With my newfound riches, I’m debating buying my very first sports car. Yes, I’ve been a car journalist for over a decade, and the sportiest car I’ve ever owned is a BMW i3. This must change. And right now, two cars are really pulling me in: The OG Audi TT and the OG Mini Cooper S.
It’s become clear to me that these two vehicles are future classics, and given that they’re reasonably small and efficient, they fit into my new suburban LA lifestyle better than would, say, another 4×4. More importantly: Right now, they’re cheap for what they are. I’d say that, on a soul-per-dollar basis, it’s hard to beat the Audi TT and the R53 Mini Cooper S.
I mean, just look at these two.
The ‘Italian Job’ Mini Cooper S Is Luring Me In
Right now, decent R53 Mini Coopers are selling between $3000 and $8000. That’s insanely cheap for a quick, fun, manual transmission car with this much soul.
And I know, you’re heading to the comments right now to write: “DUDE THESE THINGS ARE STEAMING HEEPS.” They have problems. That supercharger will need to be rebuilt, the engines themselves aren’t amazing, the front suspension tends to need love, and they take premium fuel.
But live a little! It’s a supercharged hot hatch that is sure to be a future classic. Spin a few wrenches, say a few cursewords, and then enjoy days on the canyons. I don’t know that I’ll be able to resist the R53 Mini Cooper S much longer. As long as I can find a red one with stripes for under 4 big ones, I’m probably onboard. (The one above on Cars & Bids hasn’t hammered yet; I’ll guess it’ll go for $8-ish, but we shall see).
My wife isn’t sold yet, but I’m working on it.
My First Love: The Audi TT
Is it just me or are Audi TTs on the rise? That’s not to say they’re pricey, but they used to be just a couple of grand, and now a halfway-decent one seems to be about $6-7 thousand here in LA.
Regardless, they deserve the love, as their rounded design is truly timeless. You get a 6-speed manual, all-wheel drive, a great little turbo motor (I’m told the 1.8 is the one to get), and style inside and out.
Yes, like the Mini, there are concerns about a 25 year-old German car potentially ruining one’s life. Will I be replacing a timing chain? Is the water pump going to go out on me? Do I have time to deal with a Piech-era VW product given that I have a baby at home? They are good questions.
I’m personally leaning towards the mini, since I think I can get a decent one for $3500. But people keep telling me horror stories…
Topshot: FB and Cars & Bids
Just go and drive Mercedes ND Miata. Thank me later David. We’re on our 3rd NC Miata here at the house. Super reliable and easy to work on if you want to 2.5 swap (did that, is great).
The emotional pull of those others will fade once you drive a Miata and then a janky old TT or Cooper.
Unless you want to spend your family quality time wrenching on a broken car, get something sporty AND reliable like a Miata, Civic Si, or BRZ.
Years ago, at the old site, I wrote into “What Car Should I Buy”. You suggested that I get a TT and waxed poetically that it was your favorite car when you were young in Germany. I took you recommendation seriously, though I ultimately bought a Fiat 124.
So I’m going to turn it around and suggest the TT. It was your dream car.
I purchased a 2005 R53 JCW ~1.5yrs ago. It’s been fun to drive and the kids love the “Muffin car” (my other car is blue, so it is the “Bluey car”. IYKYK).
The day I brought it home, the power steering hoses from the reservoir to the rack were leaking and I paid a mechanic an excessive amount to replace them. Most recently, the exhaust split in 2 at the cat that is 1 piece with the manifold. Somehow this can be replaced with a new manifold for $150 or a name brand manifold for $1,500. I’m electing to have the old one welded together.
While removing the manifold, I see signs of oil leaking. I haven’t been able to diagnose exactly what is leaking due to lack of space in the engine bay to see it and time to tear into it more. Fortunately, Bluey is a very reliable Honda Civic (knock on wood) and I am not depending on Muffin to get us around.
I had to go Mini. Raising a kid in the city (my son is nearly five) is interesting when you grew up in the rural South because the cars that fascinate him are VERY different than what I grew up coveting.
For example, a gorgeous British Racing Green Mini Cooper S is usually street parked on our walk back from the grocery store. Kiddo loves it. Absolutely enamored with it. Probably doesn’t help that his favorite toy store has a vintage Mini parked inside that is set up for kids to climb inside and “drive” complete with radio and engine noises. Personally, I’m more in love with the 1985 LTD Country Squire set up in the back with a road trip being broadcast through the windshield, but again, I grew up around full-size land yachts (an ’84 Lincoln Town Car in gold, ’86 Grand Marquis in Gray, 1992 Grand Marquis in teal, a couple Delta 88s, and then the ’92 Town Car and ’88 Crown Vic I owned) he’s growing up around city cars and cross-overs (he loves a RAV-4, but our Tiguan can make him laugh in sport mode when I give it some juice).
All that to say, should my next job allow me a chance to pick up a second car, a used Mini Cooper S is looking like a delightful pick. Just for him.
Get a Sienna, fix everything that’s wrong with it, and treat it like an enthusiast’s car.
Beware the TT. It has a fantastic design from a visual perspective, and I still adore it, but I used to want one kinda bad. Then I drove one. It drives like a mk4 vw because well it’s exactly a mk4 vw except it’s sorta worse than most Mk4s. The TT had the driver’s head position so far behind the front windshield/roof area, that if you are at a stoplight you’ll never see it turn green without leaning forward and trying to look up. The visibility in general is pretty awful.
