OP: first of all, welcome. Congrats on ditching your Tahoe for something fun. You're going to have to gauge the enthusiasm level of the crowd, here: what people are saying about the R53 vs R56 vs F56 (1st generation, 2nd generation, 3rd generation MINIs) has to be viewed through the lens of the hard-core enthusiast. The R53 is the undisputed champion of pure driving fun. It was a once-in-a-generation great car. That having been said, even the newest ones are now 10 years old, so you have to take repairs and maintenance into consideration. If that's okay, go for it. If a newer car is what you want, I would skip the R56 and go for a F56, if you can stomach the funny face. They look to be much higher-quality cars than the 2nd gen cars.
Welcome to MA. I did exactly this and decided on 05 R53 -- the ride was more lively and serviceability of the drive train influenced decision... and gen1 was more "labor of love" development vs 07+. If your a maintenance-phobe (as I am) would recommend the R53. I used this site to look up prospective vehicle builds (dealer is fine too): BMW Model Archive · BMW VIN Decoder · bmwarchive.org Let us know if we can help - before and after.
This, agree 100%. The R53 is still IMHO the purest go kart of the three, it handles the best, and if it's purely driving pleasure you're after, it'd be my first choice. It may not BE the fastest, but it FEELS the fastest. On the other hand, the R56 and the F56 even more so are more comfortable--better seats, higher quality interior, and make for a better daily driver. None of the MINIs are known for reliability, and I'd specifically stay away from the 2002-2004, and the earlier R56 models. In fact, if you can stomach the looks of the F56, it'd be worth it to go that route for the warranty, if that's a high priority. The 2005-2006 is where it's at for me. I'll sacrifice some comfort for the more visceral driving experience. But, you will have to maintain the car, and you're more likely than not going to need to replace some things on a 10 year old car. If you're not up for that, go with an under warranty F56. If you're hitting the track, the R53 is the easiest to mod and maintain. Look for an R53 with the factory LSD.
Thanks cct1! I have to admit, joining was a good idea. Nice to have people who are really into the cars giving great advice. Most of my friends/co-workers are giving me grief for wanting a MINI. They all think it's too small for a guy with a wife, 2 kids and a 120lbs dog.
I have a wife and 4 kids. Yes once and only once we all road in it at the same time. You could say we are a close family, well at least when we were in the Mini!
MCS02, I can only imagine how close after that ride! I keep trying to explain to them that the MINI will be a daily driver for me, eventually for one of the kids, and I am NOT dumping the Tahoe for when I need more space. Not to mention the fact that I JUST bought my wife an MDX a year ago. We're good on family car space. I've had recommendations ranging from a 1-series to a Mazda 6. Everyone has an opinion, lol.
So I went to the MINI Motoring challenge here in Houston over the weekend and had a chance to drive the new 2 and 4 door S models. Gotta say I was pleasantly surprised at the way they handled on the makeshift tracks they set up. Both models were quick off the line, and cornered really well. The 4d was a smidge slower, but it was barely noticeable to me. Makes my decision that much harder now...
Welcome, buy a pre July 04 R50, do the 6 speed conversion and give me the Midlands transmission..hahahaha
That's what I did 2 years ago. Swapped out my 06 with 90k on it for my 08 R52 with only 3k on it. I just turned 27k last month.