Which Hot hatch/Super Mini?

[scoop]

Hello.. Nice to finaly see a car forum here

I've got around £14k to spend and have been looking for a good while now. So far i've decided on the Mini Cooper S. Heres why..

Citron Saxo VTS (around 12k? i think)

Seems like a poor mans chav car.. Looks ok but a bit too Baby Boy-Racer ish!

Fort Fiesta St (£13595)

With Fords my opinion is that they are very average all over. Every part that you look at you'll go "Thats quite good", "Quite nice in here", "Seats are ok aren't they".. etc

The problem i think with them is that they are very average. There is nothing to rave about them, yet little to moan about either..

Another thing that i hate is that the ST Fiesta looks quite similar to its brother. Nothing much on it that makes it stand out.

Golf Mk4 GTi/V6 (older models.. )

I do really like golfs. They're a really smart car that dont stand out too much but look great..You wont feel like boy racer in one, yet more of a sophisticated(ha ha ha) gent with a bit of power behind the wheel.. Ahem maybe not

VW always seem to make an effort (even if only small hehe) inside the car. You dont feel too cheated on what you've just spent all that money on.

Mini Cooper S

For me this car kinda stands out from the rest. Inside its very unique and you realise that they've spent a little time thinking about the interior design.

I know for alot of people its a bit too funky and over the top, but its a little more interesting than these drab interiors that most cars have these days.

Space wise there is alot of room inside (atleast for the front to passengers anyway) than the previos minis. There is room for only two people in the back and i admit its quite cramped. Still i dont have to sit there so i'll put up with the moaning.

Driving wise i really love the handling. The one i drove was so fun zooming along a country lane.. although a bit bumpy i was not too bothered about that. The sound of the super charger kicking in with its whine is a lovely sound.. but i do wonder if it will get aggrivating.

Renault Clio Sport 182 Cup

When i first got in i was like "You want me to pay near enough 15k for an interior that looks like this?" Yes i know, these cars are not made forluxiory or anything.. but atleast the mini made an effort.

Another thing that annoyed me was that from the front they look so much like a standard Clio.. and plus Clios' are just one up from Saxos

Out of them all, so far i'll be getting the MCS. After all they are part hair dresser / estate agent cars so you wont get too many baseball wearing gits in em (except for me.. ).

Well its either that or a GTI/V6 anyway, but i'd like to get the Mini first, and an R32 when i wanna "Grow up a bit."

Do any of you think i stupid for getting one.. Or have any suggestions of other cars?

Oh yeah.. notice a trend starting with young blokes (ya know, gold chain, french crop, sun tan, total stud!!11111111 omg) (18-25) all getting jeeps now? Maybe just here in Hertfordshire eh.

(hve not proofe red, s0ree 4 br0kin inglish)

 

[Ch3tan]

yes nice car forum..... shame you missed it.

 

[caLLous]

At least he acknowledged the fact that it's there...

 

[scoop]

Wondered about your replies.. Sorry i swear i was in that forum..was in another Mozilla window... Scoop strikes again

 

[Dommers]

Burn in hell... FOR THOU HAST FORSAKEN TEH FORUMZ J00 MUST BE PUNSIHED

 

[Tom]

The Mini will likely have the best residuals. Women love them!

 

[Bodhi]

Get a Golf GTi 30th Anniversary edition. Will have already suffered the worst depreciation its going to, has 180 bhp and looks the absolute mutts nuts. Even if after you buy it you're still hankering after a Cooper S, the solution is easy - drive the Golf everywhere in reverse and it'll sound just like a Cooper S.

Altho on reflection I think you're missing the point of hot hatches entirely. They're about performance and handling, not looks and interior quality. Either get the Golf or a Clio Trophy, you won't be dissapointed with either. Every bugger and their uncle have a Cooper S now (in blue)

 

[GDW]

The new mini was designed for a women, well certainly the interior is. Hence one of the reasons why 9 out of 10 owers are women....your catching my drift here. Its a womans car.

If I were you I'd go for a year old Honda Civic R Type.

 

[scoop]

Yeah i do agree that they are about performance and handling.. The mini has great handling and good performance.

I forgot to say about Type Rs. While they look great (in a people carrier type of way ) they are a bit too hardcore. The fact that you have to rev them rediciously to get anything out of them is not too appealing to me.

As all rounders, the Golf and the Mini come out on top.

drive the Golf everywhere in reverse and it'll sound just like a Cooper S.

Haha very true

 

[Gat_Decor]

Citron Saxo VTS (around 12k? i think)

Seems like a poor mans chav car.. Looks ok but a bit too Baby Boy-Racer ish!

