Just picked up our pre-owned Pepper White '08 MCs yesterday. The previous owner bought it loaded with the convenience/cold weather/premium/sport packages, auto tranny and navigation...

Unfortunately what the previous owner didn't do is trade it with floormats, iPod cable or spare key fob, in addition to curbing 2 of the wheels and putting a nice crease in the driver's side rear quarter...

The dealer "fixed" the dent with DentPros, who did a real ham and egg job; it came out yardsale ugly, which kills me because I'm a perfectionist. I used the missing equipment to hammer them on the price, which ended up almost $2K under Edmunds TMV trade-in! Yeah...I stole it.

The dealer promised me another fob and I'm off on my search to get a good deal on the iPod cable and floormats.

Modding...ugghhh...that's a tough one, I tinted the tail lights on my garden tractor! Since my older daughter is getting this as her first car when she gets her license, I need to keep the tweaking to a MINImum, so maybe I'll have to buy another for myself to keep me entertained.

I consider myself to be a hardcore motorsport enthusiast, our two other current vehicles are an '07 Cadillac ESV and '08 Chrysler 300 SRTd, which, coincidentally, get about the same mileage as the MINI...when you add them together! Previous rides were a Mercedes S55 AMG, Dodge Ram SRT-10, Jeep SRT, Dodge Magnum R/T, etc., etc., etc.! My only previous "experience" with a MINI was a S that was less than pleased with my passing him and attempted to keep up with me...on a straightaway...in my S55...wonder if that's a member here!

Very VERY VERY impressed, as are my girls with everything with this car...as a matter of fact, besides the quirkiness of getting used to how things work, which is no big deal, there isn't a single thing that've found that we don't like...that may change, but after seeing the fuel gauge not move after almost 50 miles while enjoying a thoroughly brisk driving experience I now know personally what all the fuss is about!

 

One of the Big mini pluses is that girls love them. My eleven year old niece is now my best friend and wants me to pick her up from school in the cooper.

 

Since my wife & I take turns playing taxi for our 2 girls, and just the other day I drove over 150 miles in my Escalade for one of them with the first day of school and gymnastics afterwards, a FUN high MPG car was a no-brainer. Back in the day I was a big H20 cooled VW guy (GTis, Scirocco, Corrado...) and enjoyed them thoroughly, and as much as I was drawn to going back to them, my girls were infinitely more enamored of the MINI then they were any VW so since it's going to be my older daughter's first car in a couple of years it was an easy decision...

My younger dealer loves the MINI likewise, but was very excited sitting in the '09 Z06 Vette that the dealer had on display. She was rowing through the gears like a pro and made similar comments to my wife about the great highway mileage (24). I think we can all agree that a $70+K, 500+ HP, RWD car is the PERFECT beginner vehicle...

I'm due my toy and I'm all over the place (Ford GT, Viper, Challenger SRT, Shelby GT-500...) so in the interest of being as green as possible (not that I care...at all) I figured that selling my wife on the Z06's "great" mileage would be a fantastic selling point...NOT!

I see the potential for us being a multi-MINI family a distinct possibility, and the fighting over the key between my wife and I started right off the bat! Seems like fellow MINI owners are pretty friendly too...getting lots of waves and beeps, kinda like being on a bike. Sweet...

 

Uhhh...that didn't take long...

Nigel was home for less than a month...



Before he was joined by my brandy new, yet-to-be-named '09 JCW Clubbie!



I think we need a 'vert next!

I now truly know now what the fuss is all about, MINIs rock!!!

 

Welcome, to the madness!