From the list you provide, I like the Mazda 3 or the Miata. I have a feeling you are more of a Miata person. Hey, life it short. It might be a bit squirrely on the freeway due to its light weight and wheelbase dimensions, but I expect it is still a pretty good ride. A new Miata for you? hmmm … Yes. If the test drive is satisfactory, I say go for it.
I’ve owned a Miata since 1998. Great cars. You can do a Costco run if you are alone, and you own some bungee cords. Lot’s fits in the trunk if you bungee it down. And, you can put all sorts of big things in the passenger seat, with the top down. They are reliable and cheap to operate. In Connecticut the snow may be a problem, with rear wheel drive and a low ground clearance.
If practical wins out over romance, then the Mazda 3 hatchback is the way to go.
Why not hang around and see if Hyundai is going to bring that diesel powered mini ute awd,Cruz out?I’m waiting to see what happens,sounds like it would be perfect for your needs.
I’m not sure why someone who wants a Miata would be equally happy with a diesel-powered fake truck. 
Besides, I haven’t seen much on this vehicle since its debut as a concept car. There’s no guarantee that it will ever come to market. If OP is gonna wait around, he should wait for the Civic Type R, which will be coming out some time next year.
That said, OP said his current car is having expensive problems, which is to be expected from a Mini. Not sure he would want to wait around for very long.
“Why not hang around and see if Hyundai is going to bring that diesel powered mini ute awd,Cruz”
I was going to say there are so many problems with that sentence but the Cruz looks kind of cool. I can’t imagine it’s fun to drive though. I have looked at an old ranchero as backup for when the mini is down but chances are neither will run.
As for the mini’s expensive issues:
Randomly cranks but doesn’t start in the morning spent $120 at mechanic to not know what’s wrong. It’s been good for a few weeks though.
Probably needs a clutch within a year ($1500 mechanic install)
Control arm sooner then later ($500 mechanic)
Power steering pump #5 sooner then later (last pump from Napa is under warranty DIY)
Oil leak, pan gasket and crank sensor o-ring ($40 DIY, but does not look fun )
Possible coolant leak.
Kind of want/ need reupholstery vinyl is cracking
Mechanic quoted around $6000 for everything and the car is worth <$5000 blue book. Think it’s the end of the line for my beloved mini.
#GeorgeSanJose Years ago a similar question was posed to Tom McCahill of Mechanix Illustrated. He had a simple answer; " Go buy the sports car; you are going to be married and dead for a long time in the future."
If you are single and want a sports car, this will likely be your only chance, so go for it. I would have done the same but my job required a normal people size car.
LOL, I LOVE it!, That describes my life perfectly! 
Look, just buy the Miata and get rid of the Mini.
And, if you can be patient, you might find a Miata from some older owner like me who doesn’t drive it in bad weather, uses another vehicle for long distance driving and keeps it only for the pure joy of a ride in a two seat roadster. They can be cheap to buy in the winter, too.
Here’s one to check out.
Don’t take this the wrong way, please
But your Mini sounds like a COMPLETE POS
The epitome of UNreliability, if I may be so bold
FWIW . . . I’ve heard and read that the mini clutch design just plain sucks. Period. Apparently it’s so horrendous that people that have been competently and correctly driving stick for decades buy a mini and the clutch wears out relatively quickly. And they never prematurely wore out a clutch before buying that mini. The company is a loser and accepts no responsibility, and is blaming the driver(s). But they’ve quietly come out with a different clutch design . . .
I also say go for the Miata. If you want fun, it may as well be reliable fun
And I suggest you NOT hang onto the mini in the long run, even as a backup car. You’ll just be tempted to pour more money into it.
That Cruz should be a relatively light vehicle,with 190 hp and 300 lbs ft torque,should move off the line pretty well can haul 3 smurfs in a pinch and the garbage outside the cab,mileage High 30s,dang when are they bringing this thing out,I believe I just sold myself one,motorcycles are fun also and cheaper then Miatas,but if you think a Miata type vehicle will suit you buy one,there are a couple of other companies that make something similar too(maybe not as reliable)
The only Miata competitors are the TT and the Z4 and both are double the price. Am I forgetting anything?
