At this point in your life, I wouldn't be too disappointed with ending up with the 3. I actually considered that when I was looking for new cars prior to getting my MINI. The test drive sealed the deal, of course.

I used to talk about getting a MINI and my wife would simply roll her eyes. I took her over to test drive one just for fun and she was hooked. We took a hairpin curve onto an onramp at over 50MPH and she said, almost reflexively, "you have got to buy this car!"

I have heard much good of the little Mazda. Surprisingly good driver, and not bad looking. You can get a MINI a little bit later on in life.

 

Chaoz:

Have you checked your insurance cost assumptions with your agent? You'll probably be surprised. Very likely the only difference will be in the comprehensive portion of the insurance, based on the relative values of the two cars. Plus, most if not all of your repair costs are covered under warranty for the first 3/4 years. I can't speak to repair cost... haven't really had any that weren't covered under the warranty yet....

As for taking your parents' preferences into account -- I happen to think that's appropriate at your age, especially since --well-- it is only a car we're talking about here. So show them some of the NAM "how my MINI saved me" threads and give it another go!

Maybe you shouldn't include the threads that involve blatantly poor judgement on the part of the drivers.

 

One factor that's worrying them is my driving.

Over the last four years, I've been in two minor scrapes (one was weather related). They feel my driving is reckless and the MINI would only encourage that kind of behaviour (darting in and out of traffic etc.)

I see the MINI's maneuvrability an asset (compared to the rather sedate 92 Accord I've been driving). The brakes are better too.

I should probably try to get them to agree to let me finance it off of them instead of through MINI. It would mean they still have a lot of control however.

 

I also looked at the 3 for my daughter but just liked the MINI better. I would compare insurance and resale costs before committing to either. The last recommended argument is, "if you REALLY love me you'll buy me the MINI!"

 

I just absolutely loved this quote from the above mentioned link: "The benefits of being nimble--of being in an automobile that's capable of staying out of trouble--are in many cases greater than the benefits of being big."

"The benefits of being big." I don't believe in those.

 

I'm in Canada (Calgary) and I've driven the Mazda 3 wagon, Honda civic, and the Mini Cooper before I decided on getting the Mini.

I was totally won over on my first test drive of the Mazda 3 two years ago, the car does ride and handle very well. However, on the day I decided I really want to get a car, I drove the Mazda and the Mini back to back. To me, there is no comparison. The Mini handled so well I felt there was no need to do any suspension mods. (My last cars all had Koni shocks, uprated springs/sway bars, and handling is one of my highest piorities).

Also, after checking out side impact crashes, cars with side impact airbags in the head and chest area is so much better, that it could mean the difference between dying and walking away. Check out Highwaysafety.org and side impact crashes of the Honda accord with and without side airbags.

The Mazda does not have side airbags in Canada, it handled worse, there is no traction control, no heated seats, no Xenon headlights, braking distance is longer, tires are way more expensive (comparing 3 wagon to Mini cooper 15s), and insurance, I never personally checked it, but I doubt there is much difference between these 2 cars)

However, the Mazda is quite a lot cheaper than my Mini, and it does have about 7/10 of the fun, it is more practical, and you can take your family out on the real back seats. So I won't be to disappointed if its a car given to me But with my real $, I'd rather get the smaller, more solid Mini Cooper.

 

Uh oh, there's that SUV Soccer/Security Mom "bigger is safer" mentality again... Once gas prices go where they should be, the SUVs will be DINOsaurs. Good riddance. Go*dam*ed behemoths!

Six air bags. Unibody construction. Virtually NO rollover risk. Antilock brakes. Corner Braking Control. Dynamic Stability Control.
The MINI performed better than a Ford F150 in a crash test that I read about recently.

If I wasn't 40 years old when I bought my Jeep Wrangler, I'm sure my parents would have been forbidding me to buy that thing (beloved as it was). I had no issues.

Buy the MINI. Now or later. :-) Good luck.

dave

 

Take a driver's course and sharpen your skills!:smile:

Regardless of what car you end up buying, good driving skills can make a big difference in many traffic situations.

My vote still goes for the MINI. If the car is for you, your parents should allow you to make the final decision, period.!

You are not going to be happy driving that Mazda or Honda. Is not what you really want

 

Oh wow does this sound familiar.

I was all set to order my MINI, then my parents just snapped and said I couldn't get it. One of my friends was killed in a car accident around that time, so I think that had a lot to do with it. No amount of crash testing data convinced them that it was a safe car. They were basically like "I don't care what that website says, no car that small could be considered safe, blah blah blah."

So, I got a Saab 9-3 instead, and still wish I had bought the MINI I wanted.

Don't settle for something else. If your parents won't let you get one right away, wait...maybe they'll warm up to the idea over time.

I'm out on the west coast right now and MINIs are everywhere. My mom actually commented on how much she liked them after seeing so many. My dad still thinks they're hideous, but you can't please everyone.

 

Well, in some cases. My parents claimed that since they were paying for a big chunk of my car, that they should have some say. I do agree with them somewhat.

 

It astounds me that the mentality of a parent would be to approve of a poorer handling, manuevering, and braking car, to make their child (the driver) and his or her occupants more safe .

That is beyond logic.

Particularly in a car that has better crash test results, and safety features than so many comparable cars.

