and I don't regret it ...well maybe a little .

Just a little background on myself. I have a wife and a daughter who i love very much. I have owned all types of cars from America and Japan and figured I would give Europe a try . It was tough giving up my STi but it was for the good of my family and deep down I really think I made the right move. I feel a ton more relaxed driving the Mini compared to my STi which is exactly what I was looking for. We bought a 2006 MCSa with 23K and so far I have only found paint chips on the front and not much else. I am still trying to figure out all the options the car came equipped with but I see there is a thread where someone has been helping with that info so I guess I will found out there .

Just wanted to introduce myself and say I am happy to be here!! Now onto the pics:

My '05 STi that I traded in


The "new to me" 2006 MCSa (I know you guys and gals have never seen a stock Mini )











Here is what my daughter gets to ride in. Love that seat!!

 

congrats....loosk great

 

Congratulations, very nice. Stock? Is that a factory aero kit? Looks good in blue, very similar to your Sti which will help in your transition.

Driving the MINI is a hoot and a great family car.

More pictures after your first set of mods.

 

Thanks for the warm welcome so far.

As far as I know it is stock. I did notice the air intake clips were off in the engine bay so I just hooked those back in. Maybe at one time it had an aftermarket intake but it sure doesn't look like it. The painted aero kit sure attracted me to the car and is helping the transition as well as all the luxury type stuff. The H/K stereo blew me away.

While the STi was nice, everything that I paid for was stuff I couldn't see since it was all under the body. The interior was spartan for the most part. I may not be able to go as fast but the Mini at least makes me feel like I spent my money more wisely .

The wierd thing about this Mini is that it is configured exactly the way I would have configured one back in 2006. The odds of me coming across one like that is staggering to say the least. Thanks again for the welcomes .

 

Just giving an update...My wife and I both love the car. We might end up being one of those 2 mini families I hear about on here . Got a question for you guys. On IWSTI they had a member journals forum where you could update any progress on your car using the same thread everytime. Do they have a forum or feature like that here? Thanks!!

 

So you didn't say why you got rid of the STI? I love the new one and almost bought one last weekend .

I'm also interested as to why you got an A. Trust when I say you can make a Mini as fast as an STI.

Longboard

 

Well main reason being that my wife has changed jobs twice since I got the STi and both times she took paycuts as well as a longer commute with this newest job and factor in having a baby since then (Daycare $$$). Let's just say money was getting tight .

Benefits of getting MCS:

I cut my car payments in half (barely extending my original loan).

Less expensive insurance by a long shot (the easier it was for high school kids to get an STi the higher my insurance went up. The avg. age over at IWSTI has skewed greatly as the years have gone by which proves this).

Saving on gas by having my wife drive the mini the 3 days she has to drive and I use our family vehicle (2007 Rav4...V6 ). I was averaging 12-15 mpg in my STi because I do all city and nothing else.

Another reason and this is purely subjective but I think I just outgrew the look. I was in my mid 20's when I bought it and now I am going to be hitting 30 with a growing family. Having teenagers yell all kinds of crap at me and having kids rev their engine at every stop light was just getting old. I am sure I will get some of that in the Mini but not nearly as often.

Since my wife drives the car an automatic was a must. She knows how to drive stick but really hates it so an suto it was. I really hated giving up my STi but family comes first and nothing else. The Mini has been a good replacement so far for the reasons I stated above. Sorry for the long winded post but I wanted to make sure I answered the questions thouroughly .

 

You almost bought a brand new STI last weekend? Obviously you disagree but I think you made a very wise choice in not doing so. I test drove one a couple of months ago and have to say I thought it was rubbish compared to earlier incarnations. Meanwhile the EVO has taken a huge step forward with their new model. Anybody who buys the new STI over the new EVO needs their head examined. Just my opinion of course.