Interesting story! Here at MINI of Pittsburgh, all of us drive MINIs! Most of us actually own our very own (IOW - not driving Demos.)

I have thought over this question MANY MANY MANY times. I still don't have a good answer. I think we'll see a lot more interesting choices on the market in the next 12 -18 months. Oddly enough I think I would be looking at either a Toyota Tacoma (is that sacrilegious?) or a Classic Mini. Really! I just couldn't afford either a Lotus Elise or an Ariel Atom which are at the top of my fun car list.

 

Not to highjack the thread.
I always ask the sales rep if they drive/own the brand they sell.
Usually if they say no, I find another rep.
It's a given.

 

I was interested in a Toyota Tacoma too. The X-Runner...six-speed manual, tight suspension, good power. Too bad I was shopping last winter and they weren't slated to come out until spring. That was before I had the revelation; "Hey...I could have one of those MINIs!"

 

C&D driver Csaba Csere got one of the first production Veyrons to 253 in speed mode and held it there for three miles on VW's Ehra-Lessien test track in Germany (see the November issue.) Estimated mpg at steady 253: 3.

1,001 BHP, 922 lb-ft of torque at 2200 rpm
4300 lb curb weight, so these (estimated #'s) arent surprising

0-62: 2.9
0-100: 6.0
0-200: 22.0
standing 1/4 mile: 10.4 @ 140mph

With the power of two Z06's, the Veyron has multimodes: normal, handling (which tops out at about 230) and speed, where it really hunkers down, all flaps are closed, and both wings retract for the least amount of drag.

Me? I've had my S to 128, and I cannot comprehend 253 mph. The car even has a horsepower gauge in the cluster.

And at $1.25 mil, we can all dream on, Jimbo

 

Saw them almost destroy a Veyron at the 2004 Monterey Historics when they unveiled it the first time here in use at Laguna Seca (vs the previous year when it was just on display) - the driver lost it for a minute and it started spinning out

Amazing and unique looking car

 

I've always wanted a restored Nash Metropolitan.

 

Well, you asked what I would consider:

BMW 3 series, 03-05
Mercedes C class, 97-01
Acura RSX-S
Honda Accord EX V6

 

just read about it in Automobile. Still, I have a hankerin' for a used XK8 or XKR... Lovely lines. Another one is Factory Five racing cobra kit. I love the early cobras, and always wanted to build a car...

Matt

 

Funny you would say that, because the SRT-4 and the Mini use the same exact engine

 

Heat-resistant face-mask... check... welding gloves and apron... check... stands back and says to himself, "this should be good..."

 

Matt, I don't know if i mentioned it in my first post, but if the Z4 coupe were out today, I think that I would have a hard time getting a MINI. I really like the design of the reagular Z4, and I think that the coupe just makes everything that was iffy about it right. I love the sloping hatch & how it all comes together back there. It's probaly a good thing that i'll have to buy an 06 before they are gone and the Z4 coupe won't be out yet.....

of course, after the MINI I'll be looking at the Coupe as well as what ever they do with the M2.... :smile:

-jac

 

I've started to notice a couple of Audi TT convertibles around here that look good to me, especially the green one.

 

Maybe a Vespa Scooter... one of the new fast ones!

In red, to match my MINI...

 

I agree, Vespa scooters are great. In the late 50's and early 60's I rode an AllState Crusair to high school, (yes, I'm verrry old). It was sold from the Sears catalog and was really a 125cc Vespa.

There are also some Vespa clones that are 95% identical to the older Vespa's. The Stella by www.genuinescooters.com is one of the better ones.

Seriously considering getting one.

 

Hmmmm . . . '06 STI v. MCS JCW. Hmmmmm . . .

 

"Da MINI" is forever. So our next 2nd car will probably be a Pontiac G6 4/door. Not a great car but I think a great "looking" car simply because It expresses that "shortened" look, especially in the back. Does'nt have a lot of chrome and has a clean, simple, elegant look to it.

Again, not a "great" car, so I should be able to find one (new/used) at a bargin. Plus, that's what my wife wants, so she'll love it and will want to take care of it.

Problem is, she'll want to "retake" our one-car garage and "Da MINI" ain't staying outside. So I'll have to buy the G6 so that I can claim that I own both cars and so it's my call as to which car gets the garage. Than she will counter that she "owns" me and anything that I have ever bought/owned and so it's her call. And than both me and "Da MINI" will be staying outside...the house...Did I mention that I bought the house also...which means she owns it too...DAMN!!!

 

I think it would take 2 cars to replace my MCS. A daily driver like a Golf or Jetta Turbo Diesel and a project car like this;

http://www.classicmotorsports.net/projects/manx.php

 

Not sure I understand this. MSRP on an STI is around $33K. The EVO MR is around $36K.

The old M Coupe was over $40K - are you talking about a used one? A used 2002 is around $27K. The new M Coupe will likely be well over $40K as well.

 

[QUOTE=Nuff]Good luck finding an 02 M Coupe for 27k - perhaps at auction or a high mileage car of questionable condition - if you find a good one for that by all means buys it!

They did go for the 42-45k range when new and have held their value very very well as enthusiast cars, selling recently up to 40k still for low low mileage examples (the prices do vary quite a bit depending on timing, circumstances, etc and range from approx 32k-36k for the somewhat low average miles they seem to have). FWIW the numbers of 02 M Coupes in this country overall is pretty low, in the hundreds - the 01 & 02 model years combined are in the 600s combined with much fewer 02s in the mix.

Can you tell I'm an M Coupeophile

And yes, the new one will be rather more $$ no doubt - will have the same engine with some more hp but no sexy curves

 

Before I bought my MCS, I considered the following:

A3
RX-8
WRX
R32
RSX

I was looking for a fun commute car. I needed a back seat which ruled out a few other cars.

I'm 100% satisfied with my decision. But if money were no object, then I'd get one of these:

911 Carrera S
Lotus Exige

Ah, what the hell:

Ferrari F430
Carrera GT
Enzo

 

Didn't realize that they were still so high.

 

I took my wife to check out a Kia Rio and a Hyundai Accent before going to the MINI dealer.

 

haha that must have really surprised your wife when you got into the mini!

 

What two cars could you show your wife to make sure she would pick the MINI? I now have a nice 2006 Hyper Blue Mini.

 

Audi A3 or Seat Leon Cupra