Well today I had nothing to do so I went to the BMW dealership to see what they had. They had no stick shift cars, so I walked over to the Mini area and talked to the guy there. He was very nice and gave me the keys so I could take a Clubman S for a spin. I loved it. I also test drove the non S Clubman and almost wanted to turn around immediately, it just doesn't deliver the same satisfaction without the extra power. Now, I wouldn't get a Clubman, but I'm seriously considering a regular hardtop Cooper S.


The Numbers:

Mini Price (configured as I want): $27,100
Tax, Title, and Registration is about $1,897
-----------------------------------------------------------
Rough total= $29k

Trade in value: $10,000
Private party value: $14,000

Ok, so I'd be out between $14-19k.


I'm a 24 year old un-married guy living in Pittsburgh. I rarely have people in the car, sometimes I have a bike. Someday I'll have friends in the car more often when I live in a city not full of old people, but thats at least a year away. I mostly do city driving but also do 7-10 hour roadtrips every month or two. I love my roadtrips. I'm not sure how good the Mini is on long distance highway cruising tho..

Anyways, what do you guys think? Am I crazy for considering one?

My wife and I are buying a 2009 mini cooper S. 
Infact it is currently being built in their oxford plant and I can track it's progress via a website.  I am getting a 1st week of october delivery.

Let me shed some light on the process.  I respect that Bad horsie is a car salesman and knows his stuff, but if you are buying a custom mini, and not a used dealer stock, don't think you are going in there to negotiate any price on the mini itself.  You might get some accessories thrown in, like I am..but ordered mini's dont move on the price.  Don't believe me..do some research, check some car forums....i did and just thought i would still give it a try....failed. 

As far as practical...yeah he is right....But its a fucking fun car to drive and its made to drive for the thrill of driving.  Not hauling around kids or visits to home depot.  The same can be said for any 2 seat coup or sports car.....

Resale value, well he is right that you might not have the massive demand for the vehicle....but the actual cars hold their value exceptionally well for the demand that is there.  I was initially looking at used ones and everywhere I looked there were models 3 and 4 years old still selling for easy 20k+.

The cooper S was a best buy in class in both consumer reports adn car and driver.  Take that for what its worth....I just drove it and had so much fun tearing out of corners that I had to have one.  But that's just me....I like rally-type cars.  (i have a lancer rally right now)

I'll just echo horsie and add my personal experience....its not a honda, or a toyota, or any of those other cars.  It's an Image car, so no its not practical...but neither is a corvette or porsche.  If you look at the car as just basically somethign to take you from point A to point B...and don't like driving...don't get this car.  Go buy a honda accord or ford focus or something. 

But if you had fun driving it...and think it fits with your personality...and basically just like the car, then think about getting it.  I once had a friend who had been a car salesman, and his advice to people was this " if you can afford it, buy the car that you really like, because if you don't and you settle for something else because you are worried about factor xy and z....well you are only going to end up hating the car you DO buy...and more than likely you will end up getting rid of it sooner than you should have and wasting time and money.."

Here is a picture of our mini build:


Here is our Build:
PAINT IT   Chrome Line Exterior
  Chrome Mirror Caps
  Black Bonnet Stripes
  Black Roof/Mirrors
  Lightning Blue Body Color
  PACKAGES   Cold Weather Package
          Heated Powerfold Mirrors & Washer Jets           Heated Front Seats   Convenience Package
          Comfort Access System           Universal Garage Door Opener           Auto Dimming Rear View Mirror           Rain Sensor and Auto Headlamps           Bluetooth and USB/iPod Adapter   Premium Package
          Automatic AC           Dual Pane Panoramic Sunroof           Leather Sport Wheel w/Multifunction   PERFORMANCE   Sport Suspension
  Dynamic Stability Control
  Front Fog Lamps
  Xenon Headlamps w/Power Wash
  6-Speed Getrag Manual
  16" S-Winders (Perf. Run Flats)     COCKPIT   Sport Seats     Chrome Line Interior
  On-Board Computer
  Center Arm Rest
  Leatherette: Black/Grey
  Interior Surface Checkered Silver
  10-Speaker. Hi-Fi Sound System

Have you looked at the John Cooper Works modded version?Turbocharged, sports suspension, better brakes, etc.

Mini's have a high resale value and are fun to drive with good reliability ratings and good mileage (if you don't drive like a maniac) -- hard to go wrong.

You should also look at other cars in this class:  Mazdaspeed3,  EVO,  Subara WRX, and VW GTI.  All fun, small cars with good ratings and good economy.

That's because of gas prices. All small cars jumped in price. It sucks for dealers. Harder to get and cost more to get. It doesn't matter what piece of shit it is -- if it's a 4 cylinder, it's bringing a good price. You can buy hummers and other big gas guzzlers cheap now.

...and mini coopers don't sell for used higher than retail of a new car. lol Close though.

You can play with Kelly Blue Book online. Note that it's not as accurate as the dealer version, and can be misleading as far as some pricing. The dealer version is 75 bucks a month, and this is free. But it can help give you an idea. www.kbb.com

Still, buying at the MSRP may still include ADP (Added Dealer Profit) and you can talk that down. You just have to check the itemized list.

 

A fool and his money are soon parted.

yellow is the color to have, I tried to tell Giller but he didn't listen. Now they'll be stuck with a shitty blue color!! ;)

Consider some of the practicality issues as well.

How's the space in the car?

how about a bike?