>>>>The prices iam talking about are in canadian dollars
>>>>the c230 kompressor mercedes started at the 33,000 dollar range (CANADIAN)
>>>>and the mini S with the sunroof, computer, foglights and metalic paint and i think thats all i wanted came to 37 000 bucks. (canadian)
>>>>so between the 2 cars with all tax included the difference between the two cars was 4 or 5 thousand bucks.
>>>>
>>>>by the way has anyone been using their mini in the snow??? since iam in canada we get a good dumping every now and then. so i was just wondering how is the traction on the snow and ice surfaces??? anyone get stuck???
>>
>>I just went on the MINI Canada site and the MINI cooper as you say you want it spec'ed for is $32320 the merc C230 coupe/hatch is 38240 with similar option (sunroof, xenons, ang fog....no computer....i think it is standard)
>
>yeah now add the tax to it and it comes to 37,000 and change, trust me i went to both dealerships and got the exact quote. like i said before the difference in price was 4 to 5 thousand bucks betweent he two cars.
>>

 

like this:

MCS - C$32320, starts around 29k
C230 - C$38240, starts around 34k

Tax is irrelevant for this discussion, especially if your tax is a function (like, 6% of sale price, for example)

Despite reality, if you want to believe the MINI is more expensive as an excuse to buy the Merc, please, use it and make youreslf feel better!

This seems to be no longer a question of the MINI's quality (read other posts), but a discussion about which car is better for you. Give us more info on what you're looking for in a car, perhaps we can help better. :smile:

Cheers,
Ryan

 

more like this:

MCS= $29,600 after options + tax -37000

C230= $33,500 after options + tax -42000

both of these cars are in the same range of price with big companies backing their products.

how this mercedes vs mini cooper s started all had to do with what other cars i was looking at
when thinking of buying a mini. In no way was i wanting to make this thread a mini vs mercedes kinda fight. Simply just posted what all i was looking at when i was asked.
People have to keep in mind that iam still interested in the mini S and simply came on here to tell my story about how i was in line for the ordering, but when i started to see the results of what people had to say about it i backed down from ordering the car. I thought to myself maybe i should wait acouple more years until more bugs were worked out, or maybe people would tell me just not to bother and look for something else.....

 

Interesting thread, Korey.

I'll admit to having entertained similar quality doubts when I first started reading the forums. By now I've decided I'm on the order list as soon as the company bonus comes in, partly because my fears have been somewhat allayed, but also for the following two reasons:

1) I have a MINI dealership fifteen minutes from my house, directly along my commute to work. They promise to provide free loaner cars if the MINI's in service, so it'll be not bother at all to drop it off on the way to work, and pick it up on the way back.

2) I'm fairly certain that this car will be slow to depreciate, especially if you have a distinctive set of options and take very good car of the car. So I figure that if in two years I'm worried about the costs associated with keeping the car once it's out of of it's free service period -- I can pretty easily sell it and get plenty of money out of the deal to put down a downpayment on another car, even if I finance for five years and only put down a few thousand.

In the past, I've always been very cautious in my car selection (a driver of used Hondas and Toyotas) but all things considered, I've decided it's worth the risk to get out there and motor

 

[clip] So I figure that if in two years I'm worried about the costs associated with keeping the car once it's out of of it's free service period -- I can pretty easily sell it and get plenty of money out of the deal to put down a downpayment on another car, even if I finance for five years and only put down a few thousand.
[clip]

OK, finally a part of this thread I can resonate with...

I too am concerned about the cost of maintenance of the MINI once it gets out of warranty. In fact, this is my biggest fear about the car. Normally, I intend to keep my cars for about 10 years/200K miles. That means about 6 years/160K more than the warranty.

At this point, I have no real reason to believe that the MINI will have any more problems than the average car once it gets beyond warranty. BUT, based on what I've seen on some of the techical threads (the supercharger pulley change was quite enlightening) and the fact that MINI service seems confined to BMW dealers for the foreseeable future, I'm afraid that we'll be looking at $1000+ routine services to do things like alternators. This is quite scary.

So, for the time being, I'll hold off declaring the car a "short term" ownership...but I'll be watching very carefully as I start to get out of warranty.

 

Whew, glad I had a little time on my hands when I clicked on this one......

There are two reasons to buy a car - practical and emotional. It would take me longer to count the cars I've owned than it took me to read this thread, but the one thing I can tell you korey, is that if your aren't positively emotional about buying a MINI, you probably shouldn't buy it.

Until you can afford to buy to cars to satisfy both of your needs, stick with a Honda Accord (I put over 200k HARD ticks on one of those with out any problems - BORING!!)

 

Korey,

I think you should buy a toyota. I bought my second camry 5 years ago and like the first it never had a mechanical problem. At that point in my life, my daughter was learning to drive and I wanted her to be safe. Secondly I didn't want to deal with even the slightest problem (working 50 hours a week, in grad school, etc), so I went with what I knew would be absolutely reliable. Now I am waiting for my mini and I want something else (absolute fun motoring). So for me, the time is right. I don't think it is for you. :???:

 

If you're not sure that you wanted a MINI the second you laid eyes one one, chances are, you probally don't want a MINI much.. There is nothing out of the ordnary wrong with MINIs, so if you're not sure, you probally really don't want one.

 

korey,

Thanks for starting this thread. I share your same concerns.

I'm not a Mini owner yet and have read these reliability comments with considerable trepidation.

However, I've come to realize that most of the people who hang around this (or any) web community are the people who are really enthusiasts about the product. They are likely to be the most demanding. So, when things go wrong, they are highly critical.

Absolute perfection in reliability is impossible. But the Camry & Accord designs have been constantly refined for years, including several major redesigns. Most of the problems should have been worked out by now. If reliability and low cost of ownership are your goals, then those are two serious contenders.

Since BMW / Mini designed this car from a clean sheet of paper, it is bound to have some problems that could not be reasonably forseen. Some of those problems can be worked out over time by recalls & redesigns.

Buying a Mini now means accepting that it isn't perfect. You accept the risk of having problems in exchange for the fun factor of driving a Mini.

I've decided that this Mini is a car that I expect to keep for a maximum of 3 years. Most of that time will be under warranty (Switzerland - 2 year warranty).

The most concerning problem I see is this windshield issue. That could get very expensive because it may be difficult to determine who is at fault for cracking. Most of the other problems should be solveable.

Let us know what you decide.

Bill

 

Korey,

Go with the Mercedes. It's a very different car than the MINI, and I bet you will be happy with it. Or Accord/Camry/Altima are very reliable, good cars

Seems to me most folks buy the MINI because they are head over heels in love with it, even knowing there may be some problems.

I have bought Triumph's and Jaguars over the years because they called to me, and I had a great time with them. I try to forget how often I got stuck though! Then again, I have had many very realiable, very boring cars!

The MINI has a great warranty, and most of the "problems" are small. But if you don;t have the passion for it, don't ask. It's OK. It's not for everyone IMHO.