What do you guys think of the Mini GP2?

[Greenkirby21]

My brother had the original 2006 GP and I remember it was just awesome.

I've owned my 128i for 4 years now and the warranty just expired.

I just started a new job and I am looking at spending ~40k on my next car.

Pros:
- Super rare, only 500 in USA, so will have really good resell
- Probably a lot of fun and awesome handling

Cons:
-Mostly a track car, but it would be 95% my DD.
-FWD still, and HP gains over the stock JCW isn't that much. Something like a 135i would probably be more comfortable and faster straight line in daily driving.

The Mini GP will be rare, and they just arrived at dealerships so they might be gone soon if I don't snatch one up.

However, I wouldn't want to buy a car just for the whim of it. I am really excited for the CLA, BMW 2 series, MKVII GTI and the BRZ WRX STI, all of which are rumored to come out end of this year.

The hard thing is that I wasn't planning on buying a car until the Fall or end of the year after testing driving them all :\. If I wait though, the GP2 might be gone like the 1M and I could or could not regret it

[bmwaddict]

It's true it's gonna be rare but with that 95% my DD don't think about you gonna get a good resale value. 10k miles a year? that's 40k miles in 4 years

[Tracus]

That red touch is so and so, especially on the bumper, but the wheels though, are plain terrible...

[LSPowered]

Not nearly enough car for the money

[KingOfJericho]

I've always liked these and a guy up the street has one so I'm forced to see it regularly. Really great looking car but no back seat is a bit impractical for a DD. With that said, I think the 135i is much more car for your money.

[328inGE]

I don't know why but this version of the GP just seems like too much money for what you get. Maybe its because the competition has caught up and there are now much more smaller high-fun factor cars available?

[ptack]

$40k? That's a lot for a Mini so you really have to love that car. It will also help if you live somewhere with nice, smooth roads because that the setup in that GP is likely to be brutally stiff. Unless you're really a huge Mini fan, I wouldn't worry about this selling out - it's aimed at the die-hard Mini fan and if you're not one, you might easily get tired of its extreme "Mininess" pretty fast. There are a lot of good options in that price range so start test driving. Shopping can be half the fun.

[kyleb350]

40k? You will enjoy a 135i a lot more.

[gp-207]

I actually just traded in my 2010 135i for the Mini JCW GP. I just moved and am now about 45 miles away from where I work, so I was looking for two things - better gas mileage and since I was going to be in the car for up to 90 minutes a day, something that was FUN to drive. It IS my daily driver and I couldn't be happier. On the gas mileage front - I'm averaging 32mpg where I was getting 22.5mpg with my 135. On the FUN front - well read on...

Its quite a different car - louder, more taught, and just begs to be driven fast, but its also a much more engaging car. Not something I'd want to take on a long trip, but for something that just feels like pure joy when you hop in the car, its quite a good value.

There are some things that greet you as soon as you sit in it that let you know you're in a special car. The leather and alcantara Recaro seats are the most comfortable I've ever driven in. The black leather dash with red stitching is a really nice touch and the bits of red (seat belts, shifter knob, 'luggage' beam) sprinkled throughout the cabin are some visual cues to let you know you're in for a treat when you fire up the engine.

Fire it up, and you get a really nice deep bass on startup. Wind it up past 5000 RPMs and it becomes an epic HOWWL. Where this car really shines, though, is in the twisties. If you've got any alternate paths with twisting, winding roads on your daily drive, you're going to want to alter your trip just to take those. Put the traction control in 'GP Mode' and it will just whip you around corners like a carnival ride.

Determining the worth of a car is a tricky thing, though. If you know what you're looking for and the car does that, isn't it 'worth the money'?

As far the comments about being brutally stiff - well, its very surprisingly well sorted in uneven pavement. Hardly brutal, but you do feel everything the road has to offer.

As much as I enjoyed the 135i, I don't miss it. I'm loving the GP.

[TSM330i]

Way too much money for the performance.

Go buy a BR-Z and do a couple small mods and you'll be a happy camper.

[KingOfJericho]

This is one of those cars that you should only buy because you think it's cool. Much like the Fiat Abarth, their competition beats them in every aspect short of coolness and/or uniqueness.

[LSPowered]

Originally Posted by kyleb350

40k? You will enjoy a 135i a lot more.

or a C6Z

[Year's_End]

Originally Posted by TSM330i

Way too much money for the performance.

Go buy a BR-Z and do a couple small mods and you'll be a happy camper.

.

[Inspired]

40k for a FWD and they call it a performance car?!

Way overpriced and way underpowered. 211hp/192torque

[Greenkirby21]

I think I am going to wait for the M235i : ).

I saw the mini GP2 at dealership. it was great looking, and if I had to trade in my car now thats probably what I would get. However, a lot of great cars are coming out soon and id rather wait on those for now

[Levi]

FWD

The best car at lowest price is the FRS/GT86/BRZ. If the power and gadgets are not enough, the next best is the M235i. Everything else is not worth considering.