The car seats fit fine. The problem is crawling in the backseat while holding the baby to get her in it! I have to admit that when I have to get both granddaughters back there, I buckle the rear facing one…by climbing in the trunk and leaning over the seat! :))
My H is 6’1 and is very comfortable driving it. The heated seats are great.
“@milee30 Do you have to take it to dealer? I have a good mechanic who always takes care of our cars. Is MINI too specialized?”
Not sure if it’s still the case, but when I got mine, the first four years of maintenance and repairs was included in the price of the car. (BTW, this is part of why the car appears more expensive than similar cars, because 4 years of repairs and maintenance are included in the purchase price.) I wasn’t legally required to take it to the dealer - and after the 4 years was up I didn’t, but if I wanted the “free” maintenance and repairs that I’d paid for those had to be done at a certified Mini dealership. I write “free” in quotes because they really aren’t free, they’re baked into the purchase price; since I’d paid for them up front when I bought the car I wanted to get what I’d paid in advance for.
If you’re buying a used one, you’ll have to check and see if the 4 years thing is still in place and if it is, if it’s transferable to a new owner. It may not be an issue for you.
@milee30 I see I get it. You bought new. I guess I don’t have to worry about it then. I’m pretty sure I will be buying a car more than 5 years old.
"You bought new. "
Well, technically I didn’t - DH did. I can be a little, um, how to put this… frugal? when it comes to cars. I never buy new and when I get one I like, I drive it until the wheels fall off. Right before the Mini I had an old Mercedes 300E that I loved, loved, loved. It had something like 250,000 miles on it and was built like a tank. When the air conditioning on it died, I felt replacing the AC cost was more than the car was worth, so would just drive with the windows down. About a year after the AC went, the radiator got a slow leak which meant that when the water all drained out, it would overheat. Again, I didn’t think it was a huge deal and just added water to it each morning before I went anywhere. But every once in a while the water would all leak out while I was out and about and I’d get stranded beside the road somewhere until it cooled down. Oh, did I mention we lived in Phoenix AZ then? So it was hot.
DH was getting worried about me driving around with the kids in the car in the 117 degree heat with no AC and a leaky radiator, but I was still not really ready to admit it was time to give up on that car which I really loved. Plus, our business was still newish and although it was making money, we didn’t have enough sales history to know if the success would continue so I wanted to conserve cash.
DH side stepped my hesitancy by getting me the Mini for my birthday. Wasn’t necessarily what I would have picked at that time, but hey, when life gives you a turbo convertible Mini convertible, you don’t argue. You drive it hard and have fun…
Hope you find something fun you like.
Boy you were frugal to the point it could be deadly. I always drive my car until it stops running or my mechanic says don’t even bother fixing it anymore, but I was never hard core like you!
I shouldn’t show your post to my H. He and his father love Mercedes. His father always had issues with his Mercedes and complained about it but loved it anyway. My H, too, had a bad experience with the one he bought but still being drawn to it.
It’s funny that your H bought Mini for you after Mercedes 300E.
You should have bought my 300E that I inherited from my father when he passed away. It only had 40K miles. It was built like a tank. He only drove it on special occasions.
I drive a mini. Had it for 7 years. No issues. Fun to drive, easy to handle. Mine is automatic.
I’ve a 2016 Cooper S four door. Iconic British Racing Green with white bonnet stripes and roof. It is the funnest car I’ve ever driven. It is like driving a go-cart! I only rarely drive it and am contemplating selling it as I don’t need two cars and it is pretty much just a “for around town” car. I’ve been able to put two six footish teenagers in the back and they don’t complain that they are uncomfortable. Wouldn’t drive all day like that but for a ten minute dash, they seem to do ok.
I’ve not had any issues with it, but I’ve only put 10k miles on it.
We bought the oldest daughter one before college. It was her “dream car.” She has loved it other than her friends fight over who has to sit in the back. Our only real complaint is how low it sits to the ground. We’ve had major repairs on it twice. Once because she hit a raccoon and once because she curbed it. Both times is took out the radiator and air conditioning compressor. Our regular car shop wasn’t sure about working on a mini at first, but hasn’t had any problems.
We just turned in D’s leased Mini Cooper Hardtop a few weeks ago. It was the base model with the 3 cyl turbo. It was a very a fun car, although the ride was on the firm side, verging on harsh depending on what you’re used to. If you live in an area with bad roads it might not be the best choice if you’re not used to a firm suspension.
No issues, except towards the end of the lease the transmission suddenly refused to go into Park. D had to abandon her shopping trip and go straight to the dealer with it. Surprisingly they replaced the entire shift lever and when asked what was wrong the service advisor just shrugged and said “we’re not sure but it just happens sometimes” :))
Personally I found it a bit tight for me at 6’1” when I’d sit in it as a passenger. But D and W fit just fine.
DH loves his Mini. He is over 6 ’ and the seats are fine which is not easy to find for him. The ride is firm but he likes that, rather than a cushy luxury car feel.
He has a 4 door and the back seats are pretty roomy. It can hold a lot of storage for a small car.
Sister and BIL have a Mini Cooper - and when they went on a 3.5 week vacation, they told us we could use it if we brought them to the airport and picked them up - which saved them the long term parking fee. Since our son was home from college it was great to have a car for him.
I will admit it was a lot of fun driving it. Normally I don’t think about transportation as I always value practicality, the space in my “mom taxi” aka minivan makes life easier.
Sometimes I wish I could afford a mid-life crisis 
Thank you everyone for your input. I learned a lot.
Actually, the seller rescheduled the showing to the weekend. Meanwhile, I found a cute metallic red Scion xA. We’ll try both this weekend. I’m so excited! Thank you all!!
And oil hit $70 today. The CNBC talking heads are throwing $100 around. Iran is beefing up its nuclear program, Syria is burning, and Russia is flexing its muscle. I have a feeling there will be lots of fun cars to be had cheap soon. Someone here was doubting if a $33k almost new (or new?) Lexus RX was a good buy back in the day… Enjoy while the fun lasts!