If you are going to keep it a long time, service and repair costs are going to be lower on the Honda. The MINI's of course are free for the first 36k of service. I have owned a Civic for 10 years (165k) and a MINI for 2, but you can already tell just from normal maintenance parts cost.

 

in early 2006 I test drove the following:
VW GTI
Mazda Speed3
Honda Civic SI
'07 MCS
'06 MCS

The VW's electronics and general build quality issues scared me, but it was a great car, it felt bigger than the MCSs and was a second place...
The Mazda just felt cheap and had severe blind spots (an the dealer was an ***)
The Honda felt like an econobox with a great shifter and an engine that was fun to wring out once past 4000+rpm, but has a good resale and few issues, but I couldn't get past the spaceship interior and the fact that its due for a refreshening, so it'll look "OLD" next year. (And I'd need to put and exhaust and suspension on the car immediately.)

The '07 MCS felt more mature an powerful than the '06
The '06 was more fun to drive, and was purchased through the MiniNEXT (CPO) program, so I got a great deal, good (extended) warranty, and a high resale when its time to change up, so if there are any issues, BMW will fix it, and the car was so good it didn't NEED any mods out of the box... (My only mods are a hardwired a Valentine1 and got a second set of wheels for winter tires).

My next car will probably be the '08+ JCW2.
or the BMW 135.

My biggest reason to buy was the 'fun to drive' factor, followed by fuel eco (as I drive 100/day), resale, reliabilty...

Test drive them (again)... we're all biased here
Good luck, and hopefully welcome to the famliy.

 

I currently own a RSX, have owned every DOHC VTEC engine ever, except the S2000. I also drove the Si for a whole summer before i got the MINI.

The Si only have 140 ft.lbs of toqrue but has a high final drive and shorter ratios that make the wheel torque higher. (It is all in the ratios). The Motor revs up effortless and is probably way faster then MCS on a track. The Si is more stable at high speed turns, but not as nimble.

I was really torn, and the Si was alot cheaper then the MCS for me, but in the end i chose the MCS.

Day2day driveablity is better on the MCS, but as a track toy you can not go wrong with a Honda motor. the LSD is better on the honda, and the gears box is as good as the MCS.

The MCS is way more refined in the feel from inside, that BMW touch. The Civic seats are wonderful, but since it has a trunk and not a hatch, you can not get as much stuff into the car.

The big difference is passing at high speed, the CIVIC Si will have to shift down from 6th to 4th to get into VTEC. The MCS has power at 2000 but loosess it as you get up in RPM, so to pass the MCS is better...to pull away at 90mph with some work the SI is faster.


www.honda-tech.com is a fantastic site and lost of help with issues from electrical to suspension to looks and wheel. It is as big as vwvortex

 

Honestly the Civic is probably a better car, better quality and nothing will ever break on it for the first 150,000 miles, from my experience with Hondas. The MINI will have a few problems here & there, and you will probably have to go to the dealer at least once a year, if not more, to have something fixed. But the MINI is more exciting to look at, more exciting to drive and easier to fall in love with. It really depends on what you are looking for in a car. If you want a car to get you from point A to point B, that is fun to drive, but also very reliable, get the Honda, if you want something a little more special and can live with the quality quirks get the MINI.

 

IMO the 07 MCS has plenty of power. Not that I advocate violating the law but 2nd gear gets you to highway speed in no time. 3rd gear puts you at 80 MPH. 4th gear puts you out to 115 MPH. Guess what.... You still have two more gears to go. So if you are doing 70 MPH and drop it into 4th, you had better be paying close attention when you hammer the throttle.

I rest my case...

 

Jahmills, I've posted on some of the honda forums and it seems like the Civic Si is not without its own set of build quality issues.

Regarding the quality issues on the MCS, I'm hoping that the '08s are a little better since they've had a whole year now to work out the bugs and there aren't any major changes this year.

