Mini Cooper or ?

[LawrenceGazebo]

Good afternoon folks,

I'm considering a small, "zippy" fun car to have around for commuting (whenever that starts again) and trips around town.

My main requirements are:

• small, but with 4 seats;
• manual transmission;
• fun to drive;
• under $20,000 (certainly happy to be much under it );
• relatively modern for safety considerations (maybe mid 2000s onwards?); and
• some aftermarket support (lowering springs, air intake, ECU tune, etc.).

I owned a 2008 Mini Cooper S a while back and enjoyed it (and think it checks all of the above boxes) -- any thoughts on a newer version of the same?

I usually avoid buying the same car twice, so if you have any other suggestions or experiences with cars you think fit those parameters, I'm all ears. Thanks!

PS. I am not interested in things like Mustangs, Challengers, Camaros. I think they're very cool, but having driven Mustangs and Challengers in the past (no Camaros though), I generally prefer the smaller, lighter, "zippier" type autos.

 

[KS-Ryan]

I just bought a 2018 VW GTI and love, love, love it. Paid just over $20k for mine with 26k miles, but I'm sure you can find one a little bit older for less.

 

[Jetronic]

Not sure the USA gets them, but a BMW 1 or 2?

fiat/abarth 500?

fiat 124 spider?

 

[drtyler]

Mini Cooper, for sure. Fun cars.

As mentioned above, consider the GTI as well.

 

[earlyre]

outside the box?
if you can find it in largely unmolested form, a Neon SRT-4.
or if you can't find a good SRT4, you can somewhat aproximate it with any 2000-2005 neon, and the 2.4 Turbo from a PT Cruiser. you'll need the PT's trans and computers too, but the whole shebang pretty much bolt into the neon body.

 

[wemay]

Ford Fiesta ST
Ford Focus ST
Fiat 500 Abarth
VW Golf
VW GTi
VW GLi
Subaru/Toyota BRZ/86
Hyundai Elantra Sport (sedan)
Hyundai Elantra GT Turbo (hatchback)
Mazda3
Kia Forte GT Turbo
Chevy Sonic RS Turbo
Honda Civic Si

My choices: VW Golf, VW GLi or Hyundai Elantra Sport
I owned a 2003 Mini Cooper S (back when it was supercharged )

 

[The Critic]

335i?

 

[JustN89]

Ford Fiesta ST
VW Golf
VW GTi
Subaru/Toyota BRZ/86
Hyundai Elantra Sport (sedan)
Hyundai Elantra GT Turbo (hatchback)
Mazda3
Kia Forte GT Turbo
Ford Focus ST
Chevy Sonic RS Turbo

wemay types faster than I do, so I'll just copy his list and add a few more.

Honda Civic hatchback or SI (those can be found right at the $20k mark)
Ford Fiesta ST
BMW 228i

That's all that I can think of off the top of my head. The good news is that there's a bunch of options in that market, so you'll have plenty of vehicles to test drive.

 

[NYSteve]

I have a Mini JCW 4 door but would have bought a Focus ST if the wife drove manual.

You're paying a premium for less standard equipment than others but it's a Mini and there really isn't anything like it.

the best deal on a Mini is the Oxford Edition. It's little bit higher than 20k but is the cheapest Mini S you can get new.

@wemay 's list is dead on.

 

[wpod]

Dodge challenger of Charger with the Hellcat for something really fun.

 

[Ausfahrt]

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[wings&wheels]

fwd or rwd? If fwd, can't argue with either the Mini Cooper or GTI. You could also pick up a used R32 within your budget as well as a 996 or even early 997 which have small rear seats. Audi TT's may also fit the bill, but the coupe's rear seats are minimal.

 

[Donald]

Get a Subaru Crosstrek new for not that much more.

 

[LawrenceGazebo]

outside the box?
if you can find it in largely unmolested form, a Neon SRT-4.
or if you can't find a good SRT4, you can somewhat aproximate it with any 2000-2005 neon, and the 2.4 Turbo from a PT Cruiser. you'll need the PT's trans and computers too, but the whole shebang pretty much bolt into the neon body.

Creative, and I'm a Chrysler fan, but I'm looking for something a bit more...turn key.

 

[LawrenceGazebo]

Get a Subaru Crosstrek new for not that much more.

Thank you, but underpowered and not quite the fun I'm looking for.

And if I don't stick to my 20k budget, suddenly a 25k car looks cool and I can justify it, then why not step up to 30k since that opens up a ton of stuff, then 40...and suddenly my "fun zip around car" looks a lot more like an M2 Competition than I originally intended it to.

 

[LawrenceGazebo]

Dodge challenger of Charger with the Hellcat for something really fun.

Specifically called out in my posting as something I wasn't interested in. And outside of my budget.

 

[LawrenceGazebo]

fwd or rwd? If fwd, can't argue with either the Mini Cooper or GTI. You could also pick up a used R32 within your budget as well as a 996 or even early 997 which have small rear seats. Audi TT's may also fit the bill, but the coupe's rear seats are minimal.

Open to either (or AWD). I have found besides a few potential options (BMW 1/2 series, for example) that most of the cars I'm gravitating towards are FWD.

I think the P-car idea is fun, and I often go back to it, but for this vehicle's purposes, I'm thinking more like "I can rip around in this thing, park in the front of the parking lot and not be so worried about door dings, floor it pretty frequently without going supersonic, etc."

 

[wemay]

Dodge challenger of Charger with the Hellcat for something really fun.

From the Original Post:

"...PS. I am not interested in things like Mustangs, Challengers, Camaros. I think they're very cool, but having driven Mustangs and Challengers in the past (no Camaros though), I generally prefer the smaller, lighter, "zippier" type autos."

It happens to all of us.

 

[wpod]

Specifically called out in my posting as something I wasn't interested in. And outside of my budget.

You posted

Mini Cooper or ? cut and paste , I answered the ? with a real fun car suggestion. Mini Cooper ,,, not my idea of fun.​

 

[LawrenceGazebo]

Ford Fiesta ST
Ford Focus ST
Fiat 500 Abarth
VW Golf
VW GTi
VW GLi
Subaru/Toyota BRZ/86
Hyundai Elantra Sport (sedan)
Hyundai Elantra GT Turbo (hatchback)
Mazda3
Kia Forte GT Turbo
Chevy Sonic RS Turbo
Honda Civic Si

My choices: VW Golf, VW GLi or Hyundai Elantra Sport
I owned a 2003 Mini Cooper S (back when it was supercharged )

Thanks a ton!

To you and the other folks who have suggested a GTI, I will definitely consider one. I also like the Abarth idea. Finally, I have been kicking around a VW TDI as an option, seems interesting, tunable and has a lot of overlap with gas models for suspension modifications.