http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-....c0.m245.l1308

 

Theres alot of goodies on that thing but not worth it to me.

 

If I am gonna spend that kinda money...
I want a GT500,Corvette or a Porsche.
Not a Mini.

 

I briefly considered a Cooper before I bought my Mustang. I learned that I would have to spend about $36,000.00 to get a vert that would approach the performance of a GT vert. Price aside, better fuel economy and more space in my garage weren't enough to overcome my desire for a Mustang (or the reality that I'm 6'4").
But, hey, I just glanced at the pic of the window sticker on this Mini hatch: it read $39,000 and change, right?

 

Minis ain't cheap. Never have been.

And people pay for them - there's fifteen bids on the thing already.

Bear in mind that Minis for '08 are sold out. BMW underestimated demand, not surprising with fuel costs where they are.

So demand is way up...so are prices.

 

That didn't include all the JCW addons that brings the price up to $45,673, which is the BIN price. One of the other pictures on the auction shows the addons.

 

there's a ton of factory add on's for that car that jack the price waaaaay up

 

I love Minis, but they're way too expensive, and I would feel like a tool every time I climbed out of it if I owned one (I'm 6'4" also haha).

 

I love minis! They take turns like champs. If I could afford one, I would have one as my dd. They are expensive though.

 

Mini's are of a concept that many Americans seem to have a very difficult wrapping their brains around: premium small cars.

Americans seem to associate "luxury" or "value" rather simply with size or some basic quantitative parameters (hp, cylinder count, number of widgets) and thus see smaller cars as necessarily nothing more than cheap economy cars to be endured until they have the means to buy a "real" car. Thus, many, being blind to perhaps more qualitative values, sputter at the thought of parting with $30K+ for a small 4 cylinder car like a Mini or Audi A4. They'd probably have heart palpitations at the thought of spending $40-$50K+ on a mere 2,000 lb. Lotus Elise or Exige, regardless of the fact that they may be the finest and purist examples of sports cars today. But many do "get it" as evidenced by the successes of the Mini; A4; and perhaps some other small but upscale cars like the Acura TSX; Mazda 3; Volvo's S40, V50 and C30; or VW GTI.

I dare say that even some American manufacturers, long beholden to the ethic of size is everything, are starting to "get it" too with the Saturn Astra and perhaps the upcoming Ford Fiesta and Focus which belie the idea that econoboxes need be penalty boxes.

So yes, the Minis are small, but they're not economy cars and thus, are not dirt cheap but represent a very good value on their own merits. Indeed, its compact size can become a huge asset itself in urban driving environments where larger premium cars end up being clumsy and difficult to navigate. And most important to the enthusiast, they are a shear hoot to drive!

 

I can wrap myself around the idea of a premium small car like a Mini. I just can't fit in one.

 

Dont they take premium gas?

 

I dunno Rhumb. I think the MINI represents good value right up to the point the price starts creeping toward 30k. An absolutely loaded Cooper S coupe from the factory touches right on 35 large. For that money I can buy a very nicely equipped 128i or a base 135i. I think BMW may be getting a bit optimistic with MINI, maybe even more than a bit optimistic, and a few good entires by the mainstream auto makers....like say a Focus ST on our shores.....could potentially do a lot of damage to this car.

 

I dunno Rhumb. I like the MINI, but a loaded 'just as it came from the factory' Cooper S hatchback is a 35k car. For reference the same money could get me into a base 135i, a very well equipped 128i or A3 2.0T, or an absolutely loaded VW GTi 3-door with about 7k left over for gas and insurance. I think that is pushing it a bit to be kin, particularly when the GTi is considered pricey for the class even within some of the more accepting enthusiasts circles. I think asking Americans to come to grips with premium small cars is an easier sell when we are pointing at cars like the Audi A3, VW GTi, or even the Volvo S40 which don't ask quite so much for so little. 35k is a lot for the Cooper content considered, and I think a couple of really well executed C and B segment cars from abroad....like an ST version of a Fiesta or Focus or even a Fiat 500....could do a lot of damage to BMW's MINI.

 

Have you ever sat in one? They have tons of room up front. The back is a different story, and storage is... well there is no storage.

 

Yeah, if you go nutz with the option sheet, you really can drive the price of a Mini well beyond the good value point. Granted though, if you just won the lottery and are a Mini fanatic, you can really build yourself God's own Mini. But a Mini Cooper S optioned to the mid 20's will get you about 99% of the Mini's goodness. The A3 can suffer a bit of the same problem - I've jacked the price of those to over $40K on Audi's Web site (3.2 motor and every option on the list), but again, wise and judicious decisions will get you 99% of the A3's goodness for around the $30K mark. If you really want to go crazy with the options, go to Porches site where you can practically double the sticker of an already very expensive car.

I do see more and more people catching on to the idea of premium small cars such that they are not quite seen as the oxymoron they once were -- that cars need to be judged on their qualitative aspects as much or more so than their quantitative stats. A lot of people still seem to blanch at the thought of "paying so much money for such a small car," but often, well done smallness can be a virtue and asset in its own right.

 

The Mini is surprisingly roomy up front, even if the back is best reserved for small house cats -- best thought of as a 2+.5+.5 ... and pack lightly. Another surprisingly roomy car up front, well, the only place to sit, is the teensy weensy Smart car.

 

$35,000 for a Mini is pretty nutty. $45,000 for a Mini is a one way ticket to the funny farm.

Think about some of the rides you can have for that money.

 

I love this car. It looks great, handles great, and has tons of great features. It has every feature availiable to add-on that any BMW/Mercedes/Audi would have. So if you think about it, if you get a regular mini cooper, add all the nice 'luxury' features(which you can do. You don't need the Cooper S for all the nice features), you've just built a german luxury car. The only thing is, its small. So yaa it might not be perfect for the guy with 2 kids. But if you don't need alot of room, its great. Even then, its not that bad. I drive a 94 stang and I could get maybe a bit more in the stang than the Mini, but it would be close.

My point is, alot of people look at it the wrong way. Don't compare it to a Focus and think "the focus is way less." The Mini is a luxury vehicle, no way around it. Comparing a cheap small hatchback to a Mini is like comparing a Pontiac G6 or Ford Fusion to a BMW 3 Series. Same size car, different market.