snif.

[katallison]

Well, tzikeh's timely warning anent the poor reliability ratings of the Mini (which I confimed by racing out to get Consumer Reports, and then by checking around on various relevant review and discussion websites, where I found even the most loyal Mini owners are given to posting things like "Well, sure, things seem to go wrong with it all the time, but hey! It's so cool!") -- this timely warning, as I was saying, has caused me to take a big step back and reassess, because with cars the one thing I *have* to have is reliability. So waaahhh, and phoooey, and now I'm back to looking at used Hondas and Toyotas.

Facts providing some solace in my heartache:

--that I can readily find (for example, from current cars.com listings) a 2003 Corolla with 9500 miles on it and all the features I want for $13,000;
--that that is (as previously noted) $5000 less than the Mini;
--that if I assume a four-year payoff, the annual difference in car payments between the Corolla and the Mini would equal the cost of a really nice trip to Europe, say, or a well-equipped new computer. *Every year.*
--that if the Corolla broke down, I could get it worked on pretty much anywhere, whereas there is one and only one dealership between Seattle and Milwaukee where I could get the Mini serviced.

So ... I feel like the spell is broken, and I am wistful but calmer. Thanks to everyone who contributed thoughts, enthusiasm, caution, and personal experiences to my previous entry--I'll try to get back to you all individually soon.