mini owners, viable as "only car"?

[nostatic]

Well, since I'm off of 2 wheels, I think I want a little more fun and perhaps comfort in my daily driver. The Subie 2.5 wagon is ok, but it is lacking a bit wrt zip (sometimes you need some hp to survive LA fwys). I was thinking of swapping to a WRX wagon, but I might as well consider other options. I was thinking of a tow vehicle but really don't have the space or whatnot for a trailer anyway. And I think I still like driving to/from the track.

So a Mini is another option. I like hatchbacks as it makes it easier to carry my music gear. The vehicle needs to be able to hold more than two people (ie my son and g/f or son's friends), and will make road trips and beach runs, as well as be the daily driver. I'm trying not to spend a ton of money...Subaru has reasonably low finance rates right now as they try and get rid of the '06 models.

I was also thinking of finding a 964 as a daily driver, but I'm not sure i want to be on the hook for the maintenance and suprise costs...

[Moses]

My dad had a Mini S. I borrowed that car every chance I got. Fun to drive, solid and believe it or not, roomy. I wouldn't hesitate to use one as my only car.

Last time I was in L.A. I saw a Cooper S painted flat black, lowered with polished aluminum rims. Beautiful.

[techweenie]

Interesting timing on the question.

I'm going to look for an 'occasional' second car for an ex- who has been driving a Mini for nearly 2-1/2 years. She has two pre-teen daughters and occasionally needs to haul more stuff than the Mini can comfortably consume. However, it will be a cheap hauler (older Cherokee) and she'll use the Mini 95% of the time.

[Jim Richards]

BMW's Mini Cooper S is a bit heavy and underpowered in it's stock configuration, IMO. Handling is lively. I'm also wondering about how it'll handle your music equipment, Todd. How much stuff are you hauling to gigs?

[masraum]

According to Peter Egan they work great for 4 people unlike a 911 or worse yet, miata.

[nostatic]

I have a fairly small bass rig. Usually it is a head and small 1-10 cabinet. For larger gigs I have a 2-10 cabinet. All of it would easily fit in the hatch with one or both of the back seats folded down. In my Subie all the amp stuff fits in the back hatch with the rear seats in position. Then the bases just sit in the back seat.

It might be easier to just swap for a WRX wagon...no muss no fuss at the dealership. Or just keep the 2.5, but part of the reason for buying the low power Subie was that I would have the bike to amuse me. Or maybe I'll just drag the 911 back into more daily use, but on RA-1s, that would suck. Maybe find some cheap 16s with street tires...

[Jims5543]

I miss my MINI dearly and wish I had not sold it to buy my P-car. I should have sold a kidney instead.

Loose the crappy run flats add a set of Kosai K-1 16" rims and a good set of street tires (I liked my Falken Azenis) and you have a little street rocket that, no patter how fast you go, people just point and say, "Look at the cute little car!!".

I could drive that car in a way that would get me arrested in my RX-7 or Porsche and never got a second look.

BTW- I could haul 4 tires a flor jack took box cooler folding chair and a passanger to Autocrosses and track days with it.

[911boost]

My friend just ordered a Mini for his wife. They have 2 kids, and he is a big guy, I am still interested in seeing how it all works out for him.

I say go with the WRX wagon. I haven't driven an 06, but I have heard the 2.5 ltr motor makes a huge improvement in the off boost performance. I really like my WRX. Its a fun little car and I can get 30 mpg on the interstate if I try real hard to stay off the boost. Under normal driving 80% highway, I get about 27 mpg.

I'd also consider getting a dirt bike. That way you can still ride, and it hurst a lot less to fall in the dirt.

[vash]

drove a WRX lately. dont know about the MINI, but the subie rocks. my girlfriend wants to trade in her turbo forestor for the STi. great girl, but too practical to actually pull the trigger.

[rammstein]

Has anyone else noticed that Minis don't seem to depreciate?

[Jims5543]

Originally posted by rammstein
Has anyone else noticed that Minis don't seem to depreciate?

Yes!! I have been watching the MINI market closely and they are just not coming down in prices yet. Its taking forever for a CooperS to come close to the 10K range. The 2003's are still getting in the 15-18K range.

[nostatic]

yeah, the Minis hold their value better than every car except the S2000 (and they are in a dead heat).

