Performance
Comfort
Fuel Economy
Fun To Drive
Interior Design
Exterior Design
Build Quality
Reliability
Review
This is a really fun car, deceptively comfortable for one so small, great for collecting speeding tickets. Has great field of vision around it. Plenty of storage space if you put the back seats down, I’ve moved with it a few times. Back seats are cramped and the seats themselves are uncomfortable, front are just fine. The seats are pretty durable and clean up nicely after minor spills. Has a lot of customization you can do with the read outs though they are often obscured by warning lights. You get used to the big odometer in the middle of the car. The front end of the car is very low and prone to getting torn off if you park too close to a concrete curb, you learn to park far back in a space. I hate the sunroof Which takes up the front and back area of the ceiling and comes with a purposeless mesh cover, but that’s just because it’s impractical in Vegas and only serves to expose the top of your head to the sun while you drive. If you like sunroofs it’s a pretty big one. It has stopped working though recently, which most I ever did with was crack it for ventilation while parked. The gas indicator is different from most cars, visualized in pie slices. Once it gets down to three the car may run empty at any moment. The downside is that the car is expensive to maintain. My dad bought this used in 2011 as a midlife crisis mobile and I ended up with it in 2013. In that time the timing chain snapped, requiring the whole engine be replaced. Then a few months later some plastic part in the engine deformed from heat (I live in Las Vegas, I think it’d been 115 that day) and had to be replaced. Oil changes are $60 to $100, though supposedly only needed once a year. Currently at 122000 some miles it’s just had to have completely new brake pads, replaced water pump, Persistent antifreeze leak that the mechanic is currently trying to fix, all of which has cost more than a third of the car’s worth at this point. That’s not to mention the several sensors that have gone bad so constantly say something is wrong with the tires, seatbelts, and brakes even though they’re fine. I don’t bother fixing those. This model (or all Minis?) have a lot of plastic parts inside that I don’t think hold up well to the dry heat in Vegas. The check engine light has been on for most of the life of the car, with one thing or another wrong with it at any given time. It’s been a good car, comparatively good on gas mileage, but the upkeep is a bit beyond what is practical On a student’s limited funds. Would make a great passion car though, something fun and comfortable for someone that can afford the repairs and has a garage to shield it from the sun. Not sad I’ve had it, just sad it hasn’t been more durable. Then again, 7 years in the family putting up with longer commutes, a climate I don’t think it was designed for, and persistent minimal maintenance (getting it fixed when we can afford or when absolutely urgent) I’d still says it’s been a good car for the price. This round of repairs may hold it for another 60 or 80000 miles, but planning to sell it and go electric when I get the money saved up.