R53 Mini Cooper S Alternatives ~£5,000

[DriveForFun]

The lease is coming to an end on my F56 Mini Cooper S and I’m considering switching back to ownership.

For a very short time I owned a R53 Mini Cooper S (first generation with the supercharger) and it was the most fun car I’ve owned. I liked the noises it made, the engine’s character, and the handling. Before I get another I’m wondering whether anyone has alternative suggestions.

- Looking for something small.
- Fun to drive on local B roads.
- Not concerned about MPG.
- Not concerned about practicality.
- More interested in fun than outright capability, but a bit of both would be nice.

If any more info would be useful please let me know.

Many thanks.

Edited by DriveForFun on Tuesday 19th July 18:36

[anonymous-user]

Renaultsport Clio

The Clio has even more of a go-kart feel. Quicker as a standard car too, although a modded R53 is a different thing altogether.

Less likely to blow it's engine apart too than an elderly R53.

I've had both, and loved both of them. The Mini is a VERY slightly more mature and less engaging package IMO, but a nicer place to be.

You could try to find a Suzuki Swift Sport or a Fiesta ST too, never driven either but they have strong reputations.

[ChrisH72]

If looming at a Clio you could go older and get a 182 in good condition. Or maybe stretch the budget slightly for a nice rs200 which I believe came out in 2009 and was better than the 197 it replaced.

Or if practicality really isn't a concern how about a 2 seater like an mx5 or mr2?

That said, an r53 is a fine choice.

[Mr Tidy]

R53s do seem to be very popular.

I remember Mrs Tidy had an R50 Mini One and that drove really well, as did her R56 Cooper when I drove it last week.

If it isn't too big maybe a BMW 130i would fit the bill, or if you don't need back seats you could add a Z4 to your list.

[pb8g09]

I’ve had an R53. It had a rusty tailgate, leaking steering pump, shat itself of oil on all my friend’s and family’s driveways when I visited them and dodgy electrics. It was amusing but I wouldn’t want to be relying on an 18 year old car to get me to work or long distances. I paid £1.5k for mine- you could see from the MoT history that even the supposed ‘cherished examples’ double the price had the same issues.

There is a bit of a love affair on here with them, I really don’t think they’re that good personally. Lot of character, I’ll give it that but maybe I just got tired of apologising for the oil leaks.

[Truckosaurus]

Twingo RS133, Suzuki Swift Sport, Mini R56.

[DriveForFun]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll be taking a look at them all.

It's not crucial that the car is reliable enough to get me to work every day or do long motorway miles as we do have other vehicles, but I do take on board the warnings with the Mini being an old car.

Thanks again everyone!

[pb8g09]

Definitely give the Swift Sport a look. I test drove a 1st gen 1.5 GLX as a first car proposition years ago and even that got me chuckling.

[ChrisH72]

https://www.motor-hub.co.uk/used-cars/suzuki-swift...

The 2nd gen Swift Sport has dropped a bit in price recently and there are a few within your 5k budget.

This one may be a bit leggy but it's 66 plate and 1 owner so probably just motorway miles. 2 years ago I bought a 2017 Fiesta ST3 for a bargain price because the mileage was high. Again, 1 owner, full service history and just motorway miles. It works for me as I only do about 4k miles a year.

[Throttlebody]

£5K will get you into an early Mk7 Fiesta ST.

[Chrishum]

ChrisH72 said:

https://www.motor-hub.co.uk/used-cars/suzuki-swift...

The 2nd gen Swift Sport has dropped a bit in price recently and there are a few within your 5k budget.

This one may be a bit leggy but it's 66 plate and 1 owner so probably just motorway miles. 2 years ago I bought a 2017 Fiesta ST3 for a bargain price because the mileage was high. Again, 1 owner, full service history and just motorway miles. It works for me as I only do about 4k miles a year.

I wouldn’t touch that place with a large number of hired barge poles.

But the Swift sport does look a fun choice.

If older cars aren’t a barrier the original Ford Puma is great fun if you can get one that isn’t rusting to death, another budget choice could be the older Suzuki Ignis sport

[TameRacingDriver]

I've driven many of the cars listed on this thread, R53, 172, 182, MX5, MR2, Puma. Also not the 130i but had a Z4C 3.0Si (same engine but a sports coupe rather than a hatch).

• 172/182 if you like to drive it hard.

• R53 MCS for everything else.

• Puma sweet driving but slow.

However, for me, if you don't need practicality, then I would opt for one of the sports cars instead. They offer RWD, drop tops and are engineered with driving in mind, they may not be any faster, but definitely more fun: -

• MR2 for sharp, mid-engine thrills.

• MX5 for a playful FRWD kicks.

The 130i suggested earlier are decent cars but by all accounts more mini-GT than hot hatch. The Swift Sport is likely more akin to a Puma than a 182. Fiesta ST might be a fun choice if you can get a Turbo one.

For £5K, if you have to have a hot hatch, you might also look into the FN2 Type-R (quite underrated I think).

Sports car alternatives: Porsche 986 Boxster 2.5 or Z4 3.0.

[ZX10R NIN]

208 GTI

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207017...

Abarth 500 Esseesse these come with a nice amount of upgrades & a useful 180bhp.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207077...

Abarth 500:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206176...

Leftfield.

Corsa VXR:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206096...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207017...

[georgeyboy12345]

Renaultsport Clio 182
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207207...


Honda Civic Type R
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205065...


Ford Fiesta ST
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207027...


Vauxhall Corsa VXR
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206086...


Toyota MR2
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206287...


Mazda MX-5
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206237...


Toyota Celica
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207077...


Abarth 500
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206227...

[DriveForFun]

Thanks for all the further posts.

It definitely doesn’t have to be a hot hatch (though I’d be happy with one) so I’m quite intrigued by some of the small sports cars posted.

Time to do some research into all the suggestions. Lots to look into. Thanks again.