I finally figured out what to get next.

"190e30-Now with COSWORTH" (190e30) 12/24/2013 at 00:10 • Filed to: None

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-Cheap

-Fairly reliable

-slow enough

-manual

-safe

-tear-your-face-off grip

-hot hatch

Done, solved, end of story. I don't even care if I'm the laughingstock of my high school parking lot, I'll be the one laughing on any sort of twisty or turny road.

Brian Silvestro > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 12/24/2013 at 00:12

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Matt Farah says Minis' engines generally explode/give out at around 60k miles. I just remembered that from listening to his podcasts all the time.

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > Brian Silvestro 12/24/2013 at 00:18

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Really? Didn't know that from my brief research. Good to know, thank you.

oldirtybootz > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 12/24/2013 at 00:19

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That exhaust note sounds excellent but I didn't think Minis were known for reliability.

Dusty Ventures > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 12/24/2013 at 00:22

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I say if you're going to get a Mini, get a Mini

D > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 12/24/2013 at 00:26

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As people are saying, I hear they're not very reliable. Not too cheap either. But I totally see the appeal.

Levitas > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 12/24/2013 at 00:55

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Owner of a 2003 Mini here. For used Mini's you have to be really careful. If you have the choice, go for the second gen of the supercharged (known as the r56). Things to look for when shopping used: mushroomed strut towers, failing power steering, torn strut mounts, a 'chewbacca' noise from the clutch/flywheel, and some other small stuff.

The Mini above is a second gen supercharged, with some serious mods (injectors, tune, exhaust, SC pulley, etc). Yes, they are tons of fun. Some people will hate, but most will respect.

But be warned, it's a BMW at heart, so repairs are expensive. I just did a tranny this summer, tools and parts were about 2500 to do it myself. Power steering pumps, which just got an extended warranty, usually run $900-1200 at the dealer. The engines are typically solid, mine has 118k hard miles and it really purrs still.

Levitas > Levitas 12/24/2013 at 00:57

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Also, read up on owner forums. I'm a member over at northamericanmotoring, they have fantastic information and hints and help for buyers and owners. Business owners also provide tons of useful information all the time there

E30Joe drives a Subaru > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 12/24/2013 at 01:30

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I work at a dealership that sells minis and BMW's.

Minis are far from reliable.

mcseanerson > Dusty Ventures 12/24/2013 at 01:53

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I'm with this guy. If your gonna risk British reliability take the classic rather than throw German complexity on top.

mcseanerson > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 12/24/2013 at 02:03

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If you want a fun, reliable, cheap hatck/wagon these are my two recommendations .

Eazy-O > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 12/24/2013 at 07:58

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-tear-your-face-off grip

I dunno what you're basing this on, but seeing some comparison tests and what not, before mods, it's not all that much better than other FF econohatches... *shrug* After mods, it depends what car you look at, but there's usually plenty of aftermarket support for a lot its competitors.

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > Levitas 12/24/2013 at 12:52

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I started looking into the R56s, and I still have yet to find one that's supercharged. R56s were 2007-onwards, right?

Levitas > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 12/24/2013 at 17:40

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Oh wow I really messed that one up. Guess I shouldn't try to post that late at night...

Yes, the r56s are all turbocharged. I meant go for the last of the supercharged (still r53), the 05-06 models. Typically people have the least amount of issues with those, and its still possible to find them with relatively low miles.

On the flip side, you could go for an r56. Acceleration is the same in numbers, but certain people like the feel of the turbo much better.

Either way, definitely take your time and don't jump on a certain one. I jumped, and its cost me dearly. Had I known I would have had this much trouble, I would have spent another $4000 and gone for a good Cooper S rather than jumping on a cheap justa.