I love my 1994 Camaro Z28 with 92,000 miles on it. After replacing the opti and water pump its driving like new again.

Again and again the idea of selling my car before it hits 100,000 and getting a new mini keeps coming up.

The mini is small, its under powered, it made in the UK,and its fwd but still the idea of driving a small and nimble oversized go-kart sounds more and more appealing.

Have I lost it?

 

I'll tell you what's wrong with you.....NOTHING...that's what.

I think the new Mini is soooo COOL, I can barely restrain myself when I check one out.

Get the Mini Cooper S with the 17" wheels....after all...Chevy doesn't make Camaros anymore.

 

I'd say there's a lot wrong with both of you! Seriously, I don't know what you see in the new minis, except heaps of ugliness. The general theme is the same as most other new cars: like it's been dope-slapped on the forehead and still recovering in starry stupor. The original minis were great. The new ones are just a really bad next-gen interpretation. I don't know anything about the interior but I'm guessing it's packed with cheap & useless trinkets. Regardless of people like me, they'll continue to sell, I'm sure. But from f-body to mini? that's a major step.. backwards

 

IMO, I'd feel like I was driving around in a poorly drawn Austin Powers cartoon mobile. ...

Just my opinion...

I feel the same way about the VW beetle..

 

I'll admit that it's styling is a little off the beaten path. But I haven't met one person who bought one who hasn't been COMPLETELY thrilled by it.....and BTW these are typically enthusiasts who will have a higher level of expectation than the female receptionists who buy the "New Beetle".

Beyond that the car exudes an extremely high level of detailing and quality.....Imagine BMW building a a funky pocket rocket under $20K...and that's what you get with the Mini.

 

They are only underpowered if you neglect to consider curb weight.

I think they are fab.

BTW, I heard somewhere that BMW may be working on an "M Cooper"

 

The attention to detail in those things is incredible. The turbo version should at least make acceleration interesting. Remember, those things are featherweight, so it doesn't take high horsepower numbers to move them. Also, because of their paperweight size, you'll feel like you're going a whole lot faster than you really are.

If I was to buy a small FWD car, those would be on the top of my list.

 

The thing that makes the Mini so apealing is the bang for the buck. My 1994 Z28 only cost me $20,000 and its worth every penny I paid for it. While Gm/chevy has some pretty cool cars coming out they are all like $30,000+ and in many cases they are closer to $40,000.

A base mini cooper is only $17,000 and a the base supercharged Cooper-S is around $20,000.The fact you can build-to-order it @ www.miniusa.com and the attention to quality is more comparable to a $40,000 car it makes it pretty tempting.

im holding out to this years LA, and Detriot international car shows to see what GM has up their sleeve. If GM shows nothing good for under $25,000 for the coming 2004 model year I will most likely be driving a Mini by this time next year and unfortunately hanging out @ www.mini2.com

I did consider the Infiniti G35 but after seeing in person and being very impressed by its looks and performance its just too expensive and the Infiniti-brand still seems to "old-man" for me at this time.

The only other option is maybe buying a used 1998 or 1999 Corvette for around $25,000 if I could find a good one for that price.

Of course I could just keep my Camaro forever.

 

Cool.. I just got through imagining that, as you suggested. That was a pretty awesome vision and if BMW made the car you described, they'd have a success on their hands. Now, back to reality and first impressions: The thing looks nothing like a BMW, but more like a glorified go-kart with rounded sheet metal. So did the original, you say, but the difference there is an authentic UK feel which this one sorely lacks. It's just another designer who needs to get fired in a long line of designers who need to get fired. But the public will continue to buy what's handed to them, so it makes no diff.

 

i like the new mini just make sure you get the cooper s.

 

I kinda like it. It would be a completely different car than the F-body. But it's cool, never-the-less...

 

Unless they're putting a serious rush on the Solstice, the best you can hope for is a turbo Cavalier/Sunfire for MY2004 under $25k. I agree, this is a neglected segment within GM for perfromance enthusiasts. The closest current offering would be the Vibe GT, and that doesn't have quite the same "look-what-I-got" appeal.

Other considerations in the hot-hatchback arena would be the SVT Focus and VW GTI. The VW delivers good quality as well, but in a more dated package. I believe a restyle is coming for next year.

At least waiting a year will give time for some of the markups to come down (and any bugs to be worked out). I have yet to hear one negative review, and you can't go wrong when you've got "BMW" and "$20,000" describing the same car.

 

I like the new Mini too. Very practical car, and very sporty. Its a totally different animal than say a F-body, but I think you'd appreciate it for what it is.

 

Solution: Keep the Z and buy a Mini, if your budget will allow. Mini can be your daily driver, then you could mod the heck out of your Z!

 

When I see a Mini I say. Aw thats a cute little car that 18 year old chick is driving, my baby sister (18) should get one. Well, they dojn't annoy me like the new Beetle. From what I have read they are of good quality.