Gerd, The Mini was my daughter's car. The Mini is a LOT of fun to drive, and it is relatively quick - if you get the "S" version. She didn't have an "S" and it was only fair in the acceleration arena. It handles like a go-cart in any event (maybe not like Mickey's, but still fun). I'd jump at the chance to have a Mini based speedster! She loved everything about the car, except for an ocassional complaint about rear passenger room and luggage space.
But you should know, we just traded it in. Why did we get rid of it? My daughter is now in graduate school and SHE needs to be thinking about vehicle longevity and maintenance costs. She had 34K miles on the 2005 Mini and the warranty was about to run out. In addition, we were facing a $1,350 bill to replace all four run flat tires. She went with a Honda.
However, we didn't have any serious mechanical trouble with the Mini and the Mini people were wonderful to work with - even with the small stuff like scheduling oil changes. Their loaner car program was fantastic. Even dropping it off for something to check, she got a car for the day. (Of course, I don't fool myself that her being blonde, blue eyed, single, and 22 years old had something to do with the level of attention she received.)
Frankly, I'd buy another "new" Mini for her if she was 18 again and I was responsible for the maintenance and repairs, etc. If she had to cover the costs, I'd make sure she had something traditionally more reliable and with a lower cost of ownership - Honda, Toyota, etc.
(By the way, we got about 75% of the original price paid for the Mini on the trade - so that part is a definite plus!)
