About this time every year I get the itch to look at something that is fast and fun to drive other than our R53's. I've owned a number of really nice sports cars over my 76 years but none on them have compared to the fun of the Mini. I will say the Porsche 356's I've owned were a blast to drive but they weren't as fast. What are some of your experiences with the Evo's and STI etc? There's a VW R for sale at my old dealership that looks interesting but I've never driven one of those.

 

I can't offer much outside of the fact that I intensely lust after a vintage euro minicar with motorbike engine...


...another contender and oddball dreamcar would be a well-sorted NSU TT,
but they are extremely rare in the USA.

As for modern contemporary cars,
the upcoming Yaris GR-4 looks like it will be tons of fun...


...but I doubt that it'll be made available over here sadly.

 

I challenge you to find a review of the Ford Fiesta ST that doesn’t use the word “giggle.”

 

Have been eyeballing these for a while. ~300HP out of the box, AWD, *ahem* quite a bit more room inside than a Mini, with about the same fuel economy as an R53. 2X the price of a base model on the dealer lot but well depreciated into affordability after just a couple years. Would love to hear your take on the test drive, not that I'm hinting or anything...

 

You know I've driven both an EVO and STi on the track and around a little and they were totally fun and fast. But for daily street use I really couldn't enjoy it as you just get to the speed limit so fast that I'd be doing 100mph on the wrong street.
People ask me all the time what I would have if it wasn't a MINI and I have to say I think I would own a Cayman S. Driven a few and really enjoy it, plus it's not too much in the HP.
Otherwise I really like a Lotus Elise, but that is just a bad daily driver choice I know better than to make.

 

An Elise has always been my dream car or an exige.. I'm only 5'10 so I fit them perfectly.. I would daily driver one in warm weather months.
Until then, the mini has to do !

 

Well, I am going to take a test ride this morning. Will let you know my impression of the R.

 

If you're gonna spend the money on a Golf R, just go for an RS3. When I was in NorCal, it was like 5-8k more for the RS3... The price delta is meaningless when you consider that another 8-10k gets you to 800awhp and 9-10s quarter miles. Plus it'll still outperform on a road course (sedan experiences preferred aerodynamics when compared to a hatch).

Otherwise, you're sort of stuck on new cars. BMW sort of caters to enthusiasts, but they don't have a halo car that's kicking *** like the RS3 is currently.

I'd get a Miata, S2k, or MR2 and modify it in a Time-Attack style for something reasonably-priced and acceptable performing for the required investment. A EP3 with an AWD swap and a big ole snail can get you up to 1kawhp and be a total highway monster.

 

Well, I did drive the R. It's a 2016 and it does go like stink. Very smooth and luxurious compared to my R53. Much bigger inside the car looking over the hood than I expected. More like my wife's MBZ. Fun to drive with a nice short shift with great steering and brakes. It really is sweet but not pulling me away from what I've built in my R53.

 

Mind if I ask what you have all done to your R53, I'm currently building mine up also..

 

02 S,CAE Shifter, TVS900 Supercharger 70mm, 2% ATI, CAI, Ported Intake, Thumper TPR2, ARP studs, NS1, 550's, Meth Water, Bytetronik FA, TSW Dampner, Mynes V2 header, Milltek, Sprint Booster, LSD plus a number of gauges.

 

That is what I was experiencing with the R I drove yesterday. It was a blast to drive but unless I was on the highway I was far exceeding the speed limit. Reminds me of my much younger days when I owned a 65 Porsche 356 and the new 911's arrived in 1966, Even though I loved the 356 I had to have the new hot 911. Same experience as today. It was so fast compared to the 356 I couldn't use any of the top gears. I guess things just don't change that much over the years.

 

 

Hyundai Veloster N would be one I would look at.

 

Heres a vote for a C5 Z06. I track one and occasionally drive it on street. Goes like hell when you mash the loud pedal. Has an incredibly capable suspension and chassis setup, and is at the bottom of its depreciation. Many are garage and cruise queens with low mileage and have never been driven hard. One can be had for far less than and EVO or STI or VW R.

