Replace my Mini - Practical Performance Car

[bnbnbn]

My car buying dilemma has got to the point where rather than being a lurker on here I have made an account and decided to ask PH

I have been looking for quite a while for a replacement for our Mini Cooper S, the excuse for this is that it would be good to have something interesting/fun that can handle the 2 kids seats better than the Mini - Ideally that means 4 or 5 doors. We have a family car for the main bulk but I would like something I get to use a bit more (We never take the Mini on trips for all of us) I'd also like something with an intersting engine and it be pre-gpf before they all get too old to be able to daily. I don't do many miles so am not massively worried about fuel economy.

- Interesting Engine / sounds good
- Can easily fit 2 adults + 2 kids
- Open to paying a bit on running costs but dont want something that has a reputation for throwing massive bills all the time.
- Budget is a bit of a sliding scale - I can go up to about £22.5K but the older the car is the less I ideally want to spend so I have some held back for maintenance.

Has anyone been in a similar situation / have a recommendation they have experience with?

[KadettE]

What size are you after? I'd say Alfa Romeo Gulia.

[nordboy]

bnbnbn said:

My car buying dilemma has got to the point where rather than being a lurker on here I have made an account and decided to ask PH

I have been looking for quite a while for a replacement for our Mini Cooper S, the excuse for this is that it would be good to have something interesting/fun that can handle the 2 kids seats better than the Mini - Ideally that means 4 or 5 doors. We have a family car for the main bulk but I would like something I get to use a bit more (We never take the Mini on trips for all of us) I'd also like something with an intersting engine and it be pre-gpf before they all get too old to be able to daily. I don't do many miles so am not massively worried about fuel economy.

- Interesting Engine / sounds good
- Can easily fit 2 adults + 2 kids
- Open to paying a bit on running costs but dont want something that has a reputation for throwing massive bills all the time.
- Budget is a bit of a sliding scale - I can go up to about £22.5K but the older the car is the less I ideally want to spend so I have some held back for maintenance.

Has anyone been in a similar situation / have a recommendation they have experience with?

I went from a hatchback Cooper S to a Countryman JCW, loads of room in the JCW and boy it can go when it wants to as it's the 306bhp version. I bought mine approved used last Nov so paid over your budget. but if I was to shift it on now privately, i'd be looking for below your top price for it, so you'll easily get one.

I've actually just ordered an EV, so it'll be going at some point and I'll genuinely be sad to see it go, it's a great fun daily.

[bnbnbn]

KadettE said:

What size are you after? I'd say Alfa Romeo Gulia.

Probably up to that sort of size but no bigger, they do look very nice

[jam_up]

XE S

[bnbnbn]

nordboy said:

I went from a hatchback Cooper S to a Countryman JCW, loads of room in the JCW and boy it can go when it wants to as it's the 306bhp version. I bought mine approved used last Nov so paid over your budget. but if I was to shift it on now privately, i'd be looking for below your top price for it, so you'll easily get one.

I've actually just ordered an EV, so it'll be going at some point and I'll genuinely be sad to see it go, it's a great fun daily.

Interesting, I have spent most of my time with the mini thinking I wish I had got the JCW, but there is definitely something about it as it’s the longest I have kept a car. I had always assumed the bigger minis would lose a lot of what I like about mine, good to hear you have made the switch and enjoyed it

[nordboy]

bnbnbn said:

nordboy said:

I went from a hatchback Cooper S to a Countryman JCW, loads of room in the JCW and boy it can go when it wants to as it's the 306bhp version. I bought mine approved used last Nov so paid over your budget. but if I was to shift it on now privately, i'd be looking for below your top price for it, so you'll easily get one.

I've actually just ordered an EV, so it'll be going at some point and I'll genuinely be sad to see it go, it's a great fun daily.

Interesting, I have spent most of my time with the mini thinking I wish I had got the JCW, but there is definitely something about it as it s the longest I have kept a car. I had always assumed the bigger minis would lose a lot of what I like about mine, good to hear you have made the switch and enjoyed it

I bought it as soon as I test drove it, it has most of the fun and really feels like a Mini (I've had 3). But it's much more practical than the hatch. And the performance is more than enough. The underpinnings of my '21 plate is the BMW M135i, so performance figures are very similar to that. My lad had the M135i as this is just as much fun to drive.

[edc]

I was also going to suggest a Countryman JCW albeit I have a vanilla one rather than JCW. I also have 2 kids 1 still in a rear facing seat. The Countryman is not the main family car but I wanted something small enough to run around in but big enough that it could do most of the stuff the family car can if its off the road. I can get 2 small bikes in at a squeeze in the boot. If your kids are still in rear facing seats then if you are tall you may struggle for leg room.

[drgoatboy]

If you really like the mini the clubman may also work. My brother carts his family around in his quite happily and it's great fun by all accounts. You should easily get the 300bhp one in budget too!

Otherwise there is a whole heap of hot hatches out there that would work. Think you'll struggle to get an fk8 civic type r in budget but an i30n is highly rated in the fun department (if not the most interesting of engines). All the VAG stable of hatches would work but arguably not interesting engines...

How about a lexus isf for interesting engine and full family duties. Very different from the mini!

Or vxr8 for full hairy chested v8 goodness.

[Terzo123]

W204 C63 Saloon.
Impreza STI
Forester STI
M3 Saloon
VXR8
RS4 Avant/Saloon in 4.2 V8 flavour

[CousinDupree]

Terzo123 said:

W204 C63 Saloon.
Impreza STI
Forester STI
M3 Saloon
VXR8
RS4 Avant/Saloon in 4.2 V8 flavour

This, particularly the C63 which has yet to be bettered, with the full fat 6.2ltr AMG motor.

[ZX10R NIN]

Sensible options that are good steers.

Giulia Veloce:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202604131...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202603130...

3.0 Jaguar XE S:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202604171...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202604181...

Ghibli:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202603281...

340i:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202602119...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202603230...

Passat R36:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202604101...

E400:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202603190...

C43:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202603301...

If you don't mind heavy fuel consumption/tax but lower overall depreciation than everything listed above, I'd then look at full fat models.

C63 would be the pick for me but I'm bias:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202401085...

[bnbnbn]

Well that's given me a lot of digging around the classifieds to do this evening, thanks everyone!

[fflump]

Ghibli V6S is a cracking car but maybe a bit big for you.
A CLA45 might be worth a look- pretty compact but the shooting brake is practical plus AWD and quick. Or an RS3 sportback.

[bnbnbn]

fflump said:

Ghibli V6S is a cracking car but maybe a bit big for you.
A CLA45 might be worth a look- pretty compact but the shooting brake is practical plus AWD and quick. Or an RS3 sportback.

The CLA45 Shooting brake and RS3 is exactly where I was at before posting here. have driven both a little while ago and would be happy with either. 5-Cylinder in the Audi really elevates it for me over the Golf R/S3, but finding one with good history that hasn't been passed around loads of people at my budget seems to be proving tricky and I think I've lost a bit of the motivation to keep looking (Hence asking for other options)