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[Dilbert]

Show me a crash test where those dummies are not crushed to death.

Did you even bother checking out the links Cooper posted?

 

[Cooper]

Show me a crash test where those dummies are not crushed to death.

I provided the links in my post. From IIHS

Overall frontal - Good (Best Pick)
Structure/safety cage - Good
Head/neck - Good
Chest - Good
Leg/foot - Good
Restraints/kinmatics - Acceptable


Edit - d'oh, beaten by the swift fingers of jinx and fart!

 

[Saturnman]

Ok, now show me why those cars cost two times as much as they should.

 

[Saturnman]

Did you even bother checking out the links Cooper posted?

Yes, but I just had to ask anyway.

Is that a good answer for you?

 

[Cooper]

Ok, now show me why those cars cost two times as much as they should.

The MSRP of the base Cooper is $17,000, and the S is $20,000. They come with lots of nice standard features like ABS, side and head protection airbags, better handling than most cars costing 2-3 times as much, and you think they should be cheaper than Kias? There's no reasoning with some people, I guess.

 

[Tarazet]

Ok, now show me why those cars cost two times as much as they should.

AWP

 

[Fresh Prince]

They're cute- what other reason do you need?

 

[fart]

i think if supply weren't so constrained the price would be about right.

i haven't heard any of this poor build quality stuff before though.

 

[Cooper]

i think if supply weren't so constrained the price would be about right.

i haven't heard any of this poor build quality stuff before though.

You can get them at MSRP if you're willing to wait for a special order. That's what we did. As for poor build quality, I guess the first model year had trouble, as is generally the case for any new car. But our 2004 model is running happily, flaw-free after 20,000 miles. The S only has 1,000 miles on it right now, but so far, so good.

 

[Saturnman]

The MSRP of the base Cooper is $17,000, and the S is $20,000. They come with lots of nice standard features like ABS, side and head protection airbags, better handling than most cars costing 2-3 times as much, and you think they should be cheaper than Kias? There's no reasoning with some people, I guess.

Well, this is not Europe or Japan. They're unnecessarily compact and they're relatively expensive. If you buy a car for more than looks, I'd use that money to buy a Honda Civic or something. You get more room with those, for passengers and stuff to put in the trunk.

For me, cars are just vehicules. Nothing more.

 

[fart]

you can get most of the cars it competes with for about invoice though. i think for invoice a base mini would be a steal. 16k is corolla territory.

 

[Tarazet]

You can get them at MSRP if you're willing to wait for a special order. That's what we did. As for poor build quality, I guess the first model year had trouble, as is generally the case for any new car. But our 2004 model is running happily, flaw-free after 20,000 miles. The S only has 1,000 miles on it right now, but so far, so good.

You can never tell about a car's reliability after 20,000 miles, although some testimonials I've read have turned up problems with far fewer miles on the clock than that. It's borderline. I wouldn't buy one myself.

 

[Cooper]

Well, this is not Europe or Japan. They're unnecessarily compact and they're relatively expensive. If you buy a car for more than looks, I'd use that money a buy a Honda Civic or something. You get more room with those, for passengers and stuff to put in the trunk.

For me, cars are just vehicules. Nothing more.

Some of us like "unneccessarily compact" cars. We were looking for a parking place in Santa Monica not too long ago. This SUV tried to squeeze into a parallel spot, with no luck. He eventually gave up, and we snagged the spot with ease.

As for why I bought the car, looks were certainly part of it. Other factors were:

Head room - the Mini is perfect for tall people, with more head room than most mid-sized sedans. Traditional compact cars like Civics are usually pretty cramped.

Handling - You'll have to drive the Mini to understand. It makes almost all other cars feel like mush.

Community - We Mini drivers wave at each other when we see others on the road. I already posted the rally pictures.

My previous car was a Ford Escort. It was a very functional compact car. After driving it for 7 years, I was ready for some nicer accouterments and more fun. So yeah, if you don't actually like the driving experience, and just see a car as a "point-A-to-B" thing, the Mini probably won't appeal to you. But for those of us who think it's fun to drive on a twisty road, the Mini is at the top of the heap.

 

[Cooper]

You can never tell about a car's reliability after 20,000 miles, although some testimonials I've read have turned up problems with far fewer miles on the clock than that. It's borderline. I wouldn't buy one myself.

That's certainly your choice. We have them, and wouldn't want anything else.

 

[Saturnman]

Ironically, I often choose the Mini Cooper in Project Gotham.

 

[Fresh Prince]

Ironically, I often choose the Mini Cooper in Project Gotham.

They are good aren't they? When you're cousins come over and choose the better cars, you choose the Mini and a tight, complicated track with lots of turns

 

[Shinobi]

I personally think it looks funny when a male drives a Mini Cooper. They are nice cars but definitely have the look of a "girl car" in my eye. It just looks so feminine.

Disagree...size wise it leans that way, but the overall look has enough spunk to make it look pretty manly. And you can certainly throw the car around like a man with that short wheelbase. Anyway, I'd love to get a Cooper S in a few years, though the Impreza WRX or WRX STI remains my dream car.

Now the current VW Beetle, that looks feminine as fuck...didn't capture the classic Beetle's character at all.

Ok, now show me why those cars cost two times as much as they should.

I imagine BMW's involvement has something to do with that.

 

[Kola]

Has anyone of the MiniCooper drivers here seen the Bourne Identity?

