Folks - wow excellent postings ! I never expected such a response. I would quote many of them below - but that'll take forever.

I figured that MINI people are knowledgable enough about cars other than MINIs, so this was a good forum to pose the question. Honestly, until the past year or so, I paid almost zero attention to new cars - except for the MINI. For me, when they started putting the headlights in the fenders (1940), it was all over - and no I'm not 85 years old, chronologically, anyway .

Chows - great insight. I completely understand my daughter's desire for a stylish looking car. Who wants to drive a fake wood-sided Oldsmobuick station wagon, right? Problem is, she is having difficulty homing in on a single vehicle model. She's narrowed things down to Mazda 3, Mazda 6, Scion TC, Corolla S, with an occasional Saab sprinkled in (at this minute, anyway - this is all subject to change within the next sixty seconds).

We've poured over the reports in CR and Consumer's Guide, been reading the postings in various marque-specific forums and have been to the dealers and have driven all of these cars, and many others more than once. This week, there was a sharp, '05 Mazda6 at the dealer that bought her PT, 9800 miles - just traded in when we picked up the check - the previous owner was still there buying a truck. She **loved** the car and we made a sweet deal with the sales manager to turn the car quickly. That night, daughter got cold feet over the manual transmission and backed out of the deal the next morning. OK, so she wants an automatic (at least that's one decision out of the way) - her choice... back to square one. I'm guessing that a Corolla with an automatic is a real dog. She hasn't driven one of those with an auto, yet. After her turbo Saab and turbo PT, it'll be interesting to see if it's still on her list. With each car she sees, she ask's "can I get a spoiler for that". It's all about style. Hey, if the MINI's looked like the Ford Taurus, we wouldn't be driving them, right?

Every night she's emailing me postings from eBay, Craigslist, Cars.com. Finally, I told her to find the specific car she wants and when she's ready to buy it, I will go with her to preview and help to work a deal with the seller.

Oilman - on the Triumph, I have no inclination to be fixing this car on an hourly basis. The Mustang? That car would be a pile of rust in two years, here.

Pocket Rocket - if she ulimately decides on a MINI, that's OK by me, but it's not in the running at the moment.

Stay tuned for more in the saga. Film at eleven...

 

It seems you have done quite a bit of research.

Corollas XRS is not a dog. 0 - 60 in 8 seconds is very respectable. Thats faster than a MC at 9.3?

However, manual only. Standard corolla with auto is about 9.7 which is normal for that class of car and the mileage it gets.

Im think some kind of Scion now will do it.

 

wait im 23...and i know exactly what points, condensor, and carbs are...

I had a holley 600 double pumper and a mallery duel point distributor on my 63 Nova SS actully...the new MCS that is on the way, will be the 2nd car that DOESNT have a carb or points. (out of 5 cars)

does this make me an old man in a young persons body?

 

That makes two of us (pretty funny we're both in Jax ). With my recent purchase of the Europa, I'll be taking a crash course in 1970 British technology. I'm only 21 so I've got a couple years to catch up to you. I'm sure the Lotus (and Lord Lucas) will make me competent pretty quick .

 

Must be a Jax thing

By the way, Lotus Europa's are awesome! I have never seen one in person, but i did alot of racing with one in GT2 for playstation.

 

Z06 would be nice ....LMAO

 

Why are you going to get her a car with only 2 weeks left before school starts? As you said before her car would just be left at home and not driven, so there shouldn't be a rush.

 

She can have a car there as a sophomore, but not last year. She attends UNH which is located in a rural, microscopic town - that is in the middle -- make that the *end* of nowhere. No car, means that ya' can't get anywhere, and mom or dad has to drive 1.5 hours each way to schlep her around (or home so she can keep hours at her job on weekends). Had enough of that.

 

When I was 19, I told my dad to buy me a cheap used car to get me through college. He's a big car guy and we have very similar taste, so I trusted him. He ended up getting me a brand new MC.

He'd gone to the Honda dealer and looked at the cars and thought, "there's nothing here that she's going to be excited about." And he knew that if I didn't have a car I was excited about, I wouldn't be inclined to take great care of it or keep for the long term. (I guess he didn't want me getting into his habit of buying a new car every six months.) With the MINI, I can't imagine ever getting rid of it, and I treat it like it's my child.

So I think it's important for a girl at that age to have a car that she will like enough to truly value it. Don't let her buy something boring, like a Honda.

 

I am 20 yrs old and just recently got my mini, but was currently driving a Nissan Altima. I had purchased it brand new in 2004 and I owned it till recently. It was a great car and gave me no problems, but then again the drivers were 40-50 y/o women too! haha! what about a nice bmw 325i used?

 

S2000's aren't boring. oh wait, out of your price range.

 

Scion TC. Fun, Safe, and Reliable

 

I would buy a Honda or Toyota, find one with the newest model year and lowest milage you can afford. These cars are great, hold their value and are very reliable.

 

latest civics are cool.

 

Let's see....our garage contains a BMW 330i, a 2007 Corvette Z06, a 1998 Corvette Pace Car, a 2006 Nissan Frontier Pickup, a Champ Edition R1, and 2ndMiniac's 2005 MCS........so I'm pretty sure an S2000 isn't out of the price range.

 

oh, i thought you were still a college kid or something reading your
posts, but i guess i must have read it wrong. pardon me, sir. as you
were. (i think i remember now which garage/house you own)

 

So I just found this thread and I thought I give my thoughts for you to think over. At 15 I received a 1976 Chevy Nova 4-door from my grandmother. It was a great car for the time and I'm sure that it was a good thing for me to learn how to drive on. Plus, it's nice to know your have 2 tons of steel wrappend around you. Next up was a 1994 Infiniti purchased for $4k from my other grandmother in 2002. This was an awesome leap up from the Nova and I would recommend an Infiniti provided the history of the car is well known. I did encounter a few annoying electrical glitches that eventually lead to a replaced relay. Once the A/C went out in this car, rather than fix that and a number of lingering problems from the car being wrecked while my grandmother had it, I was back in the car market.

