Heya all.

I am turning 16 on March 25, getting my permit, and of course....a first car. Now I was searching around for cars to get and I narrowed it down to a MINI or Scion. I am leaning more to the mini as it is a classy looking car, and I myself am not the tallest person (5"7). I will probably get the 2007 model as I heard the launch is a few days away so that is pretty cool.

Another reason why I am leaning towards the MINI over Scion is due to the Scion that I want to get (xB) is not being produced anymore, and a new xB2 which looks hideous by the way is taking it's place.

If you can give me some of your experiences and some pros and cons of the MINI.

Thanks .

 

You will find that most of us here LOVE our cars. Beyond that, I siggest you browse around. There is months of reading material here.

 

16==horrible insurance rates on a MINI/BMW product....add $200 /month to the price of your car.

But you'll love every minute in it

 

Personally, I think the scion xB is just as hideous, but's that my own $0.02 . No offense though. In terms of pros/cons, I think the new mini has great pros in terms of fun factor, great fuel economy, high quality parts, neat interior, easy parallel parking (if you're in the city), relative cost, and it even has back seats! ABS and airbags are standard, which I think is good and actually the way it should be in the first place. Why some manufacturer's still list safety parts as options baffles me, but I think this stuff will be standard all around very soon. But I'm currently looking at a new 07 mini myself and looking to sell my 2005 Nissan 350Z. Compared to what's out there, i.e. my own car/camry/hyundai accent/honda fit/vw/saab, I would pick the mini over all of them in a heartbeat! It looks like a really fun AND practical car!

 

Car is going under my dad's name . My dad has a ton of hookups with cars as he likes getting new ones from BMW, Mercedes, etc. religiously (every 1/2 year almost).

As I live in Brooklyn, New York I hope that the car isn't as bad as some say it is in rain/snow.

 

"...and of course....a first car"?! Wow... I wish I got a car on my 16th birthday. I didn't get my first car till I was 19 and it was a 1985 Cadillac Seville.

You came to a pretty biased place to ask if we'd go for a mini or a Scion, and to further confirm that bias - I will say that you should go with a MINI. (Shocking... I know)

 

Wow i have to say i am nearly in THE EXACT SAME BOAT as you, My birthday it March 3- turning 16 and i just ordered my mini cooper s! I test drove it with my parents a couple of times and they fell in love with it. What really closed the deal was when my dad test drove the cooper s, and came out of that saying "wow that was fun" ----that means a lot coming from him. I ended up ordering the 2007 mini cooper S manual darksilver black top sports package comfort access system and cold weather pack. Its arrive in a few weeks!

 

Nice. My Bday is the 25th, and will probably get the pepper white body, black roof and mirrors, and black bonnet stripes with some packages. Eventually putting on that kit that is on the site which I love. True I came to a biased place, but so is scionlife.com haha. I'm leaning more and more towards the Cooper with every thread I read.

 

Good luck with your decision. The warranty stuff is a good deal with the MINI although I suppose that's an issue for convincing your Dad.
I have a MINI on order as well. but I'm going for a second childhood instead of trying to get away from my first.

 

Wish I got a MINI on my 16th birthday..

 

The mini cooper and cooper s [non convertable] also come with 6 airbag std. which was another good selling point for the parents.

 

Cool , i got my first mini cooper S when i was 15 but now am dunned to sell it for a automatic MCS becuase traffic in my town is sucky , i'm hoping that momentum mini still has the pepper white/black MCS automatic still thier. insuracen isn't that bad it's 250 for me plus its under my dads name

 

Go for the MINI 10x the style than with a scion, much rarer too

 

thats exactley what my motivated salesman told my parents at the dealership and that Mini's are very reliabe, and have excellent crash test ratings.

 

MINI all the way! what a cool way to start your life of driving!

 

Indeed. Scion, I would have to pay for the airbags that is not on the wheel and passenger side. I am getting a hardtop, maybe a sunroof, and an auto as I live in Brooklyn and the stop-and-go traffic is horrid.

 

God bless it Girl, Go for the Mini , you will never look back .!!!

 

Believe it or not, my insurance only went up $100 for the year for the MINI, my last car was a Honda Element.

 

I'm sure the thread is already going, but this made me laugh, because there's a few MINI folk who are saying the MINI Cooper they like (R50/R53) is not being produced any more, and the new MINI Cooper (R56) looks hideous.

But the changes with the xB -- WOW, what a difference! R56 haters should look and see what radical changes could have been if MINI had taken this path.

Current xB (top) future xB (bottom)
http://tijil.org/xB_xB2_comp01.jpg

 

Rain isn't bad, don't expect to do snow with the performance tires. Go with all-seasons year-round or a set of all-seasons or winter tires in winter.

 

I was playing around on building one on MINIUSA, and I realy like the yellow with black bonnet and roof

P.S. I'm a guy.

 

Lets seee....colors i dont think you will EVER find one that you dont ever question. I thought it was pure silver that called me, but when i got a cooper s, now dark silver became in option. After looking at pictures i LOVE how Astro black is black andan almost blueish in somelight and i love the sparkling silver but i already made my choice [DS], its built and its waiting to be put on a ship!

 

I own a Scion right now and I'm looking to get a MINI also. I'm 18 and I got my xB as my first car. It's awesome. I'd have to agree with you though about the hidiousness of the xB2 but there are still a few xB1's out there. There's also the tC and the new xD out too. So, I can't help you out much about the MINI but if you have any questions about Scion's I can help you out. :D I'll be watching this topic for anything about the MINI too. I'm still doing my research.

 

Yea the xD is a good step forward from the xA, but the xB plain horrid. ANd yea some xBs are still on the lots, but me finding a RS3 (the green) xB is almost no chance. Plus, I am liking the mini a lot more. Much more compact, cozy, and mini themselves offer a lot of options like the JCW kit, different roof paintings (Will probably get the helicopter landing one), etc.

for Mini.

 

I had liked the funkiness and plain ugliness of the Scion xB. Loved the price as well. Could just buy one for cash. Even with doubts about the ongoing reliability of the MINI, I can't abide the new look for the Scion. It's UGLY ugly.

I'm thinking that since the R56 is BMW from the ground up, unlike the one they inherited when they bought the Mini, the new version should be substantially more reliable. Here's to hope. (and getting my new car in a week or so.)