BMW MINI Cooper S Supercharged (R53). Cheap. Fast. Reliable. Like a Mini.
Enough said.
don't know what minis you have driven! Cheap- possibly (but will be rusty), fast - a mini? As cooperman says 'slightly less slow', reliable - mine is, but judging from the number of questions on here a lot aren't. So if the R53 is those things it is indeed nothing like a mini!
Joking aside, I know there are lovers on here on the new mini, but some of the comments above suggesting they drive like a proper mini will leave the OP very disappointed if gets ones based on that info. They are twice the size, twice the weight, full of electronics that distance the driver from the 'experience' of driving, power steering that further reduces the feel. Whether they are good cars or not is another discussion (I don't think they are bad, but there are much better cars out there for less money) but they aren't like a proper mini. If you want a car like a mini, then it has to be a mini, anything else will be a poor replacement (which is why I suggested going for something completely different).
BMW MINI Cooper S Supercharged (R53). Cheap. Fast. Reliable. Like a Mini.
Enough said.
don't know what minis you have driven! Cheap- possibly (but will be rusty), fast - a mini? As cooperman says 'slightly less slow', reliable - mine is, but judging from the number of questions on here a lot aren't. So if the R53 is those things it is indeed nothing like a mini!
Joking aside, I know there are lovers on here on the new mini, but some of the comments above suggesting they drive like a proper mini will leave the OP very disappointed if gets ones based on that info. They are twice the size, twice the weight, full of electronics that distance the driver from the 'experience' of driving, power steering that further reduces the feel. Whether they are good cars or not is another discussion (I don't think they are bad, but there are much better cars out there for less money) but they aren't like a proper mini. If you want a car like a mini, then it has to be a mini, anything else will be a poor replacement (which is why I suggested going for something completely different).
Plenty of people like HarrysMIni, myself, and countless others around the world who are current or ex-classic Mini owners and drivers, not to mention Paddy Hopkirk, Rauno Aaltonen and many respected motoring magazine road testers think the modern MINI has many of the fun driving and handling characteristics of the classic Mini and is therefore worthy of serious consideration by the OP. ......I don't think he will be very disapponted at all by our suggestions, quite the opposite. I have lost count of the number of very cynical current or ex-classic Mini owners like yourself who have confessed they were wrong after test driving mine or another MINI and then gone out and bought one for themself........
As regards money a good early R50 or R53 MINI (2001-06) can be bought for a lot less than most classic Mini's these days and if you buy a very cheap one in need of some work all the info you need is on the MINI enthusiast forums and magazines. Modern performance supermini's don't come much better for the money than a supercharged R53 Cooper S for sheer driving fun.
PS. All the classic Mini's I have owned since my first in 1974 have been cheap, fast and surprisingly reliable (for their time) !
Paddy Hopkirk and Rauno Aaltonen test drive a MINI JCW Cabrio in Monte Carlo
The point is not whether they are a decent car (I have driven them and think they are at best average and are several years behind the opposition) and to be honest I am not interested in celebrity endorsement (you can get anyone if the price is right, it's all business), the point is whether they 'drive like a mini' and they simply don't. To say otherwise is simply fiction, and BMW would have failed if they did - modern drivers generally would not accept the ride and feel of a classic mini. This is why BL/ rover aimed the mini at a niche enthusiast market towards the end. The OP wanted to know of cars that drive a bit like a mini and the suggestions of various small cars fit the bill (but IMHO nothing is as good) the new mini is nothing like a classic mini to drive.
The point is not whether they are a decent car (I have driven them and think they are at best average and are several years behind the opposition) and to be honest I am not interested in celebrity endorsement (you can get anyone if the price is right, it's all business), the point is whether they 'drive like a mini' and they simply don't. To say otherwise is simply fiction, and BMW would have failed if they did - modern drivers generally would not accept the ride and feel of a classic mini. This is why BL/ rover aimed the mini at a niche enthusiast market towards the end. The OP wanted to know of cars that drive a bit like a mini and the suggestions of various small cars fit the bill (but IMHO nothing is as good) the new mini is nothing like a classic mini to drive.
