Civic Coupe v.s Mini Cooper

[Mayoman]

I'm looking at getting a new car, I've narrowed it down to a Civic Ex coupe or a slightly used Mini Cooper. Currently I have a 84' 300ZX turbo, and I need a more pratical car (winter driver & rear seats) and something I don't have to worrie about all the time. While i know the reliability on the civic would be good, and the style is nice, i'm worrid that I'm going to get bored of it. It's the reverse for the mini, it's a blast to drive, but there are quality issues.

I was looking on this forum and notticed a lot of TSB's on the civic, are they a trouble prone car??? are people notticing a lot of teathing problems with them?? If this car's going to be in the shop a lot, I'll take the more fun route and get a mini.

Anyone have input into this??

[CHRIS]

Originally Posted by Mayoman

I'm looking at getting a new car, I've narrowed it down to a Civic Ex coupe or a slightly used Mini Cooper. Currently I have a 84' 300ZX turbo, and I need a more pratical car (winter driver & rear seats) and something I don't have to worrie about all the time. While i know the reliability on the civic would be good, and the style is nice, i'm worrid that I'm going to get bored of it. It's the reverse for the mini, it's a blast to drive, but there are quality issues.

I was looking on this forum and notticed a lot of TSB's on the civic, are they a trouble prone car??? are people notticing a lot of teathing problems with them?? If this car's going to be in the shop a lot, I'll take the more fun route and get a mini.

Anyone have input into this??

i havent had any problems in my lx coupe yet...3500 miles

if u feel the mini is going to be more "fun" then i'd say go for it..personaly i'd rather have a Brand new car, knowing that my a$$ was the only one breaking it in. There both good choices but i'd say go HONDA

[FujiBlueSi]

Originally Posted by Mayoman

I'm looking at getting a new car, I've narrowed it down to a Civic Ex coupe or a slightly used Mini Cooper. Currently I have a 84' 300ZX turbo, and I need a more pratical car (winter driver & rear seats) and something I don't have to worrie about all the time. While i know the reliability on the civic would be good, and the style is nice, i'm worrid that I'm going to get bored of it. It's the reverse for the mini, it's a blast to drive, but there are quality issues.

I was looking on this forum and notticed a lot of TSB's on the civic, are they a trouble prone car??? are people notticing a lot of teathing problems with them?? If this car's going to be in the shop a lot, I'll take the more fun route and get a mini.

Anyone have input into this??

I'll try not to be too biased. There were a few problems with the 06 Civic's but nothing major. Minor quibbles at best. Slight rattles (not on all cars though) and the like. The TSB's were for the first run of regular Civic's. They won't affect your new Civic (assuming you buy one). Youe mentioned that you wanted a more practical car. The Mini is far from practical. There is almost no rear seat room unless you are under 5'5". No cargo space unless you fold the seats. The Civic has lots of room and a huge trunk. Unless you are going for a Cooper S the Mini is slow. Painfully slow. If you are going for the Cooper S I would suggest considering an Si. The Si is cheaper and much quicker. Although the Mini handles better that's nothing that can't be changed with a suspension change on the Civic. Besides the warranty is better on the Civic and it is cheaper. I say test drive both and read long term reviews on the Cooper. Hope that helps.

[RedSIinPA]

Originally Posted by FujiBlueSi

I'll try not to be too biased. There were a few problems with the 06 Civic's but nothing major. Minor quibbles at best. Slight rattles (not on all cars though) and the like. The TSB's were for the first run of regular Civic's. They won't affect your new Civic (assuming you buy one). Youe mentioned that you wanted a more practical car. The Mini is far from practical. There is almost no rear seat room unless you are under 5'5". No cargo space unless you fold the seats. The Civic has lots of room and a huge trunk. Unless you are going for a Cooper S the Mini is slow. Painfully slow. If you are going for the Cooper S I would suggest considering an Si. The Si is cheaper and much quicker. Although the Mini handles better that's nothing that can't be changed with a suspension change on the Civic. Besides the warranty is better on the Civic and it is cheaper. I say test drive both and rear long term reviews on the Cooper. Hope that helps.

I think the Mini's backseat and the Civic coupe backseat are equal. I've been in the back of a Cooper S and I thought there was a surprising amount of room for a car that looks that small.

[FujiBlueSi]

Originally Posted by RedSIinPA

I think the Mini's backseat and the Civic coupe backseat are equal. I've been in the back of a Cooper S and I thought there was a surprising amount of room for a car that looks that small.

Really? I sat in one and felt like a sardine. I'm not that tall (6') but maybe cuz my bro was driving (6'3") and he has the seat far back all the time it felt small.

