Prius or MINI Cooper?

[Stinky The Clown]

Prius 2007 EPA estimates: 45/48 MSRP: $22,175
http://imgup-lb.automotive.com:8080/files/1000476.w315.jpg


MINI 2007 EPA estimates: 27/36 MSRP: $18,700



Style and pizzaz is very subjective, but factor that in, too.

Which car would YOU buy?

Why?

[Tommy_J]

1. I bought a Prius

And I'd do it again without hesitation

[IDemo]

2. 1994 Geo Metro. 52 mpg, $749

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Geo-Metro_W0QQitemZ170123089622QQcmdZViewItem

[librechik]

7. wow

[madrchsod]

12. i had a 93

really a very good car until the front suspension frame rusted away. drove it 70 miles a day for 2 years..

[IDemo]

14. I'd buy one in a second if I wasn't already bicycling to work.

Why won't Detroit dust off the blueprints and crank a few ten-thousand of these out for folks who don't require a Ford Excessive?

[madrchsod]

13. dam that is a bargain!

no rust you`d get at least another 100,000 with out a lot of maintenance costs and metro`s parts are very cheap....

[TransitJohn]

40. You know what'd happen

to you in a wreck with a truck at 70mph in a Geo Metro? Just sayin'. Good mileage.

[flvegan]

3. Mazda 3 hatch

MPG 25/31 and a good warranty and resale.

[xultar]

4. Mini C

[bbinacan]

5. The MINI! n/t

[madokie]

6. The Mini

since we don't drive much anyway

[madrchsod]

8. mini cooper

why? it`s fast and fun.

[Jonathan50]

9. Cooper S

With the six speed..

Yeah, it costs more and gets less mpg, but the grin factor is out of sight.

Prius has good resale value, but I think the Mini is better.

[RufusTFirefly]

10. Driving a snazzy car is going to seem pretty pointless...

... once much of the world is under water.

We need to learn to stop fetishizing vehicles that dump more than 6 pounds of carbon into the air for every gallon of gas they burn up.

Both the Prius and the Mini Cooper do it at the same rate per gallon. Miles per gallon and total miles driven are the factors that alter this equation.

I find it bitterly ironic when I see a Chevy Suburban or a Ford Explorer with a bumper sticker that says "Keep Tahoe Blue."

Which cigarette do you prefer? Marlboro? Or American Spirit? I like American Spirit because they make me seem like a rebel.

[Stinky The Clown]

19. I hope you feel better after that ........

[tridim]

11. Prius

But honestly you could probably get 35mpg city out of the Mini. I guess the moral is any small car can get good mpg if you work at it (I'm currently getting 40mpg in my 32mpg Civic EX). I adore Mini's, but I'm still skeptical since the last English car my Dad owned was broken 90% of the time. Granted it was a Triumph. :)

Learn how to drive for top MPG here (I'm going for 45mpg on my next tank, stickin' it to the man!)..
http://www.gassavers.org/

[Catshrink]

16. I'm getting 34 mpg in my 02 Civic EX

up from about 32 and now I have the AC cranked up (112° is hot!). How? I started driving more slowly and paid attention to acceleration and braking. Amazing. This was mostly highway.

[tridim]

23. I'm getting 40mpg in the city just coasting down hills and up to lights

I'm stunned how well it works. Give it a try if you have a manual tranny. Accelerate slowly up the hill and shift in to neutral at the apex, then coast as far as possible.

[Stinky The Clown]

29. Coasting can be dangerous ....

You have no engine braking. Not bad on a modest hill. Potentially lethal on a San Francisco-styler hill.

[tridim]

47. Well, yes. I wouldn't do it in the mountains or anything

But it works great on normal roads in light traffic if you can keep the coasting speed reasonable. 5-10mph over the speed limit is my limit when coasting. If the hill is too steep I'll leave it in 4th or 5th gear.

[wordpix]

45. me, too, I'm getting into driving the CT hills & curves using very little gas

with a manual, it's really driving!

