Mini Cooper S vs. Yaris

[brg88tx]

mini is an expensive overrated pos imo.

[Steveh27]

To replace my 2 dr Tracker I needed a car under 152" in length & wouldn't consider a smart car. That left only the mini & Yaris (unless I missed another). I found the mini to be much more costly with reports of reliability isses & costly maintenance & repairs after 40,000 miles. As I only buy used I was looking at 2004 & 2005 minis w 45-60,000 miles for $11,800-12.500. The reports I mentioned committed me to the Yaris & I got my 2010 used 4,700 miles for $11,990 & am glad I did.

[CtrlAltDefeat]

Originally Posted by Steveh27

To replace my 2 dr Tracker I needed a car under 152" in length & wouldn't consider a smart car. That left only the mini & Yaris (unless I missed another). I found the mini to be much more costly with reports of reliability isses & costly maintenance & repairs after 40,000 miles. As I only buy used I was looking at 2004 & 2005 minis w 45-60,000 miles for $11,800-12.500. The reports I mentioned committed me to the Yaris & I got my 2010 used 4,700 miles for $11,990 & am glad I did.

I really could not afford a mini when I bought the Yaris. I am, however, thankful I bought the Yaris. I thoroughly enjoy modding my Yaris, and feel that with my lower payments, I have more overhead for mods then I would have with a more expensive car. No, the Yaris is not necessarily designed with performance in mind, but neither were Hondas in the beginning. The import modding scene pretty much started with people buying cheep economy cars, and modifying them for more power/better handling...

There is evidence of the platforms potential ...

[Steveh27]

It's all in the drivers viewpoint. Coming from my 1995 2 door Tracker this Yaris is a luxery car with a lot of pep! The only mods I did were installing the adjustable intermittent wiper switch & debadging the rear. The first 5 month owner did the window tinting 7 the rear bumper protection.

I hope I won't miss the 4WD & the high ground clearance of the tracker. I'm a bit leary of how snow & ice may pack up between the rear wheel & the mud flaps. Looks pretty tight.

[ChilliwackGuy]

I miss the Geo line of cars! I had a 1997 Geo Metro Sedan - bought it new - and ran it to near death. Was SO hard finding honest mechanics to work on it for me - everybody kept calling it a "Bic lighter car" - in that it should have been disposed of after 60,000 KMs. I also owned a Geo Tracker 1997 - and I swear most of my passengers thought I had paid way more money for it.

[Steveh27]

I really liked my Geo 2 door hard top (a very rare model last made in 1995) Tracker and would have kept it w 142,000 miles, but I had just had to fiberglass 3 good sized holes I just discovered, 1 in each front wheelwell & 1 under a rockerpanel. So I thought to replace it while it was still in good enough shape to get some $. DId get $2,400. I liked the sitting so high up, so much ground clearance, and the 4 WD in the snow.

[D Unit]

Why so much hate for the Mini? If you're looking for a mid ground, get the non-turbo Mini Cooper with a manual tranny. The Mini Cooper S "starts" out at $22K, but once you add up all the options, you're probably gonna be around $26K to $30K at least. From my point of view, life is short and buy it "IF" you can afford it. The Mini Cooper S turbo is a VERY VERY fun car to drive. It's a lot funner than my Dinan e36 M3 and has it's own swagger on the streets. Here's an example of a pretty nice looking Mini (not mine)...



Personally, I also REALLY want to buy a 4dr manual hatchback Yaris as my commuter car. Why??? Cuz they look so much fun to drive. I don't expect any performance next to the Mini, but modifying an econo-car like the Yaris and having the ability to receive weekly presents from the Fedex and UPS man has its redeeming qualities too. A 4 door yaris, cool looking hatchback, 35+mpg, coilovers, rims, AND most importantly, cheap & reliable... what's not to like?!?!

[KrazyDawg]

If money is an issue, I would go with the Yaris. The Mini Cooper isn't a reliable car. It uses premium fuel and gets less MPG. The base price is also higher. Its only pros is it's supposedly more "fun" to drive and it fits into even smaller parking spaces than the Yaris.

2010 Mini Cooper S Auto (27 MPG combined) vs 2010 Toyota Yaris Auto (31 MPG combined).

[birdman]

If I had space for a second car it would be a Cooper S Works. The Cooper is a blast to drive and cant be compared to a Yaris in that way. The clever storage compartments, cubby holes, cup and bottle holders, sliding rear seats of my '08 Yaris LB are very useful. On a Mini Cooper S there are few places you can store things like your sunglasses, bottles or a spare tire. Cooper is for play and Yaris is for common sense.

[Jcp123]

I'm not sure about the 152" thing, but a Mazda2 seems like a nice middle ground. Not terribly fast, but feels peppy enough, with a reasonably snappy little chassis. Fuel economy should be fairly well on par with the Yaris, and reliability should prove pretty good, if a notch or two behind the Yaris, I would guess. It's actually currently my favourite car in the seent right now. Hits a lot of the right notes.

[CTScott]

In August I sold my Tacoma and bought a Mini Countryman S All4 to replace it. It was a blast to drive, but turned out the be the most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned. In three months of ownership the coolant temp sensor failed, the undersized clutch constantly stunk up my garage, and the transfer case started to fail. Doing some serious reading AFTER buying the car, I found out that this was very typical for these cars.

This past weekend I traded it in for a brand new Subaru XV Crosstrek, and although it is not as fun to drive, I know it won't have the quirky issues of a Mini.

