And if I could find a new '06 coupe, I would get that instead.. but..

 

I'm getting 27 mpg with a modded first gen JCW. You should be doing better with a 2nd gen.

 

double post

 

A fully loaded '09 JCW will run around $40k (leather, nav,all the packages and lights). I see it as a cool looking high performance luxury car (I may have just talked myself into getting one for my wife--time for the padded room). The MS3 on the other hand is a low cost economy street rod. It was specifically design for that purpose and is well suited. 2 or 3 decades ago, I would have bought a stripped MCS and spent some well targeted money on performance (if the MS3 had some styling I would have gone in that direction instead). As it is, I don't like the feel of larger cars (the M3 , the 135 and any of the luxury performance cars just don't handle as crisply). Of course I have considered luxury sports cars, but that would look a little too much like mid-life crisis.

 

I was actually at a Mazda dealer intending to buy a MS3. I had my GF in my truck that was being traded in. We rolled up to the front of the dealership. My GF got out and walked directly to the 06 Mini Cooper S Cabrio sitting in the front row. It came home with us that day. I never saw the MazdaSpeed3.

 

sorry to burst your bubble but JCW is nothing more than a street rod either
No FWD car can be called "high-performance". It's almost the same thing as MS3 but in a different wraper and with leather. I don't see anyghint special about JCW.

 

I have 2 friends with EVOs. They are carefully tuned and they don't beat the living crap out of them. It's wrong to assume all EVOs/STIs are ragged on as it is to assume all MINI owners are headed to the beauty salon to get their nails done every time you see one on the road.

 

I was looking at Toyotas and other cars that would last ten years. But I kept the MINI on the top three of what I was considering.

Then my GF drove a red MINI cabriolet that I was "renting" from San Francisco's City Car Share.

http://www.citycarshare.org/miniconv.do

The next day when I was thinking out loud about different cars [Jetta, Nissan, Toyota] she said, almost exact words, "Why would you consider getting anything other than a MINI convertible?"

She said it in a way that made me feel like I was being a nerd and dum *** to be looking at other cars. Next day bought the CCS's twin, a 2006 MINI cab in red.

 

Your Myspace profile says that you are 77 years old and you make less than 30K a year.. Wait.. is that true

 

If you are not looking for people turn head to your car & saying things then absolutely go buy the Mazda.
The reason of owning a Mini is the identity & the brand. I still remembered one day when I cruising on HWY, a big K car ramming beside me & suddenly holding the speed then I wonder what's the matter, then slowly the passenger's window roll down & a guy/girl can't recall take out a camera & taking pictures on the front, I am driving a Hyper Blue with orange stripes MC. And another time, was while I was stuck in the busy traffic, a guy from a 4x4 beside me suddenly said "Holy ****, look at these rims...." that time I am riding a 18" chrome. I am not showing off but, I only want to say, if my car is a Mazda, I bet nobody will even look at that no matter what, Mazda to other people be just a car. But Mini is something special. Something people really want to look at. That's the reason I like Mini. It gives you identity, something different. That's it.

But from what I saw from this thread, you better stick with the Mazda, you sound like you don't enjoy or you don't need whatever Mini can provide you.

 

If you truly feel that the MS3 ride is as refined as an MCS, I truly envy you. You will be able to get through life entirely "on the cheap".

 

Kool Aid tastes great!

More seriously, I form my opinions on cars the old fashioned way: driving. In the past 2 days I have logged nearly 14 hours of driving time, in fact. Back roads, open highway, and horribly clogged large urban centre stop-and-go traffic. It doesn't get old and even after all these years it is incredible how the mini shape turns heads everywhere. Even in Toronto, where minis (and most euro cars) are zooming around all over the place!

Good luck whichever way you go mini1966!

 

Thank you goat, its sure is a difficult thing to do.. I wish I could have both cars for a long test drive so I can see if there is anything that might sway me either way that I wouldn't see during a test drive.

 

Touchet, its just my experience with the drivers, even then, every used car is like playing roulette...

 

I wonder just how many Mazda Takes The States there are.
Yesterday a nice MC was parked next to me at the supermarket. If a Mazda 3 had parked next to me I wouldn't have remembered it.
MINI wins in more ways than one.

 

I traded my '05 STi for the MCSa - because honestly in 3 years owning that car I never once had it at 7/10ths much less 9 or 10. It was time in my life to trade up from cheap interiors and mad dog performance for something a bit more refined - but not *too* refined...I'm not that old yet I used to autox my '02 WRX and figured when I moved to the STi I'd continue that - but I guess I grew out of it. It's nice to know I could still track the car if I wanted to - but not have to take the track with me on the freeway every day to and from work.

I think it comes down to what is your #1 priority in buying a car - if it's gut busting speed - the MS3 is the way to go...off the lot it's going to be a monster. I just think the MINI offers a bit more refinement - without having to trade off too much in the performance department. It was nice knowing I had 300HP at my disposal for the past 3 years but I never really utilized it. If your driving style is different and you're constantly on the edge of a car's capability - go for more power

 

True... Its actually good for the engine to rev it out every once in a while to make sure the engine keeps full stroke of the pistons... your car will actually run better...

 

Brilliant way to put it.

 

You should check my profile in here too.

The last thing anyone should do on the net is give accurate info.

E.g. I had pics of my Bianchi roadbike posted on MySpace. Someone copied those pics and used them to set up a frudulent eBay auction. So I warned eBay and took the road bike pics off MySpace. Sheesh, can't even put pics of bikes on a page.

Being on the Net since 1995 the best advice I have for people is to never post personal info on websites.

Of course, you are free to assume that the occupation I list on this site is what I do.