Is it possible for under 30k? Under 25k? Under 20k?

I've come to the conclusion that in the past 20k miles MINI has spent more than the cost of my car in warranty repairs (both labor and parts). That does not include the new transmission or clutch that are soon to be installed, or the variety of maintenance items I've preformed on my own. My warranty is up in 300 miles. Reliable it out the window, and its a near stock car (CAI tires and cosmetics only so far).

Ideally similar Hp to weight, better or slightly worse than MCS is ok; must be able to go around a corner; 28 real world mixed mpg or better; seating for at least two, must have a hardtop. Size does not matter if it meets above criteria.

So can you name a car that meets the criteria?

 

The Mazdaspeed 3 comes to mind. Some dealers are selling Stage 1 kits. A beastie out of the box.

You said reliable, so that rules out any VW. How about the Sky Redline or souped up Solstice? Do they make a hardtop for either of those?

BTW - I think you can get a GTO for about $30K. Mileage would fall way under your criteria though.......

 

The new Civic SI would make it in my book.

 

yeah i agree Si, just looks may be in question, though i think the coupe looks pretty nice

also GTI, i mean people will say theyve had terrible tiems with their dubs, but as of now all of the vw's my family have owned have been as solid as the honda's weve owned

 

With an aftermarket Hardtop - get an MR2 Spyder.

Easily inside the budget ($20K gets you a really good lightly used one)

30mpg or better unless you go to the track - then its 22-24.

140hp and under 2000lbs

Fantastic reliability and great resale too.

There are minor mechanical issues - they have pre-cats which can break down and become injested, but gutting the pre-cats is common practise and fairly easy, the clutches too are not the strongest ever built and the battery is a little 'small' and needs replaceing every two years. Tires are unusual (hence expensive) sizes and the rears wear fairly fast.

There is an official hardtop available you can actually order it from Mr.T.

Servicing is dirt cheap, and it run on 87 octance too.

The major downside is the total lack of luggage space, its not quite zero, but its very close.

The major upside however are its abilities in the corners, you may think that the Mini handles and it does, but the MR2-Spyder is in a different league, it is sublime, the limits are incredibly high and the stock suspension is beyond reproach.

 

Snow?

Don't mind the lack of space. Looked at them when I was looking at the MINI but haven't driven one.

Ford a s decent (but still lacking) Car comparioson table so I can look at 2 cars next to the MINI.

This is more thought than anything else but it is something I realize I need to think about if I'm going to be paying the cost of the car in repairs every 50k Which is about a year and a half for me.

 

CivicSI for sure.

CivicTypeR is suppose to be released in Japan this spring...not sure if or
when it's coming to the US but it has more than 220hp on a NA 4 banger
easily does 140mph. (sedan only for TypeR).

http://www.honda.co.jp/CIVICTYPE-R/p.../jbtestdrives/

 

Not a huge fan of the Si Styling, and I've been in the standard new civic, the difference between the MINI and Civic is well drastic.

GTI, well while its the same price range, I'm gathering that VW is the same crap shoot for reliability, yes it might be problem free but yes I may end up with another car thats always in the shop

I know the new BMWs are utterly problematic but anyone know about the previous generation 3 series? (MPG may be the killer there, still reasearching)

Don't know much about the Mazdas, always thought of them more as tiny minivans than competent cars, so I'm behind the curve on those.

Chevy is out of the picture, after hearing what it takes to change an air filter foci are out of the picture. Didn't realize reliable and good drivers at reasonable cost was far a few between. A3 looks interesting but too pricey and reliablity is a complete unknown styling is on the bland side.

MR2 has the snow concern, styling isn't my favorite and sitting in a Celica a few years ago I clocked my head on the roof getting in and was tall enough I couldn't comfortably fit in it so that would be a concern.

 

My vote goes for MS3 also..
Probably the fastest car under 25k....
O, and How about WRXes..?
e46 3-series is decent in reliability too.. especially late year ones.

 

I have never driven the MR2 in snow - I would think that with the correct tires it would be a blast - ground clearance would be no worse than the MINI. As for height - well I am 6-2 and fit - headroom is the last of the issues - especially with the roof down it is a little tight in the pedal department - if you have big feet you are going to struggle.

As for the previous gen 3-series, my wife has a 325i. She has not had any out-of schedule work apart from the iPod adapter failing twice (23,000 miles).

MPG is the killer though - a real-world 24mpg on her 25mile each way commute (freeways and rural), late 20's on a run to Palm Springs and (ahem) 8mph on an BMW performance track day. She has never actually seen 30mpg in it......

 

MS3 I assume is the Mazda? Top speed means little to me, I much prefer a high torque decently powered car (an MC is too anemic for my tastes)

WRXs and Evos I sat in both at an auto show little over a year ago, 10k more than a MINI and about 3x cheaper build quality on the inside, and onlylow 20s for MPG.

