Several people have said “oh noes” you can’t get rid of your MINI, or “what an ugly piece of crap, how can you want one of those!” so I thought I’d point out some reasons that the VT appeals.
- Price. For $26k or so I can get a sporty looking vehicle that can do 0-60 in just under 7 seconds, has sunroof, rear camera, 7″ touch screen with Pandora, bluetooth, navigation etc…. I can even plug my PS3 into it and play games on the screen. I can’t get a comparable MINI, Audi, BMW (not that I ever would) etc for that
- Looks. I happen to like how it looks. Unlike the last point, we can agree to disagree.
- Cost Savings. I do about 23,000 miles a year, 2/3rd of that on the motorways. Quick fag packet calculations… my MINI currently gets about 25 mpg, let’s say gas is $4 a gallon so that’s $3680 a year for the hot juice. The VT is advertised as 38, so lets say I actually get 34, gas is #3.80 a gallon so that’s $2570. I just saved a $1000 in gas. And I’m still having fun.
- Rarity. For better or worse I like vehicles that are different. My first car in the USA was a Toyota Paseo, have you ever seen one of those on the road? Exactly. So the VT appeals as it will be a car that turns heads (even if only to puke) and therefore appeals to that inner need I seem to have for attention (ah, the old dance competition days….).
So there’s a few reasons. I think the car is going to be very hard to find for a while, but I really would like to get one before my MINI is up for registration at the end of August. My choice is for a Vitamin C (read: copper/orange), Manual Transmission with the Ultimate package but I may have to give up on colour, we’ll see.
I’m with you on the looks. Personally I like it. And the price you cant beat. I like the Marathon Blue myself.
I am so excited to get my Veloster Turbo! I agree with what you’ve written. Additionally, it’s a polarizing vehicle. I love it’s asymmetry & quirkiness. It’s sooooo me!!
How about the Ford Focus ST later this year?
Ian, I like the Focus ST and it will likely be much more of a driver’s car than the VT but the MPG figures don’t come near the VT and $ for $ there is more value to the VT. But if I can’t find a VT after a while I’ll definitely be looking at the Focus. Same with the Scion FR-S.
If ya like it that’s all that matters! I love my new Abarth 500 though not a MINI handling wise it’s still fun car to drive and gets better milage to boot, so far 29-30 with 400 miles. Looks wise, I love it though not all do. If you can find an Abarth test drive one, Pop, C, Lounge are slugs, it’s a hoot in SPORT MODE.
Oh yeah… the price was $24,000 with Koni Shocks, Brembo Brakes, rear stabilizer bar, Bluetooth, USB connector, sunroof, leather seats, came with fancy though only 16″ rims. I upgraded with Tire Rack to some fine Sparco/OZ 17″ rims, red, Hankook tires, mounted, balanced and shipped for $980. Dealer wanted $1100 for similar. Opted for the manual heat/ac controls and opted out of the security/Sirius package as I will have LoJack fitted by others.
I forgot to get the tire inflation sender put in each tire and now I’m stuck with a low tire pressure light until I have those installed.
I agree with you completely. I broke my heart to sell my MINI but to get a more family-friendly Countryman would have run me $30,000 before taxes. I got the Sonata with just about every luxury one could ask for at $26,000 AND it gets better gas mileage than my MINI. I will definitely own another MINI in my lifetime but I had to do something different for the foreseeable future. I say go for it.