 

My fiance went from an 04 MCS to an 06 Si. He's always been a Honda guy at heart and drives a lot (ie his Si is only a year and 4 months old and has 54k miles on it and he had 116k miles on his MCS when he traded it in after 2 years). If he didn't commute a lot he said he would have gotten another MCS. However, his MCS was in the shop at least once a month and his Honda just went into the shop for the first time yesterday. On a day to day the Honda is more reliable. He also argued that to get close to the power of the Si, he'd have to spend close to $10k more on an MCS (ie get the JCW, etc).
Personally a Honda's not for me, I'm on my third and fourth MINI, but like others have said, you came to a MINI board so that will probably be the majority of your answers.

 

I was considering the Civic Si sedan. But having already a Toyota Corolla S, made my decision easier. Why buy another car in the same category like my Corolla. Instead I looked at the 07 MCS. Faster, more fuel efficient, timeless design. You can spec it the way you want it. A lot cooler looking than the Si, there is just no comparison.

I took my friend and my brother out in a little test drive, watching not to rev it over 4.5K rpm and the car was a blast to drive. Very good handling. My friend who owns a WRX told me the stock MCS is faster than his Subaru WRX when it was stock. Plus better handling too.

I couldn't be happier. If I ever sell this car, it will be for a newer version of the MINI.

 

what are they saying on the civic forum?

 

Ask yourself if you would like a fun rice-burner aka an upscale Mexican Sportscar, or would you prefer a Kraut-Cooker- a Baby Beemer- that is tons of fun to drive and extremely unique. And here's the kicker. The tuning potential of the MCS' Turbocharged 1.6L Four-banger.

 

That is the same question's I asked myself. I rather have a MINI that is unique. Not only because there are not many around, but because I configured it the way I like it. Also a Turbo car has more potential for getting more power.

I got some mods planned on mine. Alta CAI, Turbo Inlet Hose and Cat-Back exhaust.

 

upscale Medican Sportscar? Where do you get Mexican from? the Civic Si is built in Canada.

 

Nothing to great I'd imagine... I told some folks at work I was going to get a 2008 MINI Cooper S, and I heard a range of comments, from "It's a deathtrap!" to "They're 'gay' pieces of $#@*"

It is one of those things... if you haven't driven one, you won't think much about it.

Once you get in it, however... it has the power to change even the most stubborn of minds.

 

When you're driving around, roll down your window and listen for- fart, farrtt, faarrrttt and ffaaarrrrtttt. You'll know then.

 

I am in the same situation myself, I keep going back and forth about it how I see it between my options.

2008 MINI Cooper S
+Great Welcoming Community
+29city/36highway
+Fun to drive
+MINI Events
+The dealer I have are on salary not commission so I have never been pressured (makes the car buying experience so much better without sharks around.)
+BMW Build Quility
-(+)Front Wheel Drive (But driving it feels like a RWD car until you push it to the limit then you can tell its FWD)
-Things price up real fast when spec-ing your MINI
-Or when you want something you have to purchase one the to get it (example the Nav you have to get MFSW and Auto AC.)

2008 Honda Civic Si Sedan (my person pref.)
+$21,310 and you get limited slip, a 350w stereo system (things that cost extra on the MINI)
+A lot of mods available
-'Cause you'll need them when you get board of the 197hp/139lb.-ft of tq.
-A lot of people wanting to street race you or revving there engines at you.
-Have to try to find the car you want because Honda doesn't let you order them.

Last night I almost bit the bullet and drove down to possibly purchase a 2008 Civic Si, I sat around and thought about it and I am glad that I am just gonna go through and put down my deposit for 2008 MCS instead. I can get it how I want it, the only part that sucks is waiting. I am coming from a 1988 BMW 535iS so I am really craving a new car with better gas mileage for when I start commuting to my school in January.

