In 2002 my father ordered his indi blue 2003 MCS from Mark O'Neill at Mini of the Main Line. It was one of the first on the east coast. I sat next to him and built my own on the website, and talked him into some of the options he chose...and tried to talk him out of some others. We had never seen anything like this car, and more to the point we could both fit in it being over 6'4".

We were in the crowd at the King of Prussia movie theater where 30 or so owners were treated to an advance screening of the Italian Job - it was a damn cool experience and solidified my dream to own one of these cars one day!

In less than a year, he found a rapidly growing speed shop called Helix motorsports, and did his first few (secret) mods so he could keep it under warranty.

I graduated college in 2004, and started toward my ASE cert at UTI (out of order, I know). Halfway through, I talked to Eric at Helix about working at the shop, and after trying to juggle the commute between Exton and Fishtown, I dropped out of school and started working full time at Helix as a shop hand. I did brake jobs, suspension work, cleaned up, and put many of my dad's speed parts on his car.

It didn't work out - I was still partying pretty hard, and started screwing up around the shop. I parted ways with Eric and the crew on good terms, and my dad kept going back to add to the "Evil Blue Mini" (as the badge on back reads). I kept helping him with the mods, and we even took a road trip to MOTD - I still need to buy those pics from Killboy...

Fast forward through jobs, cars, and into fatherhood and home ownership. I got the call through my dad from Mark at Main Line that they had taken a 2003 S in trade - so, 10 years after my father bought his car from the same guy at the same dealership, I finally got my dream car. Almost the exact options I'd picked in 2002. The other day, both our cars were in the garage over at Helix - his for service, mine to get the thumbs up from Eric for the great deal. Looking forward to cruising down to MOTD with Helix and my dad next year.

 

Cool story. Wish I had that kind of connection with my father.

 

Thanks. It's still getting there man, wasn't always nice between us.

 

Good story and awesome MINI.. Im sure you and your dad will have some cool times together with your MINIs..

 

We've always been able to talk about cars, if nothing else. It's a testament to how amazing this car is that we finally really bonded over it.

 

Welcome to NAM and congrats on your new MINI. Funny how life work sometimes, isn't it? Thanks for sharing your experience. Oh, and thanks for the pic. I have a soft spot for silver.

 

Welcome and congrats.

 

Thanks all. Just reset the ecu - it's officially mine now. Looking forward to some mods and meets.

 

Now to sort out your dad's car...

 

Very cool story. It's nice to share car comradery with family members. My mom just bought her 1st MINI. A Cooper S Coupe which should be here any day now.

 

Yeah, I gotta keep him focused. Based on past experience, this is when cars get sold and other - less cool - cars are purchased...

You're right, it's great to have a little club with people you know...I have family, friends, and neighbors who bought an S based on how much I talk about them!

 

Moving right along. Favorite mod so far, wheels and tires - between narrower section width, low rolling resistance, and ditching the s-anchors...I went from 25 to 29mpg.

 

The wheels look fantastic, Mc Ess.

 

Very sharp! wheels and tires always seem to bring the car alive! Good job.

 

Are you going to put any stripes on your MINI? Or are you going to keep it naked? lol

 

Thanks T, I was nervous about going from 17 to 15, but I don't regret it at all. The added sidewall flex is pretty high on these, not sure if it's just a 60 series side-effect or this tire in particular - but no other complaints. Better ride quality for sure! Monster potholes from the northeast winter already bent one of my S-lites, but this combination soaks up the rough stuff really well.

Thanks Zippy, and yeah - I was really thrilled when I finally fixed all my suspension woes (front control arm bushings, inner and outer ball joints, rear control arms) and got the car aligned so I could finally put them on! As far as the stripes...not sure yet. I'm still planning my engine mods, one being a custom water/air intercooler setup that will allow me to run a Cooper hood. You can tell with the bumpers - I'm a fan of the base look! Once I get all the body changes sorted, maybe I'll throw on a driver's side big 'n little stripe in black...we'll see - I do like to live under the radar...

 

Ha Ha Awesome.. You want to make your MINI a "sleeper" I like your thinking!