The OP said "Got my fun little mini just want something cheap and a bit like the mini to drive for a daily work horse."
The MINI is fun to drive, early R50/53 are now available relatively cheaply, they drive a bit like the Mini, and are good for use as a daily work horse. (They also have quite a hard ride like the Mini !)
The only fiction here is your own opinion that they are "at best average and are several years behind the opposition"......myself and some others don't quite agree with that.....
MINI – Austin Rover Online - Car of the Decade, 2000-2010
"Thanks to the engineering excellence of the components on offer from the BMW parts bin, such as the Z-axle rear suspension (shared with the Rover 75/MG ZT), and the sheer skill of Rover’s chassis team in dialling-in a perfectly honed set-up, the MINI was always going to be a great car to drive. And so it proved. When the road testers finally got hold of the MINI, they were bowled over by its overall dynamics and smart styling and almost universally gave it a very big thumbs-up."
EVO Car of the Year test
"EVO has included the second generation MINI JCW GP in its list of final contenders for EVO Car of the Year. Watch the two-part video presentation below to see how the GP fairs against heavy hitting super cars from Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Alpha Romeo, Mercedes Benz and Audi. Where the humble GP ranks in this pantheon of halo cars may surprise you."
This year's EVO Car of the Year test, in association with Michelin, brings together some of 2013's hottest metal, on one of Europe's most demanding roads, the French Route Napoleon. The finalists are as follows:
Aston Martin V12 Vantage S
- Audi R8 V10 Plus
- Mercedes SLS Black Series
- Porsche 911 GT3
- Alfa Romeo 4C
- Ferrari F12 Berlinetta
- Porsche Cayman S
- MINI JCW GP
EVO 'best front wheel drive car of 2013' up against the supercars, see the MINI JCW GP at 4m.25 on first video
Mab, you seem to love quoting the motoring press which is notoriously bent, if you pay for ads you get good reviews. Perhaps you should look at what owners think before saying how ahead they are:
http://www.autocar.c...r-model-results - note the mini at 73rd, most similar sized cars are above it. So it seems that owners of other cars are more satisfied than MINI owners. As I said, behind the opposition. And the idea that a hard ride makes its like a mini, well nuff said I think.
The BINI is a fantastic modern car with superb road-holding on most surfaces and good handling. It has modern reliability and sophistication. Gearing is high for good long distance cruising. All-in-all it is a great package.
However, it does not have a 55-year old classic car's feel or charisma and if it did it would not sell. Modern buyers are looking for a modern car.
The ADO15 Mini was a totally innovative car and truly deserves its iconic classic status. It is unique in so many ways. There is nothing like it.
I had a Rover 214 Si which, to my mind, is more a successor to the Mini than the BINI is, but it was not a 'car similar to the Mini' as in the OP's title.
The original Mini, in modern terms, is slow, uncomfortable, harsh and less than reliable. But it is unique and is truly classic. To find a car similar to it is impossible and that is why we love it so. You might as well ask 'what painting is similar to the Venus de Milo?'
I probably should have elaborated on my OP. Cheap- You can get a decent low mileage R53 for around £4500 now, Fast- About the same as a Golf GTI and similar, Reliable- It has BMWs excellent engineering and reputation on it's side, Like a Mini- it does have similar characteristics as the original (including where driving and handling is concerned).
What other cars do you think are much better for less money?
OP, choosing a car is an entirely personal thing and no one can tell you what to get, the only person who can decide is you. I would suggest you make a list of cars and go out and drive them all. You will know which one is right for you after you have.
