Someobody say a few bad things about new MINIs.

I past by the local Hyundai dealer and they had an 03 regular Cooper with 63k miles on it for $11,900 and it had no sunroof.. Very tempting..

Some amazing posts here. I have had 2 original S;s and now have a 2002 S that I bought new. It gets autocrossed 13-16 times per year.

1. If you are not familiar with BMW's shifters, then you don't know the proper technique to get one into reverse.
2. Back seat is small, but I have had four people in mine at an Evo school when the instructor wanted to use it as a training vehicle. The front passenger was 380# and 6'3". None of us were under 5'10. Not much room left, but the back seat folks had their feet on the floor. I think that is the only time I have ever used the back seat.
3. It will haul a lot of stuff with the back seat folded down.
4. It is remarkably easy to drive fast.
5. You do have to have it in the right gear to go fast. v8 drivers don't appreciate having to get the rev's up.
6. The non-S seems slow to me.
7. After a couple of warranty covered problems (steering rack leak, coolant overflow tank leak, and ECU flash upgrade), I have had no maintenance expenses other that normal.
8. Mine is an under-prepped STX car and I love it. Only three mods: adj big rear bar, camber plates, and a Quaife. Everyone that drives it at an autoX loves the way it handles.
9. The OEM LSD on the newer S's is somewhat ineffective compared to a Quaife.
10. Changing the oil filter element is somewhat of a PITA. There is a special technique needed to keep oil from getting everywhere (housing is upsidedown) and engaging the threads when replacing the housing is tough.
11. OEM runflats are terrible and so are the wheels. Rota slipstreams and good ST class tires fix the problem. I carry a bottle of slime, jack, and compressor in lieu of a spare, unless going on a long trip in which case I throw one in the rear.

If this car were to be stolen, I might just buy another. For no muss, no fuss autocrossing it is a good car. Not the fastest, but a lot of fun. A WRX would also serve the purpose, but just not quite as much fun to drive.

Some info on Minis...

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/mini-conundrum-does-quality-matter/?hpw

fwiw:

http://www.jdpower.com/autos/ratings/quality-ratings-by-brand/sortcolumn-1/ascending/page-#page-anchor

yes, that would be last.