Most liked posts in thread: New Guy

Welcome. Just my .02 cents, but go for an "05/'06 Chili Red R50 or R53. Nothing screams "buy me" like Chili Red.

When I bought mine, I wasn't even looking for a Coop. I used to be a dedicated VW guy, heavily into the MK1 GTI scene when I still lived in England. I was actually looking for a Jetta or Passat to replace my worn out Jetta. I test drove a lot of Jetta's and Passat's, but found them boring. I gave it one more chance, and went to see a used Jetta at a dealer in Toledo (not MINI). When I got there I couldn't find the Jetta in a sea of lookalike, generic cars. But an '07 Chili Red R50 stood out above the dross. I missed out on that MINI by about 20 mins, the guy who bought it was doing the loan paperwork as I checked out the Coop. The bug had bitten, though, and the hunt was on. Eventually got an '06 Cooper in mint condition.

Good luck with you search. Nothing will put a bigger smile on your face than a MINI.

 

Welcome! My best friend drives an FR-S and is having major issues with his car. He's on this forum so I'll let him elaborate...

Around here (central Valley & Bay Area California), I see mainly women driving Justas and men driving S's/JCW's (age is all over the board). Kind of interesting, I think.

 

Don't worry about the "look" because of the drivers you see. For 8 years I drove a 1994 Mazda Miata NA. The Miata was ALWAYS called a girlie car by some. For one thing it really wasn't, and for another who cares? It's almost like those who tell you that your haircut looks stupid or some such derogatory comment. Decades ago, someone coined the phrase, "If it feels good, do it". The same goes for your car. "If you like it, who cares what anyone else thinks?"

 

Not a fan of Chili Red, nice color but too predictable when it comes to MINIs.[/QUOTE]


Not a colour that everyone likes, for sure, but my advice on a late model Gen 1 still stands as a first MINI.

 

There are a number of younger people getting into MINIs now because used ones have gotten down to a reasonable price. Our group may not all be in the 20s (some are) age wise but mentally a number of us still are. :cornut:

 

Forget the R53 & Miata ND. Get this!

 

Ummm...!![emoji6]


Oh wait you said car...phew...

 

:lol: Yeah I made sure I put the word CAR in that sentence. :lol:

 

Welcome Aboard!

Where are you in Ohio? The Columbus meets for donuts this Saturday at the Tim Horton's in New Albany off 161 at 8:30 ish

We are always happy to talk about MINIs and give advice. I went before I bought mine and was warmly welcomed.

Also there is a great looking MINI Coupe for sale by one of our guys. You'll see it posted Dark Helmet. It's a great car if it's in your budget.

 

Here is that car that says "BUY ME". No one will say its a cute girlie car.

http://www.motoringalliance.com/forums/minis-sale/22675-sale-dark-helmet-2012-r58-jcw-coupe.html#axzz3GJOSDnQX

 

Now that there is the funniest thing I've seen in a while. I'm an old fart & I drink beer. Are you going to stop drinking beer because old folks drink it?:smilewinkgrin:

Buy what you like & don't worry about what others drive or think of what you drive. My other car is a Miata! MINIs are an absolute hoot to drive. I know a BRZ or GTI would be a fun car I like them too. I have seat time in a GTI & while a fine fun car it is missing that something my MINI has. Drive all 3 & see what you think. If you are worried about being seen in an old persons car just tint the windows real dark.

Welcome to M/A, come on over to the donut munch & kick some tires with us. We are all car guys & like many different cars. I'm sure most everyone at OSU is sleeping at the donut munch time. You could come & be back before anyone knows you're gone.

 

I appreciate your support for the sale of my Coupe.

 

An ND Miata is an interesting suggestion. It is almost vapor ware. Can't test drive one or even look at one until next year.

You can buy Dark Helmet NOW! :yesnod:

 

Ok Marks car "Dark Helmut" is worth getting up early and going to see it in person.

 

Sorry if it has been said, but I just read your first post...

90% of MINI owners are over 25, and I kinda like it that way! Most of your highschoolers would just screw them up!

 

Welcome to M/A the FUN Mini site.

 

Welcome, thanks for joining Motoring Alliance, the FUN and Friendly MINI Community.

 

Welcome to M/A. I currently have a 2013 FR-S that I took delivery of in January of this year (brand new). There are a whole slew of issues with the Toybaru Twins you may want to be aware of and actually look into before you decide to go that route.

First, let me start with the pro's. There's no denying the car is drop dead sexy. It's gorgeous. And despite the reviews you may have seen or heard, this car is no joke off the line or in the twisties. It does suffer from a bit of a lack of torque overall, and takes a certain finesse to drive at its optimal level, but I can promise you that if you have any professional driving experience at all, this car will not fail to produce smiles on your face.

Now it's time for the cons, and I really think you should strongly consider these, as I not only have the car in question, but hundreds of thousands of miles of driving under my belt as well as years of professional driver's training. I'm not going to be the only answer, but I am here and available for your questions.
There is a nasty mapping issue with the car. That said, if you decide you want to drive the car at WOT constantly, I can assure you the car will live up to the reviewer's comments that it is a torqueless and under-powered pig. There's a sweet spot in the acceleration that you have to find on your own, and it definitely isn't at WOT. This is the least of the car's problems.
The fuel pump that Toyota used is a High Pressure Fuel Pump, located on the driver's side under the hood. This pump makes the most obnoxious chirping noise while idling that is common to the Twins. Toyota has no fix for this, nor have they made any attempts to R&D the problem. Many have tried to fix the issue, and so far, the success rate is 0%. This isn't golf, so that's not exactly a good number. Many that can't deal with the noise have traded in their vehicle. I have posted a YouTube video link at the bottom of this that I think you need to watch to help you decide if it's something you can deal with. The video is of my personal FR-S, not some random YouTube video I found.
Another major problem with the car is the gearbox is extremely sloppy. What I mean by that is there are plenty of times where I have to actually fight the car to go into gear at a stop. I have had 20 something vehicles so far, and all but 4 have been manual transmission vehicles. Since I have never had to replace a clutch or transmission outside of its normal wear and tear breakdown, it's definitely not me nor my driving style that is causing this issue. In fact, I had the vehicle in the shop after only having it three weeks because I wanted the transmission looked at. I was told this was a characteristic of the car.
There are several other issues owners have had with the car that I have not yet experience, such as condensation in the lights and interior issues. I can only touch on the issues I have had, but since fuel pumps and transmissions are fairly pricey, I figured you might want to know of these before you dive in. It isn't worth it, no matter how good a car looks. So I am planning to move from an FR-S to a Mini because the Mini can beat my car up in the corners and is much more reliable.

Watch "FR-S Chirping Noise" on YouTube
FR-S Chirping Noise: [ame=http://youtu.be/pG_7ZUtVoq8]FR-S Chirping Noise - YouTube[/ame]