Cheap reliable easy to work on GT type car alternative to my Mini R53 that I presently hate.

I have a 04 Mini Cooper S R53 that is killing me. I think in its past life it lived most of its life outside in the northeast salt and rust belt. Every little thing the car fights me due to corrosion, on top of all the typical German car (or at least BMW) weirdness and PITA stuff.

I'm knee deep with the subframe out for the 4th or 5th time replacing bushings and stuff and I've had enough. I now hate this car. Don't want to sink any more into it.

Short of sourcing a non-rust belt one and treating it like crazy with corrosion prevention... I've been trying to short list cars that are easy to work on, with good parts availability, that make good late night highway cruisers with some sportiness. So something edging more towards GT as opposed to pure sports car. Not frenetic and teeth rattling.

Miata is not a 2+2, but is probably ideal in terms of being able to work on it in my small garage. Not sure how comfy for 2-hour highway trips/road rallying and stuff like that.

Thought about a 996. I mean, if I'm putting all this effort into this stupid Mini, might as well be doing it on something cooler and seems like one could throw it on jackstands and put the IMS bearing fix in without too much difficulty. Also have been thinking about early 2000's benz SL's. SL600 V12 is cool but a few common issues look like a total pain on the S, not sure if SL has more room to work around it. V8 SL's maybe easier to work on. But I am kinda over the German car thing. Its just too much of a PITA. Unless P-cars are easier to work on than I'm thinking. But I think maybe sticking with Japanese is the best route for avoiding insane puzzle-like over-engineered designs and getting reliability. Maybe I'm wrong or unenlightened. But it doesn't seem like there are really a lot of options on the Japanese end of the spectrum. There isn't really a Japanese alternative to the 911 without going to pure 2 seater.

Is there such a thing as a German car that is NOT a total PITA to work on? I've really wanted to do an e28 535 or M5 but I think I have BMW PTSD.

240SX prices are driven up by the drift kids. Would kinda be cool to restore something like that maybe. mid-90's Supra prices are insane. NSX is more than I want to spend on a project car. 300ZX Z32 is supposed to be a nightmare to work on due to tight packaging of the engine bay. Don't think the turbo was available in 2+2. And getting old, not sure about finding rust free examples.

The MK2 Supra's are kind of interesting. Getting older though and not sure how easy to work on. Honda S2000 is reliable and supposed to be easy to work on but 2 seater.

I prefer supercharged to turbocharged, just personal preference. Prefer inline 6's. Thought about an older Lexus IS (altezza) with the I6, thats a sedan though and still not quite "cheap".

Doesn't seem like there's a ton of options out there for 2+2 that ticks all the boxes. Like a 2+2 GT car equivalent to a Miata that is not a rotary engine. Maybe I should just get a Miata and forgo the 2+2. I do have a DD sedan. I think I'm talking myself into Miata. A mean looking Miata with a hard top and a duck tail and a supercharger and an exhaust that is just loud enough to be fun without being tiring and a super comfy leather interior. Porsche-lite. Just not sure how it is for long journeys/weekend getaways/escape life car. Small enough I can disassemble and reassemble in my small garage.

Maybe this phase will pass and I will love the Mini again. Pretty frustrated right now though and want to dump it. The corrosion is just at the tipping point of making it not fun anymore and at 130k-ish miles its gonna need things I don't know if I want to put the effort into. What to do.

Mk2 Supra are crazy easy to work on. But I wouldn't get one. Not when the same car (mk3 celica) cost half the price. Anything named "Supra" costs big money, even for junk. You can get '82-'85 celicas for 500$ all day. My rust free example cost me 1200$. I've since done track suspension, rally suspension, swapped a ford 8.8 in, and am putting in a 1uz now. W58 transmission, 2+2. Ae86's front suspension (for the most part). Toyota reliability.

Honestly I'd pass on the IS too. My cousin had one, put a decent pile of miles on it.

It's not a bad car but the performance isn't anything special, it needs premium, and it gets kinda E36 M3ty mpg for having a whopping 220hp. I don't know your idea of comfy but that thing rode just hard enough to make every bad joint hate the time I was in it and it had the added bonus of being a pain in the ass to get into.

He's got a c30 t5 now, and he really likes it. The ride is nice, interior is good and that turbo 5 pulls like crazy.

How hard are those Volvo's to work on? Is it heading down the same german-car-crazy rathole or do they have enough ford/mazda-ness that they don't require disassembling half the car to do routine maintenance? Seems a lot of s40/s60's pop up out there in the sub to $5k range, maybe same with the c30s...

I honestly have no idea, I can tell you that engine is wedged in there though.

Most mercedes are not hard to work on in my experience, although I haven't touched one with a v12.

Gen2 MR2 is a great GT like car.

A modern take on the Supra style GT is the Hyundai Genesis Coupe
Find a '13 model off lease so about 3 yrs old with about 36k miles.

$18k asking price will get you one with 22k miles and a certified warranty until 100k miles.
Certified Link

Similar, not Certified asking $13.9k

This is the exact reason why Mustangs, Camaros, and Challengers exist.

What's the budget?

And if 2 seats can work for you a C5 Corvette is a great value right now.

Sc300 or sc400

ZHP

G35?

I have been working on R53's since 2003 and the ex had an E36 ('97 M3) prior to that. I have also owned an E30 ('88 325is). I've also had some experience with modern Volvos (ex had a '96 850 for a spell). All have their quirks.

Personally, I found the E30 phenomenally frustrating to work on - all of the bits of a modern car but with the build ergonomics of a classic car (when they just sort added stuff on top of stuff to make it work). Yes, a few of the E30 guys will pipe in exalting about how easy their E30 is to work on, but invariably the car had been half stripped for racing purposes (or it's a 4 cyl ) which will obviously make things a hell of a lot easier. For me, the R53 is easier to work on than the E30 (granted - I do have a lift).

