Buy Now or Wait for 2024

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BackPack

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Hi Everyone - I’m new here and new to looking at EVs. I’ve been living in California for a couple of years now. I never really wanted an EV, but it’s clear that’s where we’re heading.

I love cars and love driving, as does my wife. We both love manual transmission cars so it’s hard to think of getting something with no gearbox. But one Saturday we were looking for something to do and said let’s go look at electric cars. I had started researching and the Mini seemed like one we’d like. So we headed to the Mini dealer and were able to drive a 2020 that they keep just for demos. Gotta say, we both enjoyed driving the car. I was surprised how fun it was to drive.

So fast forward and we’re looking at more and more electric cars including the Kia EV6 and VW ID.4. But we keep coming back to the Mini with low price (even though we’d get the Iconic level), looks, and fun to drive.

We can order a 2023 now and get it in 3 months. But I know the 2024 model will be a complete redesign as a ground up EV and likely to have much longer range. This will be a third vehicle for us so the current range really isn’t an issue. Just makes it more difficult if we want to take it for longer trips.

So what are others thinking? Get the 2023 model now or wait for the 2024 redesign?
 
I’ve always loved driving manuals too. I do a lot of mountain driving on windy roads. I thought I would miss a manual for that. The regen braking makes the Mini feel like a downshifting manual in the corners but it is so much quicker. I recently drove a manual and found it boring in comparison. Here’s the deal with electrics, every year there will be something better. It’s all a matter of when you decide to pull then trigger. I look at it this way, the current drivetrain has been around for years in the I3 and is fairly proven. Next year will be the first year of a completely new model. Maybe that’s a roll or the dice. We chose the current model and love it.
 
Here, here for the Classic MINI Electric! Or will our cars be known as the "OEM" for Oxford Electric MINI?

Without a major advance in battery technology, I believe MINI will find it difficult to turn Great Wall Motors' Good Cat into a better MINI Electric. Maybe our MINI Cooper SEs will be called "the good ones."
 
BackPack said:
Hi Everyone - I’m new here and new to looking at EVs. I’ve been living in California for a couple of years now. I never really wanted an EV, but it’s clear that’s where we’re heading.

I love cars and love driving, as does my wife. We both love manual transmission cars so it’s hard to think of getting something with no gearbox. But one Saturday we were looking for something to do and said let’s go look at electric cars. I had started researching and the Mini seemed like one we’d like. So we headed to the Mini dealer and were able to drive a 2020 that they keep just for demos. Gotta say, we both enjoyed driving the car. I was surprised how fun it was to drive.

So fast forward and we’re looking at more and more electric cars including the Kia EV6 and VW ID.4. But we keep coming back to the Mini with low price (even though we’d get the Iconic level), looks, and fun to drive.

We can order a 2023 now and get it in 3 months. But I know the 2024 model will be a complete redesign as a ground up EV and likely to have much longer range. This will be a third vehicle for us so the current range really isn’t an issue. Just makes it more difficult if we want to take it for longer trips.

So what are others thinking? Get the 2023 model now or wait for the 2024 redesign?
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wait and save for a Taycan. i regret getting the SE. Ordering Taycan later this year
 
Smart Wannabe said:
wait and save for a Taycan. i regret getting the SE. Ordering Taycan later this year
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Some people can't afford, or can't justify paying that much for a car. It's 3 times more expensive!

The MINI SE is so good right now that if you don't get one of the '23 models, you risk not having fun with it for a whole year, and you risk getting a car that's not as good or as fun to drive, or that doesn't look as good. In my opinion, the MINI is a work of art. Probably not all of you may share that opinion, but I've always loved the way this car looks (both the classic Mini and the BMW version). The fact that I can have a MINI electric now is just icing on the cake!
 
Smart Wannabe said:
wait and save for a Taycan. i regret getting the SE. Ordering Taycan later this year
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I don't understand but fully respect your regret. However, isn't Porsche planning to make an electric Boxster or Cayman? One of those would be so much more fun than a Taycan. But if you don't like your SE, perhaps it's the 2-1/2 ton Taycan's luxury and range you seek rather than agility around roundabouts.
 
Smart Wannabe said:
wait and save for a Taycan. i regret getting the SE. Ordering Taycan later this year
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I think many people would like to understand your regrets. Please share.

I did consider a Taycan. But I’m already waiting for my allocation for a 911 (manual of course). The allocation should come through in a few months. Speccing out a Taycan the way I want it puts it close to 911 money and no way I will spend that much on two cars. The 911 has been a dream since I was a little kid so that will definitely happen. It will probably the last manual and last ICE car I buy.

I’ve always liked Minis and I like how the SE looks like a regular Mini Cooper so it’s high on the list to be the first electric. We keep our cars a long time. The Mini would replace my 2004 Accord, or at least that’s what my wife says. It’s hard to get rid of a Honda with only 250,000 miles on it. Lots of life left in it.
 
Be aware of tax credit. Don't know how many elec mini's have been sold. But after 200,000 there is no longer a credit. And who knows what congress will change. Most current bills are for the better, but there could be income restrictions. Etc. who knows?

And check your state credit. Here in Colorado it will be $500 less next year. I would buy now and enjoy it!!!!!
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TripleD said:
But after 200,000 there is no longer a credit.
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I believe under current law the credit phases out the quarter following hitting the 200,000 mark, but doesn't immediately disappear. Based on MINI US sales data of under 30,000 cars per year since the SE came to market (assuming data are accurate), it will be a long time before MINI sells 200,000 electric vehicles.
 
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I would rather get a MINI now than wait for the 1st year teething pains of a new generation. Aftermarket support for the current F56 is robust with various shared OEM components from the ICE equivalent.

