Ask MF: If MINI Didn’t Exist, What Would You Drive?
Let’s say the unthinkable happened in 2000 and BMW scrapped plans to launch the new MINI during the infamous “Night of the Long Knives“. What would you be driving? How would it have differed from the MINI?
Sound off below…
<p>That’s an easy one for me: VW GTI</p>
<p>To me, it’s the only other car that has a similar mix of style and performance at a reasonable price.</p>
<p>135 cabrio… as it is, my next car may be the Z2</p>
<p>An original Mini….what else!!!</p>
<p>Probably still be driving my 1998 BMW Z3. As much as I love my MINI, I really do miss that thing ;)</p>
<p>Yeah, probably the GTI. Performance, style, comfort, and plenty of aftermarket accessories to ‘youify’. Two other contenders: the Cobalt SS, the ultimate sleeper (plus it’s American), and maybe, very maybe, the Volvo C30 for its funky looks. Or maybe I would just walk.</p>
<p>In Canada at the moment there isn’t much… the GTI is a great car in its own right (I had one just a few short years ago) but it is no MINI in handling feel or size or “style”. Given that, I’d probably just replace my aging NB miata with an NC and call it done (something I might do in a couple of years time regardless). It’s the right size, has fantastic handling (+ RWD), a great community of enthusiasts, more than decent fuel economy, and I can probably count on one hand the number of times in a decade I’ve truly needed rear seats or larger luggage room.
The MINI has carved out its own niche here in Canada with significant distinctions from all other sport compacts available and is in many ways more “desirable” than many all-out RWD sports cars commanding higher price points. With Fiat and possibly Alfa coming, and truly EU-market offerings from Ford, that may change, but for now the MINI is king… especially the R53 factory JCW, if I may say so myself! :)</p>
<p>Brand New = VW GTI, Used = 2002 BMW Z4 M Coupe</p>
<p>’67 VW MicroBus</p>
<p>i’ll throw my lot in with the WV GTI, but the WRX (especially the new wagon) has me drooling more often than not…</p>
<p>Back in 2002 when I got my MINI, my commuter car was an 86 Honda CRX that I had purchased new.
I would have hung on to the CRX a few more years till it fell apart, and probably would have rolled into a Honda Civic or a Fit.</p>
<p>I gotta say that I’m really glad the MINI came around when it did, because life and driving would have been a whole bunch less fun.</p>
<p>Volkswagen Golf GTI, MkV. Hands down. Excellent car- not a Works MCS, but a blast nevertheless. Easily a very close second in my mind.</p>
<p>I’d just go out and get a Yaris. Packaging is cool, economy is good…a clever little car. Steering is nice as is turning radius. It’s no MINI….but at around $12K or so I could be happy enough.</p>
<p>Back in ’04, (when I got my MINI), I would have instead gotten a Subaru WRX SportWagon. Right now, I’d probably get the VW GTI.</p>
<p>Right now – Mazda MS3
Next year – VW R20</p>
<p>Non-conformist here…a Jag.</p>
<p>Mazda MS3, or some Subie probably… Don’t know about the GTI, I had an early Rabbit, and it was fun, but light. Not a lot of new cars really grab my attention now. Or an older car with “charecter” 😉 Or nothing! Just split the time between my Mustang, and the MDX for hauling kids…. Jag XK8/XKRs can be had for real cheap, but I don’t think the kids would fit, but what a cruiser!</p>
<p>Matt</p>
<p>sad to consider– MINI arrived at the right time.</p>
<p>I’d have aimed at a manual subaru outback. I realize the outback’s ugly, but a solid driver & it doesn’t lend the teen-ness of the VWs.</p>
<p>When I got the MINI in 2004, if it weren’t there I’d probably have driven my 1993 Plymouth Grand Voyager for another year or so and would have gotten either a Jetta w/the turbo 4 or a Mazda3. If there were no MINIs as of today, it’d be a used E46 3 series, or a 128i if I could swing it.</p>
<p>I can’t imagine my life without my MINI Cooper.</p>
<p>Another vote for the Mazda MS3.</p>
<ol>
<li>BMW Z4</li>
<li>AUDI TT ( -S)</li>
<li>Mercedes SLK</li>
<li>BMW 135i</li>
</ol>
<p>C30, most likely.</p>
<p>I would’ve done what I was considering and imported a Peugeot 207 from Mexico and pray they weak as heck engines wouldn’t break.</p>
