I was considering a Clubman S or a 135. Came from an E36 (see my gallery).

I was skeptical that I could live with a FWD after nearly 10 years with the E36.

Did a fuel cost spreadsheet the night before visiting the dealer. Decided that for $15K more and another $8K in additional fuel cost over 5 years wouldn't be worth it unless the 135 was DAMN good. Figured I really had to consider the fuel cost over the life of the vehicle (10 years), whether I own it that long or not. So, I figured the first $16K was free.

Now, from what I've read, the 135 IS damn good. But I never did drive the 135. The Clubman for $14K (after the "free" part) was just too hard to pass up.

Didn't see the Consumer Reports ranking with the Cooper S at #10 on fuel efficiency until later. Wasn't another car on that list that I would drive.

 

Ment the 650i, however .. odd that you stated that, they do make a 630i, just not in the US. Guess I was in a hurry to put all the cars I test drove.

 

hmmm, let me see...

it was between a CR/B, AB/B, PW/B or a AB/W MCS ...

now that I have one, I have got to learn NOT to smile all the time!

 

Z4 -- I couldn't fit in it.
Crossfire -- I couldn't fit in it.
MX5 -- I couldn't fit in it.
RX8 -- I couldn't fit in it.
Audi TT -- I couldn't fit in it.
Boxter -- I couldn't fit in it.
SLK -- I couldn't fit in it.
Solstice -- I couldn't fit in it.
Elise -- I couldn't fit in it.
Mustang -- wife whined about fuel economy.
Mazdaspeed 3 -- felt too cheap; no autotranny available for wifey to drive. I already have owned two Mazda 3's (I like the look but they get boring)

I gave the Mini to my wife 2.5 weeks ago and got a Jeep Wrangler Sahara for myself, btw. I got tired of shoe-horning into the car and craning my neck all the time. And I was driving way too fast. I mean always.



confessions of a caroholic.

 

SRT-4 Any way you look at it it's a Neon...
VW R32 Heavy not really able to modify
VW GTI 1.8t Big horsepower is cheap but the reliabilty I just couldn't overlook
Mazda 3 Speed Big HP right out of the box..But GOD are they ugly...
Mazda Spec series Not enough H.P.

So in the end I ended up with a MCS, not the biggest H.P but with what you can do with the engine and the handling it was a slam dunk

 

Got rid of an '02 Explorer for my wife's '07 MC, and a '99 Navigator for my '07 MCS.

No other cars considered. Had my eye on the Coopers from day one. Loved my SUVs, but just didn't need the room anymore, or the less than stellar gas mileage.

 

Sold 2004 E46-M3 to get into '08 MCS (note: sale $$ > purchase $ !!)

Considered and test drove: Audi A3 and A5, BMW 335 coupe, Infininfty G37S, M-B C350, Volvo C30

Serious consideration: A3 and G37.

Final decision between: CooperS and A3

 

Originally I was set to buy in 09 insteead of 08 but the late windter storm we had in Cincinnati changed all that when I totaled my 14 year old Honda Accord.

My list of cars was pretty long but i had narrowed it down to:
Chrysler Crossfire. Too claustrphobic
Saturn Sky/Pontiac Soltstice. no room and not practical
MazdaSpeed Miata. Neede more room
Convertible PT Crusier. Just not that exciting
Volvo C30. Overall Disappointing
Used MB SLK. Anemic performace
Ford Mustange GT. No room in the back and insurance rates in the sky
Dodge Challenger. None avaialble. will be overpriced for years
New Camaro. Couldn't wait for release and ugly interior
Dodge Charger. I'm only 43. I'm not ready to a middle-age mobile
Cadillac CTS. Couldn't afford
F150. 14 MPG? I don' think so.

I eliminated everything and still came back to the MINI even with some of the quircky things I don't care for. I orderd and picked it three weeks ago and have not regretted it in any way [well, except for not ordering rear fogs].

As a side note my wife liked it so much we ordered a Clubman S for her last Saturday to replace her '05 Ford SportTrac

 

well.. i dont own my mcs yet, but it will be my next car. the only other car i was looking into was the new upcoming cobalt ss/tc. which has performance up the ying-yang, and is simply the best handling fwd car out, however im getting the the age that i want something that wont drop 10g in 2 years. i searched on kbb.com and checked a 2007 cobalt ss/sc fully loaded w/ 12k and trade in was 17,800 on a car that new cost 24500. i checked a 06 mcs w/ standard options only and 15k and its trade in was 19g. that gave me some perspective.

