Bought a nice daily driver - F56 Mini

wjones14 · 11-14-2019, 09:46 PM

I previously used a first gen 2003 Mini R50 as my DD. The 1LE is a weekend toy more or less. The Mini averaged about 6000 miles/year while the Camaro has averaged 2500 miles per year. Love the old Mini, but reliable it wasn't, and after 6 years with it, parted ways last week. It had 115K miles, all kinds of new parts, and I was basically waiting for the next big bill. But despite that, it took less than a day to sell on Craigslist. Lot of interest in that car.

I replaced it with a newer version - a third gen 2015 F56 6-speed base Cooper. Same Pepper White paint as the R50, and friends and family didn't even really notice the difference from the outside. 53K miles, one owner, clean Carfax.

Prior to the Camaro, I had a 2015 BMW M235i 6-speed. Surprising thing about the 2015 Mini is how similar it is to that BMW. Seat leather and dash material are the same. Climate control is the same. Same iDrive and Navigation, but it's called MINI Connected. Gauge dials and fonts are the same. Computer readout functions between the gauges are the same - actually there are more functions to cycle through with the Mini. And finally, it's a BMW engine. It's the B38 turbo, the same modular family as my BMW with 500cc per cylinder. The BMW was 6-cylinder 3.0L. The Mini is 3-cylinder 1.5L

The car is a super nice DD commuter. The stereo is the premium Harman/Kardon which is similar to the Bose in my Camaro. It has a luxury interior. Averaging over 30 mpg so far in mostly non-highway commuting. The steering is electric now and more numb than the R50, but it's still super-quick and fun. The clutch and shifter are super-light and easy. All kinds of neat information in the gauge cluster including a gear indicator like the Camaro. The iDrive clone infotainment screen has a lot of cool stuff too, but I have to say the GM MyLink is better and more intuitive. It's a way more refined version of my first Mini, not quite as quirky and fun, but much more comfortable and modern.

FightThatRight · 12-06-2019, 04:13 AM

Nice one I guess. Since I am on a business trip and my camaro isnt there with me but I still had to find a car for everyday use I rented a BMW x5 https://realcar.nyc/rent-a-bmw-x5 and all I should say the ride is great, really worth its price.

asthmamax11 · 12-10-2019, 10:14 PM

Love these.
Fwd, short wheelbase, 6 speed manual = lots of fun

12-10-2019, 10:14 PM	#3
asthmamax11 Drives: 1SS Summit White 6 speed Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Gainesville GA Posts: 579	Love these. Fwd, short wheelbase, 6 speed manual = lots of fun __________________ 16 1SS M6 White Magnuson 2.3 Heartbeat Roto Fab Solo Performance Cat deletes and Axleback Hurst short shifter #'s coming soon Riaction coilovers 1LE sway bars BMR mm BMR chassis brace Flow one 19" wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompsons 02 Z28 M6 35th anniversary 80k miles T-tops Leather Bolt ons Joy to drive this classic every day! Daily Driver

12-06-2019, 04:13 AM	#2
FightThatRight Drives: Camaro RS 2016 Join Date: May 2018 Location: London, UK Posts: 6	Nice one I guess. Since I am on a business trip and my camaro isnt there with me but I still had to find a car for everyday use I rented a BMW x5 https://realcar.nyc/rent-a-bmw-x5 and all I should say the ride is great, really worth its price.