For the past 25 years I have bought nothing but Japanese cars, and after my Mini experience I am thinking that for the next 25 I may do the same.

[Gogogordy]

Originally Posted by CTScott

In August I sold my Tacoma and bought a Mini Countryman S All4 to replace it. It was a blast to drive, but turned out the be the most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned. In three months of ownership the coolant temp sensor failed, the undersized clutch constantly stunk up my garage, and the transfer case started to fail. Doing some serious reading AFTER buying the car, I found out that this was very typical for these cars.

This past weekend I traded it in for a brand new Subaru XV Crosstrek, and although it is not as fun to drive, I know it won't have the quirky issues of a Mini.

For the past 25 years I have bought nothing but Japanese cars, and after my Mini experience I am thinking that for the next 25 I may do the same.

We owned 2 Mini S from 2005 through 2008....his-n-hers bought and sold at the same dates (crazy idea...20 yr wedding anniversary) and while that was the coolest, craziest, and most fun car I've ever owned I don't miss them and their unstable ECU software, self destructing liquid filled motor mounts, or coolant issues either. Nor do I miss the chip-on-shoulder Mini service department which always seemed to require an hour to "drop one off" for repairs and an hour to pick it up later....as well. My Toyota dealer has that down to about 5 minutes.

We traded those Minis off just prior to the warranty evaporating for a Scion xD and then added the Yaris.

Yeah, the Mini was an interesting ownership experience. Reminds of the wildest girl I ever dated......

Will be interested in your Subaru impressions CTScott.

[bentjazz]

I was wondering how your Mini experience was going, CTScott. Now I know. Thanks for the update and best of luck with the Subaru.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by CTScott

In August I sold my Tacoma and bought a Mini Countryman S All4 to replace it. It was a blast to drive, but turned out the be the most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned. In three months of ownership the coolant temp sensor failed, the undersized clutch constantly stunk up my garage, and the transfer case started to fail. Doing some serious reading AFTER buying the car, I found out that this was very typical for these cars.

This past weekend I traded it in for a brand new Subaru XV Crosstrek, and although it is not as fun to drive, I know it won't have the quirky issues of a Mini.

For the past 25 years I have bought nothing but Japanese cars, and after my Mini experience I am thinking that for the next 25 I may do the same.

Very interesting re the Mini. One of my uncle's granddaughters has a 2007 Impreza (purchased new) that you would have to pry out of her cold dead hands, so to speak. The Subaru is a stark contrast to the Mazda Tribute ('a Ford') she traded in when she purchased the Subaru. She got the Tribute new, as an undergrad or law school graduation present (can't remember which one), and the Tribute needed a new engine at just over 60k miles .

[CTScott]

Before I bought my Yaris I had a 98 Subaru Forrester that I put 110K miles on and then sold to a buddy, who's son then put over another 100K on it.

When I sold the Taco I was originally intending to buy a new Toyota RAV4 or a Subaru Crosstrek. I accidentally found out that Mini had an all wheel drive, turbo, 5 door, and after test driving one I decided on it over the others. I had a feeling from day one that I was making a mistake and quickly found out that I did. I have heard of people having great luck with Mini reliability, but there are just too many stories like mine.

So far I really like the Crosstrek. It is not as fun to drive as my Yaris (or the Mini), but I know I will have no worries with snow with it.

[Jcp123]

I don't understand Crosstrecks, but Subarus are fine vehicles. If I had any need whatsoever for AWD, I'd head straight to a Subie and wouldn't even look anywhere else.

Well...except to find one of the ultimate VW unicorns, a 6-speed Passat W8 wagon...

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by ChilliwackGuy

everybody kept calling it a "Bic lighter car" - in that it should have been disposed of after 60,000 KMs.

. Before purchasing my 2007 Yaris (new), I had a 2001 Suzuki Swift 3-door hatch that I bought (new) over Labor Day Weekend in the U.S. in 2001. I put over 151,000 miles on that car. Before wearing out the steering rack (unpaved roads with potholes...in Newfoundland...were the 'last' straw ), the only work I did/had done = oil changes, 1 battery, 2 sets of tires, 1 set of spark plugs, a clutch adjustment a friend did, and possibly 1 set of brake pads...or zero...(can't remember). Great car. Back in the day, my cousin used to have a Suzuki Sidekick (same as a Geo Tracker, IIRC). That gave way to a Saab convertible, and then a Ford Escape.

[Gogogordy]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

. Before purchasing my 2007 Yaris (new), I had a 2001 Suzuki Swift 3-door hatch that I bought (new) over Labor Day Weekend in the U.S. in 2001. I put over 151,000 miles on that car. Before wearing out the steering rack (unpaved roads with potholes...in Newfoundland...were the 'last' straw ), the only work I did/had done = oil changes, 1 battery, 2 sets of tires, 1 set of spark plugs, a clutch adjustment a friend did, and possibly 1 set of brake pads...or zero...(can't remember). Great car. Back in the day, my cousin used to have a Suzuki Sidekick (same as a Geo Tracker, IIRC). That gave way to a Saab convertible, and then a Ford Escape.

Here in the Southwest, the Suzuki Sidekick/Geo-Chevy Tracker is a coveted catch especially in 4wd trim. They still command good money....especially the clean ones. Seems like many were purchased as RV tow-behinds for the retired desert dwellers.