2nd Vehicle. Mini vs. Civic

[4x4v8]

2nd Vehicle. Mini vs. Civic vs. Rabbit

I am looking to get a second car and was wondering if anyone had any feedback on the list of cars that I have.

I am looking for something small in size and on the gas. Manual. Nothing fancy, but if it is fast (relative to its price), that's a big plus. I am looking for $30k CDN and under. It will be siting mostly, just used in case we need to run errands for family to use when needed.

Honda Civic http://www.honda.ca/HondaCA2006/Bui...=E&ModelName=CivicCoupe&yr=2009&WebsessionID={5776C2C0-D9C0-485F-B3DF-77CC349ED849}#
Mini Cooper http://www.mini.ca/en/Model_Range/MINI_Cooper/Build_Your_MINI/default.aspx
VW Rabbit http://www.vw.ca/vwcms/master_public/virtualmaster/en_ca_on/models/rabbit/rabbit_5_doors.html

 

[broncosi]

i think the minis are pretty peppy. Our neighbors have one and they are smart people so it must be the best.

 

[longhaul747]

Comparing a Civic to a Mini is sort of like comparing apples to oranges. Both small cars but with different agendas.

The Civic is designed to be solidly built and reliable. It might not score high in performance or fun but it will be very practical solid car with a high resale value.

The Mini is designed to be fun and cute with solid performance. They are popular here and seem to come with a surcharge of several thousand dollars or at least did in the past. Resale values tend to not be very good unless its a "S" model and those are expensive to begin with.

I know some people have had good luck with there Mini's but some have been disasters. My neighbor has one and its always in the shop. I guess the same can be said for any car but you will definitely hear less horror stories about a Civic.

My choice would be the Civic. The price of admission is likely less. You get a very advanced and likely more roomy car that sips gas. Reliability is top notch and at least in my market any Civic with less then 100K miles and 10 years old is almost as much as a new one it seems. Resale values are incredible on Civics. So if you buy it and don't like it you can unload it with minimal financial stress.

My aunt has a new Civic and I got to drive it around last year in California. It took a bit getting used to and I nicked named it "Space Shuttle". At first I did not even care for it but it quickly grew on me. By the time I was done with it I was tempted to buy one. Handling is very good. Its agile and unofficially sporty. Engine qas quiet and smooth. Power was adequate but not fast. On extended highway trips I got around 40 mpg with it.

Mini's can be fun too and definitely have a fan base but the Civic is the better car in my opinion.

 

[rook]

I'd get a Rabbit, but bear in mind I'm partial to VW's, having worked on them. They are not the nightmares of old, in fact VW has greatly reduced initial problems in recent times. It has vault like construction in comparison to the others and is the most versatile of the group. The 2.5 has been built with reliability in mind. I own an 02 Jetta which is rock solid after 85k miles, no rust even on the body or chassis, which is something I cant say about my 4R.

 

[JAC]

Civic is a very good and reliable car also the less expensive to repair in case something goes bad. But the mini I heard it really keeps it's value when its time to trade in or sale it.

I'd go with the Civic tho'

 

[Thai]

Corolla?? Boring, but a bit more refined than Civic....

 

[Jeff Kleb]

Civic vs. Mini


As others here have said: different cars with different missions.

My brother has a 2008 Mini Cooper "S" -- and it really boogies down the road. No, it won't give my 300-hp V8 Mustang GT a run for the money in a drag race or in acceleration, but the Mini is really accomplished when the road gets twisty. Even with its ~170 hp, the car is very light and quite agile. I was impressed as heck with it when I drove it last summer.

The Civic is more plebian than the Mini, but will hold its own against any car in its class. I have a 2002 Nissan Sentra as my 'second car' and have owned it since new. A Civic was one of the cars I considered when looking at the Sentra (as well as the Focus, Elantra, Spectra and Corolla); but I found the 'strippo' Civic to still cost more than my loaded Sentra {well, as loaded as a Sentra can be}.

The Civic runs fine on regular fuel, but the Mini will require premium fuel -- something to consider. Repairs also cost more on the Mini and there are far fewer BMW dealerships than Honda retailers. Maybe you could consider a Civic "si" if you want a little more sizzle with your economy car.
:bigok:

I would go for the Civic, but only for economic reasons. Neither car will disappoint you. Look into other decent iron out there, too; such as the Suzuki SX4 crossover, Hyundai Elantra, Nissan Versa hatchback, Toyota Yaris, etc., etc. It is a buyer's market right now, so you can write your own deal in many cases.


Good luck!!

 

[Scoobs]

Just hope you don't have trouble with the Mini transmission out of warranty, or within warranty but without service records. Mini will not rebuild or repair the tranny, only replace with a new one. Here in Canada BMW charges @$8000.00 for the tranny plus labor.

There was a story on the news lately about an owner who abandoned her Mini at the dealer as she refused to pay the bill to repair the tranny ... $11,000.00 CDN including labor and tax.

 

[4x4v8]

Just hope you don't have trouble with the Mini transmission out of warranty, or within warranty but without service records. Mini will not rebuild or repair the tranny, only replace with a new one. Here in Canada BMW charges @$8000.00 for the tranny plus labor.

There was a story on the news lately about an owner who abandoned her Mini at the dealer as she refused to pay the bill to repair the tranny ... $11,000.00 CDN including labor and tax.

umm...that has me thinking. I have heard a few horror stories like that. But, the people that I talk to seem to love their minis. I only read on forums about people who have problems....

I am looking into the cooper "s".

 

[nated05]

My buddy had a '06 cooper (not s) that he just traded in for an '09. He had a few issues with the '06, mostly electrical i think. Its not that bad of a car, good gas mileage and a bunch of features. They also hold there value very well. I dont think I would buy one though, just not my style.