I have a 02 cooper s and love it. I average about 25mpg

 

for 30k, id go with an STi. anyday.

 

oops, musta confused the drivetrain with miata

 

i steal my buddy's 07 cooper s from time to time. makes better gas mileage than my leggy and is much of a more nimble vehicle. i love driving it. it handled mines road pretty well.... doesnt lean and drag thru the twisties much.. but rather just zips thru them... hahhahaa... too muchh fun.

 

older generation looked cool, i think the new generation looks like asssss. but ive driven my friends older gen S, its definately quick and fun to drive!

 

Wow thanks for the replies! Just wanted to point out that I too have been by a MINI dealer and would not buy a new one based on that experience. I am looking at a used '07 from someone at my work who needs out. I have a hard time paying more than $25k for a car for some reason.

I think it's funny that some people like the 1st gen because I never considered the car till the 2nd gen came out. Lighter, faster, better, looks WAAAY better (yep, it does) and turbo vs S/C wins for me. For some reason I like turbos better than superchargers.