Yes, it's time to play what car.....again.

I'm confused.

Background. I like the MINI, it's fun to drive, and does what I need right now. But I live in fear. I worry about all the little MINI gremlins. Transmissions. Clutches. Cooling systems. The list goes on and on. People love their MINI's, but owning one out of warranty seems to be an exercise in fear management.

I've been thinking about getting another car. Something newer. Something with a warranty. Something that has a solid reputation for being screwed together well. Yes, I love my beaters and projects. But I also love a car that I can drive, not worry about, and take to the dealer to get things fixed free of charge.

So with that in mind, what do you folks like that can be purchased under $20K, will have a good chunk of warranty left (certified used ?), is fun to drive, and can do the occasional track day (when said project refuses to start on the morning of an event and you've missed to many already)?

I've also considered that I only have $7500 into the MINI, the clutch and trans were done 40,000 km ago, and the extra money I'd dump into a new car would cover quite a bit of repair on the MINI. Maybe that's the best answer. And yet with every squeak of the MINI, every time the clutch makes noise when it's cold (a common problem), I get the hebe gebes thinking about the big repair bill.

Help

Big repair bills come from not doing your own work. Just sayin..

If you're looking for a near equal replacement in terms of a fun to drive premium hatch, the Mk5 GTI 2.0T is about all that comes to mind. Should be able to find a gently used model for the money, though I'd want as much warranty left as possible...

Maybe MS3?

Honda. You have Civic SI money, or even S2000 money.

In reply to mmosbey:

Both excellent suggestions. I am in search of an S2000 currently for the exact reasons OP listed.

ValuePack wrote: If you're looking for a near equal replacement in terms of a fun to drive premium hatch, the Mk5 GTI 2.0T is about all that comes to mind. Should be able to find a gently used model for the money, though I'd want as much warranty left as possible... Maybe MS3?

While I can see where you are going with that, is a VW GTI any more reliable than a MINI? I would assume less so.

Also, Mazda 2, Honda Fit, Ford Fiesta, Saturn Astra, New Focus

Mazda has this new car you may want to try....MIATA

An S2000 would be great but you might have to install a roll bar for track days if the organization you run with requires it. If you don't mind cutting up the car then go for it, I love mine.

My dad had the basically exact questions you listed. He was looking for something reliable, fun, and very tossable. We talked over an early Boxster, a C5 Z06 coupe, or an S2000.

He settled on the S2000 and has never been happier. He took it to his first HPDE (for our local groups, a roll bar is only required for yellow group and above), and loves the damn thing.

I'm very impressed with it as well. It's like a Miata bred with a Civic, and kept the power output of both cars. I dyno'd his '07 at a shade over 210whp, quite impressive for a NA 2.2L. The car loves to be beaten hard, and never complains.

After playing with and working on his (routine stuff and inspections) I wouldn't hesitate to buy one for myself.

What type of car are you looking for? Coupe, 2 seater, sedan? Lots of good cars out there for your price range.

With a good warranty and well built, you can't go wrong with the standard answer to all "what car" questions here. Or MS3, as long as you take care of it. Maybe Hyundai Genesis coupe?

I'd love an S2000 or a Miata. But I need 4 seats, even MINI sized four seats. Really no other rigid requirement.

I know this flies in the face of reliability, but what about the SAAB 9-3 2.0 T? I've seen several of those under 60K km for stupid money. Are they worse than the MINI too for reliability?

I know, I know, i whore em out to no end, but my vote goes to the ms3. Easy enough to work on, hasn't ever let me down (other than the time the motor mount failed, but that was a dealer screw up, due to the LACK of them doing the TSB when they told me they did). Fast enough as a DD, and i've seen mostly stock ones do pretty well against the local STX crowd, so they're ok at autox.

New Accent Hatch? Veloster? Rio5?

Can anyone make the argument to keep what I have? If I start making a car payment to myself, I should be able to build up a decent war chest to fix what might go wrong. It would be the most financially sound thing to do. On the other hand trade in value on MINI's is pretty damn good. I might get $6-6.5K.

Sometimes (ok rarely) I wish I didn't care what kind of care I drove!

Jeff wrote: Can anyone make the argument to keep what I have? If I start making a car payment to myself, I should be able to build up a decent war chest to fix what might go wrong. It would be the most financially sound thing to do. On the other hand trade in value on MINI's is pretty damn good. I might get $6-6.5K. Sometimes (ok rarely) I wish I didn't care what kind of care I drove!

You didn't ask us "Should I replace my car", but if you're asking, NO! I always stay away from car payments, and would urge others to do the same.

sell it and buy an original Mini... just a thought. They are extremely simple and loads of fun... and when tuned correctly deliver very good gas mileage

I'll second the mk5 VW GTI. Reliability improved a lot for this generation. I'd look for a 2009, as these got the TSI engine which addressed some issues the FSI engine had (nothing major but less to deal with). You can find one for under 20k very easily with relatively low mileage.

I'll throw an RSX-S out there if you want to stick with a hatch. Although not the epitome of reliable, an RX-8 fits your criteria too.

Can sell you my MS3 if you want

Yes with the mini you will run in to BMW prices, But, much like a BMW if you do the work yourself whenever possible than it is not usually an issue.

An off the wall one but SVT focus?