To buy a Mini??

[LegoRealms]

I need a second car for running the kids around and driving round town. Parking is a nightmare so a small tiny car is a good idea. But... are Minis comfortable to sit and drive in? The seats look like they are very low. AIBU to consider a (used) Mini rather than a 'sensible' car?

Get a convertible

Any source for this?

Go to euroncap.com

The most recent model scores a lot better than the older ones when it comes to safety it would seem

Get a Mini Countryman! Then you'll be higher up, I really like mine, but it's true that repairs are more expensive.

Yep Im on my second countryman, absolutely adore it

But its not a "small car"

@suki1964 That's true, I think it's more like a small suv

I disagree about them being cheap to run. They use loads of petrol for a small car.

I had one for a year and loved driving it, but then it failed the MOT on loads of things so decided not to repair it.

It was also very low so hard to get out of with my old knees. Plus unless your DC are small and nimble you need a 5 door car, when I've had 3 doors, neither DM or DSis have been able to get in and out of the back seats.

So then I got a Skoda Citigo which is a sensible cheap small car. The VW Up and Seat Mio are the same car so you could look for one of those. If you're looking older used, pre about 2017 the tax is £30 a year or less.

I wouldn’t get a 3 door mini with kids, better off with the bigger 5 door versions.

I drive oneat work. I wouldn't call it a small car these days just feels like a normal one. Uses quite a lot of fuel even though it's hybrid. I'm not impressed with it that much there are better smaller cars

I have a 5 door 2015 Cooper as my run around as well as a large family car. I absolutely love it. It has never failed its MOT and apart from needing a couple of new tyres along the way it hasn’t cost me anything.

I haven’t noticed it being fuel hungry but I do only use it for local commuting and shopping, only does about 3,000 miles a year. £20 a year road tax.

Would’t be the choice for lots of motorway driving/long distance but perfect for an urban run around.

@TesticularHeft unreliable death traps? How so? Mine was brilliant and I would recommend one to anyone. Still running and looking great at 14 years old as it lives around the corner from us now. Looking after them is key.

I have one. Quality is good (BMW) and I am sold on the looks. Comfort frankly is mediocre. Doesn't seem to need much servicing but when something goes wrong it is bloody astronomically expensive to fix (according to my DH). His view is they are expensive and vastly over rated and if honest he is probably correct.

I wouldn't replace it with another

We had a petrol mini. It cost a lot to fix and a lot in petrol as well as being useless space wise. I wouldn’t buy one again.

I've found the rear seating very squeezed when I've been in one. VW up is a great option for a small car, Skoda to the same car called something else.

Mum's had 2 Minis, the odd time I had to drive them I found the drive hard and uncomfortable. I also couldn't get a decent seat position that didn't feel like I was stretching to reach the pedals. I'm not tall but I've never had that issue with any of my cars

@SeriousFaffing if you had a crash in it you wouldn't be saying that. They're basically made of paper. Fiat as a whole are known for being unreliable but I suppose there's an exception to every rule 😜

Reliability - In the latest What Car? Reliability Survey, the 500 ranked 15th out of 19 cars in the small car class. Its overall score was a moderate 93.2%, slightly up on its usual ratings. It finished above the Audi A1 and Seat Ibiza but below nearly all of its rivals, including the Kia Picanto, Suzuki Swift and Toyota Yaris.

Safety - The basic petrol-engined version gets a disappointing three star rating, scoring only 66 per cent for adult occupant protection from Euro NCAP, and just 49 per cent for child occupants.

www.carwow.co.uk › safe
10 of the Safest Small Cars to Buy in 2024 - Carwow

I'm on my 4th.

I've had 2 old beaten up ones when i was younger, and loved them. Latterly I had a Cooper S which gave up the ghost, failed MOT on multitude of things so not economical to get back on the road but it was 20 years old but looked a year old. I've now replaced with a newer (used) 5 door Cooper. It's really nippy, so easy to park, really economical on fuel; is has 3 driving modes (green/mid/sports) and all fall within ulez and my 6'4" OH, 6"2' DS and 6" DD can all get in for a trip with ample leg/head room for all.

As others have said, there are smaller cars.

Only downside, because I'm mid 50s and overweight, I do find it a little struggle to get out of because seats are low. When I replace this one, I'll be going for a vw polo or similar but I'd only be changing it because of the ease of getting in/out!

Other than my old one conking out at 20 years old, I've not had any huge bills (touches wood)

@TesticularHeft back when I got mine, Fiat 500s were 5 star rated on everything and were winning awards for safety, if my memory serves correctly.

Seems that it’s either a case of the goal posts changing, as technology gets better, or Fiat’s quality decreasing - which would be a real shame - these were great cars!

https://www.roadsafe.com/news490

My diesel mini would do 60mpg most of the time and because of the smaller tank would cost me a lot less the fill up. My petrol JCW isn't so good on fuel but for a sports car, it'll still do mid 30s around town and 45 on a motorway trip.

If you take it to a dealership for servicing it is expensive, but most independent garages have the ability to service them.

The ride is hard, but that's what makes it so fun to drive.

It is the only car I've ever just driven for fun.

If you want small and reliable then Toyota Aygo is the car for you. Love mine!

I had a mini one convertible. I loved it, so much fun to drive. 1.6 in a small car, it was nippy! But it cost a fortune to run, tax was high, guzzled petrol, always binging at me about something and then the clutch failed and it wasn’t worth the money to fix. Sad times but I went for something more practical because I went from driving it locally to needing to travel for work. I’d be loathe to have another mini because of the costs but I do miss it!
I agree with pp that there are other small cars that may be better like the VW Up.

Go for it, I love my mini. I have a second hand cooper S, and I love how it zips around. It feels sturdy too. I’ve hardly had any issues with it so not had to spend much money on it at all.
The boot is very small, but I hardly need to put much in there anyway

I bought a 2013 Mini Hatch last year, as my main car is too small to comfortably fit DS in the back. I absolutely love it! It’s full leather, so very comfortable. Nippy as anything! Very easy to park. I don’t find it low but my other car is a sports car, so the Mini is high in comparison. DH constantly drones on about it going wrong soon, though.

Loads of room in the back to.

@Mrstwiddle , the countryman has the same chasis as the X1

I love the size of it, four not small adults , plus luggage, Belfast to York, in comfort. Loads of space

Still undecided...Sounds like people either love it or don't think much of it.