Good handling, good gas mileage, easy to drive, fun, and economical.

The integrity of the interior, treat it gently. Low air intake means do not drive it in heavy rains--never in greater depths of 1 foot like the manual states so drive 4 mphr. through puddles; run flat tires, even brand new, are sensitive to pot holes or ditches so avoid them at all costs or you will need a tire replacement and you'll be lucky if one is available in the whole city.

Loved the car from the start but was disappointed 3 months later when the engine needed replacement from an engine crack when I drove it in heavy rain, but not in a low water crossing. Air intake is designed compared to all the other cars I was following that day in a suburban residential area with no hills, just slightly depressed intersections where water rushed over. I have lived in this residential area for 20 years and have never flooded a car in heavy rains at any intersection. There are no low water crossings either. Consequently, I just don't drive the mini if it is raining really heavy and go very, very slow through any amount of water. Every time it rains in my city and I happen to visit a mechanic with Mini, I ask, "So how many Minis came in yesterday with our rains?" and the answer is always, "one or more." Some insurance companies cover, others don't. Also, one tire with a nail hole was able to be repaired on the spot (running flat);but another tire punctured by another nail had to be replaced after waiting a week for $200. I hit a construction hole that should have been covered by the crew with a steel plate and the tire tore. My third visit to a tire shop for a new, second tire at $200 in a nine month period. Two adjustments made for recall taken care of at 1st inspection. Steering wheel leather bubbled and was replaced. Driver seat upholstery came undone and that was replaced. Now the car won't start and will need towing in for whatever reason just after it was inspected a week ago. Beginning to wonder what was done to it.

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Volkswagons long ago

This car is extremely fuel efficient. Because it's wide for its size and low to the ground, the handling of bends, curves and turns are incredible. It also has a wonderful turning radius. This is the perfect car for short distance travel in packed streets.

Poor customer service. Lack of reliability is an understatement.

My primary purpose for this car was to commute to the train station. During the 11,000 miles or so, it was brought into the shop 9 times. Three times was for the recall with the shifter cable clip. After waiting over 2 months for the part, the dealer gave our part to someone else. Another three times was for the shifter cables themselves. Because they kept squeaking, the dealer insisted that it was just a lubrication issue. It turned out that the cables needed replacing. Two days were spent at the shop because the ABS failed. The power windows continuously stopped working. Eventually, the motor had to be replaced. The hatchback latch had to be replaced. There were also other issues, but they were minor in comparison. Overall, this make and model has serious reliability issues. Because so much time was spent on shifter cables and the ABS system, concerns about safetey arose. Customer service at the repair shop was also poor. The gentleman who takes phone calls for service has an attitude problem. The technicians refuse to admit a real problem existed so multiple trips were needed. Most annoying problem was downplaying the safety issues of a recall.

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Since this is the smallest car in the United States, I can't compare it to anything available in the US. I have driven a Smart Car in England. This is even smaller than the Mini. It is much more reliable and fuel efficient. It's so reliable that many auto rental centers stock up on them.

Good looks. Sporty motor. Not quite a "sports" car, but the car does accelerate o.k., and the handling is very good.

Interior finish and general construction is not satisfactory. The sunroof rattles and the dealer pretends that the problem does not exist. The fuse box door is in a really stupid place. It is right next to the clutch pedal, so your foot smacks into the cheesy plastic door all the time. What engineer decided this was a good place? The interior color selection is very poor. Basically, you can have black with silver plastic, or black with grey plastic. If you want any colors, they hit you for $1300.

The car is fun to drive and looks great. However, after driving it for 6 months I have found that it has many fit/finish problems. The seats are uncomfortable on 2 hour drives. While the car is sporty, driving through bumpy areas is hard on your bum. The car has rattles that are annoying. The sunroof makes noise and rattles. The fuse box door is right next to the clutch pedal and my foot hits is all the time. There sure is a lot of goofy plastic inside. The door inserts don't really match the interior color and they look too "Disneyland." It's a car, not ride at Magic Mountain. The cargo room is minimal, but the rear seat room is good. I am 6-feet tall and I can actually fit in my own back seat.

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This is my first experience with a BMW product. My previous vehicle was a Ford Ranger pickup which was extremely reliable. Compared with the Mini, my Ranger cost less, had more cargo room and more horsepower.

Performance & Handling 6 Speed Quality Fit & Finish Style Women Love It!

It is kinda small and low Those Damn Tiny Cup Holders Plastic inside can look cheap (GET THE ANTHRACITE DASH!- Looks much better than the Alloy Pantina. IMHO)

Great Little Car! I have had this car for just about 2 months, and put 3500 miles on it already. I was going to order one up, but the dealer had one that was very close to my custom mini. I have an all BRGreen S, w/the Premium & Cold Packages, ASC-T, and Anthracite Int. I live in Upstate NY. We have had a couple good snow storms already this winter, and the Coop has handled them in Fine Form. I have the 16" rims, and all-season Dunlops. The Mini is so low, that I do drag the bottom if the snow is over 6" deep. I say that not as a problem, really, but just something to keep in mind. In snowy highway driving the thing goes very well. I snowboard, and go to the snow, if its not snowing at home. I am confident that I will have no trouble making it to the Mountain on Powder days. Still, 15x5.5" inch rims and Snow tires do sound like a good idea - Maybe next winter. No rattles, shakes or jitters to report. It is as solid as the day I picked it up. I swore my next car would be 6 cylinders or more... But I love this little 4 banger. Bring it to red line, and it Goes Like Stink, with gobs of power above 3500rpm. Still, can be driven as smooth as silk, shifting at 4000, and I am still speeding half the time! I never thought I would go for such a tiny ride. The Boot (Err, Trunk in these parts) is pretty tiny, but, with the seats down, its has plenty of room back there. Its tight with 4 people, but at least it can be done. After a couple of hours, the ride, and seats can get a little hard on the back side, but, its not that bad. Tuning the seats can be confusing at first, but once you find that sweat spot, the seats are much more bearable. It handles better than anything I've ever driven before. I go around corners at the same rate as I do on sport bikes, and gets about the same mileage! Passengers often start off by freaking out when we hit the first bend, only to be pushing me to go faster by the end of the ride. It is just planted on the ground, and feels very secure, even when the ass end is sliding around a bit. The roof rack is noisy. Especially at low speed, 15 - 45mph. Above 65-70mph, the whistle disappears, but the other wind, and road noise is quite loud at that speed. The noise is a small price for the usefulness of the rack. Any negative that I have found so far, is just over-ruled by the experience of tearing down a twisty road. Simple as that.

