Whether you're about to spend $40K on a brand new car, or half that on a used car, it is always important to learn as much as you can about the used car. Read these car reviews to learn about all aspects of the vehicle. Each of the usedcar reviews cover interior and exterior features, options, road tests, and more.
What's better than a BMW? A BMW for $16,999. It's been around for two years, and an anxious following developed soon after the first batch rolled off the boat. But hmm, with a twin-kidney grille and quad lights absent, it doesn't look like a BMW. With its four cylinders, it doesn't much go like a BMW either. Heck, with a name like Mini Cooper, it doesn't even sound like a BMW. Nonetheless, the same guys who brought you the world's most envied sports sedans (and recent Rolls-Royces) are also responsible for this once-British reincarnate. Buying one even calls for a trip to the same dealership.
Perhaps you've noticed that nostalgia is in? Prowler, Beetle, PT Cruiser, Thunderbird, Mustang, and now this; will it never end? Thankfully, this is one of the more stylish and practical revivals, and being the most miniature car on the road length-wise, the Mini Cooper is true to its name. It also has one of the most talented engineering teams behind it. The famous front strut and rear multilink suspensions that made BMW's mainstream cars famous for their driving prowess have found their way into the Cooper. Combining sophisticated hardware with lighter-than-Civic weight paints an optimistic picture for handling, somewhat let down by the engine's modest 115 horses; torque is even lower at 110. Neither number is unacceptable, but buyers in this price range may not be so accepting of the demand for premium fuel. Premium fuel is usually meant for premium engines, although at least the Mini has one in the supercharged S model.
But the Cooper S starts at $20,449, and the closer it gets to fully loaded, the more its bargain Bimmer status starts to fade. Even some colors carry a $400 surcharge, so try to keep the options under control. All Minis come equipped with power everything, CD, keyless entry, rear wiper, "leatherette" upholstery (feels like leather, actually vinyl), 15-inch alloy wheels, antilock disc brakes, and side airbags for the body and head. The Cooper S, in addition to boosting horsepower and torque to 163 and 155, upgrades the alloy wheels to 16 (17s optional still), gives the 5-speed manual an extra gear, and adds traction control and sport seats. S models are set apart visually by the big, air-swallowing nose punctured into the hood and by dual-exhaust tips. Adding to the difference in feel are the S's slightly stiffer springs, fatter stabilizer bars, and lower ride height. The automatic transmission is reserved for the base model, and it offers the best of all worlds. Mechanically, it's a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) whose infinite ratios take efficiency as far as it can go. It also employs the best feature of a manumatic by offering a manual mode with six "gears" - which means fixed-number ratios that act like gears. The Cooper's base engine might not be a standout, but its transmissions and suspensions give up nothing to the competition. As the Cooper's final dose of extremity, it offers a lightning-quick steering ratio of 11 to 1, restricting the steering wheel to 2.5 turns from one lock to the other. Turning the wheel a few degrees on the freeway results in an instant lane change.
But most cars spend 90% of their running time with only one seat occupied anyway, right? The Mini gives more than it takes, and it should give all but the most active-lifestyle owners more to enjoy than to complain about.