my first car!

[AG4]

hi! planning to finally get my first car ever in a month's time. would really appreciate your thoughts on the bmw series 1 or a new mini cooper. alin mas ok kaya? am not into cars at all so pls help.

Are you currently based in the RP?
The new Mini Cooper is a head turner, its a modern classic.


The BMW 1-series has some advantages too. Being sold here officially, I assume it would be easier to service the BMW 1-series than the new Mini.
What the 1-series lacks in image, it gains in safety, handling(RWD) and slightly more interior space.

[niky]

If this is a first car, I wouldn't pick either. But if I had to, I'd pick the Mini.

You really ought to consider a "cheaper" car for a beginners car. If you can't stomach a secondhand, a new Civic is a good choice, or the Focus, if you crave that "Euro" feel. And the Focus is almost (but not quite) as entertaining to drive as a Cooper.

As for maintenance, both cars are BMW, so the chances of having lots of minor irritating electrical and electronic niggles in both is pretty high. And servicing costs will be... interesting. There are no MINI "casas" in the Philippines, but I think BMW can service them.

The MINI is cuter, though, and a little more practical. It has the added advantage, though, of having the best resale value of almost any car on the planet.

[theveed]

mini.

regarding the questions on cost of ownership, they're made by the same company. reliability and cost to maintain are roughly equal.

Same sentiments... Mini ako.

[Bogeyman]

Between the two, I'd choose the Mini, although the 1 series' RWD is making me look over my shoulder.

As mentioned, mas magandang mag-invest ka muna sa isang practice car. Or you can keep your money in the bank for the meantime while you take those needed driving lessons. Especially kung nasa Pilipinas ka and you start encountering those roaring bus and truck drivers on the road. They couldn't care less if you're driving a pricey German car; once na mahalata nilang baguhan ka sa manibela, you're dead meat.

[too_jealous]

thanks to all those who gave their inputs. sobrang helpful kayo. i called bmw libis this afternoon and found out that they are not authorized to sell minis pala so if ever daw gray market ako makakakuha which pretty much scares me kase wala naman ako masayadong alam din so definitely baka di na mini (sayang cute factor ! haha! )the guy who took my call asked for my number kasi daw pwde nila ko hanapan...
after all your comments am seriously considering the habanera red civic as my first car . unless, bmw decides to have a promo within the month na 50% dp and 12 mos 0 interest and depends kung ma realize ko na i can be a good driver. am taking lessons this week. the only time when manila is traffic free! again, thanks ! so glad i found this forum.

[Bravoexo]

Good Luck!

Drive safe...learn first the capabilities of your ride, bago i - push siya to it's racing limits. he he he... I'd suggest to learn and feel comfortable with the brakes first, the width next, and turning speed limit before the roll gets to you. ^_^

[too_jealous]

In our traffic, or are you out of the country? The cons of the 1 series are the rear legroom (a really tight fit), and the small boot. But the pros are it's a rear wheel drive car, and the only models worth getting are the 120i and 130i. Mini's are always good, even if the new ones are bigger, bulkier...pero more powerful too.

120i or 130i? you mean kung pang 118i lang budget ko wag na lang? what's wrong with the 118i?

[AG4]

120i or 130i? you mean kung pang 118i lang budget ko wag na lang? what's wrong with the 118i?

Nothing really, its just a bit weaker than the 150hp BMW 120i.
The 118i uses a detuned 129hp 2.0 liter engine, both come with 6-speed A/T.

[Alpha_One]

1-series sucks, and I'm just biased against the current ugly BMW range. Mini all the way!

[number001]

There are other better (and less costly) choices bet. the two luxury entry-level sub-compacts, you are currently pondering on. However, those alternative choices would be limited to mostly Japanese brands with the best bang-for-the-buck purchase in mind. Try either Mazda6 2.3, Honda Accord V6, 2006 Honda Civic 2.0, and you would still have with some spare change for other things. Would you consider SUVs or CUVs?

[too_jealous]

There are other better (and less costly) choices bet. the two luxury entry-level sub-compacts, you are currently pondering on. However, those alternative choices would be limited to mostly Japanese brands with the best bang-for-the-buck purchase in mind. Try either Mazda6 2.3, Honda Accord V6, 2006 Honda Civic 2.0, and you would still have with some spare change for other things. Would you consider SUVs or CUVs?

hmmm, a mazda 6 or a honda 2006 civic would mean spare change for bags hehe ... not bad at all

[number001]

hmmm, a mazda 6 or a honda 2006 civic would mean spare change for bags hehe ... not bad at all

IMO, the Mazda6 esp. in color white is the best and looks better than a Civic anytime. Not only its looks, but the Mazda 6 has the more in store like the red-line revable engine and superb cornering handling.

[too_jealous]

IMO, the Mazda6 esp. in color white is the best and looks better than a Civic anytime. Not only its looks, but the Mazda 6 has the more in store like the red-line revable engine and superb cornering handling.

would you happen to know the price of the mazda 6? today i was able to get the prices for the honda civic s 905k and the bmw 1 series 118i 1.820m. how much mazda 6?

[niky]

Around 1.3m AFAIK, but I could be wrong (and I often am... ).

As for learning to drive... nothing beats going to a racing school. Knowing your limits and the limits of your vehicle often makes you more careful of those limits than others who've never seen their car swap ends. High performance driving lessons aren't just for the speed freak, they're for anyone who wants to be able to drive safely and surely.

I may be a speed freak on track, but you'd be surprised at how slowly I drive an AUV or van when I have to. Thanks to experience, I'm more aware of their limits than the "harabas" company drivers are, thus, a bit more careful.

[orly_andico]

well the accord v6 is the fastest "common" car around these days and for 1.6M you're gonna be dusting BMW 120i's right and left. :D

[orly_andico]

.. although i might add. for the price of a BMW 120i mag ford explorer ka nalang!!

[mini_macky]

syempre biased ako...I'm all for Minis ;)

BMW dealers here do NOT service Minis & yes, through grey market imports lang makakakuha ng Mini dito. in our Mini group, meron bumili ng bnew Mini Cooper S last year, syempre hindi honored yung warranty dito kasi wala casa. where do we have our Minis serviced? meron naman shops that can handle basic maintenance for a Mini eh. wag lang tamaan ng electrical gremlins (knock knock!) parts availability? abroad talaga. in our modest-sized new Mini group, most are of the older generation so when they go abroad like to hong kong or singapore, nakikisuyo na lang kami na magpabili ng parts sa kanila, although pwede rin magpa-order through some shops here.

& yes, head turner talaga Mini. hehehe! there may be a lot of faster cars around...pero lamang yung Mini sa smiles per mile (for me syempre)

[number001]

would you happen to know the price of the mazda 6? today i was able to get the prices for the honda civic s 905k and the bmw 1 series 118i 1.820m. how much mazda 6?

SRP for Mazda6 2.3 is now Php 1.395M.

[mini_macky]

& btw, only a few of us in the Mini club use their Mini's regularly. i used to use mine regularly for almost a year now. my dad wants me to keep the miles low on it so i'm currently having a honda prepped for everyday use. most of the guys in the group only use their Minis a few times in a week. most of the Minis have less than 20k kms on it but there are 2 or 3 i think that have less than 3k kms on it (04 models). my advice? get a daily car then get a Mini for the weekends ;)

[orly_andico]

what about a suzuki swift? poor man's mini :D
and with the change get a suzuki grand vitara and you can go offroading

all for roughly the price of a mini