Joined
·
28 Posts
It seems like there are a few of us on here that switched from Mini Coopers to Cubes. Not totally surprising since when the new Mini Coopers came out, they were certainly a distinctive, attention grabbing car on the road.
Personally, there were a few factors that contributed to my decision to switch. First, out-of-warranty repair expenses on my 2003 Cooper were intimidating. In the last 9 months of owning a Cooper, I had the car in the shop 4 times. Some repairs were minor but others (replacing the power steering motor) were not only expensive, but also surprising to have to do considering my Cooper only had 30,000 miles on it! Second, after replacing the power steering motor I started looking around the Mini boards and it seemed like a good number of 2002/2003 owners were starting to have expensive to repair issues with their Minis, many of them electrical (again, intimidating in terms of repair costs). Third, I had seen the 2nd generation Cube in Japan and have been waiting for Nissan to bring the Cube to the US. I really liked the asymmetry and functional but fun styling. Lastly, a little more cargo space/passenger space at this point in my life is useful.
So, I test drove a Cube, liked the styling and driving peppy-ness and the salesman agreed to a decent trade-in on my Mini. Next thing you know, I'm cleaning out the Mini to turn her in. I had mixed emotions about it all. The Mini, in many ways, is the car that best matches my personality. I loved the way she handled like a go kart and zipped around town. She was short, cute, sassy, sexy and confidently cool all at the same time. If ever I regain confidence in the quality of the brand (mainly electrical system concerns) and they go back to the simpler design of the first generation Cooper (mainly the interior changes), I may consider going back to a Mini but in the meantime I'm a Cubist.
The Cube has been a different experience for me. I'm as enthusiastic about the Cube as I was about the Mini when it was new, but in a different way. Suddenly, I'm excited about all the things I can transport! Last weekend I managed to put an 8 foot screen door in the Cube. Adding the roof rack (which I never would have done to the Mini because of the way it would have changed the profile) further adds to the carrying capability. Four doors? I forgot what that was like. Visibility over street-side parked cars when backing out of the driveway or pulling out into traffic? Geez, that's nice! And lastly, cup holders!!!!
So to those of you who used motor around in Minis, what are your impressions of the Cube experience? Pros? Cons? Why did you switch?
P.S. I'd MUCH rather be in a Cube than in a Clubman. As much as they nailed the "new" Mini (vs. the old Rovers), IMHO they totally missed the boat on the Clubman. The proportions are all wrong.
Personally, there were a few factors that contributed to my decision to switch. First, out-of-warranty repair expenses on my 2003 Cooper were intimidating. In the last 9 months of owning a Cooper, I had the car in the shop 4 times. Some repairs were minor but others (replacing the power steering motor) were not only expensive, but also surprising to have to do considering my Cooper only had 30,000 miles on it! Second, after replacing the power steering motor I started looking around the Mini boards and it seemed like a good number of 2002/2003 owners were starting to have expensive to repair issues with their Minis, many of them electrical (again, intimidating in terms of repair costs). Third, I had seen the 2nd generation Cube in Japan and have been waiting for Nissan to bring the Cube to the US. I really liked the asymmetry and functional but fun styling. Lastly, a little more cargo space/passenger space at this point in my life is useful.
So, I test drove a Cube, liked the styling and driving peppy-ness and the salesman agreed to a decent trade-in on my Mini. Next thing you know, I'm cleaning out the Mini to turn her in. I had mixed emotions about it all. The Mini, in many ways, is the car that best matches my personality. I loved the way she handled like a go kart and zipped around town. She was short, cute, sassy, sexy and confidently cool all at the same time. If ever I regain confidence in the quality of the brand (mainly electrical system concerns) and they go back to the simpler design of the first generation Cooper (mainly the interior changes), I may consider going back to a Mini but in the meantime I'm a Cubist.
The Cube has been a different experience for me. I'm as enthusiastic about the Cube as I was about the Mini when it was new, but in a different way. Suddenly, I'm excited about all the things I can transport! Last weekend I managed to put an 8 foot screen door in the Cube. Adding the roof rack (which I never would have done to the Mini because of the way it would have changed the profile) further adds to the carrying capability. Four doors? I forgot what that was like. Visibility over street-side parked cars when backing out of the driveway or pulling out into traffic? Geez, that's nice! And lastly, cup holders!!!!
So to those of you who used motor around in Minis, what are your impressions of the Cube experience? Pros? Cons? Why did you switch?
P.S. I'd MUCH rather be in a Cube than in a Clubman. As much as they nailed the "new" Mini (vs. the old Rovers), IMHO they totally missed the boat on the Clubman. The proportions are all wrong.