Minis

This review will look at the Mini Cooper, in part made more widely known by its use in a Dick Francis mystery novel as a shared or “community property” vehicle jointly owned by two jockeys.

This vehicle is a perfect illustration of the principle that it truly depends either on what you want, or on what you might want but are limited by what you can afford.  Technically, the car has much to recommend it and even for its size, it has good value at its price.   The price, new, ranges from $16,850 to $19,850 depending on exact model.  Presumably, with a used model you can get a mini-Cooper for a lower price still.

One thing that seems to apply in this case is that the standard, or base, model, is a better value than upgraded models.  The upgrades available appear to do little or nothing to enhance either the performance or the comfort level of the ride.

So, if you are buying new or have the option of multiple used models to choose from, you will want to stick as close as possible to the no-frills model of mini-Cooper.

The mini-Cooper’s two best features are its excellent cornering abilities and the extent of some serious headroom for a “mini.”  Although per some reviews, the “headroom” appears to apply to the front seats only and is more limited for rear seat passengers.

The mini-Cooper comes in two models:  a Coupe and a Convertible.  The standard Coupe delivers 115 horsepower, and the Convertible 163 horsepower.

In a sense, the mini-Cooper is also a status car.

Safety ratings aren’t the best for this model, that is one drawback.  They range, depending on the precise national safety test, from “good” to “acceptable.”  One of the “acceptable” tests is roof impact, which is unlikely to be a concern in most cases.  However the other is “side impact,” which would presumably be a concern if your son or daughter is riding in the suicide [front passenger] seat. 

On front and rear crash test results, however, the mini-Cooper came up as having “good” results, which is a plus.

Why is the mini-Cooper a status car?   In part because of a number of innovations and also that more than one manufacturer has at times been involved in its manufacture over time. 

The mini-Cooper has only recently resurfaced in the U.S. market, which again makes it somewhat of a status car.  The mini-Cooper was taken out of the U.S. market during 1968, for failure to meet either safety or emissions standards set into place in that year.

Most recently, however, improvements to this vehicle have given the manufacturers the capacity to re-introduce this model into the U.S. market once again. 

If you would like to explore the status of owning such an unusual vehicle in the United States automotive market, check out availability at a dealership such as DC's top dealership: MINI of Baltimore.

References:  U. S. News, http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/MINI_Cooper/Safety/