New member saying hi, and asking a question on what to get.
Discussion
Hi All,
Ben lurking here a while and finally took the plunge to join so just saying hello. I do however have a question though. Being a ling time car and racing nut I’ve never really had a ‘decent’ fun road car. I had an MGB GT but it’s four years into a rebuild and V8 conversion (should be done in the next 12 months) and my £400 Mondeo is my daily driver so not really inspiring. I did buy a beautiful Puma last summer and that is a really fun car but circumstances are such I’m now considering something else:
Basically my friend bought a Mini Cooper S new in 2011, stunning car in red and an automatic with the paddle shift that I love. I’ve driven it a few times and absolutely love it. Well he’s getting a new one in April and I’ve asked for first refusal on it. I haven’t gotten a price off him yet but its going to be £10-£12K I expect. Given that’s quite a lot of money (bearing in mind I’ve never spent more than a grand on a car!) I was also looking around at older options (so some R53’s and some early R56’s) but have heard very mixed views, alarmingly they all seem quite problematic and expensive to run (I’m not tight, I just don’t want a car that’s costing me hundreds or even thousands a year in maintenance, that’s what my MGB’s for!) so another option I’ve been looking at is something I’ve always liked which is the Chrysler Crossfire. I know it’s a different beast to the Mini but I drove one once and quite liked it and reading up online they don’t seem as problematic as the Mini.
So, bearing in mind this is a toy (I’ll be keeping my daily) can I have the pros and cons on a Crossfire Vs the Mini?
So far I have:
Pro’s
Mini will be nippier and more fun to drive
Mini will be cheaper to tax (A LOT)
Mini is much smaller (easier for space at home etc)
Con’s
Mini’s seem to have a lot of issues, the Crossfire would be more reliable?
Run flat tyres are an issue (Does the R56 have run flats?)
Short list but that’s all I have off the top of my head. A crossfire is going to set me back about 5 grand, I could probably get an R53 Mini for that money but I gather it’s a bit of a gamble. Or for £10-£12K I can get my friends car which I know has been looked after and not used much and is like new. What are people’s thoughts?
Ben lurking here a while and finally took the plunge to join so just saying hello. I do however have a question though. Being a ling time car and racing nut I’ve never really had a ‘decent’ fun road car. I had an MGB GT but it’s four years into a rebuild and V8 conversion (should be done in the next 12 months) and my £400 Mondeo is my daily driver so not really inspiring. I did buy a beautiful Puma last summer and that is a really fun car but circumstances are such I’m now considering something else:
Basically my friend bought a Mini Cooper S new in 2011, stunning car in red and an automatic with the paddle shift that I love. I’ve driven it a few times and absolutely love it. Well he’s getting a new one in April and I’ve asked for first refusal on it. I haven’t gotten a price off him yet but its going to be £10-£12K I expect. Given that’s quite a lot of money (bearing in mind I’ve never spent more than a grand on a car!) I was also looking around at older options (so some R53’s and some early R56’s) but have heard very mixed views, alarmingly they all seem quite problematic and expensive to run (I’m not tight, I just don’t want a car that’s costing me hundreds or even thousands a year in maintenance, that’s what my MGB’s for!) so another option I’ve been looking at is something I’ve always liked which is the Chrysler Crossfire. I know it’s a different beast to the Mini but I drove one once and quite liked it and reading up online they don’t seem as problematic as the Mini.
So, bearing in mind this is a toy (I’ll be keeping my daily) can I have the pros and cons on a Crossfire Vs the Mini?
So far I have:
Pro’s
Mini will be nippier and more fun to drive
Mini will be cheaper to tax (A LOT)
Mini is much smaller (easier for space at home etc)
Con’s
Mini’s seem to have a lot of issues, the Crossfire would be more reliable?
Run flat tyres are an issue (Does the R56 have run flats?)
Short list but that’s all I have off the top of my head. A crossfire is going to set me back about 5 grand, I could probably get an R53 Mini for that money but I gather it’s a bit of a gamble. Or for £10-£12K I can get my friends car which I know has been looked after and not used much and is like new. What are people’s thoughts?
Each to their own, but I wouldn't consider an automatic Mini to be a "toy".
If you've got 12k to spend on something exciting as a toy then I'd be looking at cheaper Caterhams or Westfields (you could get a very nice ex- Caterham Academy racer for that cost). You could even consider something like (wait for it...) an MX5 and keep the rest of the cash for tires and running costs.
If you've got 12k to spend on something exciting as a toy then I'd be looking at cheaper Caterhams or Westfields (you could get a very nice ex- Caterham Academy racer for that cost). You could even consider something like (wait for it...) an MX5 and keep the rest of the cash for tires and running costs.
I'd have to agree with whats already been said. As a toy not sure the Mini is the one to go for, hence why I have put my Mini Cooper fJCW up for sale as I've recently acquired an E60 M5 as my weekend toy as I don't need a daily drive.
However, the R56 Mini Cooper fJCW I bought it as a daily drive to commute to work in and for that purpose it works very well as its a hoot to drive, quick but also pretty cheap to run.
If you are worried about reliability then do what I did and get a Mini with the extended warranty on it (you can purchase it from Mondial too) just for that peace of mind.
Just to add that not all Minis have reliability issues, plenty don't. I haven't had to make a single claim in 13 months. Its given zero issues so far.
However, the R56 Mini Cooper fJCW I bought it as a daily drive to commute to work in and for that purpose it works very well as its a hoot to drive, quick but also pretty cheap to run.
If you are worried about reliability then do what I did and get a Mini with the extended warranty on it (you can purchase it from Mondial too) just for that peace of mind.
Just to add that not all Minis have reliability issues, plenty don't. I haven't had to make a single claim in 13 months. Its given zero issues so far.
Edited by zainster on Wednesday 11th February 10:55
If you like the Crossfire so much why not consider a Merc SLK (upon which they are based I believe).
Huge range of options but a very comfortable saloon like experience with the roof up, great fun motoring with the roof down. Big range of engine choice from 1.8 supercharged up to 5.4 litre V8. Most older cars will have lots of great options like air scarf and heated seats and park assist but most of the cost of these options will have been eroded by the drop in value. R171's are the nicest shape in my opinion and you'll get a nice one for £7/8k. Have a look at www.slkworld.com for info and a friendly worldwide forum.
Huge range of options but a very comfortable saloon like experience with the roof up, great fun motoring with the roof down. Big range of engine choice from 1.8 supercharged up to 5.4 litre V8. Most older cars will have lots of great options like air scarf and heated seats and park assist but most of the cost of these options will have been eroded by the drop in value. R171's are the nicest shape in my opinion and you'll get a nice one for £7/8k. Have a look at www.slkworld.com for info and a friendly worldwide forum.
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