Why Your Next Car Must Be A MINI Cooper
Author: Nick
Category: Money
Topics: energy, happiness, technology, transportation
In a perfect world, we could simply think of a place and we would automatically be whisked away to our destination. But since we live in such a perfectly inadequate world, not only do we need to work to get ourselves from one place to another, but we need to bring along two tons of metal for the ride! And on top of that, we’re expected to pay money to buy that big piece of metal and pay even more to feed that piece of metal with an overly-priced fuel.
When I write it like that, driving a car sounds about as disgusting as eating the gunk in your belly button. Once you add in the wasted time and money with the aggravation of being stuck in traffic, you’d think “car” and “enjoyable” would have no place in the same sentence… unless “a sack full of money” were also in that sentence.
What if I told you that there’s a fun, safe, affordable vehicle just waiting for you to drive it? You might say, “I have $83 in my wallet, so it better not cost more than that” or “How much are you getting paid to tell me this?” Well, my friend, you’ll probably need a bit more than $83 to buy this car, and the only payment I’m receiving is the happiness experienced by people like you whose boring, painful commutes are transformed into a commute right out of a fairy tale!
That car, in case you somehow missed the title at the top of this article that you’re undoubtedly reading now if you didn’t in the first place, is the faaabulous MINI Cooper. Yes, the adorable but practical go-kart from The Italian Job has made a comeback of epic proportions in recent years. With virtually no advertising campaign, more than 100,000 MINIs are flying out of the manufacturing plant in Oxford, UK annually, and the wait to purchase one can sometimes last half a year or more.
So what is in its tiny package that makes the MINI Cooper so irresistable? Here’s the not-so-hidden truth straight from a MINI owner–me!
The Top Ten Reasons Why A MINI Cooper Should Be Sitting In Your Driveway
- The Quality. When you drive a MINI, you’re driving the culmination of almost 50 years of quality British Motor Corporation craftsmanship. The new MINI is built by a subsidiary of BMW, so it’s often referred to as a “poor-man’s BMW.” From its flashy but top-notch paint to its award-winning Tritec engine, the MINI isn’t just another cheaply made wannabe.
- The Price. While there’s nothing cheap about the quality of the MINI, you wouldn’t know it from the price tag. At around $17,000 MSRP for the base model, you can pick one up for less than a standard-equipped Toyota Camry.
- The Resale Value. Combine that high quality, high demand, and low price and you’ve got a vehicle that has no trouble holding its value. While other cars usually lose half their residual value after three years, the MINI Cooper’s typically drops less than 10% over the same period. So if you’re worried that buying a new car is a foolish use of your hard-earned dollars, but you’re still looking for the reliability and status only a new car can provide, then look no further than the MINI.
- The Fuel Economy. If you think the MINI’s 28-city and 36-highway MPG is impressive, then you’ll be blown away by plans to bump that up another 10% for the 2007 model. And here’s hoping that the rumors of a hybrid or all-electric MINI on the horizon are true.
- The Features. The MINI comes standard with delicious features like 15-inch wheels, leatherette or cloth upholstery, tilt steering wheel, A/C, CD player with six-speaker stereo, and power everything. Also standard is a great ride; sexy steering and handling are a cornerstone of the MINI Cooper. For a few thousand more, you’ll have access to a slew of amazing options like a cold weather package, sports suspension, navigation systems, power sunroof, moonroof, and the most important feature of all–stripes on your hood (which MINI owners call the “bonnet”). There’s even a convertible version of the MINI!
- The Safety. One other piece of standard equipment is really six pieces: a half-dozen front and side airbags that will almost make an accident feel like a run-in with a cloud. Despite its small size, the MINI Cooper consistently earns a four-star crash test rating. From personal experience, I can tell you that this vehicle can take a beating, too. When an SUV rear-ended me a couple years back, my MINI just laughed the incident off while the other driver’s front end needed some major TLC.
- The Community. Being a MINI owner is an experience all of its own. Few other cars garner as much enthusiasm from their drivers as the MINI, and it’s evident from what happens when two MINIs drive by each other on the road. Whether it’s the proper British thumbs-up greeting or a more American hand-wave, rarely do MINIs cross paths without their drivers acknowledging one another. If that’s not enough, MINI owners frequently participate in meet-ups all over the world. With such strong pride of ownership, it’s no wonder the classic Mini was ranked as the second most influential car of the 20th century (the #1 spot went to the Ford Model T).