<p>In 2002-03 I cross shopped the MINI with a WRX, Miata and Celica GT….(No VW’s because I have yet to meet a happy 10yr customer of a VW). However, in reality, If it were not for the MINI expereince I simply would not have bought a brand new car at all. I would have bought the best deal I could haggle on any 2-3yr old car that I found that I could kinda live with. more than likely I would have bought a completely different kind of car. A car that would have been just another car to me. something I sprayed off in a car wash once a month and never really cared about. But instead, The MINI made me an enthusiast, revealed a kind of experience I would otherwise never have known. After driving some BMW loaners when in for service, I now know why BMW’s are “the ultimate driving machine”…and that experience, that feel, transplanted made the MINI what it is. Simply the best driving experience of its class! I became enthusiastic about this car. washing, waxing and caring for the car because I wanted to keep it forever. Six years later and there is still no other car I would rather be driving, and when I do need another car (and presumably a bigger car) my first and likely my last test drive will be in a MINI or BMW.</p>
<p>I was starting to look into buying a “1966 looks just like a 1993” serial number swapped used/restored Mini when the new ones were announced, so I held onto my Saturn SC2 until 2004. If they didn’t exist now, I might still take that route.</p>
<p>A little red GTI. They are looking better to me every day. Not that I’d ever get rid of my MINI.</p>
<p>That’s a tough question. The MINI actually changed my entire outlook on cars and what I would like to drive. If the MINI never existed, I would probably be driving some crappy Honda or Toyota, but nothing as small as a MINI. Given what I know now, a Mazdaspeed 3, VW GTI (4 door), or used BMW would have made the list.</p>
<p>gti or ms3</p>
<p>thats cool that that many people would get a gti, because Id say the same. I was thinking GTI even before i read the comments</p>
<p>I would find the junk yard where my 1973 Chevy Vega rests, dip it in Rust Converter, and watch it rust all over again.</p>
<p>I was Driving an Olds EightyEight before my MINI. If the Olds hadn’t been mistreadted by my Mechanic then i’d prolly still be floatin that thing arround…I had a Nissan Stanza before which I enjoyed and said I would buy a Nissan again…so I’d say I would have probably shopped a Nissan Sentra SE R, or a Pontiac Solstice…but I never drove either of those so I couldn’t say if I would be driving one right now.</p>
<p>Thank GOD MINI came into my life as I have never had a day where I thought about NOT driving my MINI…</p>
<p>…90’s BMW 325… besides the MINI I have, it’s the best driving car I’ve ever owned. Right size, right motor, right suspension. It’s the tri-fecta of cars as far as I’m concerned…</p>
<p>I bought a MCS in 2002 so was in from the start. Most likely would have held out until the 135 came out. And I would have an XB, Mazda 5, or such in place of the 08 Clubman.</p>
<p>Now I’mm looking forward to the speedster!</p>
<p>Jim</p>
<p>I think I would still be driving the ’01 Ford Excursion that I had when I bought my first MINI (2 MINIs ago).</p>
<p>I could haul 4 bicycles with the center row seats in. Got about 8 MPG. The MINI is more fun to drive!</p>
<p>Mike Tickle
Oklahoma City</p>
<p>135i, 335i, civic Si, audi A3, G37 sedan</p>
<p>oops…. forgot to add in, Subaru STI. Thats what im cross shopping with right now..</p>
<p>Honda Fit, VW Rabbit, or Yaris</p>
<p>ideally, a volkswagen GTI, earlier-model ford focus hatch, or mazda RX-8, leaning more towards the volkswagen.</p>
<p>realistically, i don’t know, because this mini is my first car, and it came up in a completely unexpected used car deal that was too good to say no to. i’d say my dad’s lincoln, but since it died about 9 months after we got the mini, i guess that wasn’t a realistic idea.</p>
<p>but i don’t need to worry about those things, because BMW did release the new mini, i did get a good deal on a used one, and it did make me fall in love at first drive.</p>
<p>Most Likely a GTi, BMW 3 Series, or possibly one of these newer muscle cars a.k.a Mustang GT just to get the muscle car thing out of my system.</p>
<p>BMW was never on my list of cars to consider until after I bought my MINI. I was looking at VW Golf GTI, Mazda 3 GT, Subaru Impreza WRX or a used Lotus Elise.
