Mini Cooper S or Boxster - the debate in my head rages!

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by litespeedp

I bought a brand new Mini Cooper S in with 6 speed manual 2004 and put 26,000 miles on it in 11 months.tremendous fun and good gas mileage.The hatchback carried big stuff.Different kind of fun from my current new to me 2000 S with 6 speed.

Mini interior quality not as good but parts not as expensive.VERY glad to have owned both cars.Exterior trim is poor quality on the Mini and you need to watch out for the plastic cooling system thermostat as it will crack and fail and cause coolant loss.My car was in warranty and trouble free.

Mine was supercharged.Newer ones,maybe 2006 and up are turbocharged.The run flat tires and stiff "S" suspension are rough riding.

My nearest dealer, located in Memphis Tennessee was really good for service and hospitality.Try the MINI S model!

I respectfully disagree with you on the issue of the Mini's build quality. I can't speak for models previous to 2008, however, in my opinion the fit and finish of both of my Mini's is, and was, on par with vehicles costing twice the price. And I have owned and driven many, many vehicles. In fact, performance notwithstanding, I just passed on a new Subaru WRX STi because of it's all round poor build quality and overall chintziness.

[Perfectlap]

By the way, I won't say wich Mini dealer, but not long ago I was checking out lease offers/test driving and after visiting six different other brands (VW, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, Ford, Dodge Dart) the only one that pulled a very flagrant 'bait and switch" was the Mini dealer. Their lease was nearly the same monthly price as the others, a bit more cash up front but no big deal.
"Sure we have that lease deal and plenty of cars, thanks for the email come on down".
I spend a good 2-3 hours fighting traffic, get there.... "aww man listen I hate to tell you this but right now I only have the fully loaded models and the lease payment on those will be higher than it would cost to buy". Inerested in buying?