<$5k beetle or mini?

SWMBO just took a new gig that changes her 30 mile r/t rural commute into a 90 mile r/t commute w/ lots of city driving. Her `95 BMW 525 touring is only getting 19 MPG and our 17yo daughter now has an after school job and really wants wheels. SWMBO thinks a mini or Beetle w/an automatic is what she wants and we could give the touring to daughter.
I know enough to be worried of both.
So what is less likely to be a moneypit, base Mini or beetle 2.0?

Priorities: won't leave her stranded, good tunes, A/C that works, >MPG.

If the Mini has to be an automatic then you will end up with Mini's horrible and unreliable CVT trans.
There are still some things that VW does well but automatic transmissions has never been one of those things.

That's like asking: "If you had to choose between syphilis and gonorrhea, which would you choose?" The answer is neither.

But if those really are the choices, I'd choose the gonorrhea...I mean VW.

Get the most basic model, and apparently they can be somewhat reliable.

Ooh I was unaware that the cvt was the only auto option on Mini-deal killer. VW it is then, is there any less sucky years to seek?

Sell the touring, don't give it to the daughter (really a wagon for a teenager's first car?b are you trying to be a grandparent so soon? :) ) have her work to buy a car with her own money (match it because you want her to have a decent and safe car) perhaps a Miata?

Buy a used Prius or a Honda Insight for the wife, get MPG's and easier traffic driving and some convenience due to hatchback. Reliability will (oddly) be higher than the two choices mentioned.

Similar question came up recently and my suggestion was Saturn Ion Coupe of '05-'07
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/civic-coupe-vs-new-beetle/100229/page1/

Hang on...

Do you mean a mini, or a MINI?

VW- air-cooled, or water cooled?

I have a feeling you mean the more modern of each of them, but it is worth asking.

If the only measure of success is not being a money pit, both old minis and air-cooled V-dubs would handily beat their more modern counterparts.

Don't give a teenager a 20 year old BMW wagon. That's just a bad idea. A writeoff waiting to happen.

The Beetle isn't a bad car. They're reasonably reliable, driving dynamics are acceptable. It's just needlessly impractical and overpriced. The back glass impinges on rear seat headroom. It has very little cargo capacity. The Golf/Rabbit and Jetta do everything that the Beetle does but in a much more usable package.

SWMBO was interested in the water cooled varients made in the last 15 years. "I don,t care they,re cute"

Pray she changes her mind?

Sell wagon, buy a pair of Mazda Protege's? I guess there's this wife want stuff going on but you can find pretty decent Protege's for around $3k. The choices you've given are like being stuck between a rock and a turd.

Mazda3? Kia Rio?

The later Minis came with a 6 speed Aisin automatic trans. They tend to have issues though thanks to BMWs assinine lifetime trans fluid policy... Ask me how I know...

petemc53555 wrote: SWMBO was interested in the water cooled varients made in the last 15 years. "I don,t care they,re cute"

"I don't care, I don't want to spend all of our hard earned money on fixing the damned thing nor do I want my wife stranded on the side of the road 90 miles away from home."

Pick something more reliable.

The only beetle worth the trouble is a manual diesel, otherwise no. They are so low that you could total one by not avoiding a poorly placed rock or hitting a driveway or speed bump too fast. I don't know about minis, but I'm going to say neither in this case. If an automatic is a must, what about a Mazda 3? Those seem to still be doing ok in places that don't have rust problems.

Taking the suggestion from above and keeping on my theme, how about a Toyota Pious.

Right or wrong, as I read into your question I see...
"Wife wants an iconic, cute, "image" car."
"What is the best choice for under $5k?"
"Must be an automatic."

A Prius is an "image car" as well as being highly reliable.
Another option is a Miata. The automatic equipped versions sell much slower and for quite a bit less than the manual versions so you may find a good value for yourself there.

