I test drove the Smart and the MINI Cooper S. They were night and day.
I drove the MINI S while in West Palm Beach at Braman Motorcars which is a large group of dealers that sells premium brands, so they basically shoved be behind the wheel. Drove the exact combo I wanted - that bright blue with white top, roof, HIDs, and larger multi-spoke BBS-like alloys. Swwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeet to drive around corners! Wowzers was it great! But, I didn't like the engine that much at all. The supercharger didn't feel right. Wasn't linear at all. Always felt to me like the engine had to be nudged to life, which I didn't like.
I find the interior very spacious, and I LOVE the design. Sure, the speedo is kind of odd, but the chrome toggle switches are nifty and I think the look is just great! That's retro done right!
Anywho, I think quality has been improved greatly since they came out. It's a neat car. At $22K for a base Classic, not too bad. Not great, but it's a unique little car that holds it's value and I think they're worth it if you don't need tonnes of room. Most everything else at that price is boring, devoid of personality, and certainly not as hip nor upscale in image.
Oh, and that's a nifty shot of that mini MINI in orange. In the first photo, it nearly looked life sized to me!!! Near perfect for Jeff!
(Message edited by sirAQUAMAN64 on March 29, 2005)