- The Warranty and Maintenance Plan. MINI Coopers come with a 4-year, 50,000-mile warranty along with a 12-year, unlimited-mile rust and corrosion warranty. Maintenance is also covered for the first 3 years or 36,000 miles.
- The Space. As small as the MINI looks from the outside, they’re surprisingly roomy on the inside. I’m 6 feet, 4 inches tall and have no trouble fitting in the driver’s seat. As for storage and cargo space, the rear seats fold down so you can fit a generous amount of stuff.
- The Future. MINI has been tossing around a bunch of future concepts lately, so you can probably expect to see new versions in the next couple of years that will provide more seating capacity (like this MINI Traveller concept), four doors, and even better fuel economy. While the future of MINIs looks especially exciting, there’s no reason to wait to pick up one of your own.
Without fear of contradiction, I can honestly say that the world would be a better place if everyone drove a MINI Cooper. At the very least, you can make your world better if you trade in your Japanese monstrosity for a bit of British awesomeness.
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92 Responses
1.
inagm
May 25th, 2006 at 6:13 pm
We should just have a better and more extensive train system, as well as a more reliable bus system. (the buses in SD are often 30 min late)
2.
Lisa
November 29th, 2006 at 2:08 pm
A gret review for the mini… I like the retro look and set for buying one next year…
Lisa
3.
dosibule
December 13th, 2006 at 6:17 pm
yes mini cooper is a great car .. i think i will buy one for christmas
4.
Obbop
October 12th, 2007 at 11:50 pm
For 20 grand I got me a full-size pick-up with an 8-foot-long bed. Plopped a camper shell (topper and other terms used elsewhere) atop the bed and I am ready for whatever financial calamity awaits.
No Hooverville for me, buckaroos and buckarettes, if financial calamity occurs I have a place to live that will keep the rain and snow and wind and bugs off my decrepit carcass.
A couple hundred bucks of camping-type porta-potty, a propane stove, and a few other goodies and I can hunker down to await better days.
Of course, I am a single old coot who can rough it. Families and today’s wimpy overly-civilized bleating sheep citizenry would likely be appalled at the thought of using a truck as a home.
Beats Hooverville, though…. or attempting the same in a Mini or any standard car.
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October 6th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Click on my name to see some Mini Coopers caught by Google Street View!
Regarding price, Coopers are pretty expensive in the UK – around £13,000 or about $21-22,000 US at today’s exchange.
6.
Mike Hammel
October 16th, 2008 at 3:06 am
I’m sure that my next car will be a Cooper!
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April 20th, 2009 at 11:17 am
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Car Buying Guide
May 3rd, 2009 at 9:58 am
The new Mini is a great car and, of course has stong residuals so is definitely a sensible choice in todays market!
9.
Dave
May 9th, 2009 at 8:02 am
after 7 months of driving, all of them spent in a 2004 indi blue mini cooper, and a year of the car being in the family before that, i can tell you that i couldn’t have picked a better first car, it’s great.
granted, i’ve had some maintenance issues that i wouldn’t have had with other cars (power steering was nonexistant for a large part of last year, and the driver’s side door handle only worked from the outside for the early months of this year, just to name a few), but i think for the money my family paid to add a mini to the family car collection, it provides us with so much. it now has close to 100,000 miles on the odometer, and the engine is still running pretty well, i’m averaging 21 MPG on varying-speed, touch-and-go suburban traffic while using the car for food deliveries, which i don’t think many cars can manage. the heated seats are so powerful and get going so quickly, i usually can keep them on for two minutes, lower them or turn them off, and stay warm for the entire ride. the panoramic sunroof, though it sometimes is reluctant to close in hot weather (for some reason, the heat trips off the sunroof’s something-is-in-my-way sensor, so the roof thinks someone’s head is in the way, and refuses to close), is an amazing thing to have on a sunny day. it’s plenty potent when you need speed, mine has managed as much as 90 miles an hour on an open freeway, and got up there pretty quickly. and as for the community, i agree, i’ve gotten into the habit of blinking my high-beams at other mini drivers as a way of saying hello, of course except when it’s dark and i don’t want to blind them.
