I have not bought the MCS I have been wanting yet and I do plan on it-however the one caveat is that it has to roomy enough for the three of us and fairly easy for my daughter to get in an out of from the back seat. She's 9 so I think we're OK but I have yet to test it out. If this doesn't work out what would be your choice for a 4 door sedan with the fun factor of the MCS- I know nothing has the full fun factor but what's close? I don't mind used but try to keep it in the 20's.

I'm secretly trying to win over the sceptics(wife and duaghter) by poseing the MCS as ," we could give it her when she's 16!"

Maybe it's work out, I sure wish there was a dealer closer than 4 hours away so I could test drive one!

 

I really like the Mazda 3 as a comfortable, reasonably refined and zippy ride. I think the Mazda 3 Sport would be a real hoot. But good luck with the MCS!!!

 

mazda RX-8. not a 4-door sedan but close, seats 4 people real well. not the fastest car, but is SO fun to drive, might as well be a 4-seater miata

 

MS3 as far as fun and utility. not the best looking (kinda dated design) but
im sure it will keep a smile on your face.

 

oh yah, forgot.... GolfGTI 5door.

 

Mazdaspeed 3 is the ticket for a 4-door performance car, mid $20's. It feels somewhat like a large Mini when driven quickly.

 

My daughter is 14, and she and her 15 and 16 year old friends get in and out of Obie's backseat all the time. Don't give up on a MINI.

Zip

 

Do try out the GTI or A3 with sports suspension - try to drive one where the steering boost has been adjusted down to '0', it can make a big difference since stock they can run very boosted at low speeds from the factory (I know this about the A3s anyway). From what I know as of yet the 07s can't have the steering adjusted by the user yet with vag com (see http://www.ross-tech.com/) so for this aspect the 06s are best. There is a bunch of other info avail on their forums if you end up being interested

 

subaru impreza, 2.5rs, wrx, or sti. You can even get a wagon

 

Good suggestions-thanks!

 

The only 4 door that comes close to MINI fun is the 2007 GTI 4 door. The Mazdaspeed3 is a wagon and the Mazdaspeed6 is too heavy and soft.

 

BMW M5

 

I meant that is somewhere in the same price universe.

 

Oh, a used M 5

 

Okay. Great performance, but doesn't have the same feel.

 

definitely a mazda3. If you have the money, the speed3 is faster, but it doesn't meet your spec (he asked for a 4 door SEDAN). Also, the speed3, although faster at almost everything, isn't quite as tossable in the turns as the 3 GT, which might be part of your "fun factor" of the mini. I feel like my mazda3 handles better than my wife's mini, although its not really fair as I'm very sticky rubber and have a stiffer rear sway bar while she's stock and on worn Pirelli runflats right now.

The main strength of the 3 is VALUE. I got my 2004 right when they came out (so there weren't a lot of discounts at the time) with xenons, 17" wheels, leather, power everything, sat nav., the 2.3L engine. Basically, every option except an automatic tranny (cuz they suck, if you do get a mazda3, stay AWAY from the old 4 speeds, the 5 speed auto is much more reliable) and a sunroof (I'm 6'5, and need the added headroom for when I autocross and have to fit in with a helmet on). My OTD price, including tax and tags was $21.6k. I just passed 50k miles without a single major problem so far.

 

Bimmer 3 series. A used one if need be

 

Actually a Speed3 would be fine-I am not opposed to a wagon. A used M5??!- the last one I saw was 45K. A used 3 series would be in the ballpark as would the Mazda 3's cousin the Volvo S40-,maybe even the T5 version.

 

Ford Focus SVT? Obviously, you'd have to find a used one, but same Getrag six speed tranny and supposedly good reliability and handling.

 

i second the wrx.

 

WRX Wagon. I have a 2004 prior to the MINI S and it was a blast to drive. A completely different feel to drive but a hoot none the less.

Todd

 

this is just for you...as fun..may even more fun than MINI...for sure is more room.

 

This is what I recommended and was the other main contender in my selection process. It was a real tough choice, but I ended up going with the MINI. If anyone ever asked me what would be my choice for a car with MINI fun, but a little more conventional, the 2007 GTI 4 dr would definitely be it!

 

man, that GTI 5dr is good looking. i still want it. time will tell.

i saw the MS3 in person yesterday while on the street. it was better
than i thought it was. it was red (not my color) but it still looked
pretty good.

 

The Mazda Speed3 is interesting-I checked out their site-no where near as fun as MiniUSA-but for 25K you can get one absolutly loaded and it has 263hp on tap. The GTI 5 door is also very appealing, VW is having some issues with quality these days so..... also the VW dealer here is a crook but another is not far away. Believe me, I will be sellign the MCS HARD as that appeals most, by a far margin.