First off - what in the heck are you doing that you had to replace the bushings more than once? The OEM LCA bushings (the most common to fail) are crap. Replace with PowerFlex poly bushings and be done. I've seen the OEM bushings leak their oil out in under 10K miles.

It's hard to talk you out of a Miata. In my limited experience with wrenching on one, they also have their quirks, but don't seem too bad. I'll say one thing, however - I've been involved with MINI clubs for quite awhile now. I know quite a few early R53 owners who bought newer cars and then ended up buying an R53 again - there's just something about that car that latches into you. I am certain I'll have another one eventually (long story).

Doesn't every Hyundai have a powertrain warranty to 100k miles?

OHSCrifle wrote: Doesn't every Hyundai have a powertrain warranty to 100k miles?

My understanding is 100k to the original owner and only 60k to the transfered (2nd) owner unless that 2nd owner buys it "certified" through Hyundai dealer then full 100k to 2nd

nullcell wrote: How hard are those Volvo's to work on? Is it heading down the same german-car-crazy rathole or do they have enough ford/mazda-ness that they don't require disassembling half the car to do routine maintenance? Seems a lot of s40/s60's pop up out there in the sub to $5k range, maybe same with the c30s...

This is a question I still want to see an in-depth answer to.

I see clean S60Rs pop up all the time for ~$5k. 300hp, 6spd, AWD

John is correct, 2nd owner is 60k. If it's CPO they'll extend the coverage back to 10 years/100k as long as you're willing to pay about $1K.

ProDarwin wrote:

nullcell wrote: How hard are those Volvo's to work on? Is it heading down the same german-car-crazy rathole or do they have enough ford/mazda-ness that they don't require disassembling half the car to do routine maintenance? Seems a lot of s40/s60's pop up out there in the sub to $5k range, maybe same with the c30s...

This is a question I still want to see an in-depth answer to. I see clean S60Rs pop up all the time for ~$5k. 300hp, 6spd, AWD

My take after a year or so with my ex's 850 - anything with the inline 5 engine will be tight. Not out of the ordinary for a transverse engine, but tight.

Suspension work is typical for a mac-strut, FWD car. Accessing the rear shock top bolts in a wagon requires taking a bunch of the interior out. Not hard, just fiddly.

Avoid an automatic like the plague. If you must have one, find one that works well and don't berk with it.

It's a European car - which means Bosch electrics. So it's similar to owning a BMW or MB in that regard. Some bits are as reliable as gravity. Some bits will make you want to shoot yourself. Which it'll be is a crap-shoot.

How about a double-wishbone Honda with a B engine? Big, airy four-seat cabins, loud and strong engines, great road feel and grip.

here's the issue with a 996 Carrera 2, it does 0-60 in 4.9 sec. that's .7 faster then a 2016 Accord sedan V6. And that's with factory grippy rubber on the 996 and all seasons on the Honda. Yes the Accord is more expensive, but the financing options are attractive. Yes the Accord is FWD, but the space of the Accord in the rear and the truck capacity trump the 996. Reliability? Cost of Ownership? Stealth factor? The advent of the Ridgeline and Honda wanting more torque from it's V6 engines for it, have quietly turned the Accord into a sports sedan. Toyota is apparently turning the wick up with the forthcoming Camry, so I expect deals to be had by the fall.

All that being said, I still say E46 ZHP, or S52 M coupe if no rear seats are needed.

Used FRS/BRZ? To follow on the Honda idea, the Accord Sport with the manual is a surprisingly satisfying DD. I regret trading mine, but I needed more room and couldn't justify keeping it. They're a bit of a Unicorn, but worth a look. Mine was faster than it felt/sounded (within a couple ticks of the GTI, IIRC) - a fact the local constabulary had to remind me of a couple times. Funny, they thought 70+ in a 50mph zone was worth stopping me about. Huh, go figure...

captdownshift wrote: here's the issue with a 996 Carrera 2, it does 0-60 in 4.9 sec. that's .7 faster then a 2016 Accord sedan V6. And that's with factory grippy rubber on the 996 and all seasons on the Honda. Yes the Accord is more expensive, but the financing options are attractive. Yes the Accord is FWD, but the space of the Accord in the rear and the truck capacity trump the 996. Reliability? Cost of Ownership? Stealth factor? The advent of the Ridgeline and Honda wanting more torque from it's V6 engines for it, have quietly turned the Accord into a sports sedan.

Yes, this. I've been singing the praises of the V6 Accord, especially in 6spd manual coupe form, for a long time. Only thing that's kept me from ownership is budget. Clearly the Accord V6 coupe isn't a 996, but it makes one hell of a sporty GT cruiser car that will run forever, get good mpg and carry people and their stuff in comfort. To me, it's an ultimate sleeper.

In reply to captdownshift:

Let's not get crazy here. Just because the Accord V6 is pretty quick in a straight line does not put it in the same league as a 911 by other measures. For example, the 996 has a top speed of 177 mph and classed in A Street along with Vipers, C5 Z06s and C6 Corvettes. The accord is buried in HS, the 'and everything else' class.

To the OP: I would first identify what you want and expect from the car. If you're looking for a reliable, somewhat quick, hassle free DD that's relatively engaging to drive, the aforementioned 6 speed v6 accord coupes just about serve your needs. If you're looking for a sports car that's relatively easy to work on and not maintenance intensive, the Answer is the Answer. Something with a big v8 that eats up miles and can handle itself in the corners? C5 (or c6 if your budget allows.) I think the Porsche idea is terrible if you're frustrated with the Mini. Also important is your budget and new or used. Not to be unkind, but your original question is way to vague for us to give you solid advice.