Granted the MCS only pulled in 24/28 before the CAI I'm looking for something 28/33 (what I get now) or better. So the E46 gen 3 series, lightly modded if reliable esp. for high milage is still something I'd keep an eye on. (and I know its hard to expect 4 cyl fuel consupmtion from a 5 cyl engine)

Heck if my MINI was reliable I wouldn't think twice about it, but I can't keep losing the arguement about trusting my car not to break down and I can't afford to shell out the cost of the car in repairs on an annual basis (all my warranty claims have come within the last 9 months and seem to be progessing from small things like door latch cables to big things like trannys).

I love how the MINI drives and I love that I can still glance at it and see the same beauty I did they very first day I drove her, however it does me no good to have a MINI if it only sits in the garage awaiting repair and is my daily driver.

 

well if the mr2 is worthy of your consideration, what about amiata, with proper snow tires, and there good weight distributuion ive heard they can handle the snow, plus they drive very nicely, and are well within the budget. they also have reasonable storage space. and oh yeah (even though this doesnt pique my interests, personally) theres the new power retractable ahrd top which only offers slight weight gains, doesnt affect cargo capacity, and gives it more all season capability

 

Is there hardtop kits for the MX-5s? And still within budget? The newer ones pique my intrest more so than the older ones If at all possible I'd like to do this with a roof over my head though.

 

on the last gen there was a removable hard top for the soft tops which im sure still can be found, but the power hardtop starts at like $24K i think, and i forget how much weight it adds but i remember being surprised at how little it actually was

 

What about that Hyundai Tiburon? Are they any good? They have that killer warranty....10 years, 100,000 miles. It's a 6 cyl, with front wheel drive. I drove a new one recently and found it to be responsive and only around $22k.

 

I'll look into it. I think I'm gonna be a busy person at the Chicago autoshow next month lol

 

Too tall:impatient

 

Oh well...it was just a thought, anyway, since you seemed to be fishing for suggestions.

 

Thanks I do appreciate it, and I know I'm quite picky about it to begin with, then add in the fact I'm over 6 ft. and my options get to be quite limited.

 

I'm 6 ft. and around 290 or so. I wasn't cramped in it at all. I didn't buy it as I was shopping for my wife, but I've always liked their looks and wanted to test one. It drove nice and felt good, too. If we were a bit younger, I might have gone for it [it's all in the knees once ya pass 60 yrs. of age]....

 

Mazdaspeed 3 has plenty of torque - you should seriously check them out.

BTW - there is no such thing as a reliable BMW - I've owner my fair share of them and you experience with the Mini is par for the course.

While the STi and Evo may look cheaper, they certainly hold up better - interior wise. My track-abused Evo IX MR has had zero trips to the dealer (knock on wood) and has been pretty much rattle and squeak free - I could never make that claim on my MCS.

Doesn't matter, an Evo or STi will kill you in insurance and even driving on the highway, you will be lucky to see even 20 mpg. Maintenance is expensive also.

The new MX5 has an available power hardtop option........

 

I c..

O btw, the mazda speed 3 has more torque than the mk5 gti I believe..
245 lb/ft i believe (Dynoed..) vs. 193..

 

motor on- i suppose the CivicSI's driving dynamics and balance is more
refined than your MCS. in that sense, yes, a dramatic difference.

but overall driving feel and balance is actually pretty similar. at least
that's wat i felt when i drove it. the 06+ civics are nothing like the previous
gen. and ive pretty much had all the gen civics since '90.

but you're in your early 20's right? you should get a Evo or STi.

 

the mazdaspeed 3 though apparently doesnt havea very linear torque or power curve. it also has TOO much torque for its own good hence why for the first few gears torque is limited. im not doubting the MS3 as a good car, i just think its not the most refined

nevertheless whether you buy it or not, it certainly seems like a fun car just to test drive for soem ***** and giigles

 

On the EVo or STi Granted I am a little more familar with the STi but they do seem much like cereal box cars And they're not the most graceful around a track.

With the MINI its like I got a car I thought would last forever, a car I could take to the track on occasion and still have fun, a car that would work as an efficent commuter, a car that as life took its course I could put the rear seats back in and use as a family veichle. And it was reasonably affordable to begin with and was supposed to be reliable (Most reliable long term car Autoweek EVER had) and easy to maintain. It was a logical affordable practial fun car.

It still covers most of that but as soon as this warranty is up I fear I'm not going to be able to aford to keep it running being in my early 20s and having to sheell out 20k in repairs every few months. the thoguht of which makes me sick, but it has not left the garage all weekend and I can't drive it anyomore than ABSOLUTELY nessescary right now and don't want this to be the case as time goes on. I want to be able to enjoy it not worry about whats falling apart now and how long can I drive like that and adding how much is it going to cost to fix on top of it. And this is really hard for me cause in production cars the only 4 I like are the MINI THe Exige the Atom and the F430. You should never drive your dream car. Well for me the JB R53 MINI is it, a few more realatively tame mods (little bit of prefomance and a few cosmetics) and I was all good to call it utter prefection. And now well now I don't know how long I'll be able to keep it running.

I'm looking for a car witht he same fun factor as the MINI, I'm a driving enthusiast followd by a MINI enthusiast, but there ain't much of a gap. I feel guilty even thinking about doing this. Really what would make me happy is MY MINI as is BEIGN relable but I'm afraid thats not going to happen now