I would say the pep, gas mileage and handling would rank the highest. I love the sound system and the moonroof. I was initially concerned about the size of the boot, but with the fold down seats, it has been fine.

The cupholders in the front only work for 12 oz cans and kid size drinks. The boot can be noisy on rough roads.

I LOVE my MINI!!! I love the look, the pep, and the handling. It is too soon to determine reliability, but I am optimistic judging from initial performance. The seats adjust to accommodate my seven year old and my 6'5" brother. It is the coolest car I have owned so far. It is kind of fun to watch people watching your car.

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Renault, Capri, Austin Healy Sprite

Flexibility not often found in a small sportscar-can seat 4 for city driving or carry all the vacation stuff for 2 to Nova Scotia. It IS PRACTICAL for a sportscar. (it's not a mini van for peat's sake so don't expect to use it as a family car). Its FUN to drive and it looks great (there isn't a bad colour combination). It's as nimble as a rabbit both in city traffic and on the highway. It easily fits a tall guy (except for that low windshield brow)

The AC system is weak and power hungry. With a design focus concentrated on style, some things have been sacrificed in the interior like the cup holders.

I have driven my Mini Cooper for nearly a year now in all kinds of conditions, and I still love it (in spite of a few short comings). It is a great 2 person sports car with the added benefit of room for 2 more in a pinch, or storage for lots of stuff with the back seats down. (compare that to a Miata at about the same price, where there is room for only 2 and your wallet). It handles beautifully on City streets, the highway, hills and on snow and wet pavemnt. It also looks great, but most of all is just fun to drive. The worst flaw so far has been the failure of one of the front axel seals in very cold temperatures. Once the seal cracked the transmission fluid started to leak out resulting in the loss of our gear box(think of the sound of ice cubes in a blender). It was covered quickly by waranty, but Canadian Mini Cooper owners should be wary. The new models apparently have this resolved but you don't want to find out that you have this problem 2 hours from anywhere let alone a Mini dealer. The second flaw is the AC System, which is somehow both under whelming and power consuming at the same time particularly at low revs. So you need to give it lots of gas when launching out of an intersection. Once you are in 2nd gear it is fine, but you you can drive around the city for quite a while on a hot day and never feel very cool (other than the cool that comes from driving a cool car). The head of the windsheild is a little low (tall guys need to slouch to see when the light has turned green) and the cup holder is just about useless. I think that these last two are character building. It is an English car after all. The base model sound system is superior. My business partner has an Audi TT and the Cooper's sounds better than his. While time will tell if the car stands up to the BMW reputation, after one year I still love it.

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Miata, Honda Civic

-Fast -Turns Heads -Compact -Good sports car for the money -Good customer service -Did I mention fast?

-Cheap Interior -Cheap Soundsystem -Unreliable

My dad bought this car about a 1 1/2 ago and it still is holding up ok but not as good as compared to some of the Japanese Cars. After about a year of use we started hearing an annoying rattle that we couldn't get rid of. Mini was helpful though and told is to bring it in for a checkup. It was fine for a while but the rattle came back. Also, the windshield cracked, there wasn't any chips. It just cracked down the middle because the frame for the windshield is too small supposedly. But there are many positive things too. This car is quick and zippy and comes around those turns like no other. My dad has the S version so I think we have some extra horsepower. This is a really fun car if you want a sporty car but maybe try a Honda or Toyota if you want reliability.

Can park almost anywhere. If you don't have a 3-car garage, 2 car garage can accomodate - it will fit in between the other two cars.

I am not driving it but from the owners I hear a lot that it is not very good. Their kids don't want to ride in the back seat. Car is very noisy and can not go very fast.

My brother's wife has one of these. It is very cute car. Extremelly little and unconfortable to ride in, even on good European roads. We were riding in it for 10 days this summer. Front seats are bigger then expected. Most people buy this car for its look rather then for functionality or quality. Very expensive for what it offers.

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Renault, Fiat

great car - oozes quality - ice cool.

It is expensive for a car this size - but as I said you do get a quality feel that I personally feel is worth every penny.

an absolutely fantastic little car. I bought a cooper - the sport was in a way too high insurance group. So i got a cooper - with all the extras, bonnet stripes and a funky roof and the chilli pack. And am very glad that i did. The moment i drove it I was converted! Had actually gone to the BMW garage to buy another 3 series! Nippy and agile- great road holding, real quality finish , some great extras and finishing touches on the interior.

Good looks, great handling, good power to weight ratio. Run flat tires. Plenty of cabin room. Stops on a dime.

Accelerator response is soft. Brake dust is bad. Shifting is stiff. Accessaries are expensive.

Over all, a fun car to drive. Attracts a lot of attention.

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Closest thing to this vehicle was a Saturn Sport Coupe. Great car with bad brakes and too little power.