BMW 3 series, a classic in sedan, coupe, convertible, hatchback or wagon.
Chevy HHR is seen as stylish by some.
Jeep is an image
Kia Soul was a trend setter
If you go older, $5k will get you a big Lexus LS400 or Infinity Q45
Saab
Scion
Volvo, like S40, S60 or C70

One more thought and tip.
You say she is going from 30 miles a day to 90 miles a day. My guess is this relates to currently putting on 12k miles per year and now will be more like 32k miles per year.

Head over to www.fueleconomy.gov When there, "compare" a few vehicles. When you compare, it will give you an expected annual fuel cost. If you look closely, you can customize these fuel costs by changing the price of fuel or amount of miles driven per year.
This can help you annualized if a newer car purchase will save you any or not. Especially, be sure to factor in how much the newer car payment is costing you to gain that mpg savings. All too often, I think people take on $4k of annualized car payments so that they can save $750 per year in fuel.
Point being, the savings may not be as much as you think.

Good luck petemc. I don't envy your choice between those two cars, but out of the two choices presented, I would pick the MINI as I find new Beetles terrible to drive.

turboswede wrote:

petemc53555 wrote: SWMBO was interested in the water cooled varients made in the last 15 years. "I don,t care they,re cute"

"I don't care, I don't want to spend all of our hard earned money on fixing the damned thing nor do I want my wife stranded on the side of the road 90 miles away from home." Pick something more reliable.

And get AAA with 99 mile towing.

I am looking for a similar car for the daughter's first ride, and I keep finding Supercharged Buick Regals that look like they just came off the dealer's lot. Low miles, great shape, everything works, cheaper than dirt. I know she would HATE it, but that's a lot more steel to put around her.

(Not my daughter BTW, just some internet pic)

spitfirebill wrote:

turboswede wrote:

petemc53555 wrote: SWMBO was interested in the water cooled varients made in the last 15 years. "I don,t care they,re cute"

"I don't care, I don't want to spend all of our hard earned money on fixing the damned thing nor do I want my wife stranded on the side of the road 90 miles away from home." Pick something more reliable.

And get AAA with 99 mile towing.

Um, yeah and she'll still be stuck on the side of the road waiting for them. Been there, done that. Even in the middle of a decent sized city on a weekday morning, it took over an hour for the truck to show up the last time I used my AAA.

Someone mentioned Scion. My '06 xB was THE most reliable car I've ever owned. Find one that hasn't been #slammedlifestancenationyo and in good order, I think it'll last until the body rusts off (which after ~8yrs mine had zero). Plenty of space to carry stuff, good MPG. ...and it can have the cute factor too.

Jerry wrote: Someone mentioned Scion. My '06 xB was THE most reliable car I've ever owned. Find one that hasn't been #slammedlifestancenationyo and in good order, I think it'll last until the body rusts off (which after ~8yrs mine had zero). Plenty of space to carry stuff, good MPG. ...and it can have the cute factor too.

^^^ This. My wife saw a Scion xB and immediately wanted it, for no other reason than it struck her fancy. Nine years later and we had it in once for repairs , some sensor on the cams. That's it, aside from oil,gas, brake pads and tires.It's been a wonderful little beast and has averaged 29.6 mpg from new, and that's largely running around town mileage.

turboswede wrote:

spitfirebill wrote: And get AAA with 99 mile towing.

Um, yeah and she'll still be stuck on the side of the road waiting for them. Been there, done that. Even in the middle of a decent sized city on a weekday morning, it took over an hour for the truck to show up the last time I used my AAA.

Over an hour huh?

In reply to spitfirebill:

Yup and I'm not sure I'd like to deal with a wife who's had to wait by the side of the road for an hour or more for a tow truck. Maybe I'm not inclined to set my SO up for failure if it can be avoided.

Note: I told you so is not the correct response in that case. Unless you're me and its your 30+ year old car that has failed (stupid clutch lever on the 924) and she's had to come rescue you.

Prius or Mazda 3 are the answers here. I couldn't do a CVT xB. coming from a wagon, I'd check Honda Element prices as well.