Hi there!

I'm a recent college grad (GO NW Missouri BEARCATS!) and am waiting for the 2011 MCS to arrive. This would be my first true "new" car and I want to spoil myself after having a 1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse and a 1996 Honda Civic (both great cars but it's time for something in this millennium). I did a lot of research on BMWs, Audis, and MINIs...and finally decided that a MINI is exactly what I am looking for in a new car.

Here's what I want:
Midnight Black (roof too) and basically loaded (nav, harman/kardon, heated seats, comfort bluetooth, sunroof, aero kit, sport spoiler, ect.) and I plan on getting a custom roof graphic with the Northwest Bearcat Paw logo

I also plan on getting snow tires and basically treating this car like a new member of the family!
My goal is to have it in time to experience MINI Takes the States 2011...

All in all: I'm really freakin' excited!

 

I'm excited FOR you! Be sure to post pics once you finally take delivery of your new "baby"!

 

Welcome to the forum, hope your wait isn't too long.

 

congrats on graduation..welcome to nam too

 

Graduate college and buy yerself a new MINI My own first-brand-new-spankin car is getting built as I type. Congrads on graduating and the car, it's great to grow up, huh?

 

Welcome to the madness!

Just an FYI, MTTS is every two years so the next one will be in 2012. This either gives you more time to get what you want or you should start investigating all the other MINI events: MOTD (my fav), MOT, AMVIV, MITM, M&M, MMOTM and make yourself a new deadline!

 

I didn't realize that MTTS is every two years! Oh well I'll be good and ready for 2012 I'm pretty set on getting myself a 2011 MCS...I don't think I could wait another year!

Brandon: My first two cars were both used when I purchased them...the Eclipse had 80k miles on it and no working AC...got the Honda when the Eclipse finally pooped out and the Civic is now at 140k!

So my new MINI would truly be NEW and customized to my specifications!

 

Congratulation on your graduation!

Hope you have mad fun in your new mini!

I was a Lancer owner back in the day:D She was my first gf...(car wise).

All the best.

 

Test drove an Eclipse Grey MCS today...and fell in love with that color!
I think I'll get that with black racing stripes...they won't stand out but they be there in a subtle way...matching the black roof!

 

Heh, I drove a 94 civic hatch for years before driving a MINI. Finally sold the ol' bucket after buying my MINI from the factory as well.

Don't forget to get the 6-speed!

 

Gee whiz...how times have changed. I remember how excited I was to graduate and then pay MY PARENTS back for all the money they gave me to pay my way to college.

Now if you payed YOUR OWN way thru college and are going to spoil yourself you have my admiration!

 

I'm sorry, but as a recent college grad, I'm offended. Badly. Do you have ANY idea what it costs to go to college today? I went to an In-state public which is supposedly "cheaper" and tuition alone was $15K a year. Room and board? $10k. Books? $700-1000, per semester. That doesn't even included the fact you have to buy bedding and supplies and basic necessities. There's no way students can pay for it out of pocket anymore. Even if you get loans and work on the side, you'd probably go nuts eventually. I saved up all through high school to cover cost of books/clothes for college and it barely made it though. And unless you're a poor minority or the new Einstein or a Kobe, you can kiss scholarships goodbye.
My parents knew they were going to have to help me and were responsible parents and WANTED to make sure I could go anywhere I wanted in order to get a great education. I feel in debt to them, but they felt it was their duty as a loving parent not to just cut us off at 18. Sure, they grew up that way, but they knew it's tough and prevented them from experiencing certain things. Why am I a crappy person because my parents said "you're going to college, this is the way it's going to be, now apply and give us the bill"???

I, too, am VERY proud of myself that I graduated college and managed to find a very good job in this terrible economy us new college grads had nothing to do with. A lot of idiot middle-agers felt they shouldn't be responsible about their finances and we're paying for it. But, the OP and I have obviously done something right, and we owe a lot of it to our parents, sure, but at least we're going in the right direction.

To the OP: high five to us

 

Right, education is expensive! So I take it that you "feel" that your parents OWED you your education and that you have absolutely no obligation to repay them - even a little? I'm glad you are offended!

 

Hence why I said I feel in debt, but this is how it's done. I fully expect to help my parents out when they're older and retired. That's what family does, they take care of each other. I didn't feel they owed me anything, but they raised me expecting I do well in school as a kid and that was in preparation for expecting me to go to college. There was also the expectation they'd only pay for it if I maintained a 3.0 and I was expected to pay anything outside of tuition and R&B. So are you saying my parents are bad people for putting me through college? And I'm a bad person for at age 17 not saying "no"?? Damn. No one should have to defend their methods of getting a good education to people like you. I plan fully on doing the same deal with my kids in the future.

Also, I would like you to take note it's not our parents buying us these cars. I worked my *** off in college to get where I am now. Lots of kids out there get everything paid for their entire lives. Maybe you should be bashing those instead of ones working hard and understanding hard work pays off.

Man, I either hope you don't have kids, or feel bad for them if you do.

 

wahoo_shoe, Perhaps you should re-read my post to you!

 

Well thanks for being such a great MINI community member and making those of us just graduating college and buying our first car, and making it a MINI, feel like utter crap when everyone else around us is celebrating us. Congratulations.

 

Oh believe me I'll be paying off my student loans for a long time. But between selling a car and working my butt off over the next 9 months, I will have a big enough down payment to make a monthly payment easily fit into my budget. People would be surprised at what they could afford if they would just lay out a monthly budget in a spreadsheet.

 

Agreed. A bunch of my friends are freaking out over rent and can't understand how I can afford to make car payments so quick. Not at all hard to sit down and say "I want to spend my money on rent and car payments and insurance and put X away in savings, here's how much I have left over". Too many people just think they have money to burn and don't track it, and too many others don't track it, only spend when they need to and have no idea of how much they can spend and when, and end up wasting.

It's pretty easy too, cut a third out for taxes/SS/medicare/etc, decide how much you want to save each month, and go from there.