[Mayoman]

Originally Posted by FujiBlueSi

Really? I sat in one and felt like a sardine. I'm not that tall (6') but maybe cuz my bro was driving (6'3") and he has the seat far back all the time it felt small.

even if the backseats are small, they're more than I have now, and that's what matters. the praticality side just comes in more for year round driving. When i drove the mini, it did handle amazing, but yeah it was slow. I'm going to see if I can stretch it and get an Si, but they seem in pretty high demand here.

There are pro's and cons to both.

[RedSIinPA]

Originally Posted by FujiBlueSi

Really? I sat in one and felt like a sardine. I'm not that tall (6') but maybe cuz my bro was driving (6'3") and he has the seat far back all the time it felt small.

I'm only 5'8" so I'm sure that helped. My friend is about 5'7" and I went over a bump in the road while he was in the back of the SI and I watched in the rear view as he smacked his head off the rear glass.

Truth is I really don't care about the comfort of those in my backseat. I tend not to let anyone back there anyway because they always seem to scratch the plastics getting in the damn car anyway.

[FujiBlueSi]

Originally Posted by Mayoman

even if the backseats are small, they're more than I have now, and that's what matters. the praticality side just comes in more for year round driving. When i drove the mini, it did handle amazing, but yeah it was slow. I'm going to see if I can stretch it and get an Si, but they seem in pretty high demand here.

There are pro's and cons to both.

True, good luck on which ever you choose and keep us updated. Lots of pics too.

[CMByrd]

Mayoman: If your looking for a winter driver with a backset but leaning towards an Si, you /may/ consider driving the ZX for the rest of the summer, and when fall comes around go drop a massive deposit on a 2007 Honda Civic Si Sedan. It looks like the same powerplant as the current Si, but backdoors will almost invariably mean bigger backseats as well, and a LOT easier to get into/out of. If youv'e got kids (and I dont, so this is just hear/say) Im told that getting carseats into a coupe is hellacious.

Originally Posted by RedSIinPA

I'm only 5'8" so I'm sure that helped. My friend is about 5'7" and I went over a bump in the road while he was in the back of the SI and I watched in the rear view as he smacked his head off the rear glass.

Truth is I really don't care about the comfort of those in my backseat. I tend not to let anyone back there anyway because they always seem to scratch the plastics getting in the damn car anyway.

I had a mate of mine in the back of my Si, hes about 6'4. I look the next day when its daylight out, and Ive got a smudge on my window from where he had been using it as a headrest d= On the other hand, Ive sat in my back seat (Im about 5'7") and as long as whoevers in the front isn't huge, its at least bearable.

[NighthawkCivic]

The Civic will be in the shop way less than the Mini. Check out any of the reliability surveys and they show the Mini is much worse than average and the Civic i sat the other end being very reliable....

[CoryB]

I traded a 2004 MCS in on my 2006 Si.

The MINI is more nimble but the Si - to me - is more manuverable. I know that sounds weird but in autocross I'm turning better times with the Si.

Day-to-day I like the Si a lot better. I like having a trunk again and the seating position is more comfortable - although I had more headroom in the MINI (yes my seat is all the way down.)

Gas mileage wise they're very close but I tend to drive fairly hard. The MCS has a supercharger kick and whine but the Si has the VTEC kick and growl. Plus the Si is 197hp versus 168 hp for the 2005+ MCS. FWIW, my wife complains now that her head slams against the headrest when I accelerate hard - she NEVER said that when I had the MINI.

Oh, and if you think the Civic has a lot of TSBs, check the MINI. It went back for several ECU updates while I had it and never got rid of the yo-yo (do some research - it's all out there about that.) My wife's 05 MCS doesn't yo-yo but I've been in other 05's that do. Mine also went back for an emissions recall and I had to have a new transmission at 3200 miles.

Lastly, I considered the TCO. MINI is owned by BMW - which translates to $$$ whenever it has to go in for service after the warranty expires. And no-one knows how long it will last since it's only been out since 2002 in the USA. Honda has a proven track record of longevity (my 90 CRX is about to turn 200K miles on the original engine and clutch.) Also be aware that MINI dealers can be few and far between depending on where you live and BMW dealers can NOT work on MINIs for warranty due to the franchise restrictions.

Ultimately, drive both and get whichever one you prefer. The only person who has to be happy with the purchase is you.

[Cybergypsy]

My son had a mini and loved it the GPS oon a mini is messed up....you should see it it ....I do like the mini but I wouldhave to drive 1.5 hours away to service it...........

