test drove the Countryman and X3 today. Me and the wife are also looking to replace our X5.
I see two issues...
first has already been mentioned... under 25K won't get you very much in the Countryman. Basically a base model 2 wheel drive plus all the taxes and charges will cost about 25k.
the second issue is the amount of car seats you want. Even with a rear bench (i'm not even sure they have that option yet) There is no way to put three seats in the back.

I was impressed with the countryman, mind you I drove a turbocharged all4 version. I was expecting the car to be sluggish and the ride to feel "loose" or floaty. To my surprise the car felt just like my ClubmanS or CooperS, except the seat is much higher, like a captain's seat. The back seats can be pushed back and forth a few inches which is great for when you want to chose between cargo space or rear leg room.
I was impressed at how roomy it is in there.

Problem was that the new X3 was very, very good and is pretty much the size of our E53 X5. With all the bells and whistles the CountrymanS all4 was the price of a spartan X3. X3 is my choice.

But OP, if this is only for a couple of years then take the advice of E61Silver...
buy a used honda minivan, with the few thousand that you save you will have enough gasoline money for the next two years (milage may vary!). And then when it's time to buy your X5, finding a buyer for the Honda won't be an issue.

I'm on the same boat... I know that a minivan is the reasonable way to go, but I just can't stand the idea of owning and driving a Minivan

Goodluck

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SENNA IS MY CO-PILOT!

My understanding is that mini's still have serious reliability problems.

X3 ftw.

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You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.

Are you talking all Mini's or the Countryman specifically? I can tell you we are on our 2nd Cooper S and all they have required are scheduled maintenance. These cars are rock solid and did I mention great on gas ...............Phil

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2011.5 Dinan ///M3:
SSII DCT
Competition Pkg
Convenience Pkg
Premium Pkg 2
Heated Seats
Enhanced Premium Sound
Black Kidney Grills
BMW M Performance Steering Wheel
BMW Carbon Fiber Performance Spoiler
BMW Aluminum Pedals
Dinan Exhaust
Dinan Mid-Exhaust (x-pipe)
Dinan Carbon Fiber Intake
Dinan Performance Tune
Dinan Pulley Kit
Dinan CH-R Wheels
Dinan Carbon Fiber Strut Tower Braces
Arkym Front Lip
Carbon Reflectors
Lux H8 V3
Brembo 365mm BBK

I agree with Phil

But I would not want to be a first-year-model owner of the Countryman.
I would think that there are gonna be some design issues that will show up. The problem is that the car is new and not based on the Cooper or anything else. So in a way, the new Countryman owner is either being a guinea pig or a trailblazer depending on how you look at it.

If I remember correctly the Cooper's first two year models were problematic in odd places. example: some colors from 02' faded badly, issue with stalling through deep puddles of water

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SENNA IS MY CO-PILOT!

I hear Rolls Royce will be building a special edition Mini .no kidding .

Mini's in general. A friend worked at a BMW/Mini dealer and frequently commented on how Mini's were unreliable.

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You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.

I drove the Countryman S. I didn't like how I caught air when I would go over a stone-inlay "line" through the industrial park test drive route. It was fun on the roundabouts though

(Clemson-ICAR)

Not to be confused with the Mini "Rolls Royce" edition, right?

I've configured a 2wd Countryman with manual and the adaptive lights for $23,800. That might include heated seats as well. I am assuming MINI backs their product like BMW does. Notice there is no discussion of VW...after having to go to arbitration against VW because they refused to accept a Lemon Touareg, I am done with that brand.

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