...Mini Cooper S vs. Lexus IS300? I know this is an odd mix of cars, but I am 18 and my dads wants to help me get a car for college. I am paying around 3/4 of the price so I want to get something that is a good blend of performance, looks, features, reliability, fuel economy, and low maintenance costs.

Here are the years of the cars, and please do not worry about the prices, I have found all these for around 15k or less. Also, please dont tell me about insurance, I have it worked out so I will be registered on my moms explorer. Here are the years:

2005 MB C230 Kompressor
2006-2008 Honda Civic Si Coupe
2006-2007 Eclipse GT V6
2004-2006 Mini Cooper S
2004-2005 Lexus IS300

As I said I am an 18 year old male, and want some good performance and looks, but still want a car that is reliable and does not cost a ton to maintain and is good on gas. Please let me know what you think about these, even though they are all not in the same class.

None of those, i know you hate to hear it but those arent the best first cars. I would rethink the list with some lower price cars, but ill help you with what youve chose.

The Merc will be a nice ride but insurance will be high and maitnence and maitnence cost will get expensive as well.

Honda is a good brand, they dont like to be drivin hard but ounce you do your gunna want to start upgrading more and more parts so id stay away from that even though insurance wont be high.

The eclipse is a good looking car but often dont run very well, although japenese engines are very reliable they arent the fastest out there. There plenty of ways to make it sound good as long as you dont run it to hard that i could tell you but ill save that for later.

Mini cooper??? they may look but there just all around horrible cars, terrible handeling, so-so engine, break really easily, and if it snows where you are you will have almost no handeling. i would just get that out of your mind. haha

The lexus might be a good ride, nice big car, insurance might be up there but its a nice build, might not be the best performance but itll be all you need. I dont know how far you want to get into customazation but it wont be that vast with this one.

Thats really all i have for now, hope i helped a little. Good luck

I'd go Honda

You're 18?

Honda. Done.