Hello,

I am in the market for a compact car. I narrowed down my choice to 2009 Fit Sports and 2005-2006 Mini Cooper S. They are currently similar in terms of pricing, but MCS would have about 30-50K in mileage.

Given the fact that this is a Fit forum, I would like to get your feedback on

- What made you choose Fit over used Mini Coopers S if you had considered both?

- Are they completely different cars? Is this apple to orange comparison?

- Has anyone traded in their MCS for Fit? Do you regret your decision?

Any inputs on two cars would be great.

 

I don't think you are really comparing apple to apple for those 2 cars.
I think the mini can offer you a better handling and HP to weight ratio ...but Fit can definitely offer you a better cargo space.
Not sure how much maintenance for Mini would cost..but being a BMW I think it will be expensive to take to dealership.
Gas millage I heard mixed review.

 

I had this huge response and my browser crashed. From the Mini Cooper site.

Apples and Oranges.

WHAT is it you are planning on doing in/to/with the car? How often? How many people?

Compare the two side by side here, on fuel economy and pollution:
Side-by-Side Comparison

Call your insurance agent and see what the costs will be.

Consider all of the points notated here in reviews...

Mini Cooper S, 2008:
2008 Mini Cooper S Test Drive on Edmunds.com

Honda FIT Sport with Nav, 2009:
2009 Honda Fit Sport Test Drive on Edmunds.com

You can carry one suitcase behind the seats in the Cooper, but not golf clubs without folding down that rear seat, the car is not wide enough. The back seat of the Cooper wouldn't hold the two styles of child seat that were tried. It's also not big enough to fully hold adults in the back seat. And with the backseats folded down, you have about 21 cu ft of space. Consider the Cooper a 2-seater with zippy performance that is noisy and uncomfortable (that's what the review says!)

Compare that with the 57 cu ft of space in the FIT with the rear seats folded down. Oh yeah, you have room for adults in the back. Child seats work. You can even access the back seats, they have this amazing thing called "back doors" now. You get better fuel economy, it pollutes much less, but it's not nearly as zippy.

If it's just you, or perhaps one other adult, driving on smooth roads, and you enjoy the process of driving as well as being a good driver, you may be willing to sacrifice the comforts and convenience and storage and gas mileage.

If it's more than two adults, or if kids are ever involved, or you ever need to move anything of substance (you know, more than a single grocery bag), get the FIT.

If you look at road maps and get excited about seeing a road less traveled with lots of twists and turns and you like the drive-by-the-seat-of-your-pants experience, you want the Cooper.

If you make trips with family or friends, longer trips, you want the FIT. If you want versatility, you want the FIT. If you want convenience in a fun package, you want the FIT.

If the drive is more important than the destination, you want the Cooper.

If getting to and from the destination reliably and comfortably with the addition of cargo, groceries, lumber, llamas, children, friends, camping or sporting gear, you want the FIT.

Lastly, you won't get that awesome new car smell from the Cooper. It's a used car. You don't know what it's been through, and it's little engine could have been totally thrashed with maniacal driving.

The FIT comes to you pristine. With a warranty!

 

In the long run the fit would be wayyy cheaper. You have to baby mini coopers to keep them well maintained. My friend has a mini cooper and it died after about 40k miles, so he had to get a rental. LOL. The fit is a way better choice. Besides, its a honda which means you can drive it for freaking forever. LOL . Which mean no electrical problems later on like most european cars develop.

 

find an 05 civic si.

 

I read somewhere here that the mini cooper s can go as low as 17 mpg city.

 

After working for BMW/Mini for 8 years I can tell you that the fit and finish on the Cooper S is nowhere near the Fit. Let alone all the problems on the Cooper. They are totally different car that can't really be compared but if you want a reliable fuel friendly car get yourself a Fit.

 

The Cooper S(used of course) was in the running when I purchased the Fit. One thing that threw me off completely about the Cooper is its not-so-attractive interior.

 

JAMESRHINO-

as an owner of all 3 cars, i can comment with actual experience. unless you own these cars comments are invalid as you really need to have a car for more than a few months to really KNOW the car in entirety.

- What made you choose Fit over used Mini Coopers S if you had considered both?

each has its own strenghts.


- Are they completely different cars? Is this apple to orange comparison?

very different cars.

- Has anyone traded in their MCS for Fit? Do you regret your decision?

nope. i would not understand why someone would... unless they were in a bind with their wallet and could only afford one car.

if you can only afford one car get the FitSport (MT preferred). it can sort of do the things the Cooper-S can do as far as drivability/handling, but the FitS has much more utility and usability. i can't see myself using the Cooper-S as a daily driver including shopping on the weekends. it's just too damn small and be an inconvenience. the character of the Cooper-S and its fun factor and just the fun of ownership makes the car shine.

i am not a fan of the R56 MINI's (07-current). in fact, i hate them.

 

When I was in the market for a new car... the Mini Cooper S Clubman was one of the cars I was looking at besides the Fit.

You mentioned that you are thinking about a used Mini Cooper but I personally feel that if you can... you should go for the new car to lower the risk of getting stuck with a problematic car.

Anyway... here's why I went with the Fit:

1. Cheaper

2. Honda reliability

3. Easier to fit my mountain bike (or anything else) into the Fit than the Mini Cooper

4. I was not completely sold on the rear-end look of the Clubman (I prefer the regular Mini Cooper but it would be even more of a pain trying to fit my mountain bike in it)

Hope that gives you another perspective

 

It all depends on what you want out of your car. I've driven both and the turbo on the Mini S is fantastic and the cornering and fun to drive factor is great. But the Mini has a lower MPG and with gas at 2-4 dollars (whatever the gas companies feel like charging us) and the Mini has a lower MPG and if you drive hard like me.... it will be even worse. I choose the fit because larger cargo room, higher miles per gallon, cheaper parts, and most importantly

Larger owner community (if you consider years of being available in United States and not take in consideration of UK old mini's) and getting larger! This also means there is a larger aftermarket applications available!

 

Hey let a current 2006 MCS owner join in!!

First off, turbo is not part of the discussion as the OP states the MINI in question is an 05-06. These were the last two years of Gen 1 here in the states and sported a supercharged inline 4. This car is my daily driver.

MINI pretty much resolved all issues in these last 2 years as the cars were much more dependable. Mine has been perfect. In reality, the car is very comfortable for the FRONT seat passengers only! The token back seat is only good for midgets or your friends without legs!

However, fold down the 2 back seats and there's a nice big cargo hold.

Plus with the MINI there's the whole monster group thing going on that you can participate in local or national events and meet lots of nice people.

I know I have! I'm facing this apple vs. oranges choice myself right now. I am smitten with the new Fit, and being a Honda lover, could easily see myself owning one. I will test drive one very shortly.

So it boils down to less costly, probably more reliable, but less performance Fit vs the MCS. Drive both, if performance is king for you, Take home that Cooper!