New Mini Roadster

Due to lack of proper use I have been considering selling my Defender and buying a small 2 seat roadster. This afternoon I had a look at the Mini Roadster..................... beautifully built, horrendously expensive with equally expensive options but it looks great fun. No sure whether to go for a diesel of a petrol - probably an automatic too. I would prefer to buy British but also like the MX5 coupe/cab folding tintop which is 2/3rds the price of the mini.
Does anybody here have any experience of the new style Mini and it's reliability and running costs?
The local dealer has a mini Roadster on their showroom floor priced up at £27,000................ makes an Evoque look good value for money!

With my A5 Cabrio going back and getting into a 'tin top' as my daily drive for the 1st time in more than 10 years in the very near future I've also been wondering about another Cabrio to keep as a toy....

Mazda are part owned by Ford if it makes it easier Tim - Mini are owned by BMW...easy decision I feel...

Ye, I know about Ford owning Mazda but my brother ran an earlier version of the MX5, it ran faultlessly for 6 years until a dumb blonde ran into the back of it writing it off - he replaced it with an A4 cab 9 years ago that ran with only minor hiccups and that has just been replaced with an A5 cab........................... that so far has flattened 3 batteries and broken down twice since last October!
The problems with me for the mini are a) I don't like the 4 seater convertibles that my local dealer has a huge choice of "pre-reg" 12 plate cars and b) the price of a factory built roadster is frightening and the 3 the dealer has on discount either have poverty spec or there is the showroom car at £27000 which is a little more than I really wanted to spend!

My inclination (heart rather than head) is to buy a 3 or 4 year oldA4 RS4 Cabrio - wonderful V8 engine 420 willing ponies and an unbeatable aural sound track to go with it - fuel economy isn't an issue with the massive depreciation of the new car gone is sorely tempting.... I'd probably SORN that car Oct to March anyway.

Are you thinking of the soft-top as a summer toy too? Maybe a 911/996 instead...

A roadster should be rwd which the mini is not, buy a used vx220, elise, s2000, z4 etc and use the saved cash for fuel to hoon it around.

Pointless taking the soft option if its only a car for sunny days.

Well..................... the only rear wheel drive car I have ever owned was a TVR 450 (the plastic wedge!) so I got the need for fast, skittish RWD out of my system. It never went backwards through a hedge but it certainly gave me a fright or two! Maybe I'm the wrong side of 50 and the wrong shape for a real sports car.......... the local Pug dealership has a rather nice Merc SL on their forecourt at a realistic price and if it hasn't sold over the weekend (unlikely in the current weather here) I will go and take a look - this one
http://www.used-cars.peugeot.co.uk/deale...=se_de_re_

Had a new mini cooper 3dr for 6mth waiting for evoque, a real disappointment!!

I now look at minis differently, they are noisy, tinney, plasticky, over priced. The used values are rubbish and no where near what they where as there's loads around and people have realised their naff.

Go for a proper 2 seat roadster not a 3dr hatch with a baseball cap hat, as noted above a nice z4, used 370z, mx5

Above is only my option by the way, but I wouldn't again and regret ever buying a new mini.

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.......go for the SL no comparison!

(25-04-2012 07:59pm)XFullFatTim Wrote:  the local Pug dealership has a rather nice Merc SL on their forecourt at a realistic price and if it hasn't sold over the weekend (unlikely in the current weather here) I will go and take a look - this one
http://www.used-cars.peugeot.co.uk/deale...=se_de_re_

It sounds like a bargain if it's in good nick. I drive an SL500 and it's the best car I've ever owned. You'll get better mpg out of an SL than an Si4 - I get 28-30 mpg no matter how I drive it, or how fast (although I'm very light-footed as I like to be 'kind' to cars). If you don't get the SL, and want a small two-seat roadster, why not look at an SLK?

Used Boxters are very good value now - wont tick the British box obviously but supposed to be about as good to drive as it gets and a used S could be about half the price of that mini...! ()o)

Thanks for the mini advice Tash, what I cannot understand is why somebody would chop in an 8 year old SL for a Pug, unless it's the RZC they have gone for.