If all goes well, then I will be taking a 3 hour trip home in my new 2011 Cooper S Hardtop this coming Tuesday! It's all Laser Blue with black wheels and pretty much basic options. Rear fogs, Bluetooth, Anthracite headliner, and heated seats are pretty much the only options on the car, but I'm ok with that. I don't like the sunroof in the MINI's and I don't need a bunch of extras anyway. The dealer added door sill guards (not sure what kind) and tinted windows. We pretty much worked out the deal over the phone because I'm not driving 3 hours for a car unless I'm pretty sure I can drive it home. This means I also haven't even seen the car in person! I can't wait. I'm trading in a 2007 HEMI Charger for it, and I hate to see it go, but I can't wait to be able to go fast AND carve corners at the same time!

Dealer pics attached...what do you think?

Also, do you guys have any info I might need before I go see the car? I know it's brand new so there is no previous owner neglect, but I also know that every car has it's quirks. Even though I have been youtube-ing, drooling, and researching for months I still don't know much about Minis. Any newbie warnings?

 

Congrats!

From what I've read in the R56 Cooper S technical forums, watch the oil level in the 1.6 liter turbo engine like a hawk. They don't take well to low oil levels (timing chain rattle, vacuum pump failure, etc).

The dealer recommended oil change interval per the service indicator of 15-20k miles is a joke. BMW does this with their other cars as well and most BMW owners who keep their cars for the long term change out the synthetic oil at 5k - 7.5k.

 

Thanks! I've heard that about the timing chain rattle but only bits and pieces here and there about oil. There's no way I'm letting my oil changes go for 15,000 miles LOL. I changed the oil on my Charger at 5-7K with Mobil 1 and Mobil 1 filter every time and did the same with the Dodge truck that I had before that and had zero engine noise and the oil always looked good when I drained it. What about the oil filter in the 1.6 turbo? With the interval at 15-20K does that mean the filter doesn't need to be changed every time if I go with a 5-7K oil interval?

 

When I change the oil out in my BMW at 7.5k miles the filter gets changed too.

Planning to do the same with the soon-to-arrive Cooper hatch. Fresh oil and filter every 7.5k miles.

I've always heard that the filter should be changed every time the oil is changed.

 

How many miles on the car? Is the dealer a MINI dealer? This past Wed. and Thursday I picked up my new ride in Miami and drove it home to Maine. 29.5 hours and 1600+ miles. I am sure you will enjoy the ride. Hopefully some of your route is back roads with a few twistys.

If the mileage is low then you are less likely to have had previous issues. Still worth asking them for the Car Fax on it. Go over every body panel, check to make sure all the options mentioned are on the car and functioning, check the fluids, look for signs of leaks. Tell them in advance you would like to have the car up on a lift to check out the underside. Look for mismatched paint, or overspray or touched up parts or parts that look particularly clean and ask questions if anything looks out of place. Last of all, do not take the car if everything does not feel perfect. Better to waste a three hour drive and deal with searching for another MINI then to get yourself into a vehicle you have doubts about. Most likely everything will be just fine but it is easy to get caught up in the emotion and make an irrational decision. OK, this really is the final item. If you find something that they need to take care of, fix, replace, missing items that need to be added, etc, then make sure you get a written notification indicating specifically what they will provide, do, etc, when it needs to be done by, etc. I am sure you get the idea.

Oh yeah, and bring a camera so you can post your own pic of the car!

 

That's what I have always done too, and I have automotive training as well as some experience. But then again I have never heard of a 15,000 mile interval on a gasoline engine, especially not on an engine with forced induction.

 

ACE, it's brand new and it's at Hendrick Mini in Charlotte, NC. Actually it will be my first brand new car. I have always had newer cars but always one or two years old. Never one that was brand new off the lot. Not sure of the mileage, but I'm sure it has been driven a little because it's the oldest new car on their lot. I was told it was in the mall on display so I will definitely be checking for dings and scratches.

I don't have a camera, but my EVO takes pretty nice pics for a cell phone!

 

Aha, wasnt sure if it was NEW, or new to you. No worries then, except the last part. Sometimes dealers promise something and cannot deliver when you pick up the car. They should give you an IOU if that happens.

And have the MA take your pic in front of the car after the delivery is complete, just for posterity!

 

Oh I will, on both accounts. Thanks for the advice. I might try to bargain for them to throw in a shorty antenna too...

 

If they dont bite then let me know. I have one from my old 02 MCS that I kept not knowing if I would need it on my new car. The new one already has one. Then again I guess it would be good to find out if it would fit the 2nd generation. Easy enough to do. Good luck with the wait until Tuesday.

 

Good to know, I don't think they will have a problem with a $30 accessory, but if they do then I'll keep you in mind.

Thanks, I'll need it. I'm more excited about this car than I was with my Charger, and I had to wait 3 years before I could afford that!

 

congrats on the new mini, Hendrick Mini is great. I have had three Mini's and now my wife is driving one so 4 in total. We both love them and Hendrick Mini. Hope to see you join the Mini Club and see you at some of the club functions.

 

Nealuss--I picked up my first Mini just over a week ago, after ordering it end of July. Mine also is Laser Blue and the color is INCREDIBLE! I had only seen the samples online and was pretty sure I liked it, but the reality is so much better. The metallic quality does not really show in pictures; there is a rich depth to the color that I find almost mesmerizing... Hope you love it, too!