Hello fellow NAM members,

As the title of this thread states and hence this post in 1st Gear, I am a Newb to NAM. I am also a Newb when it comes to Minis, as I don't currently own one and have never owned one. I don't even personally know of anyone who has or does own one, which is why I am here.

I am a car enthusiast and an avid DIY'ER. Since the Mini became available in the States and after watching The Italian Job, I have had an infatuation for the Mini. However, I haven't had the opportunity to own one, but I am hoping that will change here shortly.

If I had to choose a vehicle that best represented the characteristics of myself, then I would have to say that the Mini would be it, which is why I am excited about the possibility to finally own one.

Currently, I am the proud owner of a 2000 VW Passat named 'Spunky'. I have had her for about two years and in that time I have given her new tires, fluids, oil, timing belt, tune-up, crankcase breather hose, water pump, tensioners, thermostat, accessory belt, sensors, and more.

As I have taken care of her, she has taken care of my wife and I. Sadly, we were involved in a rear-end accident, which the at fault driver's insurance company has refused to take responsibility for some of the electrical issues that appeared after being hit.

So, soon I will be getting 'Spunky' back from the body shop, but she will be coming back with some potentially costly issues. Until my lawyer and I finish with my personal injury settlement, I will be in no position financially to do anything.

However, I have already decided that depending on how my settlement goes I would like to finally purchase a Mini if at all possible instead of putting more money into 'Spunky' because I figure this would be my best opportunity to finally purchase a vehicle I have been lusting over for so many years. Plus, I am in no position to do the repairs to 'Spunky' myself right now, which means I would have to pay someone to do them and that is money I would rather put to better use.

Obviously, I am looking into buying a used Mini and here in Maryland I have seen a few within the $5k to $9k price range. Of course, my knowledge with Minis is very limited, which is why I have decided to join this great forum. I hope to learn the differences between each of the Mini models and learn what to look out for in purchasing a used Mini, as well as what a great value would be in purchasing a used Mini.

I appreciate you taking the time to read this and I look forward to learning a lot on my way to becoming a new Mini owner.

Thank you,

AMMO

 

Welcome!

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles though, and I hope that it all works out for you in the end. I've had my share of dealing with other drivers insurance and the uncertainty of how things will be when the dust settles, so I feel your pain.

Is there a particular year/model you were interested in?

 

wow. So many parrallels here.
I had a Suby Outback Wagon and it left us less than confident after the tranny decided to eat itself from the inside out.... just out of warranty. I have always lusted after a MINI and it is on a very short list as I am picky a bout what a car needs to do for me. Amongst which is be FUN! yeah nailed that

So aside from the lawyer involvment.... Oh also from MD.

My advice is go drive one. It will tell the whole story. I have no idea if it all fits in your budget but I dont think I would risk a used one with NO warranty so if you can find a certified pre owned with the nice warranty in your budget I would think it would be a done deal. Best of luck in your search. Best of luck with the Lawyer.

 

@Vassago68 - Yeah, not that there is ever a good time to get in an accident, but for my wife and I this couldn't have happened at a more difficult time. I just can't wait for this to be all behind us, so we can finally get back to moving forward with our life instead of just burning our wheels stuck in neutral.

I don't really have a particular year or model in mind. However, I do know that I don't want a convertible or an automatic transmission. I guess it really just comes down to how much money I will ultimately have to spend, which I won't know until my lawyer and I complete the settlement with the insurance company. Here is a link to one I found on Craigslist, which I like and believe would be within my expected budget:

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/3636634227.html

@JDPaddle - It's great to know I am not alone in my lust for a Mini, as well as to see someone else here at NAM located in MD.

I totally understand your point about the warranty, but I'm pretty confident that I am not going to have the budget to obtain a Mini with a warranty or even a certified pre-owned one.

Being self-employed and not being able to work for the past three weeks due to the injuries I sustained in the accident, the bills are adding up. So, if at all possible, once I do receive my settlement and after I pay some bills I will most likely need to purchase my Mini with cash and from a private seller. Of course I am not going to be haste in my purchase and buy something that doesn't have any service records and doesn't check out, but the truth of the matter is I most likely will not be in the position to be too picky either.

Now, I may or may not be able to work out a deal with a used car dealer by enticing them to lower their asking price and using 'Spunky' as trade and paying cash to seal the deal. However, that won't get me a certified used Mini, but it might give me the opportunity to get a partial warranty/limited guarantee with the purchase.

However, I know they won't want to give me a whole lot for 'Spunky' compared to what I think I can get if I was to sell her myself, especially since she will need quite a bit of work and she is 13 years old with about 165k miles. Again, if I was in the position to do the needed repairs and work myself, then I would be more inclined to just keep her. However, because I am eventually going to need to get her MD inspected and registered I figured if I end up having the opportunity to get the vehicle I really want, then there wouldn't be a better time to go ahead and do it.

Overall, my goal is to end up in a better situation, than what I started with before the accident and have a dependable vehicle, which I can enjoy and have wanted for a long time. In regards to the vehicle, having the insurance company not take full responsibility of the damages caused by the accident makes it difficult and at this point impossible to even get the vehicle back to where it was before the accident, which leaves my wife and I between a rock and a hard place. So, I am hoping to be able to alleviate that by using what I am able to get out of the personal injury settlement to it's fullest extent.


AMMO