can’t tell you much about safety, because thankfully my mini and i have never been in an accident, but i can tell you from countless incidents of running up curbs and bottoming out on sloped roads that the bumpers and wheels are quite durable, and the front splitter seems to be taking the hit for the underbody of the car. every time i bottom out (so many times now that i’m really considering adjustable coilovers), my underbody stays fine, but my front lip gets torn up.
i have to agree with all of your points except for the maintenance one. it’s expensive to own a mini after the warranty is up, i’d say maintenance can be as much as $800 to $1000 a year for my particular mini. and for a high school senior about to go off to college, and working on a low wage, that’s less than easy.
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July 6th, 2009 at 8:07 am
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July 11th, 2009 at 10:05 am
I think all cars in the US need to be sized down quite a bit. We spend too much money on fuel to keep driving monster trucks.
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Eleazar | Entrepinoy Bank
April 17th, 2010 at 10:37 am
This is a good buy for the rich here in the Philippines. But if I have the money, I will not buy for this car as an investment. Instead I will invest my money in bank stocks or government bonds for these will give me good returns on my investments.
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Ignition Lock Cylinder
May 3rd, 2010 at 12:02 am
I think the Smart Fortwo ED may gain some traction in the electric market, as its already meant for short drives into town. And it will likely be cheaper than the Mini E.
17.
Auto
June 3rd, 2010 at 10:44 am
Nice car, but little bit expencive. My sister has indi blue mini with wood dash (instead of alluminium) – looks very snuggy inside of it ))
18.
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August 1st, 2010 at 3:29 pm
They do handle very well,early models had lots of re-calls.Definitely a fun car to drive though!
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August 5th, 2010 at 9:19 am
The Mini Cooper is an awesome car, but it’s not a car you can go to Costco and go bulk grocery shopping with
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August 31st, 2010 at 8:28 pm
i have to agree with all of your points except for the maintenance one.
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Car city
November 14th, 2010 at 9:56 pm
Hi Nick,
Well you’ve certainly sold the benefits of the Mini Cooper well! I agree with many of the points you make- there are definitely some key features (like fuel efficiency and safety features) that make it a great choice. I can also vouch for it being fun and easy to drive.
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November 30th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
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December 29th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Great Little car!!
Handles Like a go cart.
And if you wanted heated seats and did not or could not get them there are aftermarket ones available
Visit Heated Car Seat to check them out
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August 8th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
Love the mini! I had a very tall English teacher who drove one of those. Watching such a large man get out of such a small car was pretty amusing.
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55.
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August 17th, 2011 at 5:30 am
Without fear of contradiction, I can honestly say that the world would be a better place if everyone drove a MINI Cooper. Property Marbella
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August 22nd, 2011 at 2:24 pm
I own a Mini and i can’t be happier. It’s a very reliable car with a lot of horse power.
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September 10th, 2011 at 1:57 am
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October 2nd, 2011 at 8:42 am
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October 10th, 2011 at 8:39 pm
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October 26th, 2011 at 6:00 am
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November 1st, 2011 at 10:53 am
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November 30th, 2011 at 5:43 am
Few other cars garner as much enthusiasm from their drivers as the MINI, and it’s evident from what happens when two MINIs drive by each other on the road.
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December 1st, 2011 at 5:52 am
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December 7th, 2011 at 1:59 pm
I used to have a red Mini Cooper but traded it in for an SUV. I loved the Mini, but needed more space and the maintenance costs started getting a little pricey.
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December 23rd, 2011 at 11:07 am
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March 1st, 2012 at 10:52 am
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March 7th, 2012 at 7:53 pm
mini coopers are like go carts for adults- ones you can drive every day if you’d like. definitely a fun little car and one of the most unique ones on the market still.
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April 5th, 2012 at 3:34 am
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April 24th, 2012 at 5:19 am
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May 22nd, 2012 at 2:50 pm
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May 29th, 2012 at 10:09 pm
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July 1st, 2012 at 4:06 am
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September 13th, 2012 at 7:41 am
الآن نحن بحاجة واحدة فقط ثت مصنوعة من الذهب الصلبة
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