Hey Tazio-
If you read the post- you would have understood that they are street cars, thus the name Showroom Stock..... The only difference is the R compound tires, race brake pads, roll cage, race seat and seat belt and cat back exhaust (which anyone could do on their street car). Stock motor and suspension. The heat and electric windows have to stay in it. You could seat belt a passenger in the car and take them to get groceries if you wanted.

 

id-inspired-
Where is Little Detroit, Ohio?
Tazio- the cars are in the Show Room Stock class, it isn't very different from your car in it's performance capabilities.

 

minimike- Little Detroit is a nickname for Toledo; because of its proximity and its, ahem, relative crappiness. Affectionately, though, as I really do like both cities.

 

Thanks! I need a daily driver that I can enjoy driving, and I have a strong appreciation for engineering. The Civic SI won my direct comparison test, with the wife in tow (who did NOT like the squealing tires) but the MINI keeps calling to me. I want to like it more, and my kids prefer it. I was hoping for a point-by-point refutation, with angry fanboi participation, insults to my manhood and death threats, to help me decide whether my observations were somehow invalid. Alas, you guys, are actually NICE and level-headed, so I need to decide based on the actual merits of the individual automobiles.

What I'm hearing is that the squealing tire issue might be specific to the vehicle I tested, and that fit and finish might be improved with post-2006 models. Sounds like I need to visit a dealer, not Carmax.

 

true enough. but there is an old saying, "First on Sunday. Sold on Monday."

 

Interesting..

 

Yes.

And as miserable (and possibly inaccurate) as that is, the '06 only scored a half-point higher (2.5, rather than a 2 on a scale of 5).

Dean.

 

Gotta link with that?

 

regarding the tire squealing. as i recall the Si you could get summer only performance tires, which tires did the MINI have? it could make a big difference.

 

Ford is proof that old impressions die very hard...

 

^ so, apparently, is Jaguar

 

i was wondering why you wandered into this church spouting about the devil! you wanted us to save your soul!

i for one am chagrined that we failed you.



lemme have a try...

it depends on whether you are an ascetic, passionless modernist, or whether you are a person with a broad appreciation of motoring history, pedigree, and charm.

it depends on whether the name paddy hopkirk makes you shiver like the hyenas in the lion king.

it depends on whether you swim upstream, or downstream.

it depends on whether you drive to work, or for pleasure.

it depends on whether you liked chitty chitty bang bang.

it depends on whether you will allow your family to choose a name for your car.

it depends on whether you are strong enough not to be drawn into debates about "chick cars"

<whew!>

... howm i doing?

 

Do you think MINI down at the bottom has anything to do with their fantastic warranty program and everyone rushing into the dealership everytime they have a quirk, complaint, or question? Plus, there are a lot of items covered under the bumper-bumper warranty, more than any other car.

THe lowest car has .8 problems per car and the highest has 1.6 problems per car. Not much of a difference in my opinon. My Jeep is 4 years old now and has never once been in for warranty work so why is it at the bottom? And my last three bmw's have been in for warranty work several times, and they are in the average...

 

Yeah, I got that. Just saying that I don't think his ultimate criteria is the best time around a track.

 

Nope, that's not it. Check out some of the brands at the top of the list. Hmm, I wonder what it could be...??

 

Truth be told, I have only been on this forum a few weeks and already have grown dismayed.

I liked it because there was lots of helpful info, but now there's getting to be too much negativity.

I thought this was a MINI forum, not a place where people put down the product and post what a POS the car is.

And then there's posts about Mazdas and Hondas and how good those are in comparison to the MINI.

It's just not a very positive Site. I realize people can defend their bad mouthing of the brand and chortle how good other cars are, but as a new MINI owner I don't need to read how crappy my car is compared to cars members are thinking of buying.

Thanks for the help you all gave me and I appreciate the discussion. But I'm out since I don't need the negativity.

I know, don't let the door hit me on the way out. That's cool. See you all on the road.

 

If it is any merit to the OP, I just came from a 2.5L S2000. It was making 250whp 190tq...and I'm sure anyone on here would agree that an S2000's limits, while harder to reach, are beyond that of the Mini.

