What do you replace an R53 MINI with?

As the title says......My R53 MINI is getting on in years (16) and mileage (145K) and is getting to the stage where it's becoming "needy". The current 2-door MINIs are rather homely looking and have grown in dimensions and weight. I love the handling of mine, it's comfortable for all day driving, the rear seat is useless but unneeded anyway. I keep the seats folded and have a plywood flat floor in there for ease of throwing in my rather large hockey bag. Overall, repair costs aside, I love the car. What's it's nearest competitor? What would be a good non-MINI replacement? I like small cars, with decent power and comfort.

Hyundai Veloseter....

Another R53, but with less miles?

Seriously... that seems to be the end result for a lot of my MINI friends who sell their first R53 and then end up buying one again after trying a few other options.

One of my friends just had the sheet metal on his 2004 R53 (with about 200K miles) completely restored/repainted.  

My ex- has essentially retired hers from daily use (she has a Golf Alltrack and an ND LE as her main DDs).  It only comes out for club events and nice days.

I don't think I'll ever sell my '06 JCW.

Only thing I can think of in that same realm is a fiesta ST or maybe a Civic SI. They really are unique cars and tough to get the same feeling out of something else. 

In reply to Ian F :

The thought of refurbishing it had crossed my mind, but spending several thousand dollars on a rust belt car doesn't really make sense. Buying a low mileage one from the south might be the way to go. 

I drive by all the dealerships on our local "Golden Mile" and very few carry anything of interest to me. Everything is some sort of CUV , it seems. I will have to go look at a Veloster, and maybe a BRZ/FRS, too.

In reply to bmw88rider :

The Fiesta might work. The Civic is a"larger" car in my mind though, however nice it may be.

Fiesta ST, Focus ST, or Fiat Abarth?  Not quite the same thing but a hoot none the less.  You won't be happy with interiors on the Fords until you get to the ST2 package and up.

I am selling my 07 Cooper S and moving to a 2019 Elantra GT N Line.  Doing the paperwork today for a pickup on Saturday.   After needed a second FRM control Module in my MINI, I am sad to see it go, but it isn't a JCW or a GP so in the end, unfortunately for me  it isn't worth putting another lump of money into.  Plus I have my 944 and 924 to fall back on if I want a real fun car. 

I would say try the Elantra and Veloster.  Shameless plug here, GRM please don't hold it against me, but the latest issue of R&T named the Veloster N, the Sports car of the year.  

In reply to 84FSP :

My son has a regular Fiat 500, not nearly as comfortable as my MINI. The Abarths do make a really nice noise though.

Another hatchback - a C5 or C6 corvette.

It'll fit the hockey bag easily. 

What about the new (2015+) F54 Mini Clubman?  My wife has one, I call it her squirrel on crack, it's hyperactive and begs me to do naughty things.  It's a bundle of fun and looks better, to out eyes, than the current 2 door Mini's?  Still available with three pedals too.

Fiesta ST

If you want more comfort and power a VW GTI.

Veloster, N if possible.

Y'all are on crack recommending a 3000lb Hyundai to the guy that thinks the 2600lb F56 is too big and heavy.

red_stapler said:

Y'all are on crack recommending a 3000lb Hyundai to the guy that thinks the 2600lb F56 is too big and heavy.

Then what would you suggest? 

I'm assuming he doesn't want an '89 CRX HF.

GP3!

Actually the F56 Minis are pretty nice, I almost bought a JCW last year.  Get a 2015 S in red with a white roof, how can you go wrong?  Of course the Rebel Green is pretty good lookiing too.

z31maniac said:

red_stapler said:

Y'all are on crack recommending a 3000lb Hyundai to the guy that thinks the 2600lb F56 is too big and heavy.

Then what would you suggest? 

I'm assuming he doesn't want an '89 CRX HF.

The Fiesta ST is as close as one is going to get without picking another MINI.  Other hot hatches like the GTI, Focus ST, Veloster N, Civic Si - none of those are going to feel small/nimble/lightweight.

Fiesta St is the easy button- the long shot is the Chevy Sonic RS. 

Have you driven one of the new ones?  They may not be pretty, but they are the best driving MINI of the bunch.  Much better and faster than my R53 or R56.  

In reply to red_stapler :

a 346-cid engine makes a car feel a lot lower-inertia than it is

red_stapler said:

z31maniac said:

red_stapler said:

Y'all are on crack recommending a 3000lb Hyundai to the guy that thinks the 2600lb F56 is too big and heavy.

Then what would you suggest? 

I'm assuming he doesn't want an '89 CRX HF.

The Fiesta ST is as close as one is going to get without picking another MINI.  Other hot hatches like the GTI, Focus ST, Veloster N, Civic Si - none of those are going to feel small/nimble/lightweight.

Feel is completely subjective. 

Best suggestion for OP is to go test drive the different options.

red_stapler said:

Y'all are on crack recommending a 3000lb Hyundai to the guy that thinks the 2600lb F56 is too big and heavy.

At 2600 lb it's almost the same weight as an R53, it just looks fatter. The bulbous nose throws me off.

racerdave600 said:

Have you driven one of the new ones?  They may not be pretty, but they are the best driving MINI of the bunch.  Much better and faster than my R53 or R56.  

I have driven four different models for all of 30 seconds each. It was a MINI traveling road show at the dealership and they ran a short autocross around the dealer's lot. I set FTD in the CooperS 2 door coupe. It's a nice car from the inside, just the styling doesn't turn my crank.

I recently drove a new Cooper S and found it to be not nearly as fun as the last R53 I drove. I was sad but it just didn’t have the go-kart feeling of that older car. Felt heavier and less alive. Was definitely faster though. Maybe it was because it was the 4 door? 

another vote for the Fiesta ST.