The point is not whether they are a decent car (I have driven them and think they are at best average and are several years behind the opposition) and to be honest I am not interested in celebrity endorsement (you can get anyone if the price is right, it's all business), the point is whether they 'drive like a mini' and they simply don't. To say otherwise is simply fiction, and BMW would have failed if they did - modern drivers generally would not accept the ride and feel of a classic mini. This is why BL/ rover aimed the mini at a niche enthusiast market towards the end. The OP wanted to know of cars that drive a bit like a mini and the suggestions of various small cars fit the bill (but IMHO nothing is as good) the new mini is nothing like a classic mini to drive.
The point is not whether they are a decent car (I have driven them and think they are at best average and are several years behind the opposition) and to be honest I am not interested in celebrity endorsement (you can get anyone if the price is right, it's all business), the point is whether they 'drive like a mini' and they simply don't. To say otherwise is simply fiction, and BMW would have failed if they did - modern drivers generally would not accept the ride and feel of a classic mini. This is why BL/ rover aimed the mini at a niche enthusiast market towards the end. The OP wanted to know of cars that drive a bit like a mini and the suggestions of various small cars fit the bill (but IMHO nothing is as good) the new mini is nothing like a classic mini to drive.
Here here .......
By the way, how,s the Honey Monster ( sorry ) bear doing ?
The point is not whether they are a decent car (I have driven them and think they are at best average and are several years behind the opposition) and to be honest I am not interested in celebrity endorsement (you can get anyone if the price is right, it's all business), the point is whether they 'drive like a mini' and they simply don't. To say otherwise is simply fiction, and BMW would have failed if they did - modern drivers generally would not accept the ride and feel of a classic mini. This is why BL/ rover aimed the mini at a niche enthusiast market towards the end. The OP wanted to know of cars that drive a bit like a mini and the suggestions of various small cars fit the bill (but IMHO nothing is as good) the new mini is nothing like a classic mini to drive.
Here here .......
By the way, how,s the Honey Monster ( sorry ) bear doing ?
God forbid, old age at its most lethal. I meant the badger, the badger.
I probably should have elaborated on my OP. Cheap- You can get a decent low mileage R53 for around £4500 now, Fast- About the same as a Golf GTI and similar, Reliable- It has BMWs excellent engineering and reputation on it's side, Like a Mini- it does have similar characteristics as the original (including where driving and handling is concerned).
What other cars do you think are much better for less money?
OP, choosing a car is an entirely personal thing and no one can tell you what to get, the only person who can decide is you. I would suggest you make a list of cars and go out and drive them all. You will know which one is right for you after you have.
I don't consider £4500 cheap personally but for that sort of cash (assume £5000 and haggle room) I would go for all of these first:
I probably should have elaborated on my OP. Cheap- You can get a decent low mileage R53 for around £4500 now, Fast- About the same as a Golf GTI and similar, Reliable- It has BMWs excellent engineering and reputation on it's side, Like a Mini- it does have similar characteristics as the original (including where driving and handling is concerned).
What other cars do you think are much better for less money?
OP, choosing a car is an entirely personal thing and no one can tell you what to get, the only person who can decide is you. I would suggest you make a list of cars and go out and drive them all. You will know which one is right for you after you have.
I don't consider £4500 cheap personally but for that sort of cash (assume £5000 and haggle room) I would go for all of these first:
You advice is spot on though. Drive it first, everyone is different. My wife loves her Mazda 3 but I hate driving it.
Edit: Mingy, the honey badger is still ferocious, if any lions attempt to steal my mini they will be toast
1. Not really particularly practical, no rear seats etc.
2. Golf GTI was actually our first choice when buying our Cooper S, but they all go for and are advertised around the £6000 mark for the same mileage and service history.
3. Audi A3, is just a Golf GTI in a suit. I would rather have the Golf.
4. Again, impractical, definitely not a car that's good for men to be seen in.
All four of those cars are good, but for different reasons. For what we wanted, the R53 ticked most of the boxes.
don't know what minis you have driven! Cheap- possibly (but will be rusty), fast - a mini? As cooperman says 'slightly less slow', reliable - mine is, but judging from the number of questions on here a lot aren't. So if the R53 is those things it is indeed nothing like a mini!
