[trackbird]

My wife has been looking at Mini Cooper's lately. Unfortunately, the Mini dealer didn't want her VW very badly (50% depreciation in 1.5 years and 25k miles?).

It was wet out and I kept the test drive short, but I really liked it (Cooper S). Actually, I liked it more than I thought I really would. It could use a bit more power, but it wasn't a pig (it's not a Camaro either). The handling was reasonably crisp and it was a bit go cart like. I found myself thinking that I could possibly live with one of those as a daily driver. And, tires and such for autocross will be considerably cheaper than my current ride. I'm really thinking that I should take another look at these. It's small, and really rather fun to drive.

She won't be buying one for a while, but....I could probably sell the Z at this point..... :leaving:

[trackbird]

I think one of the things that appealed to me is that you can "beat on it" and not have to worry about tickets.

For example, I recently drove my friends 1999 Civic SI (8,500 rpm redline/160 hp). I had tried this car in traffic in Columbus, OH and hated it (no torque and didn't get moving until 5k). However, on the backroads around Summit Point (actually up in Martinsburg, but they are all similar) it's a riot. I can hammer it through the first two gears and just be reaching the speed limit. You can work the gearbox and the motor and not be doing 80-ish at the top of 2nd gear. The Cooper S was the same way, I could run it through a couple gears and not be doing 100+ mph. Though I must admit that after 6,000 rpm, Honda actually got the sound track right. The car develops a throaty growl (not real throaty, more of a nice alto) that is fun to listen to (even if it's not real fast).

My biggest problem (to some extent) with the Camaro as a daily driver is that it's "too fast" to have any real fun with on the street. You run it through 1st and 2nd and part of the way into third and you're in the 80-90 mph range. Not that I don't like the power, but a car that lets you row the gearbox can be lots of fun as well, even if it's slower.

I really think I could consider buying a Mini Cooper S to play with (and my wife will kill me since she wants one). Or, I could sell my car, get her a Mini and take the GTI 1.8t (I've already had a GTI, so I really don't want another one).

I'll probably do nothing, but a Mini is tempting.