Which is better for a first car?

The Mini would make the better first car, the G35 is a bit on the powerful side for a first driver. Although the Mini can be quite powerful if you go further up the price, with the top spec ones being the tuned John Cooper Works models which would actually be able to take a G35 on a racetrack. The best overall model would be the Cooper S, punchy but not powerful enough to make a mess of things. Aside from the G's luxuries such as leather and semi-auto transmission in my opinion the Cooper has a better looking interior anyway. Retro styling for the win...