[Stinky The Clown]

17. This MINI is made by BMW .......

I've had my share of old British cars .... over the years a Bugeye Sprite (which I still own, albeit in pieces), a Lotus Elan, an E-type Jaguar, and MGA, and a TR3. I also owned a Fiat 850 Spyder and an Alpha Guilia.

Which statement is more relevant/true?

a) Give an Englishman a piece of metal and he'll try to do something stupid .... like build a car.

b) Give an Italian a piece of metal and he'll try to do something stupid .... like build a car.

Answer: BOTH

[tridim]

25. Hey, I still own a 78 Fiat 124 Spider.

I don't care what people say, Fiat Spiders are GREAT cars. Even by today's standards.

I'm thinking about converting it to electric 10 years down the road. I like it that much, and it's even rust free!

BTW, my Dad had a TR3 and a TR6, the TR6 was the one with the carb on the bench most of the time.

Edit: The 850 would make a sweet electric! I've been very close to buying one on two different occasions but never gave in to the urge. At the time it would have been my daily driver and a 900cc engine didn't seem up to the job. :wow:

[Stinky The Clown]

28. I remember painfully my 1970 850 spyder

Mine looked pretty much exactly like this ... same color.


Here's what happened to it BEFORE the clock reached 22,000 miles ......

Two tires needed to be replaced .... they BOTH had broken beads. The dealer paid for that.

The window winder on the driver's side failed. The cable snapped. The dealer paid for that.

The repaired window, it turns out, was misaligned. It chaffed the fabric of the top, resulting in a hole. The dealer paid for the new top and the window realignment.

The passenger side seat came off its track. The seat frame, it turns out, was bent. The dealer paid for that.

The clutch went (I had, even then, maybe 100,000 miles of clutch driving experience). The dealer paid for that.

And then the greatest of all insults .... at 22,000 miles the engine started to leak oil. No one was able to determine where, initially. Finally, we found it while searching under the car's butt end late one night, after many beers ....... The block was leaking.

Yes .... the engine block was leaking.

In the middle of it. Where there was no seam, no seal, no joint.

A porous casting.

22,000 miles and the engine had to get replaced.

Because the block casting had a HOLE in it.

The dealer got the car back at that point.

Fiat refused to accept it back.

We went round and round.

They replaced the engine.

I got the car back.

I sold it.

But on the fun side ...... the car was a ball to drive ..... squirrelly as hell, but fun. These cars had a swing rear axle, not unlike a VW beetle of the same era. Do a hard corner and the rear end would lift and the inside wheel would tuck under the car ...... WHEEEEEEEEE! aWAAAAAY we goooooo.

Like driving on ice.

But loads of fun.

Your 124 was a much better car.

[SteelPenguin]

43. We get 40mpg in our Civic too

about 35 city / 40 highway. The Civic non-hybrid is something like the third most efficient vehicle on the road.

[seemslikeadream]

15. convertible mini cooper

[Stinky The Clown]

30. I love it!

How retro cool would it be with Peter Max artwork on it?

[flyarm]

32. I want it!!!!!!..lol

[B Calm]

18. Volkswagen Beetle (Manual /Diesel) — 37/44 — $18390

[IDemo]

20. My Mini, money notwithstanding:

640 hp Electric Mini

[MichellesBFF]

24. Got to be the Mini

The smiles you will have (and give to others) will be well worth it.
I heart my Mini!

[Lorien]

21. The 2009 Prius

they say it will get up to 100 mpg. I'm hoping to purchase one at the end of next year!

[yayden]

22. As an 02 MINI S owner...

I'd actually advise you to get the Prius on purely economic reasoning. You'll save money due to the fuel efficency. However, the MINI is a hell of a lot of fun to drive and I average about 31/36 with my 02 MINI, which isn't bad I suppose. The MINI is a terrible car if you're single, as it limits your ability to carry things in/on it, but judging by your username, you aren't single, so that's a moot point.

