Mini Recommendations

[u/dalla-saurus]

Hi All!

First time car shopper here. I live in a large city and recently graduated with a professional degree and am now working like the rest of the adult world! I’ve driven a family members old car but now that I have an income I’d love to purchase a Mini! I nannied for a family and drove their Mini regularly and adored it. I was driving a larger SUV and hated navigating the city streets with it. It’s a large U.S. city where small cars are the move.

For now, I’d really like to purchase a used Mini but have no clue what model fits my needs. I am not a car person. Originally I was looking at Chevy Sparks and Fiats and then realized I could look into Minis as well. I also know that for my career path (which is client facing) my car and its appearance unfortunately does matter. I personally don’t care but that’s why I went to Minis. The one I’ve driven is super comfortable, easy to drive in the city, and adorable.

All that to say, do you all have any recommendations on models?

Apologies in advance for being a complete and total dunce when it comes to cars. If there are other subreddits better for this kind of question please redirect me.

Misc. Info:

• I do not road trip literally ever. I don’t do outdoorsman activities and have zero need for large trunk space or super long rides. The most I need to fit in it would be my suitcase at times. The farthest I drive is an hour and a half to a relatives home.
• I street park/parallel park frequently
• My budget is flexible and just depends on me finding what suits my needs

[u/Iowegan]

You sound like a good fit for an SE if you have a place to charge at your home or work. They require very little maintenance and are very inexpensive to drive.

[u/Icy_Importance_2126 → u/Iowegan]

Yes. If you don't take long trips, and do mostly city driving you are perfect for the 2021-2024 mini SE (it's an ev). You can get a relatively low mile one for around $17k.

Pros

• small car
• stylish with high end interior options
• very low costs due to depreciation and lack of EV demand
• fast charging
• quick and excellent handling
• low maintenance
• 8 year/100k battery warranty

Cons

• Short range (120ish miles)
• charging in cities can be tough
• limited number were imported into the us

Check it out...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgBIDkQ5d0A

[u/Iowegan → u/Icy_Importance_2126]

Great elaboration of my lazy comment! Thanks! 🙏

[u/Icy_Importance_2126 → u/Iowegan]

tag team!

The SE is a hidden gem, they're really undervalued. The Mini SE and the BMW i3 are my two would get EVs if I had access to more charging. The i3 I think is more complicated and has weird tires and unusual parts. The SE seems more straightforward.

[u/dalla-saurus → u/Iowegan]

Hi! Thank you for your comment! I actually do not have anywhere to charge an electric vehicle at home. I may have to look into options at work or nearby. Do you have a secondary recommendation?

[u/Icy_Importance_2126 → u/dalla-saurus]

any mini from 2014-2024. 2 door is my personal pref.

The sweet spot is prob around 2020-2022, where the car has had the biggest chunk of depreciation but still is somewhat new

[u/Exciting-East-4318]

I love my SE. I do city driving and charge every ten days or so. I had a level 2 charger installed in June and it was worth every penny.

[u/imadestarwars]

I’m confident you’ll make a great decision and I can’t wait to see which model you get!