as of now i drive a mazdaspeed 6. i worked at a mazda dealer at the time of pickup and prior to that i was looking at the gti, si, ms3, volvo c30 and wrx. like almost everyone else. i like to do my hw prior to buying a car so i did a lot of test drives and reading. i liked the gti however i did not want a dsg and the manual had such shitty trans mounts that everytime you bang 2nd gear you get an insane clunk. i test drove the si and did get an awesome smile from it, however it was ehhh.. power wise. i was coming out of a 316whp 365 wtq saab, so it felt basically anemic with no low end power. i drove the c30, and all the salesman kept saying was feel how supple that suspension is. i wanted to grab the guys head and be like look at the car i drove in here. does it look like i give two poops about supple. i test drove the ms3, however i ended up getting the ms6 because i picked it up for only 21500. i thought it was a relative steal since it was 400$ LESS then the si and gti. i figured even if resale sucks it wouldnt make a difference to me because of the price i paid.

but seriously. my next car. mcs all the way. just trying to decide the color. im kinda stuck between pw/b & lightning blue/black. my gf doesnt like the pw/b however im tired of having cars painted in colors that show EVERY little scratch on the car. my ms6 is black cherry mica and it has to be the worst color i have had for showing scratches.

 

For me it was between the Honda Fit and the MINI. While the Fit is a very nice car with ample room and good gas mileage, when I test drove it, it didn't have the same attitude as the MINIs. After all I was looking for more than just getting from point A to B, I was looking to motor!

 

Test drove:
Acura RSX (last one at the dealership)
Honda S2000
VW GTI with paddle shifters (cured me of thinking they would be fun)

Nothing could match the fun-to-drive quality of the MCS R56.

Tried to test drive an R53 MCS, but they were sold out.

Previous car was a 1990 Acura Integra. Still have it. Use it as a garbage scow.

 

The MCS was for my wife.
But... had to get something that we would both enjoy.
Wife never had a previous car.

Other cars she was considering were:
Audi A4 2.0T Quattro - Dealer was a rip-off. $6K markup over MSRP and wouldn't negotiate. Plus, was the most expensive out of our choices even if there was no markup. Sucks to live in Hawaii with just about 1 dealer for every make.

Lexus IS250 - No choice in options. Have to buy a car on the lot or order it with a set of options Toyota gives the dealer so I couldn't choose certain color combos with certain options I wanted like rear parking distance controller.

Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring Hardtop - Dealer was telling me there's a $3k markup on the car. They said the lowest they would go on the car is MSRP... But the Miata with half options compared to the MCS with almost full options was still more expensive. Plus the interior looked a bit cheap. Miata had only the hardtop convertible and the RWD going for it. MCS was only heavier by less than 100 lbs (since I don't have a sunroof on the MCS). The options on the Miata were also subpar compared to the MCS options. For example... the keyless entry and start. lol.

 

my biggest/main requirement was that I would ONLY look at small foreign hatchbacks...nothing else after wrecking my mazda 3.

volvo c30 - very nice but just ever so slightly out of my price range for what I wanted. I really enjoyed test driving them (not as much as the mini though).

vw gti - bleh...boring. just didn't feel right when I drove it.

mazdaspeed 3 - didn't want a manual since I'm in traffic 95% of the time.

mazda 3 - would have just gotten back into one of these if I hadn't found the mini. the 3's are great cars and one hell of a value.

I was also considering the a3 but never got around to test driving one since I'm not much into audis.

 

Haha my wife has the Fit and i have the Mini both of them are astro black.
I was sold on the mini when she told me i could finally get out from under my 200sx. But because i made her test drive more cars than just the Fit she made me do the same but in the end we both went with cars that we wanted in the first place.

 

Took out the Fit and Yaris....both not much fun and a little too sparse with regard to options. Considered the Versa, but the interior was about as exciting as watching paint dry. One look and drive of the MC, and I was sold. Period.

I'm selling my 2002 Lexus IS300, as the fuel economy stinks (18-22 mpg combined). However, after 90,000 miles, the car still looks and runs GREAT, and doesn't have a single rattle in it! I must say that I would have stuck with Lexus had they offered something sporty and economical, but the new IS is long in the tooth and not too hot with mpg's. The rest of their lineup is boring.

Oh well.....things happen for a reason, and I'm glad that I was lead to MINI!

 

miniGP, civic si, & a bentley azure

 

Along with a new MCS convertible, I looked at year-old Lotus Elises and year-old Porsche Boxsters. Went with the MINI and have never regretted the choice for a second.

 

Me too. I looked at the WRX, GTi, Civic Si, and (random) Jeep Wrangler. The MINI was actually an after though; I hadn't realized the R56 got so much better millage than the R53 until I researched online a bit. I went down and test drove one, and the rest is history. For me its the perfect blend of sport, economy, class, plus the FWD makes New England winters possible.

