Suitable replacement for a Mini Cooper S? Under $10,000.

[deevergote]

As you guys and gals have probably seen in my other thread, my fiancee's 2003 Mini Cooper S had its poor little face smashed in by my CB7's rear bumper. The damage appears to be cosmetic, and it still runs... but it may be totaled by insurance due to the age of the car.

Now, Lina absolutely LOVES that car... but if insurance totals it, we'll probably take the money and run. If it can't be fixed to be like it was yesterday, she won't be happy with it.

We're still waiting for the police report to call insurance... but I want to keep my mind occupied. I've been brainstorming, trying to think of some other car that would make a suitable, reasonable, fun replacement for the Mini.
Under $10,000, reliable, not terribly expensive to fix, and fun to drive are the requirements. She wants something small. Big sedans and muscle/pony cars are no bueno. Wagons, vans, trucks, SUVs, and CUVs are also no good. It doesn't matter which wheels spin. Manual transmission is a must. It needs to be fun.

Another Mini is out of the question, since the damn things really are pricey to fix when they break. Nothing BMW, Audi, Mercedes Benz... for obvious reasons (fixing one of those won't be cheap, and a cheap car will need fixing.)


The options we've come up with so far:
Miata - she joked about getting one and not letting me drive it. I don't know how serious that was, though.
BRZ/FRS - We both like those, though they don't seem to exist under $10,000 yet.
CR-Z - higher mileage models can be found for under $10,000.
Civic Hybrid - Kinda boring, but actually more appealing than the Civic Si for some reason.
Civic Si - neither one of us is terribly excited by that prospect, but the price, fun, and quality are there.
Mazdaspeed 3 - Hard to find one that hasn't been beaten on, though.

That's pretty much all we've considered. Any suggestions would be welcome. Even if it only serves to distract me, it'll be a great help!

[cp[mike]]

my mom really likes her Volvo C30. Small little hatchback, sturdy, and she says its super zippy. Might be because she has the turbo version :P but they come as a 5cylinder 6speed too. Probably a bit over 10k, but it would be a reliable new car.

[deevergote]

I actually looked into that as well! Lina loves Volvo, since her first car was a Volvo 240. She comes from Charlottesville, VA... where everybody drives Volvos.

I dig the C30, but yeah, they're a bit pricey. I looked on Autotrader for manual versions, and there were 4 for sale on there in the entire country... and the cheapest was $14,000
It's based on the same platform as the Euro Focus and the Mazda 3, so basically a turbo C30 is a Volvo equivalent to a Mazdaspeed3

I'm a big Volvo fan myself, but I have a feeling a C30 won't fit in the budget, sadly.
That's definitely along the right lines, though.

[Jarrett]

Before I got more than 3 sentences in I was already thinking about a Miata. A second generation Mazdaspeed Miata would got the bill, wouldn't it? It seems like you can find them in very good condition, too.

[deevergote]

I was thinking the same. Might even be able to find an earlier 3rd gen with higher miles. Doesn't really need to be powerful (a base 3rd gen Miata would probably be just as fast as the Mini!)
I think the only issue with a Miata is the convertible aspect. It may not be terribly practical. I'm being cautious about suggesting that, because I want one, and she knows I want one. I don't want her to go that route unless it's what SHE wants!
It definitely hits the mark on price, fun, and reliability, though.

There's a REALLY nice looking NB Miata near us on Autotrader right now. 75k miles, white with black interior, manual transmission. $7,777 (I could probably negotiate $7,000 even.)
http://tinyurl.com/o7b58c2

[Theos92VR4]

I would have her check out a civic si, or an rsx-s. I absolutely love my civic si, its one of the best cars I have ever owned. Tons of fun to drive, reliable, good on gas, only available in manual, and its front wheel drive, so if she ever has to drive it in the snow, it wont be an issue. That's the only problem I forsee with a Miata here in NJ

[CyborgGT]

With that generous a budget, you could get one damn nice "EG" gen hatchback and B-swap, and have a car that actually is... mini. Everyone knows those things have competent suspension, and a reliably stock B18C is more than enough power for something so light.

