Hey guys, I'm going to be getting my first car next year and I was really considering getting a mini one, but I want something with a bit more pull than the mini one has to offer, even if I was to upgrade a mini one it would still only be around 140bhp and that would cost quite a bit of money. So should I consider buying a cheaper car and waiting around 2 years for my no claims bonus to go up so that the insurance for the cooper s isn't costing me the earth. If so, would the wait for a cooper s be worth it? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks.
This is a really tough one... It depends largely on what your preferences are and how much you would be willing to spend in the car + mods, so it's pretty hard to make a suggestion or recommendation here.
What I can tell you is: the difference in performance between a MINI One and a Cooper S is more than substantial, and if the pull is that important a factor in your decision, than the One is probably not your best option - even if you can't / don't want to go for a Cooper S right now.
Think we're getting a bit spoilt these days as if you go back 10 years 100 bhp was considered quite impressive, but then again I suppose the milk float was when that came out.
Well currently I have around 7 thousand saved up and have another year to go, so I could possibly have more by next year. But I do not want to spend all my money on a mini that even with all performance mods, still won't be as good as a completely standard cooper s, hence why I've been seriously considering just buying a cheap car for the next two years and waiting for my no claims to go up and then spend the money I was going to use on upgrading the one, and put it into the cooper s instead.
Unless you spend serious money on a MINI One - which doesn't seem to be the way you want to go and, frankly speaking, is probably not the smartest thing to do - you'll not get anywhere close to a Cooper S in performance. Keeping a lower-cost car for one or two years while you cash in some savings and get better insurance rates seems to be a much more solid way to get to your Cooper S. And for that year or two, remember that a fun car is not necessarily costly or even powerful; there are tons of entry-level cars that are lots of fun - you just need to find one that suits your tastes.
A modern MINI One has similar or better performance and acceleration than a classic Mini Cooper S which won the Monte Carlo rally 3 times in the 1960's......I could not afford the insurance on a Cooper S in the 1970's so settled for an 850cc Mini-Minor as my first car!
Today I'm happy with a MINI One for much of the time....although I also have a classic Mini Cooper S and an E90 BMW 320D.
As I said, a fun car is not necessarily powerful. In my experience, fun is much about driver involvement, and power is not as big a part of this equation as handling, or steering feel, or noise are. My old 101 PS VW Polo was lots of fun even tossing it around a street corner, but having the same fun with my 140 PS Civic usually involved license-threatening maneuvers or speeds. This is what makes a MINI so great, in my point of view - the way it puts a grin in your face by something as trivial as a bold lane change. In my opinion, this is what motoring is.
From what I have read online there is a pretty large difference between the One and the Cooper S. If having the extra power means a lot to you then wait and save. That's why I saved and went for a Cooper S rather than a Cooper. Insurance costs are pretty low. I was paying about 32 USD / 20 BSP for my 2003 Hyundai Accent. I got the Cooper S and Progressive told me that it was going to be 30 USD / 18 BPS. Much more performance and options for less money per month! Can't be better than that!
1 series BMW? Not sure if that fits in the budget though
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