 

The Civic Si states it has 197 Hp, try again! Grassroots motorsports dyno'd the Si and found 168 with even less torque then Honda states. They dyno'd the 07 MCS and found 175 Hp with 197 torque. The Japanese like to state their Hp figures at the crank BMW state their figures at the wheel where it counts. All car magazines I have read so far have stated much better 0-60 and quarter mile compared to the Si. Around a track the MCS blows away the Si in every category which have been stated by reputable car magazines. By the way I have owned 2 Honda Si,s and one normal Civic, Good cars but not in the same league as the Mini S.

 

Try to spec a Mini Cooper S with the stuff that the Honda Civic Si comes with. And see the price difference, It might not be too much. Plus you get a Turbo with a lot more torque.

0-60mph for the Cooper S is 6.2 to 6.4 sec according to Road & Track, and for the Civic Si is 6.7 to 6.8 sec., The Civic Si is limited to about 129mph and the MCS to 139mph. Also there was a comparison between them and the MCS was a lot more fuel efficient.

 

I just saw some best motoring videos, and some of the TUNED civic si's were really really fast, passing up sti's, 350z's, and a lotus at the track. I was watching this and wondered if it's cuz it's a Japanese show, or if they're really that fast. I figure aftermarket on a Civic SI will be insane, and Honda does make good cars.

An MCS is gonna cost you more. Now, later, if you want to mod it, everything will cost more. You have to decide if the enjoyment you get driving an MCS is worth this extra cost.

 

Well, if you don't mod the car. The MCS is faster than the stock Civic Si. You really need to rev that engine to get the power down. It depends on your driving. For me, mostly city driving and freeway, I like the torque the MCS provides. When I looked at Moding the Civic Si. I looked at Hondata for their ECU, but you need at least a Cold Air Intake with that, and an exhaust to start making good power. I know that ALTA has an ECU that will get you good power, without having to buy the Intake or Exhaust if you don't want to.

 

If build quality of the Mazda bothers you, forget the MINI. I have had several Mazdas and have never experienced anything like the rattles and quality issues I have on my MINI. Worse yet, the dealer considers the crap build "normal."

 

I never drove a Civic Si but did own a 2007 CIVIC EX for ten months unit it was totalled. I remember the spacious interior and spacey dash. On the negative side, performance was a little weak, the interior finishes were low class, and the visibility from within the vehicle was not too good.
In contrast, an MCS espescially with leather is much more sumptous. The interior is far higher quality, the performance is better, the visibily is great, and it acturally feels like a much more substancial product than the Honda.
enough said.

 

What ever you do, I'd steer clear of the VW. They are having a multitude of electrical issues, and people are trading them for whatever they can get their hands on... The only drawback I see with the MINI is the dealerships are spread out so far apart, it's hard to get service (ex. there's five dealers in SoCAL; those that live in Northern Idaho or Spokane have to travel seven hours to Seattle). Conversely, there's probably a Honda and Mazda dealer in every major (and most rural) towns in the CONUS Tough decision, but I like a car the corners like a German Sheppard chasing a Postman which = MINI

Good luck on your decision and keep us apprised

 

I had a Civic Si back in 2000. Pretty fun little car all the way to about 1800 miles when it got stolen (and stripped literally to the shell). While it wasn't as much fun as my MCS and it's a thief magnet, it was much cheaper than my MINI (by about $7k after my options).
Power upgrades will probably be cheaper on the Civic but the low end torque on the stock MCS will have you grinning like a banshee.

At the end of the day will you be getting out of a Civic with a smile on your face? You will with a MINI.

 

On a side note, I regularly see 35 MPG city and 40 MGP on the highway on my 07 MCS. This is definitely higher than advertised with moderate driving. I wonder how good the mileage would be if I could actually do the spped limit....

 

OK, I just build an MCS with the stuff that the Civic Si has and the difference was $2,330.00

The MCS was $24,800.00 which included the $550 Hi-Fi stereo(310watts), the LSD was $500, and $600 for the 17" rims, $850 for Panoramic Sunroof. The MCS comes with front fog lamps standard.

The Civic Si comes with LSD standard, sunroof and 350Watt sound system and doesn't have fog lamps, which I added for $325. The final price $22,470