Do you think people will cross shop the Fiesta with the Mini Cooper (non-S)?

[Deanh]

I come from a CooperS 2003...when i bought the car it cost me 23k, smaller supercharger pulley/ wheels tires and a few Mini Madness bolt ons, HP grew to approx 210, it was an absolute blast to Drive. Its handling was AMAZING, BUT it was at the sacrifice of ride, she would jar your fillings loose...and 210 in a car that size/ weight was an absolute hoot. Now owning a Fiesta I can truthfully say those are the ONLY two areas in which the Cooper ( and remember it was an S ) model was superior. The Fiesta is quieter, smoother, has less wind noise, gets superior mileage than the std Cooper, and is WAYYYYYY cheaper...go ahead, spec out a Mini with leather....you will find it to be feature for feature 4-5000 more tha a similarly equipped Mini. My Fiesta was approx 19k...I DID spec out a comparable Mini, cost wise there was no comparison. So, if the Mini was so much fun, why did I get rid of her?....MAINTENENCE...$160 oil changes just dont sit right, but thats not the worst of it...mine blew a spark plug out of the cylinder head...$2000 of repairs later ( at the BMW deraler ) she was still running HORRIBLY, it took a FORD tech running a block test to tell me I had a cracked head...cost to repair approx 3500 NOT INCLUDING LABOR...so, at ONLY 63000 miles she was wholesaled, and I ordered the Fiesta. Oil change ( synthetic ) $40.......the ONLY thing I miss is the hotrod of 210 hp and the supercharger whine...and I do NOT like the new Turbo Minis, they may perform well but the styling somewhere has lost its way......

[dirtyblueshirt]

I considered Mini at one time, but it has a whole 5 inches less front legroom. Dealbreaker.

[Skip]

I do like the Mazda speed 3 for myself but we were buying this car for my wife.
I want to buy a performance version for myself and do not want to do the mods myself. I want a factory hot rod. The S-2000 has spoiled me cause after 7 years of owner ship nothing has broken except a tail light bulb.

I am not in a hurry. Maybe Mazda will do a speed 2 or Ford will make a fast Fiesta.

[Bobby]

...I suppose everyone has their own criteria for comparison purposes, but i think the only thing the Mini and the Fiesta have in common are the amount of wheels they have.

The Mini might be a *nice* car (however one defines that), but it's more self conscious in it's retro modern style, so (I think) it appeals to someone looking to make a fashion statement. Ditto the VW Beetle, and the upcoming Fiat 500. They might be *Nice* too, but ultimately their appeal is more visual.

The Fiesta has a *Modern* look to it, but it's appeal is more in the way it goes about it business, it's much more visceral. I think it will appeal to a different segment of the market..

[mgatov]

The deal killer for the Mini was its unreliability and high repair costs. Also, there are relatively few dealers around, so when it breaks, the towing bills get quite expensive.

[archenok]

Can a mini-owner (or former owner) confirm that the Mini has independent rear suspensions?

I was talking to a friend of mine with a Mini but he refused to compare since they're different class -_-;;

I do tend to look at physical chassis configurations (the suspension setup being one of them) so if the Mini has fully independent rears instead of the Fiesta's twist beam, I suppose the Mini can stay on its "high horse" (read: high price) and refuse comparison.

[Zinky]

Originally Posted by archenok

Can a mini-owner (or former owner) confirm that the Mini has independent rear suspensions?

It's a multi-link rear suspension, so it's independent.
MINIUSA.com

[Karma]

I'm a former Mini owner and went to see the new Countryman (their suv) last month. Loved it but it's like ten grand more than a Fiesta and inventory was miniscule just about everywhere. Too pricey, no choices, no sale.

[mress]

If you buy an auto trans Mini will give a discount. Ford powershift is around a grand. The Mini has ambient lighting option EXACTLY like Fiesta, Bluetooth conectivity and sat radio? Yup. Cool accessories? Yup. A lady friend of mine bought a Mini last month in Fort Myers, We walked in to look and three hours later she drove out! The price was very good. More than Fiesta? a little. I like my Fiesta. The Mini has more power and gets slightly less MPG but it has alot of the same charm and style of the Fiesta. The buyer cannot lose, they are both great cars!