^ If you actually take that RSX-S suggestion into consideration (though I seem to recall you're not a fan), look for an A-spec model for its suspension upgrade, among other nice stuff.

[deevergote]

I'm not a huge RSX fan myself, but more because I don't care for the styling (and owequitit once reported a dislike for its limited rear visibility, which I took to heart.) Since this would be Lina's car, it's more of an option. As is the Civic Si (another car I don't particularly care for).

I definitely don't want anything that's a project. It needs to be reliable for her to drive, even if it's only a total of 6 miles a day. I honestly don't intend to get another project car until we're in a house with a suitable garage (which could be up to 5 years). That's not to say I won't wrench here and there... but I don't want anything so modified that it could break down at any point. Especially not for her car!
I found a number of RSX-S for a very good price ($5000-$8000) with mileage between 100k and 150k. For many brands, that's high... but for Honda, 150k isn't really all that bad. Especially if the car was maintained. Shit, I didn't even change the spark plugs in my Fit until 188,000!

[CyborgGT]

I'm at about 180k miles. So far I've had to replace a transmission fluid pressure sensor (not something you'd have to worry about on a manual), the Knock sensor ($60 OEM), starter ($120 AutoZone), and now I'm getting a rattle on deceleration that I'm trying to diagnose... may or may not be axles, but if it is that's to be expected by now. Mine's been awesome for reliability.

Personally, I haven't had problems with visibility even with the wing. But then I once drove a last-gen Eclipse and remember that being worse for rear blind spots.

My only honest gripes are that the seats before the facelift are a bit stiff, and the cars notoriously suffer from wheel hop which I've been trying to find a cure for - Energy Hyper Flex is in hand but not yet installed, plus I'm sure the shocks are original. I've heard the front double wishbones were ditched in favor of crash safety on such a small car. On the whole, I'm really enjoying it. After the CB, the handling is amazing, lol.

Stock, they do look kinda boring, hence my A-spec suggestion. For something you're not going to modify, it's better than getting a standard S and bringing it up to the same level with Mugen's comparable suspension kit and otherwise making the car enjoyable to look at. For one, you need an 05-06 S or any A-spec to get 17" wheels.

[Night Wolf]

I was wondering whos mini that was lol

[CyborgGT]

That's just just wrong if insurance doesn't fix or replace the Mini though.

[deevergote]

It's old, and the damage is pretty extensive. A 12 year old car with 80k on the clock, needing massive front end repair... Maybe engine repair (though it seems to run fine)... If the damage exceeds $8000 or so, I expect it'll be totaled. We'll get a check, and that's that.
Between that and what I get for my car, we should be able to drop $10,000 on something decent. Then I can part out the rest of my cb7 stuff, sell the Fit, and get something kinda nice for myself as well!

[sonikaccord]

Saab 9-2x it's a wagon though.
Ford focus

[Theos92VR4]

It's old, and the damage is pretty extensive. A 12 year old car with 80k on the clock, needing massive front end repair... Maybe engine repair (though it seems to run fine)... If the damage exceeds $8000 or so, I expect it'll be totaled. We'll get a check, and that's that.
Between that and what I get for my car, we should be able to drop $10,000 on something decent. Then I can part out the rest of my cb7 stuff, sell the Fit, and get something kinda nice for myself as well!

dibs on the one piecers

In all seriousness though I think you guys would be happy with any of those cars on the list, with the exception of the crz. They are painfully slow, the gas mileage is sub-par for a hybrid vehicle, and they are actually kinda difficult to find with a manual trans, seems that the majority of them were sold with the auto/paddle shift option. If vision is a important factor for you as well, I would DEFINITELY rule that one out because it is EXTREMELY difficult to see out of one of them- tons of blindspots and the angle of the rear glass don't help.

[gloryaccordy]

Try the Civic Si man. I think she will like it.