hi, im getting a car for my 18th birthday and its goign to be my first car. i want a mini cooper i need help!!

Question

i have a few quick question..my mom says its not a safe car for beginners..is this TRUEEE? how is the safety? and also..which model is made by BMW? and one last thingg...i live in los angeles, whats the approximate payment to lease a mini cooper?

ANY INFO WOULD HELP :)

Answer 1

I don't have many specifics, but my Father in Law owns an '05 Mini Cooper.

He did WAAAAy to much research, and while I tune most of it out when he goes on and on about it.....He has made the point extremely clear that it is an incredibly safe vehicle. It doesn't have a tendency to roll, it is VERY good on gas, and is very fun to drive.

It also is reasonably priced (I think his was $18,000-ish brand new in 2005.

However, its a fun sports car, the insurance is terribly expensive, tires are hard to find and also very expensive.

Answer 2

Fuu*** I wrote a whole thing then exited the thing by accident, AnywAy, insurance for ppl our age is bummy no matter whatm Insurance is hiigher though for common cars, because let's say there's 100 honda civics on the road vs 20 kias whatevers, mathematically there's more of a chance of hondas to get in an accident then kias , and that's how insurance companys look at it. On a mechanical stand point parts aren't always the same cost so look into what is (if ur a do it yourself type of person, if not then either way you'll be payin enough to mechanic when somthing needs repair. Best thing is to figure out a few different cars and call around different insurance companys, then try with your other choice of car to find out the best deal. So yea I don't know what cars are commonly drove in the uk so I can't help you too directly. Anyway I pay around 220 for a 93 mazda mx3 and I'm 19, OH also don't go under as a primary driver if you can, get your parents or whoever to put it under they're name and go as a parttime drive or whatever its called (secondary mabey)

Answer 3

You cant guess at a lease payment.

The factors used to calculate a lease include what the car is estimated to be worth at the end of the lease term and each lender has their own idea of it's future value...

You pay for the difference between retail cost new and estimated cost at the end. Divide that by the number of months minus one (you pay a lease up front for a payment). Now, you have the monthly depreciation figure that has to have "interest" added to it and then tax gets added on top of that...

When the lease is over, you have generally paid for about 30% of the car (at 36 months) and would owe the other 70% plus tax to keep the car.

Your insurance would probably be outrageous! I pay $183 for full coverage in LA with minimum limits and I am 42 with a Ford Ranger...lease companies also require you to carry 100/300 limits (I have 15/30). I would guess your insurance payment would be 300 or more per month!!!

You should really think about starting with a Saturn, VW or other little car with two airbags. Saturns are cheaper to insure, VW has a 10 year warranty...Establish some credit, grow up a bit (age wise) and then get yourself what ever you want in a few years for a lot less money per month and lower insurance...

Answer 4

I personally think that a mini cooper isn't a good car for you. It is pretty small and doesn't look safe. Since it is a foreign car, the parts would be very expensive. I always look at the consumer reports to see their findings on which are the best vehicles to have for the year and they give you the prices. In 1994, I went with one of their picks and yes, they are correct. The car lasted for 10 years without any repairs....

Answer 5

I think it's a cool car for beginners, heck for me toooo and I've been driving for 12 years!!!
Safety is really a question of how you drive; if you're gonna be drifting and think you're in a Need For Speed or The Transporter movie or something, then maybe she should buy you a tank. If you're responsible, then any new car would do (except those Korean ones). And a Cooper is definately a cool looking car!

Best luck!

Answer 6

It's average, not stellar, but not terrible either. Not bad for a really small car tho'.

Small cars that do get good ratings:
Honda Civic 4-door models
Saab 9-2X (completely based on the Subaru Impreza wagon)
Subaru Impreza (but not the wrx model)

granted- these aren't as cute as your minicooper- but that's not what you asked.

If safety is such a concern of your mom's, perhaps you can parley this into a bigger (and nicer) car for yourself. I can see you in an Audi A4 or a Saab 9-3! (a little pricier to be sure)

Answer 7

all of coopers are made by BMW, if you want to look at it this way, basically the cooper is owned by BMW
for the size of the car they are pretty safe, consider the deformation zone but if you get hit by suv you are dead
for beginners i recomend some older domstic cars with big strong body and not too shiny so you won't be worry about possible scratch you may get in the heavy trafic, something like buick, cadillac, olds and so on

Answer 8

Happy 18th from down under!
Unfortunately I cannot respond to your request, I have only driven Mini's at one stage, when they were British Leyland!

Answer 9

Go to the makers web site, most have loan/lease calculators. For safety, google it, the safety results for all cars tested are available by the national blah blah blah board, forget the name. You can find it easy.

Answer 10

well, shes clearly right about safety. its barely legal in the US. lowest i've seen is 320 per month, but out in LA the lowest is 450.