I don’t take offense the mini is garbage, but it’s kind of like a puppy. No matter how many times it pees on the floor you still love it. It had troubles off and on from the beginning but most days it’s been working fine and it’s both practice and a delight to drive. Its astonishing that depite all the issues it still makes me smile. Also I can’t complain about the clutch. I think mine has done ok 110,000mi first 3yrs was a 30mi hwy comute, last 7yr was 4mi city comute.
Although I think I’ve convinced myself the Miata would work, I’m thinking I should be a bit more practical. it’s between the wrx and waiting on the civic si. I don’t think either would be a major sacrifice in fun and a would be a lot more livable.
I had to stop in the subie dealer to get a Costco price quote on the wrx. The price is $900 below invoice. (I can get Miata at invoice). The one I want will be delivered any day. The wrx is great. It’s brutish fun and extremely fast but has a very spartan interior and is a handful at low speed (jumpy in parking lots). I’m also looking at NO options bare bones With the wrx. Heated seats and leather would be nice but not $5000 nice. The civic si has a ton of promise. Everything indicates the civic will be extremely fun and i should be able to get a civic with a lot of options for roughly the same price as a stripped wrx.
Car shopping has been miserable and stressfull. It’s really hard to deside if I end it now and buy the wrx or drag it out until March for the civic. I probably need the control arm fixed if I wait but that will be a lot less $$$ then 3 car payments.
Corvette. The C7 and later C6 cars even get good highway mileage. You might also consider the Honda S2000 if you don’t mind a used car, but the gas mileage is awful.
@Hankscorpio Don’t ever fall in love with something that can’t love you back! Car shopping does not have to be miserable and stressful; a mature adult addresses it like solving any problem; Identify you actual needs, assess your financial resources, make a list of suitable candidates and try out a number of them.
One company I worked at had a part department clerk who bought a Jaguar VandenPlas, used of course. He could not afford any of the upkeep and soon had to sell it after the first major repair, $1200 steering rack in 1987!!!.
We had warned him that this was a bad choice, but he had to learn the hard way!.
The S2000 also has absolutely zero storage.
Put Stirling Moss and Walter Mitty away and get a nice sedan(you will still be on the upper part of the curve).
How is car shopping supposed to be stress free? I’m making a major financial decision. I have sales staff working against me. I’m trying to predict how well the vehicle will maintain value, reliability, and maintain my happiness/stress level over the next 5-10 years. The right car and your commute can actually be enjoyable the wrong car can make it the worst part of the day.
Love may be the wrong term for the mini but sticking by the mini is still not a bad choice. maintaining it is still cheaper then buying a new car by a long shot. Even buying the cheapest car on the market is a lot of money compared to repairing a car. Sure I could trade it for a more reliable used car.
if you love the Mini so much,fix er up.Its up to you,personally,I stopped throwing good money after bad a long time ago and I watch these Guys around here drag in a junker(the same model they had as a teenager)and start throwing money and time at it and it reinforces my lack of desire to duplicate my first rides.
Don’t worry about depreciation if you plan to keep the car for 10 years. If you still want to know about depreciation, go to edmunds.com and check put their True Cost to Own feature. Other sites like Edmunds may have a similar feature. It provides estimates of five year costs for depreciation, insurance, finance, fuel, maintenance, and repairs for any new car you are likely to consider. They also do it for cars up to about 6 years old. Scroll down to the bottom of their home page and you will se the feature at the bottom of a list in the middle of the page.
Well an I checked kbb regarding a 07’ wrangler unlimited w/ 50000mi I found and it is still valued at $19,000-$20,000. A 2016 wrangler unlimited starts at $27700. Some cars it’s worth looking at depreciation : )
I’ve considered buying a used wrangler Sell it within a year. Honestly wranglers are terrible cars unless you live in the middle of the wilderness. They are also the cheapest car to insure.
“Honestly wranglers are terrible cars . . .”
Not surprisingly, they rate among the worst of the worst, when Consumer Reports publishes the list of most reliable and least reliable cars
I’m pretty sure they’ve been on the “avoid at all costs” list . . . probably more than once
“They are also the cheapest car to insure.”
Well, that’s something, at least. You’ll need that money NOT spent on costly insurance . . . for repairs :naughty: