<p>I just graduate college (woo!) and I’m currently looking for my second car in life. My first car, since junior year of high school, is a Jetta and it’s on its last legs. I really like MINI’s Cooper and Clubman and trying to either decided between them, or totally against them. Since I had the same car for 6 years my parents have agreed to help me so affordability isn’t the issue of whether to get one or not. I’m just looking for general likes/dislikes about them and especially if anyone can recommend one model over the other. I’d like the car to last me ~5-7 years until I have more definite life plans.
I’m also looking at Mazda3s and the new Ford Fiesta, but a MINI will most likely win. It’s small, fun, great gas milage, reliable, and safe. Plus, they’re ranked as the #1 and #3 car in resell value, so I have some what of a viable asset.</p>
<p>My daughter cried when we turned her mini in after the lease was up. She had a stick shift, and that car was a lot of fun for her. It handled well and she felt she had a lot of control with her Mini. She very begrudgingly inherited her dad’s BMW.</p>
<p>I love my MINI. It gets great gas mileage, and has all maintenance included for 3 years. Since it’s so compact it also fits anywhere, so great for parking. Most importantly, it is just plain fun to drive. It handles amazingly well and even the regular Cooper has enough zip to be fun.</p>
<p>I have had my mini convertible since right after my youngest left for college…almost five years ago. I LOVE it!!! As everyone has said, great gas mileage, fun to drive, very stable and “zippy”, even though I did not opt at the time for the “S” model. I figure I would have gotten multiple speeding tickets by now if I had. The sound and feel of the “S” was just waaay to tempting!!! 
My mini with its standard transmission is just fine and the top is down in the car unless the temp is above 90 or below 40.</p>
<p>I’ve had one for 4 years and I have loved it. My only complaint is recent…the stitching in some areas of the leather seats is separating. It is a convertible with auto transmission - but my husband converts it to stick because he likes to. I’ve never used that feature. I love the cold weather package (butt warmers are indespensible). Like churchmusicmom, I don’t have the S model, but if I bought another one down the road, I might get an S. </p>
<p>The car has given me some joy, for certain. They are contagious…once I got one, my boss and coworker got one, as well as my husband’s 93 year old grandfather - who is now 97 and still driving his british racing green mini with bonnet stripes. (NOT KIDDING!!!)</p>
<p>I love my Mini - best small car I’ve ever owned and I’ve owned Honda, Mazda, VW Beetle, Audi TT before this. I have the Cooper S model with a manual transmission. I recommend the S model because the seats are far more comfortable and the car is quick and handles well.</p>
<p>The only drawback to the Mini is that it’s not great in the snow (if that’s an issue for you). I plan to upgrade the tires next winter and get some very grippy snows to see if that helps - I’m told it will.</p>
<p>I had a convertible for 3 years which I loved, unfortunately my kids got too tall to fit comfortably with back packs and all! Can’t wait to get another when they are gone.
I loved the free maintenance for 3 years since mine was a bit of a lemon, each time it needed something fairly expensive repaired. Also ALWAYS buy the tire insurance as when you pop one you can’t just mend the flat you need a new tire - $2-300 thank you!
Next time I am getting the clubman, the convertible doesn’t have very good visibility over your shoulder of in the back …but it was AWESOME!</p>
<p>We had to replace D1’s tires, but I don’t remember it been that expensive. With 3 years maintenance free we also spent very little on the car.</p>
<p>My Mini is almost 4 years old. I have an S. I love it, and am glad I got it. Very fun to drive, etc. Love my sun roof, and various gadgets. Everyone who visits wants to drive it.</p>
<p>I’m not sure I’ll get another, though, when I’m done with this. Since everyone has already given you the pros, I’ll give a few cons:</p>
<p>It’s expensive to run. It uses Premium gas, and gets only about 25-26 mpg. (Compared to our old-fogey Ford Focus, which uses regular, and gets over 30.) </p>
<p>I just spend about $1500 on repairs. Coolant leak. Oil change. New tires and balance. It’s fun to drive, with great pick-up and tight curves. But the car isn’t really made to handle all the bumps and things you encounter while having fun. Car had gotten knocked out of alignment and ruined the tires. Run-flat tires are incredibly expensive, so I got regular tires put on. So now I don’t have a spare. (Sport models use run flats, and don’t have a wheel well for spares.) Bought myself a repair kit and am hoping for the best.</p>
<p>We have a non-dealer Mini shop in the area, so I saved a lot of money. The Mini dealer repair shop is extremely expensive.</p>
<p>The Mini seats are a bit short. I’m short, so it’s not a big deal, but on long trips, my legs start aching from lack of leg support.</p>
<p>Back seat is bare minimum. </p>
<p>Like I said, I love it. Four years later, still get lots of attention. But the bloom is off.</p>
<p>Great city car. Incredibly easy to park. We had one for four years, sold it to a friend three years ago (no longer needed three cars) It’s still doing well. </p>
<p>All that said, a Honda Civic will cost you way less long term.</p>
<p>My neighbor drives an electric mini–she loves it (trial lease program). She was in a fairly serious accident, another driver just plowed into her at a stop light. The car was badly damaged, but my neighbor walked away without a scratch. Eventually the car was repaired (took about 6 weeks–they thought about just declaring it totaled) and she is driving it again. We were all very impressed by the safety of the car.</p>
<p>I second the Civic. No, it’s not especially cute, but it’s actually pretty responsive and fun to drive, reasonably fuel-economical (28-30 miles/gallon) and very, very reliable. I’ve had mine for six years and have only had to do routine maintenance. Having had fragile cars, I made durability my highest priority in choosing a car.</p>