I have some issues with the Mini as well, namely being the interior is ridiculously cringe, silver plastic with stupid over styled non sense, extremely tacky, it feels like if you converted a 90s No Doubt album into a car interior this is what it’d look like.
My suggestion is NEITHER, but since you are looking at hatches and the 1.8T is a fantastic engine, I would point you to either the Mk4 GTI or the 2002-2004 Beetle Turbo S. The Mk4 is a hatch about the same as a Mini except the interior is light years better, and the 1.8T is a far superior engine to supercharged 1.6 in the Mini, far more reliable, more power, just better in every aspect I can think of.
And the Beetle Turbo S is a total sleeper in today’s market; you get unique cup racer inspired bumpers, front and rear, unique headlights, unique wheels, better suspension, and the interior is adorned with billet aluminum SIMILAR to the TT, but the primary difference being the beetle is much more liveable and useful as a car, the visibility is better, the head room is amazing, etc.
TLDR: TT is good looking but once I drove one I didn’t want one anymore. IMHO Turbo S Beetle is the better pick. There is a reason I have gone through several Mk4 VWs and we still have our 04 Turbo S for over 10 years now.
Edit: best part about 1.8T is chip tuning. I have unitronics stage 2 which bumps from the factory 180hp/180ft lbs to 235hp/275ftlbs. Thing RIPS
TT. I fell in love the moment it came out. That styling was never a future classic, it was a classic from the start.
So yeah, guess which one I’m picking….? I’ve had mine since 2005 ~31k miles. Still driving it daily in 2026 at ~208k miles. Surprising things that have yet to be replaced: clutch/flywheel (really), supercharger. Unsurprising things that have been replaced: power steering (warranty), worn out suspension parts, several gaskets, CV boots, sensors, gas pedal, throttle body, alternator finally went out last month. But it’s a heck of a lot more reliable than many would lead you to believe. I will never ever sell this car – they are absolute joys on the road, and there’s enough space for two car seats in the back!
Are they safe?
Wrong question about a ~30 year old tiny car’s design, David. Safe relative to what, you might ask. It’s not safe enough for either Delmar or his dad against any Navigator, Rover, or, when not otherwise heating up Fort Worth, some behemoth 9,000lb BT1 BEV (thanks, GM, from this Detroit area Miata driver).
Fun on the cheap without investing future time and money in overly complex and costly German engineering predictable failures (I’m also a long time German car owner)? Our Mercedes Streeter, too, knows what M.I.A.T.A. stands for.
Nope. They are 12 feet long and 25 years old. But the kids love an *occasional* ride. We have a minivan for daily kid duties. You might be interested to read through forum posts by “Unbreakable Lump” – they were involved in the development of the R53 engine – lots of good enginerd content 🙂
I own a 2007 Mini Cooper S (R56). I got mine with 48K miles in 2018, for $8k.
When it works, it is a very fun, refined, entertaining drive. I can haul my two grade-school-aged kiddos in the back, and still have fun driving around. It works well as a daily driver.
I love the way the car looks (some sort of laser blue metallic color, with stripes), with a lot of weird/quirky details. It is a joy to drive in the PNW fall/winter/spring seasons.
But I hate owning the car.
The cost of repairs is excessive – my A/C does not work, for example, and fixing it is cost prohibitive. So is the $200 I got charged once for an oil/filter change. Replacing the serpentine belts was quoted in the $1k range. These are all items I have fixed in other cars (Alfa Romeo, Miata, Protege5, Mazdaspeed 3).
All these tasks are a pain in a Mini. You can’t service anything engine-related without having to undo the whole front of the car. Afterward, you are left with virtually no room for reaching the various nuts and bolts to be unfastened/refastened.. Then there is the whole “bumper service position”, which gives you an extra few inches of room, but which for some reason does not exist in my specific car (pounding with a sledge for 1 hour was an exercise in increasing frustration and anger).
I am not a great mechanic, but I used to love working on cars. The stress of working on the mini has zapped a lot of that away.
Nowadays, the only service I do on the mini is adding a quart of oil (a whole fucking quart) every 800 miles or so (this is considered normal, BTW), and replacing the oil filter when I remember to. Every
minutehour of time spent working on the car is time I could have spent with my wife and kids.Save enough and buy a third gen MCS. Or better yet, buy the correct kind of mini: a minivan. And then borrow a Mini Cooper from a friend.
YMMV.
Good luck – from a fan of yours and the website.
I haven’t read through all 150-ish recommendations, but I’ll just tell you that the only correct ones are those that say “Cayman S”. Don’t dick around- get a proper sports car!
David, what happened to the siren song of a first generation RX7??
For sportiness, safety, something less common than the Miata (which is also a great choice), in your price range, and that babies easily once they are out of a rear facing child seat… Mazda RX8
They’ve shot up too high in value.
Yeah, I had to go through a 944, Spitfire, Midget, the mighty V70R (miss that one), 328is, and a GTI before I went Miata. Slap in a Hard Dog Double and go. Only the Miata can reliably take a kid out on a one on one trip in town, my wife on a date, happily spin laps for a three day track weekend, and get me to work when everything else on the property was on the disabled list.
No, neither.
I hate to pile on the obvious here, but buy a Miata. If it had been several years ago.. cheapish clown shoe Z3s could have been an option.
Neither one is a sports car, at best they are sporty cars. Get a Miata, or a MR-2, or a BRZ/86 to get at least close to a sports car.