the beginning of the second year when the warranty ran out. Some of his cost was covered by the manufacturer beyond the warranty period like when the entire drive train needed to be replaced in the third year but still he was driving a rental car for months.
#10
I want to help him out since he tends to buy before he puts much though into the decision. He went from a Saturn with over 450,000 miles that never broke down the Jetta that needed thousands in repairs every year starting in the beginning of the second year when the warranty ran out. Some of his cost was covered by the manufacturer beyond the warranty period like when the entire drive train needed to be replaced in the third year but still he was driving a rental car for months.
#11
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#18
Each Friday night after work, Bubba would fire up his outdoor grill and cook a venison steak. But all of Bubba's neighbors were Catholic....and since it was Lent, they were forbidden from eating meat on Friday.
The delicious aroma from the grilled venison steaks was causing such a problem for the Catholic faithful that they finally talked to their priest.
The Priest came to visit Bubba and suggested that he become a Catholic.
After several classes and much study, Bubba attended Mass.....and as the priest sprinkled holy water over him, he said, "You were born a Baptist, and raised a Baptist, but now you are a Catholic."
Bubba's neighbors were greatly relieved, until Friday night arrived, and the wonderful aroma of grilled venison again filled the neighborhood.
The Priest was called immediately by the neighbors and as he rushed into Bubba's yard clutching a rosary preparing to scold him, he stopped and watched in amazement. There stood Bubba, clutching a small bottle of holy water which he carefully sprinkled over the grilling meat and said:
"You wuz born a deer, you wuz raised a deer, but now you is a catfish.”
The delicious aroma from the grilled venison steaks was causing such a problem for the Catholic faithful that they finally talked to their priest.
The Priest came to visit Bubba and suggested that he become a Catholic.
After several classes and much study, Bubba attended Mass.....and as the priest sprinkled holy water over him, he said, "You were born a Baptist, and raised a Baptist, but now you are a Catholic."
Bubba's neighbors were greatly relieved, until Friday night arrived, and the wonderful aroma of grilled venison again filled the neighborhood.
The Priest was called immediately by the neighbors and as he rushed into Bubba's yard clutching a rosary preparing to scold him, he stopped and watched in amazement. There stood Bubba, clutching a small bottle of holy water which he carefully sprinkled over the grilling meat and said:
"You wuz born a deer, you wuz raised a deer, but now you is a catfish.”
The following users liked this post:
Dan_in_WA (11-22-2020)
#19
Seems like a Civic or Jetta is the ticket on this one. Crosstrek really isnt a bad choice either.
Artsy...I wonder what the Renegade gets in terms of fuel economy? Its basically a Fiat, so hard to say how reliable it would be in the end....
There is nothing better than sitting up high on freeway drives. The trucks dont bother you as much....others can see you, and more importantly....you can see them!
Artsy...I wonder what the Renegade gets in terms of fuel economy? Its basically a Fiat, so hard to say how reliable it would be in the end....
There is nothing better than sitting up high on freeway drives. The trucks dont bother you as much....others can see you, and more importantly....you can see them!
#20
Your Renegade looks like a lot of fun. That tent looks mighty comfortable raised off the ground, however, it would be too small for me.
I realized I never posted the conclusion. As I recommend several options, he added some additional criteria. He wanted the ability to tow some equipment for his craft in the future. That narrowed the choice to the Crosstrek. The ride is a little harder than he would have liked but overall he is happy with the decision. I am concerned about the CVT transmission's long term reliability. While we have no problem with the CVT on my wife's Subaru, I am not sure how it will hold up with 4 times the mileage.
I realized I never posted the conclusion. As I recommend several options, he added some additional criteria. He wanted the ability to tow some equipment for his craft in the future. That narrowed the choice to the Crosstrek. The ride is a little harder than he would have liked but overall he is happy with the decision. I am concerned about the CVT transmission's long term reliability. While we have no problem with the CVT on my wife's Subaru, I am not sure how it will hold up with 4 times the mileage.
#21
Your Renegade looks like a lot of fun. That tent looks mighty comfortable raised off the ground, however, it would be too small for me.
I realized I never posted the conclusion. As I recommend several options, he added some additional criteria. He wanted the ability to tow some equipment for his craft in the future. That narrowed the choice to the Crosstrek. The ride is a little harder than he would have liked but overall he is happy with the decision. I am concerned about the CVT transmission's long term reliability. While we have no problem with the CVT on my wife's Subaru, I am not sure how it will hold up with 4 times the mileage.
I realized I never posted the conclusion. As I recommend several options, he added some additional criteria. He wanted the ability to tow some equipment for his craft in the future. That narrowed the choice to the Crosstrek. The ride is a little harder than he would have liked but overall he is happy with the decision. I am concerned about the CVT transmission's long term reliability. While we have no problem with the CVT on my wife's Subaru, I am not sure how it will hold up with 4 times the mileage.
#22
If I was driving that many miles, I would probably get a Prius (plenty of taxis with that many miles in the original battery) and invest in a slick wrap. He can get real artsy with the wrap and when he’s done, it can be removed still preserving some pristine original paint for the next owner.
#23
If I was driving that many miles, I would probably get a Prius (plenty of taxis with that many miles in the original battery) and invest in a slick wrap. He can get real artsy with the wrap and when he’s done, it can be removed still preserving some pristine original paint for the next owner.
I didn't recommend the Prius based on the understanding that hybrids are intended to benefit from stop and go driving and his is exclusively highway. I would appreciate your thoughts on this point.
As for preserving the paint for the next owner - his goal is to put 500,000 miles on it. At that point paint is not a significant factor in value.
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