Why Not A Mini Cooper?

[rankinraj]

Having decided to change my Fiat Cinquecento Sporting for another nippy city car (but with 5 doors and air con), I looked at the new Fiat Panda, Honda Jazz, and Audi A2, before finding the ideal car in the Yaris T Sport (though haven't bought one yet).

What I would like to know from T Sport drivers is why you considered this car over it's obvious rival the Mini Cooper? My reasons are; that the Mini is the most common car in London, whereas T Sports are incredibly rare. The interior of the Mini is vulgar, and I wanted 5 doors. Also the reliability of Toyota. What were your reasons??

[Radtoy]

if buying new I wouldnt consider a T sport over the mini cooper at all!

I bought mine because they lose value quite a bit and are well priced second hand

They both cost around 12k new whereas a 3 year old t sport costs about 6k and a 3 year old mini cooper will cost you at least 9.5- 10k!

[Demonic Angel]

I looked at a MINI Cooper when I was looking for a new car last Jan....

I liked both the Yaris and the Cooper - both had advantages and disadvantages....

The major blow for the Cooper IMO was the kit you got as standard - practically NOTHING!

If you buy a MINI Cooper, you dont get a CD player, air con, alarm etc - no mod cons - you get a basic Cooper. You have to buy all the extras (you'd even have to buy a radio/cassette player - it doesnt come with one!)

So yeah compare their original prices and they are similar, but then add on all the goodies and you are looking at an extra couple of grand for the MINI.

So I went for my Yaris in the end!

[Kerby]

yeah i agree with DA. my boss has a mini cooper and once she added all the extras on which takes it to more or less the same spec as my YTS it cost her 17k

[Chappers]

Mini Coopers rule..

BMW hatchbacks suck!

[breezer]

mini coopers suck - nuff said!

[T V O R]

Take a test drive in both and come back to us!

To answer your question, my reasons for buying a Yaris were initially the shape.

A lot of cars look the same in my opinion with no personality. I saw one day and thought

‘I like that!’

After doing some extensive research on the net about reliability, safety, cost of ownership etc I thought I had found the car equivalent to the Holy Grail.

Looking at the JD Power surveys, Top Gear surveys European Japanese and Irish Car of the Year I was thinking they can’t all be wrong. So a T-Sport it was.

For the money I couldn’t find another make or model to match it either engine wise or specification wise. Cars in my price bracket didn’t have 16 valve engines with VVTi or with timing chains (timing belts = ££££ at a later date) or have electric this that and the other and have the Japanese reputation.

So far so good and it’s the only car I’ve had that makes me smile when I put my foot down!

[Kerby]

Take a test drive in both and come back to us!

To answer your question, my reasons for buying a Yaris were initially the shape.

A lot of cars look the same in my opinion with no personality. I saw one day and thought

‘I like that!’

After doing some extensive research on the net about reliability, safety, cost of ownership etc I thought I had found the car equivalent to the Holy Grail.

Looking at the JD Power surveys, Top Gear surveys European Japanese and Irish Car of the Year I was thinking they can’t all be wrong. So a T-Sport it was.

For the money I couldn’t find another make or model to match it either engine wise or specification wise. Cars in my price bracket didn’t have 16 valve engines with VVTi or with timing chains (timing belts = ££££ at a later date) or have electric this that and the other and have the Japanese reputation.

So far so good and it’s the only car I’ve had that makes me smile when I put my foot down!

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totally agree with everythin u say

[Al J]

And the YTS has a bigger boot!

[knightrider]

ive driven both, and i wanted a mini, but the yaris was:

a better second hand bargain

better spec as standard

quicker

sportier

less to insure

and as you say its rarer

end of the dayif i was to buy a mini it would have to be a cooper S as the spec is poor on the other models

the only plus i liked about the mini was theres a few with leather interior and its not an option with the yaris,

Lee

[tiktok]

i prefer yaris to the mini cooper, but the mini cooper s to the yaris, lol.

if its power you want then might as well buy a mini one, and chip it to the cooper spec, we;ve sold several mini cooper spec chips at work.

but the super charged, that a bit more tweakable, shortened pully, ported charger among other things and its a bit more lively.

[Crisis]

I feel that the Mini will suddenly go out of date. This I think is happening now, their sales are seizing up on them and the prices arn't holding.

I would consider one, they are cool. Hell I know someone who has the convertable one (she is 17 the !Removed!!)

[Boro Sera]

I'd go for a T-Sport over the Cooper anyday.

It's a lower profile car, better specced and frankly I find the BMW Mini's a poor replacement to the original Mini's.

