I drove a fiesta ST for a few laps and it was an absolute blast

I really like the minis, but I have certainly heard my fair share of bad press related to ease of maintenance

The Abarth sounds fun, but there have been enough nasty threads here and otherwise to scare me a bit. Sounds like they are either great or a nightmare, so I'm glad you got a good one Don!

Mazdaspeed 3 ought to be on your short list if you want something fun and practical.

Test drove one when I got my current DD. It was as fun as a barrel of monkeys, but I was not looking for practical.

Since this has widened I pulled out my "list" - Which I originally made about 6 weeks ago.
I originally was thinking that I would buy something new or a used BMW, I have since thought that I didn't want to spend that much on my "daily".

Clown Shoe / Z3 / Z4
E46 M3 - All BMW's Crossed off due to cost /practicality / perceived high maintenance
Focus / Fiesta ST
WRX - Crossed off due to high cost
Mazda 3
S2000 - Crossed off due to cost /practicality
2001 + Miata- Crossed off due to practicality
BRZ/FRS - Crossed off due to practicality
2013+ GTI - Added due to good reports from current owners
Mini - Started considering these last week. Didn't know any owners
Abarth - Considered briefly, then decided they were probably not dependable. Don't know any owners.

While we are almost empty nesters (the two youngest are away at college most of the year) I still find a lot of use for a bigger car when I don't want to take my truck.

If there are no practical considerations and the weather is decent I take the 911.

"I would need to take my truck every time I was fishing or shooting or running errands. Hatchbacks are so handy"
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I took out the rear seats in my Abarth...added sound-proofing, floor platform, and carpet...now a mini SUV.
BTW, no spare tire...just a jack and a can of Slime. Bought a mint salvaged OEM wheel ($125, free shipping) and a new tire.
.
Note: Red baby sock over leather gear knob to absorb skin oil - I can be a little anal at times. :o
.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1509477700.jpg

Truth be told...a little rattle in the passenger's rear light assy. Comes 'n goes.
Will inspect one day. ;)

Wife had a 2007 MINI S Clubman, fun car to drive, but lots of problems including the turbo going early. MINI/BMW were awful, so much so that I'm off BMW's as well as MINI.

A friend had a 500 Abarth for a couple of years with no problems. He loaned it to me for a few weeks. Lots of fun to drive!

Don,

Love that “SUV” shot of your Abarth, though I’d want that spare a little more secure than a single strap. Looks quite practical otherwise.

To the OP, I’d also suggest the Mazda 3, or the Focus/Fiesta.

My friend has a Mini Cooper S, he cannot outrun my stock Tiguan either in the twisties or straight pulls.

Abarth
 

Bought my wife's 2013 Abarth Convertible new. It now has 60,000 miles and we have done only scheduled maintenance. It has never left her stranded. Put new front brakes and new tires on it this past summer. When we bought it, I expected that we would want to get rid of it by now, but she continues to like it and it is surprisingly cheap to run and dependable.

It is a great city car because it is quick enough to get to any hole in traffic and small enough to fit into any parking space with plenty of room to avoid door dings. The exhaust note is wonderful and the convertible top arrangement gives most of the benefits of a closed car in the winter and most of the benefits of a convertible in the summer.

I am surprised how much we like it and how dependable it has been. Of course am now hoping I have not jinxed it.

I purchased a 2003 JCW brand new and ticked off 25K very hard miles on it. I did multiple track days and too many Autcrosses to count.

I also drove it like I stole it every time I got in it, the supercharger whine is very addicting. Not one problem over the 25K hard miles I put on it.

Ironically I sold it after 2 years because I had this itch to own a Porsche 911.

Fast forward to 2015 and I decided I wanted another R53 JCW. I found a 2005 JCW with 70K miles on it, my wife daily drives it 100 miles a day. It has given us exactly zero problems in the last 2 years. It is about to turn 100K miles. We drive it everywhere and it is every bit as fun as my 2003 was.

Of course I know there are some issues with them, so I immediately changed the supercharger tensioner and pulley and put a new belt on. Did a tune up, coolant flush etc.. I zero mile every used car I buy.

My son bought a 2006 MCS with lots of go fast mods on it last year, he has had only one problem. The electric fan relay stopped working for one day then started working again. He unplugged it and plugged it back in and it seems to have reset. He is ordering a new fan just in case.

I have heard and read on NAM many stories about nightmares and can only say for every nightmare story there are probably dozens of cars that are problem free.

I am very partial to the R53 model, I like the smaller size and I LOVE the supercharger whine. The turbo models do not interest me. The bloated American size new ones really turn me off.

I grabbed a 1981 BMW 320i recently and procured a sales brochure, this line in the brochure was so true and applies to cars today as well.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Cars/n-jS...Tc8dP27-X3.jpg

Jacob has me pretty excited about a Mini.

I have been looking online for a Mazdaspeed 3 - they seem pretty rare. A lot of what I'm seeing are modified or very high miles.

Lot's of MCS's with low miles at reasonable prices.

A Fiesta ST is high on my list for my next car... but the prices will need to come down a bit.

Another Miata (clubman) looks like fun but highly impractical.

On the 944 Vs Miata, I have owned both and would take the 944 over the Miata all day long. Only reason I am considering a Miata is because a newish one will probably need very little maintenance Vs a 944 that are much older cars.

Maybe he is a bad driver?

I was at a Mini only track day many years ago, in my JCW of course. There was some guy running a C5 Corvette. I suspect he thought he was going to crush the poor minis all day long.

In one session on came out of the pits as he was turning through turn 1. It was hard not to miss him as he was the only Vette on track.

After 2 laps I was planted on his back bumper, while he could pull me on the straights, the moment he hit his brakes I was back on his bumper then he was just holding me up through the turns.

He tried to shake me off for a lap and a half, started getting sloppy (not a good driver) and finally gave up and pointed me by.

The point is, that Mini should never have been able to keep up with the C5. Yet I was working his ass over, I am a decent driver, he was a horrible one.

Wife has a DD 2011 MINI S, She has a little over 120K on it and it's still a fun little car to drive. I'm always surprised how good it is on the rare occasion I drive it. Hers is an auto and the car really has been pretty reliable. Have had a couple injectors and a coil pack replaced and that's it.

My wife has great luck with cars, Also has a Tahoe that at 305K just had the transmission replaced. That's the only thing other then regular maintenance that's ever been done to it.