Hello!

I've been reading many of the past threads and have learnt much from these past posts. Thank you to all who have taken the time to post their stories and experiences.

I have been a Subaru lover for years; sadly, my 2004 Subaru Impreza (Outback Sport) was recently in an accident so I may be up for a new car soon. I've loved Minis for years and now may be in a position to buy one. That, or another Subaru!

The space-issue is a question for me as I'm a traditional Irish musician and my wife and I do lots of local driving and may have to adjust our plans to accommodate the Mini. Most likely, I'd go with the Cooper even thought I would love the turbo-charged engine, I don't know if I can justify that purchase.

If I were to get a Mini, I'd absolutely require it to be able to handle studded snow-tires for our western Massachusetts winters. Do you know anything about this situation?

Cheers,
Jonathan

 

Check out this thread. Maybe a Clubman would suit your needs?
From what I'm reading here on NAM, with snow tires, they go like a tank.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...a-clubman.html

 

Hey there,

Thanks for the post. I've only briefly looked into the Clubman but part of me says that the bigger car kinda defeats the purpose of a Mini, in a way. That said, I know I'd appreciate the extra room! Will check it out!

I'm also curious as to which Minis come with performance tires? Are they standard on all S models and optional on all non-S models?

Jonathan

 

Good morning,

I wanted to thank everyone who contributed their personal experience and knowledge to my earlier post. Perhaps it was fate, but the arrival of multiple snowstorms, the continuing realization that my only source of repairs or maintenance would be an hour away combined with the epiphany that I absolutely needed more space than the Mini could give made me buy a 2006 Subaru WRX Limited.

I'm quite pleased with the purchase. It's a solid car that hugs the road and has some fantastic performance features. Since my wife and I are traditional musicians, we're usually bringing along the pipes and fiddles in the car and that would've made carrying passengers in the Mini impossible. But now w/my WRX, I not only can carry 4x as many instruments but also 2 additional (3 small) people. The WRX has many performance features that originally drew me to the Mini and while it doesn't look as cute or as unique, my WRX has served me very well during this past month.

Perhaps when my wife's 1997 Geo Prizm dies. . . .

Thank you to all,
Jonathan