I'm going to drive one as soon as my leg is healed. I think the Subie is likely a bit more practical. I'd love to get an STI but I can't really justify the expense as I don't need quite that much juice. Plus I love hatchbacks.

Hmm...maybe I need a Cayman

[911boost]

The Minis are fun, but man, there can't be that much room in them.

My view is ofcrouse a little bit skewed as this is my daily driver / commuter car.

[cantdrv55]

My wife uses the MINI for Costco runs sometimes. Not sure though if it'll hold a guitar and two people at the same time. I think you'd need to lower one of the back seats and the front passenger seat. Your passenger may have to sit behind you. Maybe you can lower both back seats and have the guitar diagonal in the car?

How long is your bass rig? Let me know and I can measure the trunk space for you.

[cantdrv55]

A MINI as your only car/daily driver is not an issue. Our 2005 has been rock-solid since we bought it used at 9K miles. It now has 15K miles and has only been to the dealership once - for the under-warranty oil change. It's still under warranty until 36K miles - all services included.

We bought it for our son, who'll start driving in exactly 1 month. I am rethinking the whole MINI thing for him because, even though it is a non-S, it is zippy. And though it has air bags all over, has the optional sport package and dynamic stability control, I am still worried that it's too small for a 15 1/2 year old to be driving all the time. Plus, it's got the optional Harman Kardon stereo thing w/iPod adapter that's going to distract him. I think I'm going to sell it for around $21K. I hope it's held its value that well.

[pwd72s]

I'd say take the kids with you...see how they fit in the back seat.
Then keep in mind that if you keep feeding kids, they get bigger.

[onlycafe]

i think the reason they are holding their value is that bmw is not building them the way chrysler is making pt cruisers. i was at a mini lot two years ago, even though the lot was full of cars there was a long wait. all the lot cars were spoken for. more demand , less supply= higher prices

[VincentVega]

Loved my Mini S, great car. Obviously the backseat is not meant for a basketball team, but for my 6'3" 240lbs it was perfect in the drivers seat. I once took a 3 guys to the airport w/ full travel gear. It might have looked liked the circus, but we made it in one piece.

[deanp]

I just bought a non-S Mini for commuting with and have put on 1700 miles in 3 weeks. I am 6'2" and fit just fine with the seat not all the way back or all the way down, with room for a helmet. When we went for the test drive, I drove, my wife was in the passenger seat with the seat a comfortable distance from the dash and the 'motoring advisor' sat in the back passengers seat, and he was also 6'2".

The space behind the rear seats is about 32"W x 12" x maybe 18" before you get to the shelf that sits at the bottom of the window. Last week I brought home a new tank (40gal breeder size) for our tortoise, measurment was 36"L x 18"W x 18"D, fit on top of the folded down rear seats with another 12" to spare behind, but the 36" length was pretty much max between the wheel wells.

On Saturday we watched my niece and nephew, 9 and 12 yrs old. Both sat in the back seat and my wife and I were both comfortable up front.

I opted for the non-S because we also have my 911 and a 986 for fun. I'm getting 33mpg on 50/50 mix of highway /city driving, and have a solid range of 400 miles per tank.

90% of the cars on the dealer lot (32 cars) were sold and if I didn;t buy the car I did, I would have had to place my order spec'd the way I wanted fit into the production schedule the following week and wait a month.

The car is definitely a momentum car, doesn't accelerate very quickly, but is very lively between 4 and 6K. I have started to push it on the backroads where I live and it takes everything that is thrown at it without complaint and just sticks to the road. I can only imagine what performance tires instead of run-flats would be like. Scooting through traffic is also a breeze. The brakes are on par with the Boxster and 911. Jim's comment about zipping around and not attracting attention is spot on. "No way that cute little car could be going that fast..." Best way to describe the feel is fully enclosed go kart. Great fun without looking like the stereotypical boy racer flavor of the day.

If you need specific measurements, let me know and I can get them for you in the AM.

Can you tell I am completely satisfied with Milo the MINI so far? (yeah, all the cars have names....)

[FrayAdjacent911]

If you can sacrifice a bit of power in exchange for efficiency, the Honda Fit has been reported to handle musical equipment well, what with the 'Magic Seats'.