Summary: Get the Prius. The MINI Cooper S will cost roughly the same amount and with apparently half the fuel efficency. And if you are considering the MINI Cooper non-S, then...don't bother getting it at all. Almost an insult, that. :)

[Mind_your_head]

34. LOL - you remind me of when I was tooling around with a friend in his new Z-3

He asked me if I needed to pick up anything...I thought for a second and replied that I needed a new ironing board ;-)

That "Z" was fun to drive though - 5 speed. I learned to drive stick on a Fiat (don't remember what model, wasn't a spyder, but I would know it if I saw it (or a pic) again....

Happy days :-)

M_Y_H

P.S. Welcome to DU! :hi:

[krispos42]

26. I would not pick either. They are not suitable for my wants and needs

I'm in the snow belt. If I'm going to pony up for a new car, it's going to have all-wheel drive, and preferably a fuel-saving stick-shift. It needs 4 doors as well, with enough room for my ample rear and 6-foot frame, a future girlfriend, and my kid's carseat. So not big, but mid-size.

The V-6 Ford Fusion is available with AWD. The Escape is also a possibility.

A Subaru Impreza, Forester, or Legacy also fits.

The Dodge Caliber R/T works as well.



You get the idea.


None of them have particularly compelling fuel economy, but should get better than my current beater. Safer, too.

[swimmernsecretsea]

27. Prius. But the Mini-Coop goes on my keychain. nt.

[flyarm]

31. THE MINI!!!!!!!! I WANT ONE SO BAD!!

I WANT THE YELLOW CONVERTABLE!!

I WANT A MINI!!!!

go for the mini!!

fly

[PCIntern]

33. I like all of the above but

I drive one of these on the weekends...except green...greatest car I ever owned.

[Old and In the Way]

35. I'd go with the mini.

There was a rally up in North Conway, NH last weekend....I've never seen so many in one place. My sister has one....it's a blast to drive. Plenty of power and the wide wheel base gives it superb handling characteristics. Lots of room inside, too.

[DemoTex]

36. I test drove both the Prius and the Mini. The Mini is a kick, but I bought the Prius.

And I absolutely LOVE the Prius. Ironically, the Mini dealer called today to tell me he finally has a Mini-S Automatic in stock. I'm still glad I got the 2007 Prius.

[whistle]

37. The Prius is a larger car at least where it counts in the passenger

...compartment and I've heard that the Cooper is high maintenance

[Marnieworld]

38. mini

Prius has no HP but if you do 80% city driving go with the Prius. I just bought a new Yaris hatchback. It's the cutest thing at 40 MPG! Yippee!

The mini just has more personality.

[ikojo]

39. Or one of these

60-65 mpg

[AZBlue]

41. Prius: better mpg and lower emissions(90% lower!). Makes a statement too.

Althought the Coop is adorable and tempting, buy I'd have to go with my conscience.

[wordpix]

44. I'm with you

[Ioo]

42. Go Mini - The Prius is Ugly as Shit !!!

[salin]

46. a year + ago I put my $ where my mouth is

and bought the Prius (the same red one in the pic) - and LOVE it. Go with your gut/heart - either way - and you should be happy.

[LeftyMom]

48. I'd get the Prius.

In California you can drive alone in the carpool lane if you've got a hybrid that gets over 45 mpg. That would shave 10 minutes off of my commute each way, easily.

[AlCzervik]

49. i love that mini but---

i just bought a new vw convertible which i have always wanted and i do not regret buying but the trunk room is laughable, we call it "The hole" and the back seat is fine if your 4 ft tall, anything over that and you'll be might uncomfortable. If you do buy the mini i would get the s, the bade doesn't have sufficient horsepower imo to make it fun to drive.

I only have one child and she's almost 13 and just a tad under 5'6 so she always sits in the front, when my husband is home and we take a road trip one of them has to sit in the back which they consider punishment.

[Tesha]

50. 2008 SmartForTwo

http://www.smartusa.com/index.html

Tesha

[Orsino]

51. Prius, hands down. But I LIKE its styling.

I see no excuse for a car as tiny as the Mini getting such mediocre mileage.

[Fox Mulder]

52. Prius: better gas mileage.