<p>I like the Insight even better–the hatchback is practical if you have to move stuff. I don’t know what your plans are, but in my youth, I moved a lot and often bought big stuff to furnish my apartment. The Insight wasn’t available when I was in the market last. A Prius is another good option but more expensive.</p>
<p>I love love love my Mini. I’ve had it a little over a year now, and absolutely enjoy driving it every day. It’s a stick shift, with a sunroof. It’s a fun car to drive, gets good gas mileage (you do have to use premium gas), and gets lots of positive comments from people. Someone asked me the other day what my dream car was, and I told them I already have it :-)</p>
<p>Wow, awesome! Most people seem to love theirs 110%. I’m down to deciding between the Clubman (extended cab) or just the plain ole Cooper. Right now I’m single, fresh out of college, and about to sign a year lease on an apartment right outside DC for a year. I plan on sticking around the area for that amount of time, at least, which makes the Cooper a nice pick. However, the Clubman gives me a whopping 8" more of legroom between the back and front, and more cargo area (32’ cubic versus 24’). Seems like the Clubman is a more viable choice for my future since I will undoubtly want to buy furniture or have a dog or whatever in a few years. Also, I plan to commute with 1-2 other people and apparently adults don’t really fit well in the back. Buuuuttt, the Cooper seems like enough for my needs. Ugh. Time to go test drive</p>
<p>Also, hybrids are not on my list. I really don’t need one and being an Electrical Engineer, I know a bit about lithium batteries and the fact that they really only have a 4-5 year shelf life these days. I want this car for 6-7 years, or until I have more definite plans. The hybrid just isn’t worth the extra cost to me.</p>
<p>I do plan on looking at the Civic, but it’s a bit big for me. The Mazda3 and new Jettas are the only ones on my sedan list right now. The Honda Fit is the better Honda version for me. Ford Fiesta is getting rave reviews too, but I’m hesitant about buying a brand new model (the ones here aren’t the exact same as the European counterparts, and reviewers have been making a point about reliability will be totally unknown)</p>
<p>our neighbours just got a Mini sport. They took me for a ride in it once. Damn, that baby HAULS…</p>
<p>I’m ticketless and accident-less at age 22. Maybe I should get the non-S to preserve this… Do like the S because in DC to navigate rush hour traffic, you have to make a break for it if you ever want to change lanes and not get run over by a truck. Got a firsthand look at a Mini that got totaled though, and they smushy well!</p>
<p>I test drove the regular and the sport, and also the automatic vs. manual. Went with sport automatic, because I really preferred the pick-up. The test drive is important – if you like the way the regular one handles, it may be enough. But I do love the instant response of the Sport.</p>
<p>I went with automatic mainly for resale potential. But also because in Atlanta traffic, the constant shifting can be a pain. However, it was a very easy manual to drive. (Test drove a lot of them in Germany - there are some rigid or sensitive clutches out there! The Mini was quite smooth.)</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the regular Cooper gets better gas mileage than the S or Clubman. I drive in LA and trust me there is enough pick up in my regular cooper to navigate the freeways here. It is also a ton of fun on the canyons too. As for space, the front seats can accomodate just about anyone, I’ve seen many people well over 6 feet getting out of their car. The back seats are a bit cramped but I haven’t had any problems putting things in. I do have larger rims so I have runflats and if you get runflats I recommend tire insurance. It paid for itself in a year as I picked up 2 nails. Took it to the dealer they replaced the tires and I didn’t have to pay a penny.</p>
<p>I do recommend test driving, although it took me about 30 seconds to confirm my instinct. I will never forget the feeling rounding my first corner. I’d wanted a MINI since I saw the Italian Job and it’s pretty much my dream car.</p>
<p>I bought a newish but used Clubman this year, and I’m in love! The back seats comfortably hold my 6+ foot son, and the cargo area when the seats are folded down fits my 90-pound dog very easily. If the Clubman had not come along, I wouldn’t be a MINI owner - I just can’t live without that extra utility of the back seats and cargo space. I get about 27/37 mpg with my non-S automatic. It’s a blast to drive; I definitely don’t miss the extra power of the S, and I appreciate the better gas mileage. That said, Hondas are very practical; I’ve owned several. But I wouldn’t call them fun! </p>
<p>If you want to read a lot more, be sure to visit the forums on northamericanmotoring dot com. Good luck with your decision! If you’re a patient shopper, you might be able to pick up a used Clubman still under warranty; I saved about $18k by buying one with 9000 miles on it.</p>
<p>We have an S in the family and it IS fun to drive, though I don’t like taking it on long trips because it’s really not as comfortable a ride as our old VW Passat. The Mini’s a stick, too, and in heavy traffic I think that would get tiresome. If you haven’t driven a stick before, it might be harder than you think to learn. (I learned in half a day on a Datsun many years ago. Couldn’t have been easier. We’ve taken two kids out in the Mini and neither one has mastered it. I do think it’s a stiffer clutch, and more powerful car, and that makes it not ideal to learn on.) </p>
<p>I haven’t driven it in the snow - we have old cars for that. The Mini is just super appealing and fun and in the city it’s a winner. If you need to move things, maybe it’s not so great. You should test drive a stick in the Honda Fit. I love that car, too, and the rear seats can be folded into the floor to make a lot of space.</p>