OK OK OK, i know this is a miata forum so I expect to get "miata > mini" but in all honesty, if you had a choice between the two, which would you choose?

Also, would you choose a 1.6 or 1.8

take into consideration power, service, style, reputation, durability, etc

 

1.6 turbo or 1.8 mp62 probably ffs. just seems natural to me. BTW mini spins the wrong wheels so stay with MX-5. So long as it isnt a m45 you wont be to dissapointed. If anything you will exceed your expectations, i know i did.

 

the mini is wrong wheel drive. nuff said.

 

Minis are girl cars

 

my mom drives a mini dummy!

 

Power:
Mini: 168crank= +/- 140fwhp
Miata: even a stock Greddy will do better

Everything else considered stock for stock!

Service:
Mini: It's German, good luck working on it yourself
Miata: just about as easy as it gets regarding any type of maint

Style: cars look nothing alike, 3dr hatch, vs 2dr roadster... your call

Reputation:
Mini: #1 most purchased car by gay men in the US... beat out the Miata first year it was introduced.
Miata: Car and Driver 10best every year it's been sold... getting less "chicky" every day.

Durability:
Mini: heard about lots of transmission problems.
Miata: only real issues are radiators that fail around 100kmiles or so, and plug wires that need a swap at about 40k miles. Stock clutches go for 150k miles or more, brakes last forever, motor and tranny indestructable on stock power. 1.6 rear end is weak.

Odds and Ends:
The Mini has the advantage of being a real car, not a go-cart.
You can get a hardtop to solve a lot of comfort issues for the Miata.
Mini has limited aftermarket support AND IT'S EXPENSIVE, Miata has endless options and can be had cheaply.
Mini is much more versatile.
Mini's really need to be compared to GTI's, Civic Hatchbacks, Audi A3, etc... Miata compares to little else... maybe the Solstice if you can find one.

You know my vote!

 

btw, which is easier to mod, a 1.6 or a 1.8?

 

I'd get a mini if it's a daily. The miata is buzzy, loud, and uncomfortable as hell.

 

miata

 

1.6 for my money, but the 1.8's have better difs. Price difference makes a swap of diffs feasible

 

I pitty da fool dat buys the Mini. Now, if they made an all wheel drive Mini..........things might be a bit different.

 

I currently have the 1.8... however, I know some guys who have either replaced their miata's with mini's or added to the fleet. The mini's while yes they are front wheel drive, actually are fun to drive. The sister-in-law bought a cooper, and it's a blast for drivin'. Just needs the boost though. The cooperS I was in with the boost turned up was nice.... oh and the '07 cooperS is supposed to be snailed....

I wouldn't replace my miata with with a mini, but I would add one for the "wife" to drive. <G>

But you need to consider that the mini has additional seating/space... so you can take more people, more crap, etc....

Depending on the mini, you can probably save coinage when you get the miata too, since you can "aim" for an older one with a solid body, and mechanicals.... Mini's aren't the same vintage, and supposedly the first two years had issues, so it's recommended to stay away from them.

So I say it's your call....

Dave,

 

Minis are fun.

great autoX cars.

Ditch the large 17' boat anchors if you get an S though

 

Yep, unless your a little boy or a midget. However, for the price of a mini, you can get a civic daily driver, and a turbo miata.

 

Minis are cool, if it's an old Mini, the new ones are huge compared with the original.

Only way I'd have a Mini over my Miata is an old one, preferably with a Honda B series.

 

As a Miata owner and a car "enthusiast", a Miata. However, if I did not already own a Miata and was looking at a Mini vs a Miata, the only thing a Miata has going for it would be the fact that it's a convertible.

The FWD vs RWD wouldn't even enter into the equation if I was looking at both cars as a complete newb.

 

mini is ugly

end of thread

j/k

 

Believe it or not, I just had a conversation last week with a guy that thought the Miata was ugly??!!??? This is the first time I've EVER heard anyone say that the Miata was ugly.

Of course the guy was an idiot, but that's another matter.

 

Minis are cool but there are certainly other fwd cars I would prefer. Style wise, they are top notch but my sister's boss had one from new and it seriously spent more time being repaired than on the road. But it was an early model. And the fact that I could smoke it with my civic is not cool.

Maita's really are such a perfect balance. You really are better of with a cheap/compromised fun four seater fwd and a miata project car. Now that mine is turbo, its just as great of a drive as my fd rx7. Go for the pure driving experience.

By a 1.8 unless you just want a base greddy kit, then bolt it up to a 1.6.

 

the minis are heavy (for their size) and slow. the intercoolers are top mount and heat soak like hell in traffic and/or staging lines. their handling is about as good as you could ever get from a stock fwd car and with good upgrades they can handle fantastic, but they will still be driving the wrong wheel and be heavy.

minis are also FAR more expensive than any tiny vehicle should ever be and the back seat is so small there might as well not be one. playboy did do an article on sex in a mini (images of like 14 positions possible for 90% male/female) back in '02/'03 when they came out. http://users.adelphia.net/~rocketboy...-in-a-Mini.jpg

that's the only page I could find... I seem to recall there being 3.