Poll: Your Opinion On New Car: Mini Cooper S Cabri

[328Ci]

I am getting a new car this month. After toying with the idea for an M3 (discarded because I am trying to have money to spend on something other than a car for the first time in my life), I have narrowed it down do these 2 choices:

1. "Cool Blue" 2005 Mini Cooper S Convertible
Premium Package
Sports Suspension
17" Wheels
Blue soft-top

Pros:

It is a convertible! I have never owned one before, and Mexico is sunny.
170hp Supercharged Engine (good in Mexico City, which is 6,500 ft. above sea level (NA engines suffer a lot).
"Go-kart like handling" (Is this for real?)

Cons:

Girly. Do you think so?
FWD
Choppy ride (I don´t care too much.)
No DSC option available in Mexico (only ASC+T)


2. "Dynamic" 2005 BMW 120i
Premium
Sports Suspension
17" wheels 205 in front, 225 Rear

Pros:

It feels very similar to my current 328Ci, which I love.
Excellent handling/ride balance.
Excellent brakes.
DSC (Stability control).
Interior materials are superior to the Mini.

Cons:

Slower in a straight line.
Not a convertible.


Mini Pictures:





My car´s interior would be blue also...


120i Pictures:






I am a BMW fan, having owned a 325is (E39), a ´99 323i and an 00´ 328Ci and will not consider anything from other manufacturers (call me a fanboy!)

I am planning on keeping this car for about a year, and then upgrade to a new 330i or 330Ci a bit after they come out (so they can work out the initial bugs), but I do not want to keep my current 3 and take the extra depreciation hit when the new one appears. Besides, my car is starting to give me headaches at 70,000 miles and out of warranty.
Price-wise both cars cost around $32K here in Mexico. Both are 6-speed manuals and come with a 2 year unlimited mileage warranty.

I have a deposit on the Mini, it is at the showroom and if I make up my mind I can pick it up Tuesday. For the 120i I would have to wait till late October.

[BMWLotAttendant]

I voted 1-Series because if you are going to get a compact car......

1. Better looks, brand NEW series.
2. True BMW driving. Yes BMW owns Mini but the look has the BMW logo, everything says BMW.
3. You owned a true BMW all your life...why change...are you not satisfied with what you previously owned? Or do you want a change?
4. You can open the sunroof and roll all the widows down all the way (almost no difference-maybe not the full effect but close)...unless you are a big convertible fan....ever driven a convertible? Go test drive one...
5. Are you getting the 1-Series in a coupe? Does it come in a coupe? If only the 4 door...an advatage over the Mini because my friend owns a Mini and fitting 4 total people in his car was kinda awkward.
6. BMW would have a better interior comfort/ride. BMW has experience and makes things better. There is a difference between the Range Rovers from an X3/X5....from a Mini compared to the 1/3-Series.

Plus if you're planning on getting rid of this car after 1 year....anybody would love to get their hands on a pre-owned brand new series...with low mileage....cheaper for them....you'll get more out of it if you whole-sell it.

End of October? Thats like 2 weeks away. Don't tell me your current car with 70K is going to crash on you in that ammount of time. I think you can wait it out. Patience is a virtue. But if you're dying to have that Mini...go for it. If all else fails...you probably can switch them out if you aren't satisfied by the time the new 1-series comes out.

Good luck ....and tell us what you ultimately chose and how you like it.

[24valve]

You live in Mexico, so you can buy new Alfa Romeos there, right? In that case I think you should try to find a good used 147 GTA. Those things are absolute barn stormers as far as compact cars are concerned (3.2L V-6, 0-60 in >6.3 seconds), and they really do look good. I love BMWs but that'll be a whole lot more satisfying than a 120i or a Mini Convertible.

Edit: Woops, turns out that the 147 GTA isn't sold in Mexico, only the 147 and 156 with 2.0TS JTD engines are sold there. They're still great cars but they won't offer any real exhilaration with two liter, 150hp engines. So forget what I said, haha.

[Hoppy's535i]

bmw, rwd that is all.

[Zach745Li]

Yea, the cooper convertible is a girly car. The hard top is nice though.