However, I'd have an old shape Cooper above a T-Sport, purely for the fun factor.

Rich

[mark_n]

£12000 for a Mini Cooper and you dont get a CD Player as standard. I am sorry but thats a bit too penny pinching. I would have a T Sport over a Mini anyday.

[pete-R]

when i was after changing cars it was between the yaris tsport and a mini cooper.

looks wise it was hard to choose between the cooper or the t-pot.

the interior space in a cooper is shocking, it is like the yaris when the rear bench is forward and the boot is about the same size as the yaris glovebox.

drive wise i found the cooper felt a bit more sturdy and did handle slightly better than the yaris and more speed could be carried around roundabouts etc, but it could be tyre grip.

the engine in the yaris certainly felt like it had more poke and felt more free reving.

the killer was the price, when the cooper was to my spec it was 14500, a whole 2k more than the tsport.

so final score yaris t-sport 1 mini cooper 0

[Kev Mc]

I've never understood y ppl like Mini's, I personally have always thought they were hideous, then my m8s mum got 1, enough said.

I got a yaris coz when I was decidin which 1 2 get I thought of a little checklist that I wanted wotever car I got 2 pass, the yaris flew thru them all, heres my little list:

Reliable - The Yaris is made by Toyota

Safe - 4* in the Euro NCap tests

Small Engine (cheaper insurance) - Got a 1.0

Good on petrol - costs me about 10p/mile

Theres another 1 2 but I cant think of it at the min

[Crisis]

I would have thought even the TS is about 12-15p/mile.

[vitzpower]

My first car was a Yaris GS. It seemed like a natural progression.

Other reasons:

- Love Japanese cars

- Hate the Mini interior

- YTS was reasonable on insurance for my age

- Mini's do not have an excellent reliability record

- YTS's are pretty rare

- Mini's are too common in any of their guises

- I was dying to find out how a YTS performed after driving a GS for a year and a half

[T V O R]

- I was dying to find out how a YTS performed after driving a GS for a year and a half

Your verdict is?

[vitzpower]

- I was dying to find out how a YTS performed after driving a GS for a year and a half

Your verdict is?

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Put it this way, when I first got it, I couldn't stop driving it! :D

After a while, I got accustomed to the speed, had to sort some things such as K&N panel filter and after that Blitz Nur Spec exhaust :P

Now I want more....

[T V O R]

I was the same the first time I drove the YTS, but like you said it’s a shame you get use to it.

[seveer unaek]

The mini isn't a mini.... it's !Removed! huge! (except when you get inside where it's pathetically small)

It's a trendy little thing i'll give it that, but they are far too common now, and i see far too many spoilt rich girls driving them.

Plus, it's ridiculously expensive... As standard, like DA said, it has no standard spec. It's below standard, it's below basic. It might as well be a barn on wheels. Im surprised it even has heaters. It really is shockingly bad.

On a good note though... the cooper is fairly sprightly and the S is super-fly and both handle brilliantly. If i had choice between YTS and Mini though.... it's be YTS all the way. It's more reliable too... there are a lot of electrical faults with the mini.

[Viper_7]

Go for the Mini...you know it makes sense.

It's good and heavy... so surely will last for ever.

Less equipment....you don't have that ingenious sliding rear seat..so you

you less things to worry about failing. No nasty cd's to clutter your car with.

Less handy pockets inside....less space all together really...always helps save on the hovering just think what you could be doing in stead.

all that lovely chrome will last for years....right?

BMW...so everyone is polite to you

With sooo many around the dealers give you such good services at such low prices.

YTS well you drive around for hours...and never see another one....obviously not that good.....

go with the crowd...go for the mini...so many can't be wrong....?

regarding the resale value on a more serious note....second hand mini's will soon be flooding the market..there prices will plumet....just so high at the moment because they are still fairly new..and people wish to keep them as they are soo fine.

I've driven one and choose the YTS over it...it's just soo heavy...can't really be chucked around the twisties..unless you have the cooper S there's no room in the back...no room for luggage...just not practical

Vipes

[Crisis]

If you had a graph, the sales are just levelling off and a horrible exponetial curve is about to plummit the values back down. The Mini craze is dying off...

Wow, maths and physics made me use a word in a post, impressed.

[Viper_7]

If you had a graph, the sales are just levelling off and a horrible exponetial curve is about to plummit the values back down. The Mini craze is dying off...

Wow, maths and physics made me use a word in a post, impressed.

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as the number of mini's approaches infinity...the resale value reaches...not alot!