SRT-4? Sure, go fast, and wait for your pile of mopar to fall apart. I haven't seen a Dodge made in years that I was impressed with the build quality...

And I thought that BMW was just marketing the copper, not making them, could be wrong.
Still, I'd be all over the Cooper over the si. Better designed platform, already has as much after market support, and it's a Mini! I've loved mini's since I was a kid. Shit, I love CRX's as a kid. That's how I got into cars. But why go new mini when you can import an original mini with a b16 in it cheaper, and still have honda reliability is a lighter chassis?