[Mayoman]

[quote=CMByrd]Mayoman: If your looking for a winter driver with a backset but leaning towards an Si, you /may/ consider driving the ZX for the rest of the summer, and when fall comes around go drop a massive deposit on a 2007 Honda Civic Si Sedan. It looks like the same powerplant as the current Si, but backdoors will almost invariably mean bigger backseats as well, and a LOT easier to get into/out of. If youv'e got kids (and I dont, so this is just hear/say) Im told that getting carseats into a coupe is hellacious.

I'm going for a 2 door, I'm just going a "little" more pratical. the Si is out of my price range, I can get a nice 2002 mini for the same price as a Ex coupe. The only thing i'm really worried about is getting bored with the civic. They are nice cars, but not the most exciting cars on the road.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by Mayoman

I'm going for a 2 door, I'm just going a "little" more pratical. the Si is out of my price range, I can get a nice 2002 mini for the same price as a Ex coupe. The only thing i'm really worried about is getting bored with the civic. They are nice cars, but not the most exciting cars on the road.

2002 was the first year for MINIs in the US and there are a variety of problems with them. Be sure to pull a service history on it if you're planning to get one from that year and make sure it's had all the recalls and TSBs done. If everything has been done you should be okay with it. How many miles on it? Is there any warranty left?

When I was shopping for a MINI I didn't even drive a Cooper - I went straight for the S. I subsequently drove a Cooper and was, well, underwhelmed by it. Handling was great (as are all MINIs) but it was slow.

Again, drive both of them first. In my case an EX coupe cost about the same as my Si.

[Mayoman]

Originally Posted by CoryB

2002 was the first year for MINIs in the US and there are a variety of problems with them. Be sure to pull a service history on it if you're planning to get one from that year and make sure it's had all the recalls and TSBs done. If everything has been done you should be okay with it. How many miles on it? Is there any warranty left?

When I was shopping for a MINI I didn't even drive a Cooper - I went straight for the S. I subsequently drove a Cooper and was, well, underwhelmed by it. Handling was great (as are all MINIs) but it was slow.

Again, drive both of them first. In my case an EX coupe cost about the same as my Si.

the one i'm looking at is a 2004 with 19,000km on it, and I don't knwo if all the recals etc are done, but i'll look into that. and it has 4 years of warenty left, it's at the local mini dealer. the cooper is slow, but the non Si coupes arn't all that quick either. $24,000CDN is about as high as i'm willing to go, and both of these cars are in that range, if i can get a good deal on an Si, i'll get that, but i doubt that's gonna happen. arg, I'm loosing sleep on this.

[RedSIinPA]

Originally Posted by Mayoman

the one i'm looking at is a 2004 with 19,000km on it, and I don't knwo if all the recals etc are done, but i'll look into that. and it has 4 years of warenty left, it's at the local mini dealer. the cooper is slow, but the non Si coupes arn't all that quick either. $24,000CDN is about as high as i'm willing to go, and both of these cars are in that range, if i can get a good deal on an Si, i'll get that, but i doubt that's gonna happen. arg, I'm loosing sleep on this.

at least you have enough sense to know your limits and not go car-poor.

When I was 23, I was laid off my first professional IT job. I took my miserable $2500 severance check to the ford dealer and exchanged that check for a white '01 lightning that drank 93 octane gas like an irish hooligan drinks beer. And then I proceeded to be jobless for 3 months.

At least I could go to the convenience store to buy more morning coffee REALLY quickly. :rolleyes:

[Mayoman]

Originally Posted by CoryB

I traded a 2004 MCS in on my 2006 Si.

The MINI is more nimble but the Si - to me - is more manuverable. I know that sounds weird but in autocross I'm turning better times with the Si.

Day-to-day I like the Si a lot better. I like having a trunk again and the seating position is more comfortable - although I had more headroom in the MINI (yes my seat is all the way down.)

if the Si was an option for me, that is what i would be getting, but they are out of my price range, I'm comparing a Cooper (non S) to an EX.

I know that whichever i choose i'll wonder what would happen if i got the other one. I'm leaning a bit more towards the Cooper right now.

[RedSIinPA]

tough call between an EX and a non-S Cooper. I'd lean towards the Coop as I'd give it the upperhand in the interior looks.

[Mayoman]

Originally Posted by RedSIinPA

tough call between an EX and a non-S Cooper. I'd lean towards the Coop as I'd give it the upperhand in the interior looks.

The interior is one thinng that's swaying me back to the Civic, I really like the dash of the civic, and i find the mini's interior to be a little busy, but they both are nice.

[jc21]

Mayoman: I was also torn between a slightly used MINI and a civic. If your under 25 and your a male, get the civic. I found a MINI for $18,000 that was exactly what I wanted until I went to my insurance guy. Insurance is a lot more for the mini than for the civic.


What I plan on doing is keeping the civic till I turn 25 and trading it in for a Mini once my insurance drops.