Enzo and 911 GT3 RS. I didn't have enough money so I placed an order for a MINI.

 

VW Rabbit, Impreza hatchback, Mazda3, Toyota Matrix, Jeep Wrangler.

Decided on the MC for the fun factor and the fuel efficiency. VW's reputation for high maintenance costs was an issue, as was (for me at least) really uncomfortable pedal placement in the Mazda.

 

Boy, this was just the thread i needed to read. What a great assortment of alternatives to the Mini that all came back to some great reasons in support of it. Now I'm curious (and maybe I should start another thread or search the archives) but how is the Mini in snow? Lots of snow, like western NY snow? Any quick answers while I search on my own for the more in-depth responses? Thanks!

 

for me i had always dream of the Volkswagen salsa red beetle. After finally being told by my parents I could get a car, i ran straight to the nearest volkswagen dealer only to be so disappointed by the interior of the car. It looked so plastic and cheap. Driving home we passed a mini cooper dealer and decided to take a look. I have never been so impressed by an adorable little car. I right there had to get it and 2 weeks later i ordered my mini cooper and patiently awaiting arrival.

 

Dodge Caliber
Ford Fusion
Pontiac G5
Ford Focus ZX3/ZX5
Subaru Imprezza WRX
Honda Element
Mitsubishi Lancer
Volkswagen Rabbit
Honda Civic
Toyota Yaris
Honda Fit

In the end, only one car would do.

 

SVT focus (traded in for mini), srt4 neon (ugly), cobalt ss...plain..

the mini is just awesome! and i think it has the best community!

 

New MINI vs new Honda Fit Sport.

Both in very short supply. Minimal to none in stock.

MINI was $900+ over MSRP with many dealer packs and $7000 more on the MSRP than the Fit. Fit was $300 over MSRP with little for options and minimal choice for trim level, transmission or color.

 

Other cars? None. I wanted a MINI. More specifically, a RED MINI.

I used to watch them race back in the late 60's and early 70's. That's when it all started. Over the years I've had lots of cars--many sports cars and sport sedans, and nearly all European--but the bug was still there. And last year I finally got my red MINI. Nothing else to consider!

 

Change the above to an X3 and that is pretty much my story

P.S. we did test drive the Fit Sport, but wife was not impressed!

 

We considered no other car. We previously owned another Mini and loved it. Unfortunately we had to get rid of it because of some problems. We then got a Civic Si and while it was a fun car and reliable it just wasn't as fun as a Mini.

 

Well actually I was looking for a small car close to 200 bhp and keep under 2.0 l engine.

Options were these:

Renault Clio Sport 187 bhp(the smallest of the contest)
Renault Megane Sport 200 bhp
ASTRA Sport 220 bhp
Pegueot 207 RC 175 bhp (same mini engine)
VW GTI with DSG gearbox 200 bhp
Volvo C30 170 bhp
Mini Cooper S

Something bigger wouldn't fit in the garage, finally Mini won.

 

I considered both the Acura TL Type-S and the Honda S2000 for about a year. Then I spent another ½ year looking at Minis.
Configuring, changing, re-configuring... New model yr came out... changed colors back and forth, different option packages, this and that… Yari, Yari, Yara...

Finally took the plunge on April 13th. One month and I haven't looked back since.

 

Well... I actually wasn't looking at the MINI at all.

I took a day off from work and ventured southward (Albuquerque) to test drive cars. I wanted something relatively inexpensive and fun to drive with a manual tranny and decent gas mileage. I was looking at the Scion xD and xB and the Mazda 3 5-door and the VW Rabbit 5-door and finally the Mitsubishi Lancer GTS. After driving the cars, I liked the 2007 VW Rabbit 5-door with a manual transmission a lot better than the others (I used to have a 2000 GTI GLX) and started to look for a 2008 model (20 more horses than the 07).
None of the local dealers had any 08 models with a stick, so I thought I would just wait a little longer. Since I had some time to kill before dinner time, my buddy and I decided to go look at the MINIs - take note that I wanted a MCS when they were first introduced back into the American market. The problem was that there wasn't a dealer in NM at the time...
Anyway, I drove the MC first and came away unimpressed. At that point, the MA told me to drive the MCS just for the heck of it (it was more than I wanted to spend, so I was a little hesitant) and so I did. After the test drive, I couldn't wipe the grin off of my face. It made me smile like no other car EVER has. In that moment, I decided that I just HAD to get one. Two weeks later, I traded my 2005 Acura RSX Type S for a 2007 PS/B MCS.

 

Something tells me you don't put U.S.A. in your return address. Renault? ASTRA? Peugeot? What are they? Just kiddin'--we're visiting right now--have seen lots of them!

 

Civic Si
MazdaSpeed3
GTI
WRX

The mini was clearly the most fun to drive... There is something to be said for the ms3 though, that thing is fast.

 

Believe it or not, I was focused on getting a new Pontiac G8!! A great new car indeed but waaaaaaaaaaaay too big for me and not much fun. I was hoping for one with an LS3 and approx 430 HP. Pontiac will eventually put that engine in, but for me the MINI is all I want in a car. Fun, great looking, fast and turns on a dime.......oh!! Did I say...Good Gas Mileage???

I also took a look at the R32 with it's sweet exhaust sound. The MINI won out.

 

You have good taste either way, the G8 is actually a Holden coupe which is Australian (English by proxy) but the Mini is a better choice

 

GTI
A3
328i
MCS

Actually only tested the MCS and decided it was for me. It all came down to sport for me, and A3 didnt seem to be sport enough. I started to think the GTI looked a little bland - sweet plaid seats though - and the 328i was a littttttle bit to family centric (dont want to give the GF any ideas).

 

I considered a VW Beetle, Prius, and Lexus IS.
The MCS won by a mile.

 

VW GTI
BMW 1 Series

Went with the MCS and have no regrets. Not a one.