Increasing the ability for you to AVOID accidents should be thier top safety priority for you, and secondarily as a last resort, if you should have the misfortune of being involved in one, the car should perform better than any other car in its class.

There is not a better car on the road when it comes to engineering safety. With all due respect, they are making an ill advised descision for you. (and I REALLY like the Mazda 3....)

To boot, you'll not be impressed with the relative the residual resale value of all the cars you mentioned, when compared to the mini cooper.

I have other thoughts, but this should be enough as it is.

 

I forget which comedian argued against getting a Volvo for their kid expressly because it would allow them to drive recklessly with impunity. Their schtick was that glueing knives and razor blades to the dash of a deathtrap would make them drive extra carefully...

The Mazda 3 is an excellent car, far better than a Civic or Corolla. If I was buying used though, the Focus is the same car with much worse resale value.

 

And the Mazda 3 isn't going to encourage this behavior as well?

 

Many people get that confused. The Focus and Mazda3 are NOT the same car. They're both on completely different platforms. The Mazda3 is the better car.

The "all-new" Focus that was just launched in Europe is on the same platform as the Mazda3. We don't get the new Focus until '07 I believe.

The new Volvo S40 is on that platform as well.

 

If your parents have not test driven a MINI, they NEED to. Back-to-back, against your other options.

With the safety data for the MINI you have, it should be clear which is safest on the roads.
The braking, steering, and suspension performance of the MINI draw you into the motoring experience. End result: you will be much more attentive and alert in the MINI.

I just returned from vacation, where I drove a rental Jeep Wrangler, and a very nice 4-door Jetta. Both felt disconnected and "soft" in pedal and engine response, after my MINI. I felt like I was asking permission to brake, accelerate, and turn.

It will take work for your parents to accept the MINI as a viable transportation choice and investment. Go easy on them, and be grateful when they see the light and recognize the safest small car on the road.

The motoring fun to come is just icing on the cake ;-)

Cheers,
Matthew Z.

 

maybe you should ask them for "driving school" ....heck...you all should go...like Skip Barber...or whatever is close to you...

 

If you end up throwing in the towel on a Mini. . .

For the love of god, please test drive a 2.5RS before you sign up for the Mazda 3.

When we were shoping to replace a 92 Integra, we compared the RS to the 3. The RS is much more fun to drive and seems much more solid than the 3. Don't get me wrong, the 3 is a nice car, but most of the real safety features are options you have to add (i.e. ABS). That and (this is personal preference) the interior seems likely to feel dated in a short period of time.

The grunty 2.5 liter boxer has plenty of torque and the design offers a low CG. Plus, AWD has got to be one of the best active safety features you can have in a car.

 

From the looks of things, it does not look like you will be getting an MC ... sucks ... but the Mazda 3 is a solid car with a fun ride and solid interior as well.

My friends daughter actually "chose" it over an MC a few months ago and I agree it's not a bad car.

Would I buy it? ... heck no!

 

Read here http://slate.msn.com/id/2121075

 

haven't driven a Mazda3 yet, but just curious. What's the handling difference between it and the MINI? Especially on windy roads?

 

Dude go home and hug your parents for caring about you so much


Then get the car they want you to get as you stated you are not the best driver I would hate to see you get your dream MINI only to scrape it up a bit. Wait a few years when you are a more seasoned driver get your dream MINI.

I know you are probably a fine driver but with milage comes experience. If I can give one bit of advise drive like you are on a motorcycle, watch the other dudes they are all idiot drivers.

I too was fortunate enough to have parents who cared but at the time mine gave in and purchased me a 1982 Trans Am what a beautiful car at the time it was new and best of all red. 4 wrecks later my dream car was no more,luckly for me I was never at fault but my dream car was kaput!

Had I been a seasoned driver maybe I would have realized the situation and slowed down or sped away from trouble. MINI's will only get better with time. BTW you are young and the MINI back seats are very small for making out

 

i have read countless articles about bmw's protecting their passengers so much that it constantly amazes emergency response people at the accident scene. tell your pop that the bimmer..i mean cooper has far more safety fetures, from head protection air bag to dsc, four wheel discs, battery fire protection etc...than most if not all of the competition.

safety is not the issue with the mini, maybe reliability, but not safety or resale.

 

The most obvious difference right off the bat was the steering wheel. The MINI's wheel is much tighter.

Ironically, I didn't get to take the MINI through that many curves, but the Mazda was taken through a nice curvy bit or road. There was some body roll, but everything was smoooth. I had to do a bit of a maneuver around some roadkill and the car handled well. The suspension was definitely not as sporty as the MINI - it absorbed a lot of road feel in my opinion, but to me (and call me crazy), it handled just as well as my father's TSX.

The 3's engine is DEAD quiet. Maybe I'm just used to the clunker I used to drive.

So, to sum up - handling good, not great. Suspension smooth (plus or a minus, depending on your preference). Interior solid, but a tad bland. Build quality solid, but not to MINI's level in terms of strength.

A good second place to the MINI out of the cars I've been in. I still don't really like the styling of the 3 though.

 

but it's up to ur' parent's overall

 

It seems tome your "parental units" are fierce Japanese car lovers.

So did you have a little chat with them? Are they car shopping for you or themselves?