 

Bentley Azure...uh nice choice

Not the first comparable car I think of...but nice car nonetheless.

 

We were actually looking at a wide range of cars that people may not associate with someone cross shopping.

They included:
Saturn Sky Redline/Pontiac Solstice GXP
Mazda Miata
Used BMW Z4
Used Boxster
Mazdaspeed 3
Mini Cooper S

The reason we choose all these cars was sportiness, style and decent fuel economy.
We have decided on a new mini s.

We chose the Mini for several reasons.
1. Overall size
2. Fuel economy
3. Ability of my 4’10” wife to be comfortable in.
4. Storage (much better than many cars on my list)
5. Sportiness

The real kicker that pushed us into a Mini was the sense of community. To be honest (and hopefully not flamed) without this sense of community I would likely have bought one of the rear drive offerings above. I have owned 26 cars and not one has been front wheel drive. I just love the rear drive feel (granted the mini is an exceptional front driver). Sense of community may sound like a strange reason to choose a car to some, but I enjoy the camaraderie of car ownership. I have owned several classic bugs and the mini seems to have a similar following. Its fun waving to fellow drivers on the road and having that instant bond. I have owned other cars with large active communities but didn’t really click with many of the people in them. While I don’t expect to click with everyone in the mini world nor expect them to click with me, from what I have seen it is a great community. We are moving to a new area and I think the mini will be a great way to meet new, down to earth, relaxed friends.

 

I dumped my Chrysler SRT-8 that gets 12MPG after I choked during a fill-up in March and went shopping. I test drove the Audi tt and thought it was too "vanilla". I drove the porsche boxster tiptronic. What a joke! it was so slow it felt like I had to get out and push it! The only way was to buy the Boxster S and that was so "special" that the snobs at porsche couldn't even find one! gave me crap about being on short supply Bla Bla Bla! for over 60K they should do backflips!

I test drove the Cooper s and then ordered one. Its on the boat and I can't wait to get it.

Took the extra 35K and stuffed it into my pocket. I figure in about 3 years, I will be able to buy one of those "special" cars for about 30K when some snob gets tired of eating the depreciation!

 

There were a few cars I considered:

Scion xB - For 2008 they came with a bunch more horsepower and more "luxe" features. I thought the new body style was nice looking, especially in white...but did I REALLY want another xB?

Nissan 350Z - the model I would have to get was more than I wanted to spend, and I heard reliability wasn't great. It was actually a little too "cushy" for me inside.

Older Acura Integra Type R - Husband had one a few years ago, always liked the way it ran. Theft magnet in my area though.

WRX - Nice, but insurance rates were ridiculous!

1-2 year old BMW M3 or older M coupe - After getting lulled by Honda reliability, I didn't think this would be a good choice. I like buying parts for cars for fun, not 'cause they broke.

That was kind of it. I didn't want another civic, the new Acura TL's were a little too suburban mom for me, and I didn't want a hybrid.

The mini was the right choice for me. Performance and luxury touches all wrapped up in a great looking package. And...still fun to modify and take to the track!

 

I have a 3yr old E46 M3.
It's been modded... it's been autocrossed...
Never had any problems with this.

You can say that about your experience with Honda, but when I used to own a Honda Accord... I had to take it into the shop on 3 different occassions within the 2 years of ownership (bought brand new).
Not to mention, when I did have to bring it in for service... the level of service of the two brands were worlds apart. Or at least they should be if BMW wants to be perceived as a luxury brand in the USA.

Just saying that it's not the case for everyone.

 

And I had a friend with a newer BMW that was always in the shop. It goes both ways. Sorry about your Honda experience, although I've never owned an Accord. My aunt has owned an Accord for about 10 years now, when the new bodystyle came out. No issues. Over the last ten years my husband and I have owned 4 Integras and two civics...never any problems and trust me, we're not easy on our cars. Not trying to argue, just everyone's got an opinion, hehe.

 

Honda sucks! BMW rules!
haah j/k

I've been very lucky with my past BMWs. out of the last 5 for the last 10 years, only 1 had out of warranty repair needed and it was a minor one. ~$150 for a new fuel line and pump.


Nearly all of my friends have Honda/Acura and they are also very happy with their cars. Some went and bought BMWs and a few had problems with theirs so it definitely goes both ways. However, in my observation, it's the people that don't take care of their cars that have more issues than people that do in general. I'm also fairly hard on my cars as I love to autox and *knock on wood* so far no problems.

I hope my MINI brings me decades of blissful joy as my BMWs had/have