Hi. First post. Just took delivery of a 2012 Lightning Blue Mini Cooper Hardtop. First 2012 in Minnesota I was told. I am a second-time owner. My first was a Chili Red 2003. I definitely like the changes since then.

I will post questions in appropriate forums. Just introductions here.

 

Congratulations! Just picked up my 2012 last week (1st time owner). Enjoy and let's see some pics.

 

Welcome...Let the fun begin!

 

Congrats on the new Mini! Hearing all about everyone's new 2012 is exciting. Can't wait to see pictures. :D

 

Wow. Fast response! Quick question for 2012 owners: the joystic that controls the NAV etc free-spins. My dealer said that's new. Previous models have "ridges" or tiny friction stops as you rotate the top of the joystick. Do you have a free-spinning joystick too? It is very sensitive and sometimes hard to make selections without rotating to another menu item. Is mine unique/broken?

 

Yours seems definitely broken. Mine definitely has ridges and notches. It does not free spin. I have a 2012 MCCS MINI Connect + NAV. Ordered Jun 2nd, Built Jun 26th, took delivery on it August 2nd.

 

Mine does not free-spin.

 

Hurry up with the pics, haven't seen a '12 LB yet!

 

 

Love the color and the driving lights. Enjoy!

 

What are the changes from 2011?

 

I Love the color and the driving lights! I wish I would have ordered the lights for my Mini!
Congrats! What a beauty!

 

driving lights can be installed by dealer for about $500

 

Caver01;

Love it!!!!!

 

Really $500? That's not to bad! Thanks MrLuckypa!

 

My car is three months old. How am I jealous right now?

 

Thanks for dropping by this thread and posting a comment. I am pretty happy with it so far, though still under 50 miles on the odometer.

I have an appointment next week to get the joystick fixed. Should be an easy thing to take care of I think. I am finding that even pushing it down to make selections is hard.

One thing I will say about this MINI versus the '03 I used to own is that I am loving the front. The fog lights were an option selected on my old one and they were so small I hardly noticed they were there. These, on the other hand are huge by comparison. I love the look. I am also really digging the extra piece of chrome "smile" in the bumper intake. I am seriously considering removing the front license plate. What do you all think? In Minnesota it's a risk, as our laws require the plate, but I can't imagine it would come into play very often.

Also, this is my first time with the rally lights. Do folks leave the slip covers attached during the day? What's the hipster etiquette with these? I just like the chrome, but I understand it might be smart to protect them from stones.

 

Caver01, I think the driving lights look great without the covers. I just had the clear film paint protectant installed on my 2012 and I had them do the front lights and the fog lights as well. You cannot see the film unless you know it's there and look for the edge. I also installed Lamin-X clear film on a prior car and it worked great. Lamin-X is a very easy DIY if you follow the instructions carefully. You may want to check out lamin-x.com.