Like you, I found the market was not all I had hoped it would be. I would have liked to support American workers, but I found that their offerings were quite well....blah. The few that stood out were the G6, Solstice, and briefly the Dodge Charger. Once I investigated, I was not convinced on a first year model and for the price of these I could get a MINI, which I had always wanted (a classic before the new ones came out). Still, I wanted to make sure that I was making the best choice so I considered numerous vehicles.

First the Scion TC: At first I liked the looks and the reliability forecast was good. A friend at work had one of the red limited versions and it was pretty nice. However, like you I found the interior space a bit limiting, Also, I could not picture myself it in in the long term. Still, if your daugter fits well it seems like a great 6 year car. (I was looking for 8-10)

I would mention cars like the Miata and the like, but I'd think for a 19 year old at school a rear seat would be required to haul friends or atleast "stuff". While I'm negating vehicles...I'd never buy a Honda except for an S2000 (too pricey). My experiece with them just hasn't been great.

Another option would be a used 3 series. I was partial to the 330 coupe, but they were a bit pricey. A 325 would be nice except that here in SC I see tons of BMWs thanks to the Spartanburg plant 20 miles away.

Also, A used Volvo C70 I think would be kinda fun. Safety is a big plus as well as the extra space. To justify it mentally...someone else paid Mr. Ford for it so technically you wouldn't be.

I did also think of the RSX. They are really coming down into a decent price range for the money. Plus a friend from college bought one during our senior year and I have to admit that I was impressed. To me they seemed to have enough go, well priced, decent looks, but again for the ones I was looking at, around 23k, I was creeping into MCS territory.

A more refined option was some early 2000s Mercedes C230s. However, sitting in a couple I didn't feel like it fit what I was looking for. Granted, they do feel solid. note: Eventually the hatchback "neat factor" turned into a "ugh factor" Still, my wife thinks they are cute.

I suppose the classic girl's vehicle...the Eclipse...does warrant a brief look. Personally, the fact that Mit. used pow's as slaves during WWII will never allow me to purchase any of their products as long as I can. On the other hand, I do somewhat like the lines of their latested iteration despite the poor fuel economy.

And now the quick list

Wranglers---fun, I like em, didn't need an second SUV in the family
Imprezas-- fun, didn't want the power of a WRX, well priced
Suburaru Legacy GT --- very likeable, a bit big as I wanted a smaller car
2005 Celica GTS --- Always liked the Celicas. Unique styling. Couldn't find an 05 at a reasonable price that was close to home. IF I had to trade down I'd look at these again despite the "girly" reputation.

Hope this helps and if you have any questions let me know!


Oh yeah, in the end I went for the MINI and ended up a DS MCSC...it's fantastic despite being 5k more than I thought I wanted to spend. That extra was sooooo worth it.

 

i agree the Eclipse is a car that appeals to girls and girly boys.

 

I just read this 3-page thread and I'm now left wondering what AntiqueCarNut's final decision was. His last post in the thread was back in August. I'm sure his daughter is driving a new vehicle by now (maybe not, given the wide spectrum of cars she was considering).

Dying to know, ACN !! Come back and fill us in !!

 

a new vw rabbit? i think they start around 15k.

 

I've been in the car business for the last nine years. I am the used car manager for a Honda dealership. We have 10 franchises including Mazda, VW, and Nissan. In my professional opinion, the Civic is the first choice. My VW service manager tells me that they have late model cars in the shop right now that the factory techs can't even fix. They have replaced every piece surrounding the problem and nothing works. That's a little concerning if reliability is on the agenda. The Mazda 3 actually is a good car (just the opposite of the Mazda 6: one of the least safe vehicles for 2006). It just doesn't retain its value worth anything. The Civic is going to be the most reliable and retain its value best of any of these. However, finding a new one for the $15k range may be difficult. If you're comparing prices, be careful. Most people see the "DX" trim level at a very attractive price. The problem is, most people aren't aware this car doesn't even come with a/c.

 

finally a professional opinion from a guy from the automotive business.
+1 for the Civic from me too for an economical daily driven car. i have
the latest model in EX trim. its a nice car for the price.

 

Well, can you beeleeve??? My daughter decided on a Toyota Camry! When I showed her photos of a Camry that I found on Craig's List, she snubbed her nose at it - she was *hot* on Saabs, right at that moment. Anyhow, few days later she sends me a text message 'I'm in Jess's mom's car, a Camry. It's nice". OK, so she and my wife go to check out the 'snub-nosed' Camry. Nice car, an '04 Camry LE "Limited Edition". 33K miles, serviced at the dealer every 3K. Non-smoker (the owner, not the car). No accidents. All the service records. 4 cyl/auto. Bose Stereo. Pearl white, which is great for a kid that isn't big into washing the car - it always looks clean and it's the same color as winter road salt. I go look at the car with them the following weekend, worked a deal that was fair; $13,900. Well within budget and the car should run darn-near forever.

Amazingly, after two months with the car, she still loves it! It's not big on 'personality' but it's comfortable, quiet and is very economical to drive.

Now to trade my F250 crew cab diesel pickup on something else. The cycle starts again...

 

camry is a very sound choice.

 

Thanks for the update, AntiqueCarNut! The Camry is fine until she catches the MINI bug!