Alternatively, I possibly could have spent the money and totally rebuilt and updated my Pontiac Fiero V6.</p>
<p>I am a vert fan so my choices would be limited. I love the Miata but I must have a backseat to carry my dogs and to help lower insurance. I would either get a 135i convertible or just give up on the open top and get a C30 or GTI. I currently have a 2008 Rabbit 2.5S manual and it really has impressed me. I have had 2 VW’s in the past and quality seems to have improved demonstrably. Fiat 500 would also enter the mix if they bring the performance version.</p>
<p>A Triumph Bonneville T100 or Ducati GT1000, with saddle bags of course.</p>
<p>Mainly because most cars just seem boring when I compare them to driving my 2008 MCSa.</p>
<p>The more I think about it, without MINI, I might not have thought that small cars were anything other than cheap cars. I’d probably be driving an Avalon or M35 or Genesis right now.</p>
<p>VW GTI</p>
<p>Saab 9000 Turbo. They were great cars before GM completely ruined them. My parents have 3 of them and they are all still running just fine even though one is almost 15 years old.</p>
<p>VW GTi.</p>
<p>Before having test-driven the MINI, I was seriously going for an RSX Type-S. I would have decided between that or going for an Altima V6 (drove a Sentra before that and felt some loyalty to the brand); it was a choice between fun and practicality. Driving the MINI changed the equation for me.</p>
<p>Hummer H1, without a question :)</p>
<p>I would have kept my 1996 318ti M Sport and dropped a S50B32 motor in.</p>
<p>For fun, VW GTi or VW GLi. For economy, possibly VW TDi.</p>
<p>Apparently … an Audi ;)</p>
<p>I’d probably still be driving my ’91 Honda CRX. Possibly, I’d have gone for a Fit. But probably not. The CRX was an awesome car.</p>
<p>Fiat 500 – i hope, i hope, i hope! they make it here to the states. Abarth edition, please…</p>
<p>I would have started my motoring career in 2004 in our old white 1998 Land Rover Discovery LE which would have died not long into the millennium (think 2005ish). I would of tried my best to find a real mint 1998 Land Rover Defender 90 soft-top or possibly a 2003 Volkswagen Eurovan MV Weekender. If those plan had faltered, I would of ended up with something very standard like a Honda Element or Subaru Forester. Most recently though I came real close to purchasing a new Honda Pilot and even a friend’s well kept Land Rover LR3 tempted my pallet. Thank god for Sheridan (R52 S vert., past) and Gavin (R55 S, current).</p>
<p>And I must point out how interesting it is how GTIs are sort of the consensus. Imagine what Volkswagen would of had to do to swoon us all…</p>
<p>I find it sad (and disappointing) that out of the 51 or so posts (comments) only 3 (maybe 4) people mentioned an American car. All the others were foreign vehicles. It’s true that Ford, GM and Chrysler don’t have a cars in the “Mini” class. If everyone (many) only wanted foreign cars, there won’t be much left of an auto industry in the US.</p>
<p>You don’t see the Europeans killing off their industries by not buying their own products. That was my soap box post (When Americans choose to buy mostly non-American products and then wonder why this country is hurting)</p>
<p>In the past I have seen an anti-American car sentiment here, I wonder if that is still the case?</p>
<p>If Mini didn’t exist, my choices would be:</p>
<p>US Car Mfg.: Chevy Cobalt SS, Mustang GT, Dodge R/T Daytona, Corvette.</p>
<p>European: BMW 128/135i, Audi TT, Audi A5, Porsche Cayman</p>
<p>Asian: Infiniti G37, Eclipse GT, Hyundai Genesis Coupe</p>
<p>My first choice would be American (Cobalt SS or Dodge Charger). Next I would look at the BMW 128 or 135i.</p>
<p>And yes, I do own a Mini but I also own an American car (Ford Fusion)</p>
<p>@<a href="#comment-261281" rel="nofollow">Stephen</a>: agreed, my dad has an early-90’s saab 900 turbo cabrio (black with saddle interior) and the way it runs, you’d think it just came off the lot. it would even look the part if he fixed the front lip so the foglights weren’t hanging off of the front bumper and onto the ground.</p>
<p>and as for everyone who has said volvo C30 or fiat 500, i think they’re both great cars, and only left them out my list earlier because i’m a new driver, so what need do i have for a new car.</p>
<p>Volvo C30, Audi A3, Caliber SRT4</p>
<p>Back when I bought my MINI? The original xB.</p>
<p>Now-a-days? I’d be driving a Cube.</p>
