Ian F
MegaDork
11/25/19 4:00 p.m.
racerdave600 said:
Have you driven one of the new ones? They may not be pretty, but they are the best driving MINI of the bunch. Much better and faster than my R53 or R56.
Many of the folks I mention in my post above went from R56 and F56 models back to the R53. It's slower and not as reliable (especially the F56, which isn't a bad car on that front), but there is just something about the R53. It's even more apparent if you are familiar with the original/classic Mini. The R50/52/53 is closer to the original "feel" of that car than the later, more refined models.
No, it's not logical. Yes, the car will frustrate the hell out of you at times. But in many ways, the Gen 1 MINI is a "true" LBC in the grain of the British Leyland cars that preceded it. Hell, the Tritec even leaks oil like a proper British car. 
In reply to Ian F :
See Porsche owners, it's the same thing. The water cooled cars are better in every objective way, yet the oil cooled cars pull at their heart strings and are stupidly popular.
There are plenty of low mile R53’s around, just grab another one since you know you like them.
The thing with the newer cars, Minis, Porsches, Audis, BMWs etc, etc, is that as they get more complicated and technical some of the driving experience goes away. Yes the new Porsches and Mini's ( I use those as I have experience with them and they were mentioned above) is that they are really good cars, but somewhat more appliance like. The driving experience is compromised.
Maybe its me, but it is how it feels in my hands.
Fiesta ST
Focus ST
Veloster R-Spec
Veloster N
Civic Si
In reply to Mike924 :
I understand completely. Any new car is quieter, more refined,has more standard features and is better built than cars from a decade ago, but driving them is like going refrigerator shopping. Very few new car introductions excite me any more.
See if you like one of the 2016+ Civics - I found them very responsive.
I think you ought to try two Fiestas too - an ST, and also a SE 1.0 Ecoboost - reducing the weight over the nose is important.
It's going to take a few test drives to figure out what you want. There are a few candidates, and left-field options like a Corvette or a Model 3 are worth at least throwing around to decide if you like them.
One more left-fielder: the Mitsubishi Mirage - they took out all of the refinement to make it very cheap and very light, and I liked throwing it around Southfield. Obviously the stick-shift is far better than the CVT.
In reply to chaparral :
Now you're in winter beater territory. At that point I'd be looking for a sub-$2K Yaris/Xa/Xb to flog.
1930# is 1930# - I don't think any other hatch starts that light. You may need to experiment with springs, dampers, and antiroll bars to make it handle and throw a really light flywheel and clutch at it to make it responsive in a straight line.
Ian F said:
racerdave600 said:
Have you driven one of the new ones? They may not be pretty, but they are the best driving MINI of the bunch. Much better and faster than my R53 or R56.
Many of the folks I mention in my post above went from R56 and F56 models back to the R53. It's slower and not as reliable (especially the F56, which isn't a bad car on that front), but there is just something about the R53. It's even more apparent if you are familiar with the original/classic Mini. The R50/52/53 is closer to the original "feel" of that car than the later, more refined models.
No, it's not logical. Yes, the car will frustrate the hell out of you at times. But in many ways, the Gen 1 MINI is a "true" LBC in the grain of the British Leyland cars that preceded it. Hell, the Tritec even leaks oil like a proper British car.
I do understand and get that. My R56 is no where near as communicative as my R53 was. In many ways though the R56 is more British in that it breaks a lot more, leaks more, and likes to sit around the garage looking good rather than driving. The F56 on the other hand is much better and feels more R53 than the R56 ever did. It's larger and more complicated for sure, but it also drives better than the R53 while feeling similar. Of course it does not look that great from the outside. I drive a friend's F56 quite a bit, and it is a much better driver than even my Boxster S. I wish they looked better as they definitely have that special "magic" that the R53 had and the R56 lost. Of course I still look for a certain R53 and would by another if it came along.
