Which of these would you enjoy driving more as a daily?

[PDP76]

Mini.
My missus has one. Whenever I use it I use the go pedal like an on and off switch. Laughing my bks off and listening to the supercharger wind up. You can wallop the st out of your fuel in them playing .

[gavsdavs]

Any MR2 NA you pick up for less than a grand is going to be expensive to keep roadworthy as it's probably not had any rust discovered or treated.
Heart says BMW, Head says Mini.

[300bhp/ton]

rallycross said:

What about a smart roadster ( the sporty version that keeps TVR's behind)!

The TVR was infront, I simply stuck with it, and could have gone quicker in places (without being silly).

Based on your hobby and interest, you surely understand that getting a car from A to B quickly is largely the driver. And a poor driver in a fast car doesn't mean they will be fast.


That aside, yes the smart Roadster is IDEAL as I truly love mine. But I've been using it for 5 years now and 75,000 miles, so I feel like a bit of a change. Also the Roadster needs some TLC, such as a new clutch, complete suspension overhaul and maybe some engine work. While I do this, I'll need something else to use, as I won't be completing the work in a single weekend.

It has been suggested by friends to simply buy another one. But with so many interesting cars out there, it seems a shame not to try something else for a bit. Again, I'm sure this is something you can understand considering your own car history.

[SonicShadow]

300bhp/ton said:

Sounds great. But I need something that I can afford to do 15,000 miles commuting in a year, while also doing the best part of 10,000 miles a year social driving,

I do ~20,000 a year commuting in my SW20 NA, and several thousand social on top of that. It's my only car. It returns ~35MPG on the commute, it could do more than that if I sat in L1 behind an HGV or coach.
Driving position is fantastic, and I find it quite comfortable on the commute (~40 miles / 1hr or so) and longer journeys, even with coilover suspension. You just have to bear in mind that even the youngest SW20 is now 16 years old, so you will be replacing a lot of bits over time - brakes and tired suspension are the main ones really.

[Leins]

What about an E46 325ti? Check this thread out for reasons why: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Some people don't like the looks, and I can sort of understand why, but they've always appealed to me

[PGNCerbera]

I really think you should cast your net wider. What's wrong with American cars?

Perhaps an 80's Camaro or early nineties Mustang. Maybe a truck? Raptor perhaps?

[Ali_T]

MR2 just because it'll feel special when stuck in traffic where the other two just become background noise. Just make sure the suspension is properly sorted and set up to avoid lift off induced backwards hedge interfaces.

[300bhp/ton]

Leins said:

What about an E46 325ti? Check this thread out for reasons why: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Some people don't like the looks, and I can sort of understand why, but they've always appealed to me

Thanks, I've just corrected the op, it should have said e46, not e36. The compact sadly doesn't appeal, I actually don't mind how they look, but there is no weight saving over a full size e46, so I don't really see the point in the Ti, unless it's just for the looks.

Only 5kg difference:
http://www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/car/...
http://www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/car/...

[james_gt3rs]

Haven't driven any of them... but the MR2 appeals the most. Compared to the average commuter car it looks and feels quite exotic. And that 90s Jap build quality is a big plus when you're doing a lot of miles.

[Buff Mchugelarge]

BMW. Because sideways.

[nitrodave]

I have a mk2 mr2, although it's a rev 3 turbo and even though it's lots of fun, it's just not a practical daily all year round.

I also recently moved on from an e46 325 vert manual which I had for over 3 years. It was a fantastic daily driver and never let me down apart from the fuel pump going. I got it with 100k and took it to 150k.

I've driven the modern minis and whilst they are quite fun, i just don't think i could live with one.

From your list the bmw would be my choice. It's a proper car and good all rounder.

[Ali_T]

Buff Mchugelarge said:

BMW. Because sideways.

MR2. Because sideways, then backwards, then sideways, then forwards, then sideways, then backwards....

[SonicShadow]

Ali_T said:

MR2 just because it'll feel special when stuck in traffic where the other two just become background noise. Just make sure the suspension is properly sorted and set up to avoid lift off induced backwards hedge interfaces.

And on that note, make sure it has correctly staggered, decent tyres.

[rohrl]

SonicShadow said:

And on that note, make sure it has correctly staggered, decent tyres.

Should the wider tyres go on the left or the right of the car?

[300bhp/ton]

PGNCerbera said:

I really think you should cast your net wider. What's wrong with American cars?

Perhaps an 80's Camaro or early nineties Mustang. Maybe a truck? Raptor perhaps?

Wow you are so original... you must be wetting yourself at your cleverness (tip: try reading some of the earlier posts )

[SonicShadow]

rohrl said:

Should the wider tyres go on the left or the right of the car?

Left, as that's the tyre that takes the most load on roundabouts.

[Leins]

300bhp/ton said:

Thanks, I've just corrected the op, it should have said e46, not e36. The compact sadly doesn't appeal, I actually don't mind how they look, but there is no weight saving over a full size e46, so I don't really see the point in the Ti, unless it's just for the looks.

Only 5kg difference:
http://www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/car/...
http://www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/car/...

Actually, they really are more fun to drive than the coupes IMO. They make a better noise and I prefer the smaller proportions. That 5kg difference seems a bit odd, as I thought it was more than that, but stand corrected

The Compact used to be cheaper to buy too, but I'm not sure if this is still the case as they are picking up a bit of a following these days

[smithyithy]

Buff Mchugelarge said:

BMW. Because sideways.

Expectations vs. reality

[tomjol]

Ali_T said:

Buff Mchugelarge said:

BMW. Because sideways.

MR2. Because sideways, then backwards, then sideways, then forwards, then sideways, then backwards....

...sort of

[KaraK]

E46 - I appreciate that I'm against the general PH grain here but I've just never gotten on with any E46 I've driven so that would be a no for me, but on paper at least it's not a bad choice.

MR2 - Not driven one so can't comment on that aspect, surely finding a non-shagged example must be getting difficult now though? That said if you'd got other vehicles you can use as stop gaps if it lets you down then maybe not so much of an issue.

R53 - I haven't driven an S but have spent a fair amount of time driving an R53 Cooper and found them a great steer, they feel chuckable through the twisties without some of that twitchiness that other warm/hot hatches have that the ride is a little hard on bumpy roads but the seats are great and the interior is at least interesting to look at, the switchgear feels a bit flimsy though (that said I never experienced anything actually disintegrating on me - still don't think I'd be applying too much force to any of it though!)

For me it'd be the MINI