 

I'd stay away from the Veloster . My brother has the turbo but not an N and it's 2 years old, very well taken care of . AND HAS WHEEL WELL RUST ISSUES and the underbody is terrrrrrrrrrible too. we live in Wisconsin USA but he's always taken care of it washing n waxing ect..AND it's sloooooooow even with his bolt ons .

 

Niiiice. What numbers is it making and do you have a accurate 0-60 and or 1/4mile time ? In the end I would like to have a setup pretty similar to yours ..my build rite now is slowly coming along as last few years I took some huge financial losses so when I have a few extra dollars it goes into my car if the wife permits ( she's pretty supportive of my hobby ) and when I do mod it my 10yr old daughter always helps me as she looooves cars too. She's literally my clone . Lol I even let her shift the car when I'm driving so she can learn lever positions and understand to listen to engine load ect. So in a way this is OUR car not mine .
with driving that mini , I think it would be very hard to buy a new car that's stock and be happy with it and have it replace the mini ..
Could I see a few pics of your bigger Cooper 😉

 

Never did get a 0-60 or quarter mile times. It has taken me some time to get more mods on my car. The only reason I went with the TVS was my clutch was going so labor wise I was going to be pretty torn down so why not. Sounds like your car may be your daughter's at some point!! She would treasure that. I don't have any recent pics of my car but will get some once the snow melts in our area.

 

I've driven a buddy's C5 Z06 that is set up for autocross. Bang for buck, it doesn't get much more fun and fast than that. That doesn't even account for the cost of ownership difference between a C5 and one of the high strung imports.


In my opinion, anything sports oriented and rear wheel drive is going to be more fun than the R53. My NA was much more fun to drive, but was slower than my R53.

 

The Veloster has been doing really well on the IMSA circuit for the last two years, but I would also want to drive the Honda Type R...

But I have not been happy with the newer cars that have been coming out for the last few years, to much "NANNY Tech" for my liking. My MG Club (LANCO) one member has a MGTD with a Volvo drivetrain that is scary fast in a really fun way.

But with keeping up with the "Go Kart" style driving I have my four MINIs, a 911, and a MG Midget ... if I want raw, stupid power I climb into my Dodge Challenger R/T, I added a Supercharger to it and it is sitting at 605hp not the 703 of a Hellcat but pretty close.

I was really wanting to give the new MINI GP a try, but the production model is to .... tame for my liking for the $50K they want for it. For that type of money I would rather get an Aston Martin Vantage.

... so my final suggestion ... Just go test drive everything.

Motor On!

 

I test drove a 2011 Subby WRX STi that a guy had upgraded the turbo and clutch on... that things was the most fun I've ever had driving a vehicle!

 

If I still have this car when she's 16 she absolutely will get it.and as cheap as things are ,unless it gets totalled in an accident it will live on
.lol she already calls it gets and brags to get friends about the stuff she's helped work on with it.. last local car meet we went to she blew this guy's guys mind when he came asking about my car and she answered him on alot if it..I wish I had recorded it.. I even let her shift while I clutch and tell me when to clutch by listening to the rpm.she has been working on identifying cars while driving. I too as a child remember doing that .
Anyways..it would be appreciated if you could post a few pics of ur mini. I love carporn.

 

I am a huge fan of the R53's and find them to be one of the most exciting cars for the price; especially when you put some mods on them. I also have two Honda S2000's, with one set up for the track, and the other with a supercharger and they're both incredibly entertaining vehicles to drive, but in different ways. I find the R53's are so much easier to push to the limits and even with a larger rear sway bar, is still much more controllable than the S2k. Having both types of car are great, because the R53 gives that bit of excitement on the drive to work and isn't too overwhelming with wind noise and the ride. I was contemplating replacing the '03 R53 with something like a Golf R and after the test drive felt like the R53 was more fun, and didn't give anything up, minus the space behind the seats and trunk (tech was nice, but not worth 40k). It's only my wife and I, so needing the space isn't as important right now.

 

ive never driven the S2000 but heard they were fast. I’ve also never driven the STI or Evo so those are on my list. The STI and Evo seem like they’re pretty big cars. I like the idea of AWD since we get snow. I really liked the R and it’s easy to mod. Just the two of us and my wife has a MBZ C300 4matic but while its really a nice car it’s not that much fun to drive.
My Jeep XJ is totally modded for off road but it’s another story.