 

[Folder]

So you guys attend rallies in your brand new cars?
That are all pretty much stock? I have never heard anything quite so amazing. Isn't that the same as hanging around a car sales room? Given that they're all new cars?
It's hardly like it defines your identity.

"So, um.. you bought a new Mini too?"
"Erm, yeah. A few months ago."
"Notice it's exactly the same as mine..."
"Sure is. No difference whatsoever. Oh, except I have my CD in the stereo..."

That is the most tragic identi-kit event I have ever seen.
:lol

I imagine BMW's involvement has something to do with that.

Also, the fact that it weighs twice as much too...

 

[Cooper]

So you guys attend rallies in your brand new cars?
That are all pretty much stock? I have never heard anything quite so amazing. Isn't that the same as hanging around a car sales room? Given that they're all new cars?

If you don't understand the appeal of several hundred Minis descending on a location in a pack, then you are probably in the wrong thread. As far as the event itself, Mini drivers tend to be a very friendly crowd and we had a thoroughly good time.

That is the most tragic identi-kit event I have ever seen.

Says the man who posts to the forums during his honeymoon.

 

[Cooper]

Has anyone of the MiniCooper drivers here seen the Bourne Identity?

ummm, no, we've never seen Bourne Identity or Italian Job.

 

[Tsubaki]

For me, cars are just vehicules. Nothing more.

Sure, but even then. Do you want a car that is practical in terms of bringing people and accessories from point A to point B? Do you want a car that you want to drive for fun? Do you want a car that is safe for its occupants? Do you want a car that will allow you to go offroad and tread territory that's hard to walk? Or do you need to have the best in technology - cutting edge bluetooth, GPS, 12 speaker surround sound, soft cushioning leather?

That's the thing about cars. Because there's so many different angles you can approach it from, there is no definitive car. Each car offers different things and will inevitably do some better than others.

Coopers not really as rip-offy as you think they are. The 115hp version is about 16.5k, which is higher end Civic territory. You may think that you have an option of getting a cheaper Civic, and you do. But it's not like the Cooper is a ripoff. In fact, many of the things standard in the Mini you have to get the highest grade Civic for. And you actually get more safety features in the Mini such as ABS, front and side airbags, etc. If you added these on a Civic, the price would probably be more.

The Cooper S is about 20k, which is pretty much Civic Si territory too.

I'm not saying that you would necessarily want a Mini Cooper over a Civic. But the price is quite reasonable. If anything, I think that Hondas are a bit on the expensive side.

 

[Saturnman]

When I watch the Mini Cooper, I see a car for one or two passengers (a bit more if you're really desperate), a definitely urban, leisure car, not likely to be driven out of state or taken for this week grocery shopping since its storage capacity is virtually non-existent. It's cute, can maybe fit in that lone parking spot downtown and maybe you drive around with your friends with their own Coopers on weekends.

It's not about wanting a SUV, it's about a car doing less than you'd expect from an average car. Not very practical.

 

[Cooper]

When I watch the Mini Cooper, I see a car for one or two passengers (a bit more if you're really desperate), a definitely urban, leisure car, not likely to be driven out of state or taken for this week grocery shopping since its storage capacity is virtually non-existent. It's cute, can maybe fit in that lone parking spot downtown and maybe you drive around with your friends with their own Coopers on weekends.

It's not about wanting a SUV, it's about a car doing less than you'd expect from an average car. Not very practical.

We originally thought this would be the case too. As I mentioned in my first post, we envisioned the Mini as the commuter car, and the 300M (a car that's right on the border of mid-sized and large) as the car we'd use for all the other tasks. But this didn't happen. The Mini's handling won us over, and we ended up using it for everything - commuting, shopping, long-distance traveling, fun quick trips around town, and so on. We only took the Chrysler when we absolutely had to be in two different places at the same time. In the time period we put 15,000 miles on the Mini, we put about 1,500 on the Chrysler.

It turns out we just don't haul a lot of bulky stuff, and we rarely have backseat passengers. Our groceries, golf clubs, Best Buy merchandise, etc. all fit easily into the Mini. For the couple times a year we need to carry a lot of junk at once, we have a relative nearby who owns a van. So, we can either have our old Mini/Chrysler combination, where one car is almost never driven, or we can have two Minis like we do know, where both cars meet our needs perfectly and are driven frequently. The Mini is more comfortable than the Chrysler to us. The Mini gets better gas mileage. The Mini is just an all-around more enjoyable car. You tell me which setup is more practical.

 

[Schmo Florez]

Every time I see a Mini Cooper I think of the Urkel car.

 

[mrklaw]

Hey pimpwerx, you know the new 05 WRX STi comes with active diff too Its supposed to swing the age-old Lancer Vs WRX argument back in favour of the WRX.

The Lancer is supposed to be difficult to live with day to day, whereas the WRX is much more practical - Lancer has crazy 6k service intervals too.

I can see your next car being a WRX. Oh yes.

V.Nice MR2 BTW

When I watch the Mini Cooper, I see a car for one or two passengers (a bit more if you're really desperate), a definitely urban, leisure car, not likely to be driven out of state or taken for this week grocery shopping since its storage capacity is virtually non-existent. It's cute, can maybe fit in that lone parking spot downtown and maybe you drive around with your friends with their own Coopers on weekends.

It's not about wanting a SUV, it's about a car doing less than you'd expect from an average car. Not very practical.

Surely that depends on your lifestyle? It might do less than *you* expect from an average car, but for people that have lifestyles you mention it fits well.

You could argue that SUVs are way more car than most people really need.