Hi,
I've always been a Porsche guy and have owned close to 20 944 variants (mostly 951's/S2's) over the years. Also had a Boxster S (briefly) and a 928 S4. I currently have an '89 944 which is my daily driver and a 2007 base Cayman with 28K miles that I bought from a friend about 6 months ago. I really like the Cayman (what's not to like?) but I've kind of gotten myself into the same situation I was in when I had the 928 S4--which was a gorgeous garage queen, but an entirely impractical car for actual use.
I would like to get back to my original goal, which was to sell the 928 and 944 and get something that I could use as my only car. The Cayman is much more practical than the 928, but still falls short of ticking all the boxes on my wishlist. I live in New Mexico and like to hike and bike. The 944 is handy in the sense that I can easily transport a single bike in the rear hatch area by removing the front wheel. The Cayman would require installing a rear rack or a roof-mounted rack to carry a bike. I don't care for either of those options on that car AND I'm quite reluctant to take a car that nice and leave it at a trailhead or strange parking lot for hours at a time. We also have a winter season here, which is pretty mild, but still makes for some nasty driving conditions--so the Cayman sits in the garage in those conditions.
I started off looking at cheaper, older pickups and SUV's and resign myself to having a 3rd car--maybe a Rav4 or CR-V with 4wd for the nasty days and ability to get to more remote trails. But after test driving a few of them I realize that I'm really addicted to the feel of a Porsche/sports car. I guess "There Is No Substitute," has an element of truth in it.
A couple of months back, while out on a bike ride, I noticed a very nice-looking MINI parked at a trailhead. It looked very tricked out--lowered, aggressive stance and had a very nice bike rack attached at the rear. It was also, IIRC, a 4-wheel drive model, so I guess that means it was one of the larger, newer models. That got me thinking that I DO have the option to sell the Cayman and purchase something that was better suited to my current needs, but would not leave regretting not having that sports car feel that I really enjoy. I actually look forward to driving either the 944 (set up with Koni's, swaybars, etc.) or the Cayman! So yesterday I went down to the local MINI dealer and test drove some of the current models while getting some info from one of the sales guys. Having never driven a MINI before I wanted to find out if there was any possibility that I would be happy with one as a driver.
We drove a new MINI Cooper S and a Clubman or Countryman (???) I got confused about the differences. The one we drove was bigger than the S, but smaller than the biggest one. I did enjoy the S. It had enough zip for me--more than the 944 and probably close the the base Cayman. It did not handle (IMHO) as well as either of the Porsches, especially the Cayman, which I find to be just a treat to toss around--razor sharp! The larger model was DEFINITELY a step down from the S, but still not awful. Neither of these were JCW models, which I assume would tweak the handling up some. And there may be other MINI tuner companies where one could up the handling some.
Either of the MINI's could accept a hitch for a rear bike rack which is good. It looked like there MIGHT be a possibility of getting a bike into the back of the MINI's (especially the larger one) if one so desired.
After getting home, I started looking up MINI resources and ran across a MINI owners' forums and just a bit of reading made it seem pretty clear that there have been problems with MINI's in the past (just like Porsches!) so I thought I'd do well to consult the experts before doing any kind of a deep dive into the subject. My overall budget is probably $20-25K, but I'd prefer to spend about 1/2 that. I'm not going to get a new car--I've never bought a new car in my life because I can't stand the depreciation hit and I'm a cheapskate, I guess. I would consider a certified car if there were one that met my needs/budget. Or just buy used from a private seller. But I need to know a bit about the various earlier models. What years/models to avoid? Stuff like that.
Sorry for rattling on, but I hope to get some good info on whether and how to pursue a MINI search. Or, if anyone has suggestions about an alternative, I'm all ears on that too.
TIA!
STP