Why am I here? Well, the 2.5L wasn't exactly the most reliable motor...and I wanted a reliable car. I was loosing the smile on my face when driving the S2000, I owned it for 3.5 years. I hopped in a MINI for the first time, and that smile came back...for ME it was a lot of fun to drive. Is the tire squeal related to just THAT car? NO! At least, that is my opinion...my MCS had horrible tire squeal when I had the OEM Dunlop run-flats...a few weeks ago I finally got to replace my tires with Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 star specs NON RUN FLATS. As anyone will say, switching to non run flats really helps the ride quality. Also, with my tires, they no longer squeal...they are practically silent when really hard in a corner.

Some say the interior quality of the Honda is better...well, I think the opposite...well when comparing to an 00' S2000 anyway, I have never sat in the new Si. I mean, there are some plasticky bits on the dash...but other then that its better IMO.

As for the JD Power & Associates chart...I would say that Mini is way up there because of the warranty program and free maintanence. I mean, you are definitly going to take your car to the dealer for the first couple maintance items...why not if its free? And while you are there, you are going to let them know of the couple things that need fixing...like the dash rattle, or the cold start, or the other little things. I did.

So, you really have to decide what is right for you. Personally I really do like the MINI, and for me a Civic Si just won't work...I just came from that "world"

 

Yah, and your mother dresses you funny!

All I know is, anyone can own a Honda!!

 

Good point. The Mini is definitely much more of a chick car than the Honda. can you handle that, mslatter?

 

Although that doesn't explain why MINIs have 33% more reported problems than BMWs with the same program (or other cars which don't require owners to drive hundreds of miles to drop by the "nearest" dealer to have something looked at)

 

..

 

Sure is easy to get some of you guys to push-up your sleeves and knuckle-up. Sheesh, relax. I was browsing another automotive forum I frequent when I came across the J.D. Powers chart. I found it interesting (albeit fitting) to post the chart in this thread since the debate was about a Honda and a MINI.

 

Oh PLEASE, get off your peace love groovy and can't we all ju-ju- just get along? BS.. Take your Flowers in your hair, stay in San Francisco and you can keep your positive love child feelings all you want.

I haven't seen anyone bash the MINI. No one has said that its a crappy car, truth is truth. If its negative or positive, THATS up to you. I, for one, consider it a positive, a sharing of opinions, viewpoints that I might not have the ability or opportunity to experience otherwise.

To me, people who blindly walk around with their little non confrontational think within the box afraid to open their eyes and face the truth or other opinions are the true negative ones

I guess, Im to "blame" since I started talking about "GASP" a car that I was very attracted to. Not to mention that the two cars are not even in the same league.. BUT funny, when I googled the comparison, I came up with all sorts of people who amazing enough had the SAME DILEMA!! WOW!! Imagine that..

Ok, so for all you head in the sand people, your cooper is great, its the best built car in the world, it gets the best gas mileage and never brakes, and its way comfortable, never rattles, never leaks anything. Its soooooo worth the 30K with options that most others GIVE you as standard because shhhhheeeeet man " It s a MINI!!"


I hate people that never ever have anything to say about anything other than its all good.. And then complain when someone DARES! to knock them off their high horse. Truth hurts doesn't it??

And I haven't seen anyone be vicious about Coopers.. just the opposite in fact.. many here say they love the damn car.. me included. Sometimes it takes an airing out in a forum like this to create some clearer thinking.

And everyone is different. I for one, would never buy the Honda.. Not my kind of vehicle. Especially in that it lacks very little utility without giving me some kind of real distinctiveness in return. So what? Does that mean its a crappy car? No. it just wouldn't fit my needs AND give me something to rationalize my choice...

 

Touche I didn't really consider BMW in that...and yes, MINI dealers are few and far between. I guess I'm just trying to rationalize it somehow...my MCS is really quite good. I have no "real" complaints or things that I wouldn't expect to happen with the a car...I mean its just the little quirks I've had. But I have not had anything actually serious..knock on wood

 

To get to a 2.5l motor you did a bunch of work to your car and had to run an EMS, what did you expect in terms of reliability? I had a 02 S2000 for 6 years and didn't have one problem with my car other than a bad evap canister.