[darkpuppet]

I think it all depends... The mini is arguably the better driver's car, hell, it may even be the better car in general.

But they're not the most practical car, and, after looking at autotrader, I'd say you may be better off with the focus..

A used 2006 Mini on autotrader with 103,000km on it goes for about $19,500,

And a 2007 focus starts at about $14,000...

So, is the used 2006 mini really 5 grand better than a focus? Not really (IMO).... and I'm sure you could easily find the focus for much less than 14,000 grand.

And the focus is still a decent driving car, has tonnes of space, and is overall just more practical... but it's just a focus.