Hello! Bought a 2007 MCS last Sunday. Lightning Blue metallic, black roof - nice ride! Been wanting one for a couple of years and now that our son is about ready to get his license, it was time to hand-me-down and upgrade.

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/k...C_0387_064.jpg

Here's the mystery. It's a 2007 with 48,000 miles on it but was never titled until January 2010. I found a forum member here who ran the VIN and got the original build (thanks!) but when I recently took it to the dealer to clear a CEL, they were a little puzzled when looking up the history.

The service rep gave it the once-over and said it must have originally been purchased overseas. Clues he saw were "no smoking" emblems on all power outlets, felt covering the speakers, and a recessed area on the left-hand side of the trunk space. They could pull no repair history on it except one that showed up last November.

I couldn't access the Owner's Lounge on the Mini site and when I wrote to them, they responded with "non-USA spec cars aren't automatically in their system." I don't know what makes it a USA spec car - the obvious thing is the speedometer is in miles, not kilometers. ?

Is there a way to find the original info on this car?

I'm not complaining - it's a blast to drive and beats the hell out of the old Focus I'm about to give my son, ha ha! :-)

Thanks, everyone - this looks like a great community here!

 

It could have been a military purchase. I bought mine overseas and the VIN is not in the US system either.

 

Welcome to the family...... There are a few things that are differetn about US Specs and Non US Specs. I'm currently stationed in Spain and if I wanted to take the Audi I purchased back to the states with me I would have to do a lot of things to it. One of them being the front windshield has to have a different type put in it. I believe it something to do with the way it's made, like the film on it isn't on both side of the glass. The KL/ML isn't really an issue due to having a onboard computer and being easy to switch out a gauge facing. I know with the Mini there is a difference in the air filters and the Euro specs don't have a MAF sensor on it. What else I can't think of off hand.

 

I doubt that is a Euro spec car. It is likely a US Spec car that was bought in Europe. For one, the pic that the OP posted has the side lights on the fender. Euro models don't have this at all and it isn't a requirement to bring it back to the US.

 

True Daflake. Might be one shipped from over here that was a millitary buy.

 

Welcome to NAM, can't add anything to the above comments re the past history on the car, so I guess you should just drive it and enjoy.