Hi Everyone,
New owner here since March 09. I live in DC metro area and have always been a fan of the mini ever since back in my mother country, Kenya, my Taekwondo coach used to give me a ride in his early 70s classic Mini Morris back in the early 90s. Wow! he would drive that little box like he was in the Safari rally(reckless but not scary). I fell in love with the car ever since and was always surprised that even with my 6'3 tall frame I fit quite comfortably. Well now I was happy to get an 05 Gray Mini Cooper S with 20k miles back in March. It has brought back more than the fun memories of my high school days with the coach. However, i was very disappointed when last week my power steering pump failed and the local BMW/Mini dealer quoted me $1300. Almost lost my mind. I did not purchase any warranty but I went digging on the net for more info and that is how I came accross this site. Now I will be getting a replacement from BBA Reman and I have a Mini Tech who will install it for me for much cheaper. I had really started hating the reliability and the complaints I read about on various issues on this car had me scared. After reading and finding alot of good info on this site and youtube my mini is a keeper and I am considering doing repairs myself on most basic stuff. I ordered the bentley service manual which is in transit now. Next week my first project will be replacing front and rear brakes and rotors which are due for a change already. My control arm bushings need replacement as well. Saw a video of a guy doing the replacement on a BMW 3 and it seemed ok for DIY. Other mods planned are sprint booster and considering the one ball exhaust mod.

Happy to be here and I look forward to being a regular.

 

Welcome to NAM!