<p>A difficult question to answer, as I don’t think there is anything else on the American market that fits my personality as well as the MINI – and I will never own a VW again, unless it’s a Thing or classic Bug. In any case, I may have kept my ’55 Studebaker after all…</p>
<p>Tim, the design, build quality, reliability, and resale value of American cars has been the main reason most of us shy away from them. If America could build a car I love as much as MINI or BMW or VW I’d be happy to buy one.</p>
<p>I’ll add that before buying the first MINI in 2006 I was close to buying the RSX Type-S, A3, GTI, and 350Z. It certainly could have been any of those, and I probably would have enjoyed them too. The more recent MINI would have likely been a GTI, or since my other car is a Miata, very likely a newer Miata.</p>
<p>I’d be in a Honda S2000. Nothing beats a cabrio.</p>
<p>Acura CSX Type-S.</p>
<p>A used Audi TT. Seriously considered it before buying my ’07 MCS. Don’t like the latest version, though.</p>
<p>1974 BMW 2002. But the mitsubishi lancer evolution or subaru WRX seems pretty cool for new cars.</p>
<p>I’m surprised I don’t see any Scion comments here as they seem to be following the Mini pattern of “youification”as well as the option to supercharge the car.</p>
<p>Personally I’d have a Lotus Elise SC, 135i,Dodge Challenger, or the coming Audi TT RS.</p>
<p>Lotus Elise</p>
<p>In 2003 when I got my first Mini, the choices were a bit more limited than they are now. I would probably have gone for either a WRX STi or a Golf R32, which I think was around. I was coming from and Audi A4 wagon, which I wasn’t unhappy with, the lease had just run out. I might have been persuaded into an S4 or an A6 Allroad if I hadn’t already got the MINI a month or two before the lease expired. In 2007 when I changed to the new S, there wasn’t even a moment where I thought “should I look at something else?” I had an order in on the day that they accepted the first orders…</p>
<p>Before the MINI I drove a 1997 Toyota 4 Runner, loved it! Never any problems, comfortable and it was a great chase vehicle when I used to race off road. I sold it for near what I paid for it with 180,000 on it some 5 years later.</p>
<p>Never much thought of a Mini. Saw my first new MINI in 2002 in Germany while visiting my daughter there, feel in love, came home sold the 4Runner and bought my 1st MINI, two weeks later, a 2002 MCS, a piece of junk.
Bought my 2004 MCS in late 2005.</p>
<p>What would I have bought after the 4Runner… back then… a WRX STi! Still a kick butt car and still able to kick our collective MINI butts. But it’s not a car I’d buy now. My choice now might be a Fiat 500 if they arrive here. I got to sit in one recently while in Europe, an Abarth model. NICE!</p>
<p>CaCa mileage though in the 4Runner…. 15-18 mpg.</p>
<p>Problem with American cars to me, they lack personality. Weak interiors and unimaginative styling. Before comin to the U.S. I was into the whole boyracer scene of things, so im more into hot hatches, peugeots, renaults, citroens. Just what I grew up around. Compare the interior of a Volvo or Merc or BMW to anything in that price range American, you will wonder where your money went into, because it definetly isn’t quality materials. For a while got driven in an escalade. For that price the interior was all plastic…</p>
<p>Golf GTI. I always love hot hatch.</p>
<p>I probably would have ended up in an RSX as I was coming from an Integra. I also considered a RX8 but it would have had to be used. Never a GTI though, thank you. I’d have considered a Scirocco if they made one, or a Ford Fiesta RS if they brought it here. Americans don’t have much to choose from in B & C class, and we already had a Mazda 3 when I got the Mini and did not want a second one, MazdaSpeed or otherwise.</p>
<p>Prior to the MINI, I was one of those “a car is a car” people. I was more persuaded by APR than MPG; Performance and style was a non-issue.</p>
<p>That being said, I’d likely be driving a Chevy Cobalt, or maybe a Scion, but most likely it would be a cheap piece of cr** that I regretted every day.</p>
<p>Had I not succumbed to the charms of my 2009 JCW (I <em>LOVE</em> this car!) I probably would be driving a new Prius.</p>
<p>Given sufficient resources, I’d consider looking for a 1963½ Ford Galaxie “R code” (427), a 1966 427 Shelby Cobra, a 1964 Thunderbolt, or even a 2010 Shelby Cobra Mustang. See a pattern here?</p>
<p>Still, I’m happy with my Mini and have no regrets about buying it. It’s a great combination of FUN and practicality. It’s a blast to drive (the quickest car I’ve owned in 30+ years) – and it even gets ~27 mpg around town with me and my lead foot at the wheel. :^)</p>
