Hi from Colorado, where the Minis tackle mountains, and the sky is 5280 high.

Anyway, thought I'd say hello before I even grab my Mini. After spending eight years with an Infiniti G which has served me exceedingly well, but after being prejudiced from the last two years of fun driving an 80's 911 on weekends, I've decided to take the plunge.

I test drove a Paceman S All4 and a Countryman S All4 last weekend (both manuals). From a driver's perspective, I really enjoyed tossing the Paceman around more, but suspect my need to load speaker cabinets, amp and pedal board for occasional bass gigs will require the greater storage space of the Countryman.

Given the similarity in specs, was my difference in driving sensation all in my head?

Instead of new, I'm presently looking at purchasing a 2012 Countryman S All4 that's coming into a dealer next week, with very low miles and hitting all the options I've been looking for. But that leads to a question, maybe someone can help with. The dealer group with the car does have a Mini franchise, however, it is their BMW franchise that picked this particular Mini up at auction. I put a LOT of miles on my cars, so it's important to me to be able to buy the extended service plan. But since this would not be a purchase from an actual Mini dealership (even though the dealer's group has one), it is not a Certified Mini NEXT.

Does all of that mean I cannot purchase the extended service plan at all? That could end up being the decision point on this particular car, and since I'm pretty picky about wanting a manual with certain option packages, if I skip this one, it could well be some time before I come across another candidate.

Thanks in advance, and for welcoming me to NAM forums!

 

I'm new to MINI myself (should be getting my first this month) but I have read alot on these forums about issues with the 2012 and prior Countryman clutch. I understand it was fixed sometime in late 2012, so you may be OK.

The auction and no MINI certification would worry me a bit too. Can't answer your question on the warranty though.

Good luck!

 

If it's the same dealer group, have them transfer the car from the BMW store inventory to the MINI store inventory, so you can make the extended warranty part of the deal. It's just paperwork, and if they want your money, they'll do it. When I traded in my A4, it ended up on the Cadillac/Lexus used car lot; all the paperwork and the final title transfer listed the dealer group - not an individual dealer within the group.