Reasons to buy

-The handling is similar to a go kart handling. This car manages to maintain a great ride quality while going through harsh turns with no visible effort.
-Braking & safety: Stability control is a standard feature with mini coopers. Combined with handling and breaking performance of this little car, stability control can do wonders in dangerous situations.
-Exterior styling: This car is odd and quirky and incredibly cute.
-Materials & workmanship: BMW build quality makes its way into MINI brand in everything from seating surfaces to headliner and plastic parts.
-Great on gas mileage
- Its a fun ride

Reasons not to buy

-Available features: The available features are so abundant that nothing really seems to come standard on the Cooper. Cruise control? Optional. Multi function steering wheel? Optional. For a base of 22 thousand, it needs to come with more standard features
-Some find the car way to small and the rear seat to be uncomfortable
-The control design can be quirky. The radio controls are counter intuitive and the window switches can be difficult to reach
-Front seat room: The roof line is so low that tall people do not fit. When I tested the car my head was touching the roofliner.
-The car is not cheap and starts at $22,000.
Source(s):
http://www.truedelta.com/wntc.php?stage=pt&bd=MINI&mc=211&sessi...

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I would like to add on to the list of pros:
- EASY TO PARK, it can take the small parking spaces that only smart cars can have, at many moments I would wish to have a mini to be able to park it.
- Fun car to drive, small, fast, sorta like a go kart.
- Pricey in maintenance and base price, if you get it used you may be paying more than you think later on.

Cons:
- Small Small Small, you can't fit all you want in there!
- 4 seater, I guess this goes with small
- You really feel the road, its a great sportscar, but you feel every little bump, this is not a luxury car.
- Interior isn't really all that great
Source(s):
drove one and have a friend who owns one

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I once wanted to buy a Mini Cooper S, but a good friend told me this and it was totally clear to me: "Driving a Mini is like having sex with a "big" woman, it could be fun at first but eventually you will get tired of it."

Don't know if that helps, I dont know much about car specs but certainly the car is small which can be helpful for parking and in cities. Its owned by BMW so you can be sure its reliable. However the small size will also allow for less space to transport goods and people. Lastly I think the price you pay for the Mini is too high but I guess that depends on your country of residence and how much your dealer is affected by the crisis.

If your looking at cars in that price and size range check out the Alfa Romeo Mito which just came out.
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I've driven a couple of minis, and this is my experience:

Pros:

- Very fun to drive (specially the Cooper S version)
- Very good power to weight ratio
- Easy to park
- Great car to be seen in
- Makes you happy to get into, which is a plus
- Great mechanics (german)
- Maintains its price over time

Cons:

- Small interior (really cramped)
- Can be a bit pricy to maintain (specially the Cooper S)
- Small boot, if you're in a shopping mood
- Not ideal if you have a family
- Expensive to buy

Overall it is a great little car, and I would recommend the Cooper D, which is powerfull but cheaper to maintain (it's a diesel).
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