[twag4]

I own an r53 (2006) and an FRS. The r53 has issues, but if you handle the issues it can be very reliable. The FRS is reliable out of the box. When both were still stock, my son and I ran them against each other often. In every case the frs won by a slight margin with both of us driving both cars. He always believed the mini was faster, but the races proved otherwise. You just gotta rev the FRS. Now my frs is supercharged, and the r53 has been modded. The FRS is quicker by a good bit than the r53, but the r53 is way quicker than it was. The r53 was cheaper to mod too. There is tons of aftermarket support for both cars. The suspension mods made to both have made them both much more capable. While the R53 no longer wants to understeer, the FRS is just better. Th mini has back seats that can actually carry people in them(nearly). there is no chance for the FRS in that regard. Both cars have substantial power and handling enhancements, brakes to come soon on them. They are two very fun and capable cars, and both put a huge grin on my face every time I drive them. They are just different. The mini has much better intake and exhaust noise. BTW the mini rotates real well now too, but the FRS does it just that much better. Make the mini reliable for some money, or get the FRS. Both are fun and can be reliable. OP, PM me if you want more info.

My FRS has been mechanically very reliable. It gets cricket noises in the heat of summer, I had a rear end seal replaced, and my 10series illuminated dash panel quit working. The crickets and dash were no big deal, and the seal was barely seeping, and took the dealer about one hour to replace under warranty. The FRS is very easy to work on and everything except spark plugs is pretty easy to get to