Nothing wrong with VTS's

 

[Bodhi]

Nothing wrong with VTS's

Apart from the fact they're slow ass tinny chav cars......

 

[Trem]

I would also go for the Honda Civic Type R, or maybe the Civic Type R EK9 but they are hard to find.

Or a golf GTi Turbo maybe but they aren't exactly fast, but they can be made fast I guess.

I also like the Seat Leon Cupra R as well, they have great mid range and have a lovely interior.

I would get a Mini CS................for my mrs.

 

[old.user4556]

Renault Clio Sport 182 Cup

When i first got in i was like "You want me to pay near enough 15k for an interior that looks like this?" Yes i know, these cars are not made forluxiory or anything.. but atleast the mini made an effort.

Another thing that annoyed me was that from the front they look so much like a standard Clio.. and plus Clios' are just one up from Saxos

I'm an ex-182 owner, i have some views to counter your argument.

The interior in the MCS is not any better than the 182, infact the standard MCS comes with cloth seats where the 182 (non cup version, the cup version is shite, don't even bother with it) comes with leather/alcantara seats all round. Hard plastics are ahoy in the MCS, similarly on the 182.

Did you look inside the boot of the MCS? By christ it's tiny.

Additionally, the 182 comes with automatic Xenon headlights, rain sensitive wipers, UV reflective windscreen and CD player as standard. I believe to get such extras on the MCS would cost you a fair whack on top of the already inflated price.

If you were quoted near £15k for a 182, you would have been utterly had. I paid £12500 for mine, brand new, fully loaded last November .

The MCS is hugely expensive, particularly when you add bits to it - typical BMW attitude. However, it is a great car, it's a superb drive with a superb driving position. It looks great too, has bird appeal and the residuals are very good so you shouldn't lose too much cash on it. It's generally better made than the 182, but it's definitely not as fast and doesn't handle as well.

I like the MCS a lot, but I wouldn't spend my cash on it, it's just a bit too expensive for what it is imo.

Edit: and the MCS would be hugely more reliable than the 182, my 182 lived up to it's dodgy French reputation

 

[old.user4556]

Apart from the fact they're slow ass tinny chav cars......

A mildy tuned VTS will do 0-62 in under 7 secs, coupled with the fact it weighs the same as a can of beans, it can be a fearsome weapon and made to be quite quick indeed.

But yes... it's still a Chav's motor, a bit like a modern day Nova.

 

[DaGaffer]

Don't believe the hype about Mini residuals; its oversupplied and the current model is in its runout year, so thats always an excuse to give residuals a pasting. Still a very nice car, but just don't expect bulletproof depreciation.

Civic Type-Rs will have been thrashed to within an inch of their lives.

Got to admit, if I was buying in that kind of price bracket, I'd get the Clio. I bet its a hoot to drive (I had a 16v years ago and that was great), and a 182 was the only car that ever gave me a scare in my 350Z, because the way you can sling it out of a roundabout is incredible for a front-wheel drive car. Be interesting to see what the new one's going to be like (and the new Type-R for that matter; I love the new Civic's looks).

 

[Gat_Decor]

Apart from the fact they're slow ass tinny chav cars......

as i've said before chav's couldn't even afford the insurance never mind the car

 

[old.user4556]

The 182 was amazing to drive, it really was brilliant. The chassis was enormously predictable, you could push it to the absolute limit and still not lose it. Infact, i'd go so far to say that I probably could drive it faster than my M Roadster, simply because the rear wheel drive and no traction control on the M made it too unpredictable to drive, particularly in the wet.

I miss the 182, lots... it was just too unreliable, it was never out the dealership with knocking noises, clanking noises, squeeking noises, electrical faults, oil leaks from the cam shaft cover... the list goes on. A truly heartbreaking motor.

 

[scoop]

You really sound like you miss it Big G.. Shame the bloody French made it.. My 206(French) had alot of problems too.. although the Engine was pretty bullet proof.

The MINIs were holding their value but i've heard recently that people are finding them hard to sell. I think the MINI face lift model will be out in 2007.. cant wait that long though!

Oh yeah the new civic looks quite nice from the font. Will be interesting to see the new Type R too.

The new clio looks ok i guess.. whats the motto on the advert "French designers, English engineers" or something? Might be good if thats the case

We all know we'd have a nice Red 06 plate Golf GTI though, if it was priced more reasonably =p

 

[old.user4556]

Yeah I miss the handling, chassis and fun factor - i don't miss the shocking reliability though.

 

[Jupitus]

as i've said before chav's couldn't even afford the insurance never mind the car

Proper Chavs don't need insurance, silly