Currently running a diesel Yaris for the daily commute. My wife works shifts so she uses it to commute too. Looking at changing it whilst it is young-ish and doesn’t have too many miles on it (57 plate and 70,000). My wife and I fancy a Mini Cooper D (second hand) as its about as economical as the Yaris but a bit more interesting. I have a Passat estate for bike duties.

Anyone got one? What do you think? What’s it like to insure?

Not sure about the cooper D but just bought a cooper s convertible and it is the same insurance as the yaris which we sold – spooky eh !

Only had it a week but it is superb – much more fun than the dullest car ever that we had before

AS to long term, I haven’t a clue, but not regretting it so far although the fuel consumption is far worse than the yaris (1.4d) but 189bhp does tend to drink fuel (35mpg)

Real life figures are FAR worse than than they lead you to believe, add servicing costs that are higher, obscene parts prices, etc.
The new Yaris SR petrol is almost the same MPG as the diesel Yaris and a lot more fun

I’ve had a look around a couple of Minis and have to say that beyond a slightly quirky aesthetic (that is wearing a bit thin) they don’t have a load of space in them and the dash looks stupid.

Honest John is a good place to look for realistic mpg’s

Would you buy a mini for space ?

we didn’t, we bought it for the smile !

just bought a cooper s convertible

You now have a 2nd successful hair salon? Congratulations.

yup, total hairdresser car, I completely agree, still excellent fun !

Great fun, mine works ok as a second family car with 2 kids and I have a towbar to fit a bike carrier on the back. I wouldn’t have another due to space alone.

Claimed mpgs are miles out. My 20 month old Cooper D gives mid 40s on the computer peaking at 50 on a very good run. Seems pretty uneconomic compared to 2L diesel 3 and 1 series Beamers that I’ve driven which show close to 60mpg. All based on car computer records rather than accurate working out.

Build quality has been a bit of a let down for me too given that they sell at a premium car price. I can live with the quirky / silly dash layout but the interior doesn’t have the premium finish you might expect if like me you get sucked into speccing it to the hilt when choosing new!

If you’re looking for a secondhand small car and find one that looks sound at a price you want to pay then some of the above is largely irrelevant though I suppose.

Other options, 2nd hand Fabia VRs with the 130pd engine. 45 – 50mpg everywhere… tried and tested drivetrain, no dpf or over complicated stuff. Good, honest simple fun motoring.

Great little cars

the mini d used the engine from the toyota yaris, then went over to the peugot citroen lump then a bmw one made in Birmingham, all depends on age of vehicle, when it wasa made not the registered date.

Mrs Ed had mini, it wasn’t fun to drive, not cheap, crap visual out of the small windows, horrid dash and driving controls, no space in the boot or back seats, expensive parts servicing, not great mpg,not comfy on long journeys

My wife bought one two weeks ago,

Cooper D 1.6t with a chilli pack,

Well built defo a BMW , best seats I’ve sat in for a long time and headrests that you can put your head on without having to look out the sunroof,
Masses of gadgets and plenty of switches to flick, huge amount of room in the front and plenty in the back,

I find the engine wanting of torque but it’s not breathless and pulls well but the 6 speed gearbox whizzes through the ratios,
I’m used to big engines so I wouldn’t say its a bad thing, just more modern.

We drove a hard bargain and got it for 21k with her long serving golf as a trade in at £700 .

Altogether a nice car but not cheap but at least it feels like it’s well engineered,

Things I found were missing,

A sensible fuel gauge.

Torques.

An engine temp gauge !!!! Can’t find it perhaps it’s hidden ??.

£21k!!! for a mini!

It started at over £25k !

As you say a lot of money for a mini, wonder what the depreciation will be like ?

I didn’t get the impression they were having trouble selling them.

Mrs wingnuts has had two, and they turned out to be completely different beasts. The first was a One with the original 1400 engine. It was a turgid affair and while I liked the handling the power output was non existent. The mpg was ok as I recall. After a break of two years she has got another. Its the 1.6 in Cooper trim/tune. Much more fun with a much more responsive engine/power output (but am sure a good petrol boy racer would see it off). Its got ultra low profile tyres which while making it fun to drive make it bloody uncomfortable as a passenger. 45mpg driven enthusiastically, 55 on a run. I’d have the Cooper with I was always the driver or I’d make sure it had normal wheels. Don’t go to BMW as they are servicing rip off artists.

Bought a Clubman S/JCW as a ‘cherished’ second hand last year…love it, properly nippy, about 40mpg on a decent run and enough room for 2 bikes in the back (just…usually end up on the roof). Took it to Austria in the summer, twisty alpine roads were a lot of fun 🙂 That said it’s had it’s fair share of niggles – timing chain replacement at 30k being the most annoying.

As wingnuts says stay away from the bigger wheel sizes, tyres end up pricey and the ride’s harsh (even without runflats). And definitely steer clear of sports suspension if you like comfort – likely good for track days, not good for speed bumps 🙁