Looking for a small, but sporty round town car, around the $20k mark. Love the mini, but all I see is woman drivers. Is there a stigma attached to a guy driving one!
dave653,
May 23, 12:16pm
Buy a real one. The new ones are twice the size, and not very nice to look at. kinda like the 'new' Beetle.
gman35,
May 23, 12:35pm
Yes , buy one of the last 1275 "original" ones , yes it will be hard riding , noisy , not that fast , and probably not that reliable ! , but will be lots of fun & you will at least look like a car enthusiast with some credibility, not a doctor or lawyer.*****Just went to have a look now to "back myself up" & have found your car**** :-476390764
alby100,
May 23, 12:37pm
Add to the criteria a vehicle that is less than 7 years old.
gman35,
May 23, 12:41pm
That's a shame , Small car >7yr old , around 20k , there will be a stigma I think unless you can show me something interesting ie euro. going cheap. Something Japanese/Korean won't cut it with rest of us guys really.
alby100,
May 23, 12:42pm
Alfa GT Mini Cooper S
gman35,
May 23, 12:47pm
Yes , but still the "new" mini , and the Alfa GT not that small !**But would the Alfa 147gta (3.2ltr V6 in a shoebox) fit the bill!** ***I'm on fire today ! , I should be a vehicle broker , here is your 2nd choice ! , live a bit.****438649680****
alby100,
May 23, 12:53pm
They're small in my books. Small to me is less than 2.5l
147GTA is a good suggestion, but I'm looking for something that's not too thirsty at the pumps. Thirsty in comparison to a 2litre turbo on high octane.
gman35,
May 23, 1:02pm
OK , so if you happy to go for what I would call small-Med. (all new cars seem too big for their category these days) I have an '05 Mazda 3 SP23 (2.3ltr) which I can thoroughly reccomend. It handles great on super-looking factory 17" wheels , goes well , not too bad on gas even though is just a 4sp auto , but is the best 4sp A I have driven , but you can get the 5sp manual (or the facelifted one same year but rubbish design wheels)has a 5sp auto which I guess would be even better If you want an auto).
alby100,
May 23, 1:05pm
Nice suggestion, I was shying away from Japanese. A tad boring, imho. But the Mazdas have a bit of flair, will look at them.
fiatracer,
May 23, 1:06pm
Mini cooper 'S' [the first generation BMW Mini] is a hoot - I didn't expect to be impressed, but thoroughly enjoyed it. There's a thriving tuning scene too, at least in the States.
gman35,
May 23, 1:08pm
477032476 is funnily enough same year and colour (and similar k's) as mine , 1st time Iv'e seen same colour.
gman35,
May 23, 1:09pm
Yes , you won't fall asleep driving one as you would with a Corolla !
foxdonut,
May 23, 2:24pm
No, not in terms of displacement. The Mini is the same physical size as a Honda Accord in a parking lot.
They're a stupid car IMO, you could do a lot better.
foxdonut,
May 23, 2:25pm
Agree above with an SP series Mazda.
robotnik,
May 23, 3:04pm
It is fine for a guy to drive it if he's a hairdesigner or perhaps some sort of creative type. Go for it, people will think you are an artiste!
trogedon,
May 23, 3:13pm
I see the hotest / latest one has 160kw. That would be fun ;-)
pebbles61,
May 23, 3:27pm
Get an actual mini, the new ones are huge. (I parked my 'crab next to a 'mini' at the shops lol). Issigonis must be turning in his grave.
foxdonut,
May 23, 3:37pm
I'd rather an Arbarth Esse Esse over the Cooper S, even with the price factored in.
tantric5,
May 23, 3:57pm
I drove one today whilst my car was getting serviced. No one pointed, sniggered or stared.
so go for it I say
freedomaira320,
May 23, 4:10pm
They're great cars. About the only "retro" style that really looks good. I particularly like the fact that pretty much no two are alike with all the different package options they came with. No female bias like Beetle and Fiat 500 too.
People are generally more accepting of gays nowadays.
doctor_evil99,
May 23, 5:44pm
You soon be able to marry one. so it's perfectly ok to drive a mini.
heavydee,
May 23, 7:36pm
I'm guessing the people criticising the new mini haven't actually driven one.Hard to imagine a more engaging and fun car with as much usable power as the Cooper S.Brilliantly designed in terms of handling dynamics and the 1600 supercharged motor has all the power you need to get a smile on.
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