[skakidseth]

hey mates!

so here's the deal...this college boy needs a new car and i'm deciding between a 1991 miata with only 10k miles and a mini base model. the miata looks absolutely brand new. the prices are $8500 for the miata and $18414 for the mini i'd want. sorry for the whole story i guess what i should just ask about the mini.

so....should i wait for the 04 models or not? anyone know if the price is going up on the 04s? i know a convertible is planned but i'd rather have a mini in a hardtop anyway i'm just concerned about performance and price changes between the 03 and 04 base.

does anyone know if its possible to order a right handed driving mini from the US?

feel free to give me any other advise as i'm having quite a time with this decision.

much thanks in advance!
seth

[Paul]

Depends on the waiting lists near you, but at this time of year it could almost be worth waiting a few weeks for an '04 model. But don't expect much in the way of change.

[dmholmes]

I feel somewhat qualified to answer just because I own both cars. The Miata has given me 53,000 completely trouble free miles. The Mini has had a number of things replaced and still has a number of pesky, but minor, problems. Both are terifically fun cars to drive but not all that similar. Depending on where you live figure on adding $1500 to the price of the Miata to add a hardtop for winter months. '04 model changes for the Mini will undoubtedly be small and price increases, while potentially minor, seem almost inevitable. Great source for Miata info is http://www.miata.net

If you have specific questions about strengths/weaknesses of both cars feel free to pm me.

Dave