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1st GearNew members: make an initial post and introduce yourself as you shift from Neutral to First Gear. Current members: meet some of the new members.
How did I end up here? I'm I guess what some people would call a "car guy" and love high performance sports car. My previous cars included 1994 RX-7, 2003 Honda S2000, 2011 Porsche Cayman, 2013 Porsche 911. Most recently I picked up a 2015 Jaguar F-Type R.
Fun car, tons of power/torque, obnoxious noise, etc...
It was basically a weekend car since I don't need to drive during the week. Then I got a puppy and my lifestyle changed quite a bit. Needed to drive her to the dog park to get her daily exercise (very energetic/playful pup). Needed to go to the pet store, more trips to safeway for cleaning supplies, etc. Obviously this was a pain in a 2 seater sports car.
So I picked up 2009 Mini Cooper S for all those reasons.
Loved it! Car was small, could fit into tight San Francisco parking spots. Easy to drive, lots of visibility. Just a fun car to run errands and drive around.
As time passed I found myself driving the Jaguar less and less. It got to the point where I just drove it around the block to make sure the battery didn't drain. With El Nino in full effect I knew that the next couple of months I would drive it even less and less. Meanwhile, as much as I loved the Mini, I wished it had just a little extra room to fit the dog crate, supplies, etc. Also missed a couple of features like keyless entry/start and streaming bluetooth audio.
So finally did the math and it just didn't really make sense anymore, paying 2x for everything (2 parking spots, 2 maintenance, 2 car washes, 2 insurance). So I consolidated and that's how I ended up picking up this 2016 Mini Cooper S Countryman
I still wanted something relevantly small for San Francisco parking and driving. Many reviews say go for something like a Mazda CX-3/CX-5 but I just love the charm, quirks and style of the Mini design. A car with some personality
I really liked the JWC 19" wheels but I think with the SF potholes the 18" was a better compromise. Been only 2 days since I got her, but so far so good. Might try to remove the "countryman" lettering or plasti-dip it black...maybe try to get the other chrome pieces wrapped in black for a black-out look...but otherwise I think the JWC exterior package really makes it pop.
Anyways, a bit of long post, but just wanted to say hello to the Mini community. Hope to see some fellow Mini guys in the Bay Area around.
Interesting sequence of cars! Jaguar certainly not Pup friendly... too much like cats and dogs thing going on there.
Your new Countryman is way more Dog appropriate! Did you cross shop this new car with the new Clubman? Taller tire on the 18s will help keep the pot hole edges from bending your wheels. Make sure you keep pressures up, though. We have that broken pavement problem here quite a bit, so completely understand.
Last edited by MiniRoadstah; Jan 31, 2016 at 01:34 PM.
Dog mover! Cute, but face it you just like buying cars. That little guy could fit on the back of a scooter or a mitt Romney roof box. Nice car and dog, best of motoring and dog walking!
Interesting sequence of cars! Jaguar certainly not Pup friendly... too much like cats and dogs thing going on there.
Your new Countryman is way more Dog appropriate! Did you cross shop this new car with the new Clubman? Taller tire on the 18s will help keep the pot hole edges from bending your wheels. Make sure you keep pressures up, though. We have that broken pavement problem here quite a bit, so completely understand.
Didn't consider the Clubman...I just really like the way the Countryman looks. Obviously like the original Mini, and the CM just feels like a bloated version of it
Dog mover! Cute, but face it you just like buying cars. That little guy could fit on the back of a scooter or a mitt Romney roof box. Nice car and dog, best of motoring and dog walking!
Didn't consider the Clubman...I just really like the way the Countryman looks. Obviously like the original Mini, and the CM just feels like a bloated version of it
They're all getting a lot bigger than the original! Eventually they might have to change the name to "Not So" if they want to keep the MINI name as a brand.
