We're about to take delivery of a Cooper S in a few months, but am having second thoughts about practicality.

It'll be my wife's car for carrying a baby around and she's now thinking that Golf would be much better.

Has any body got any first hand experience with a new Mini, is the boot big enough or does it get tedious after a while?

I don't want to buy the Mini only to find that in nine months time I should have bought a golf GTi.

Thanks,

Phil

don't worry, the demand for minis is high especially cooper s'es so if you dont like it just get rid.

We sold our GTI Golf for a mini !!!

Putting the kid in his car seat is easy as you can actualy stand up in the back if the car quite easily... well you know what i mean.

However the boot space is totaly rubbish to say the least.


We've now sold the mini and brought another GOLF GTI ANNI !


Nice car, but it wasnt for us.... plus every time i drove it i felt like i was driving a girlly car !

Well it was my wifes

I've had mine since July, but as I'm a young whippersnapper @ 24, I aint got any kids, so I can't really comment on that, the boot space is pitiful to say the least, I get my laptop and gym bag in and there's not a lot left, you can put the back seats down though.

Regarding children, you can buy ISOFIX seats when you buy the car which are supposed to be brilliant.

Regarding driving the car itself, very good fun and you won't lose much through depreciation.

A golf would be much more practical, but less fun.

Andy

People with kids tell me you usually want to put the kid in the back seat, and leaning in trying to carry a seat with a growing kid in it doesn't do your back any favours in the medium (or even short) term. The stories I've heard, I wouldn't want a 2-door with a baby.

I also had a Cooper S. If its a new baby, it will be a right royal pain. Whilst you can stand in the back, it not the easiest, plus the seats never seem to return to their starting position.

As for pram, forget it, unless its in the back with the baby. The boot takes half a weeks shop.

Jonathan

Definately need the praticality as far as the baby is concerned. Depends if you need to take the pram with you or not - those things tend to fill the boot on a decent sized hatch, let alone a Mini. A Golf would be okay with a push chair plus all changing paraphenalia (sp), but if there's a pram, you'd possibly need an even bigger hatch.

What I'm trying to say is - if you're just nipping down the shops with the baby, the Mini would probably do okay - but as soon as you want to go anywhere for a length of time, the amount of kit you need to bring with you for the little 'un would not fit in a Mini's boot!

When our two boys were little, we filled a Sierra Estates boot area to the brim just going away for a long weekend :eek:

I've not seen the new Mini's boot - but by all accounts it's not too big. I'd go for the Golf (or something bigger!)

I had the use of a Cooper for a few days, boot was as others have said tiny. Not much use for anything larger than a couple of bags of shopping. And my youngster also found the rear seat less than perfect - too "deep" so her legs were almost straight out in front of her. But she's 6, so I guess you won't have that problem for a while :)

Combine this with the utterly useless folding seat mechanism and I think it would drive me crazy. Fun to drive though...

Agree with boot (obvious)

We've had one for 18 months, so from child @ 2.25 to 3.75

There is a trick to doing the baby seat thing & I've found that by kneeling on the floorplan I can do it without much trouble. She's now on a booster seat thing, so less of an issue.

Split/fold rear seat is good for prams etc. Seat mechanism is not a prob as long as you don't try & adjust the seat with the wrong lever :rolleyes: ie - the one nearest the door is only for when access to the rear is required & then only by pressing down...

I have a Golf GTI that I am *considering* P/X-ing for a Mini Cooper S.

Have you got a delivery date yet, or choosen your options?

Perhaps you might consider buying my Golf instead and letting me have your place in the Mini waiting list?

2002 Gti T 3dr, silver, Recaros 25k miles, 19 months old.

An absolute hoot to drive if you want to give it some, but seriously tramlines on 17"... I have the seriously kerbed wheel to prove. Just make sure you hold the steering wheel firmly at all times. Handling and road holding is awesome other than that.

Practicality, fine if you are a party of two. If you want to put a baby in the back then it's all good. If however you want to carry passengers then you better start making friends with a few paraplegics as there is very little leg room. As for the boot, well you can't fit much in there for sure, but it will take two bags, shopping - and the back seats fold down easily.

Build quality is average/good IMO, rattles and squeaks after 14,000 for me. Good deal with the £50 one off payment for 5 years servicing. Services are done while you wait. Very small capacity washer fluid reservoir.

Yes, it's a good car - obviously the performance could be improved upon but then I don't think people buy them for that. On saying that, it's no slouch. I also think it's the coolest car on the road to drive at the moment and you also get lots of waves from chicks driving other Minis - which makes it all worth while ;-)