<p>That;s a tough one … and one I’m wrestling with as I ponder replacing my ’05 S. Maybe an A3 (for the DCT and extra space) or possibly a 128i. I’m not crazy about the gas mileage on either and definitely put off by their higher $$ and poorer resale.</p>
<p>Tim… Thanks for the comment and sentiment on how AMERICANS are killing the the U.S. car Industry. I could not disagree more. Fact is, the U.S. car Industry committed suicide over a long period of time and we are merely the citizens who get to pick up the tab for a failed business model. If Americans are buying other brands from overseas or from across the street it is because those brands have managed to give them a quality product at a price point that was acceptable. I feel no sadness for any corporation that fails to meet the expectations of either the consumer or shareholder. What really has killed the American auto industry is the same thing that has killed a zillion other people …. Complacency</p>
<p>I would be driving a VW GTI or a WRX Wagon. A big part of my decision process when buying a car is the community support behind the car. Formerly I had a VW and the MINI and Subaru communities felt very similar. The manufacturer support to the community is also very important to me.</p>
<p>I test drove a MK5 GTI and I always tell people that it’s the car I would have bought if I was using my head, but in the end my heart was won over by the MINI and I have no regrets at all.</p>
<p>My 06 Works hasn’t had any issues so far and the feeling of solidity and fun is something I take for granted now.</p>
<p>I was seriously considering purchasing either the Suzuki Swift Spor, Subaru Impreza WRX, Ford Focus or the VW Golf – up to the point of receiving trade-in quotes. I was advised that Suzuki was bringing out a Swift GTI model later in the year so I decided to hold back on a final decision.
Then I saw the second-hand MCS with full leather trim, spot lights, 17 inch alloys, cruise control. Took it for a test drive and the rest is history.</p>
<p>VW GTI</p>
<p>Audi A3, BMW 1 Series or VW Golf GTI though I don’t like that red gimcrack on the outside</p>
<p>I had a 1993 Honda delsol for 11 years, loved it’s size, and having a “convertible” without a rag top; but it really wasn’t very comfortable and sat too low to the ground. I almost got the Scion tc Coupe since it was under $20K, with a simple clean design, a huge sunroof, plus a hatchback. I finally decided that the tc was just a little too big to easily get in and out of my SF-sized garage, and when the MINI came out with it’s double sunroof, that was all I needed to go for it.
However, since I hated the CVT automatic and seats in the R53, I ended up hanging onto my delsol an extra 5 years until the R56 came out, and I even decided on the longer Clubman which is still shorter than my delsol. I actually preferred the R53 design, but really couldn’t live with that CVT or the seats.</p>
<p>I’d have left my 73 Austin Cooper on the road instead of doing a frame off restoration. It’d still be running, and I wouldn’t need the fix of an R53 to hold me over until it’s completion. I was also looking for a VW corrado, or a mk2 GTi at the time. I never thought I would find the deal I did on my first 03 R53, so thats what got me going.</p>
<p>Probably something practical and boring like a Corolla.</p>
<p>Maybe an old air cooled VW Beetle modified into a “Baja Bug” or dune buggy as a play toy</p>
<p>I love that so many people here are opting for the VW GTI — especially since I actually drive one now (I loved my R53 Mini Cooper, but I hated my R56 Mini Cooper and switched into the GTI after less than a year). However, if I had cash to spare, I’d go for a Lotus Exige — man, what a car!</p>
<p>I would have gotten that GTI i was looking at right before I decided on the Mini</p>
<p>I’d still be driving my 96′ Dakota SLT, the last of th all metal dakotas</p>
<p>If decision made back at time of original purchase, would have been E36 M3 or WRX STi. Now, likely E90 335i or ZHP E46.</p>
<p>If my R52 did not exist I would more than likely be driving the BMW Z3.
If I had extra money to burn then I would also have a Lotus for cruising the beaches with.</p>
<p>If BMW does come out with the Sportster then that might be my next MINI.</p>
<p>I’d probably go for the VW GTI too. It will be like driving a Mini.</p>
<p>BMW 3 series Sportwagon.</p>
<p>If there was no MINI, I wouldn’t have sold my 1983 Porsche 944 or 1993 Mustang GT 25th Anniv. Edition.</p>