Since it's the OP's third vehicle in the household, it should suit most of your needs. If you have no problems with daily 1/4 petrol tank challenge, then the MINI is a fine choice for those who only use the front two seats.

Edit: Petrol prices in California are now $5.37/gal and some areas are over $6/gal.
 
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Back in 04 when the GTO came to these shores for 33k one of the magazines compared it to the 60k BMW. Guess what? The BMW won. Why didn't they compare it to the 30k BMW? I did, and I got the GTO.

Now we have people on this board comparing a 30k Mini to a 100K+ Porsche. Let's compare a subcompact to a full size. I have a Porsche. I drove many different Porsches on a track. I have friends with Porsches and a Mini. As nice as the Panemerica is on a track considering it's size, I know it is as foolish to compare it to a Cayman or 911. It is more foolish to compare a Mini Cooper to any Porsche.
 
Smart Wannabe said:
wait and save for a Taycan. i regret getting the SE. Ordering Taycan later this year
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Wut???

Enjoy your overpriced vehicle. This is not a reasonable comparison. It baffles me that people compare the SE to ANYTHING on the market. If you want an electric car that can provide 100 miles of range, and still be fun, there isn't another option that costs <$40k. With current incentives <$30k.

"I'm considering a VW Jetta." "No, save your money for a Lambo. It's faster." Thanks for the advice.
 
Welcome, @BackPack!

Because you said you tend to keep your cars for a long time, I think you’d probably be happier with the next-gen SE (2024 model year or later) with its greater range — not that any of us know how many more miles it will actually go — because 5 (or certainly 10) years from now, as battery tech continues to improve, etc., the range that’s acceptable to us today is probably going to seem WAY too limited then. Especially considering we’re talking about one of the shortest-range EVs on the market today — the range of which some (perhaps many/most) owners already consider barely acceptable.

But then, you’re also considering an EV6 or ID.4, which would probably cost $10k to $20k more than the current SE, and meanwhile you’ve already ordered a 911 that’s going to run well over $100k. Which means you’ve got some serious $$ to play with.

Given that, the answer seems clear to me: Put your order in now for a ‘23 SE, enjoy the heck out of it for the next year or two or three, and if you really like it but the reviews of the next-gen SE are good and you find the siren call of its greater range hard to resist, order a ‘24 or ‘25 or ‘26, too.

In other words, Buy Now and Wait for 2024 — enjoy the best of both worlds! (And no, I’m not kidding. :D)
 
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Smart Wannabe said:
wait and save for a Taycan. i regret getting the SE. Ordering Taycan later this year
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Newkirk said:
Some people can't afford, or can't justify paying that much for a car. It's 3 times more expensive!

The MINI SE is so good right now that if you don't get one of the '23 models, you risk not having fun with it for a whole year, and you risk getting a car that's not as good or as fun to drive, or that doesn't look as good. In my opinion, the MINI is a work of art. Probably not all of you may share that opinion, but I've always loved the way this car looks (both the classic Mini and the BMW version). The fact that I can have a MINI electric now is just icing on the cake!
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I would spec a 4S for $120k after the incentives. That's actually fairly conservative considering the Porsche options game.

My mid tier SE was ~$24k after incentives. :)
 
BackPack said:
So fast forward and we’re looking at more and more electric cars including the Kia EV6 and VW ID.4. But we keep coming back to the Mini with low price (even though we’d get the Iconic level), looks, and fun to drive.
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You're considering some very different cars---a MINI, the EV6, and ID4.

Do you need the range and the space of the EV6 or ID4? If not, go for the MINI. It's cheap(er), fun to drive, and looks great. There are too many unknowns about the 2024, I wouldn't wait for it. Also, personally I avoid the first year of an all-new model. I like them to work out the bugs first.

My input is---if the MINI works for your usage patterns, go for it.
 
I really liked the ID4 when I took it for a test drive, and it was more in line with the size of vehicle I had at that time (BMW X6), but as soon as I drove the SE I knew that was the one I had to buy. I’m currently charging it once a week on average as I don’t do many miles, so I looked around and asked myself if I needed to be lugging around useless weight that I didn’t need to just to keep in the mindset of an ICE car and have 300 miles range when I needed it. For me I just need it so infrequently that the SE works for me and it’s a ton of fun to drive.
I am very keen to hear the specs of the 24 SE because right now greater range means greater weight which means less flickability. There’s also the unknown quality aspect on how well the Great Wall car based on the Ora Good Cat will be put together. Probably very well, in line with how iPhones, MacBooks etc are out together in China, but it remains to be seen if it retains its Mini DNA.
 
I really appreciate everyone’s input. That’s what’s great about car forums.

The Mini was the first EV we looked at. With the incentives it makes for a very compelling option. And for what we’ll use the car for, the range really isn’t an issue. This past Saturday my wife and I walked the beach at Coronado, then headed to a mall in La Jolla to return some clothes my daughter ordered, and finally finished with a Costco run. In all we did 65 miles so no range issue. And the whole time I thought how much fun it would be doing this in the Mini.

Once we started looking at EVs, then I started looking at all others in the market including what’s coming soon. Thought being maybe we spend a little more money and get something with more range that we can take longer trips in. This becomes a slippery slope and suddenly you’re looking at cars $20k - $30k more.

I’m leaning more towards ordering the 2023 now knowing that it can fulfill our needs for many years. The next EV in 5 or 6 years can be the one that has long range. The only other problem is convincing my wife to order now. She insists that I don’t buy any other car until the 911 is in the garage. The other issue is I love BRG and she insists on Island Blue….which I do like as well.

More to come I’m sure.
 
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