New Clubman S ALL4 Owner (on order) in MI
#1
01-14-2017, 05:50 PM
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: In the woods near Grand Rapids, Michigan
Posts: 31
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New Clubman S ALL4 Owner (on order) in MI
Hello all!
My wife and I are returning our VW TDI Jettas at the end of this month under the buyback program. We recently(ish) moved to western Michigan and quickly saw the value in an all wheel drive system with the lake effect snow in the winter. So she picked out her Outback (which she loves) a few days ago and I ordered my ALL4 Clubman S on the 1st of this month. Yesterday I received my production number- and immediately attempted to log into the Owners Lounge. A cute message mentioned that "for a new onwer, you're pretty quick on the draw" and went on to say that I'm not yet registered in the system and should come back in a few days to try again. I have of course opted to try every few hours. At any rate, as I've said to my wife, at least I'm officially on the books somewhere in Germany as "impatient".
So yes- again, it's a Clubman. With a 7 and 9 year old and the dog- this was the only way I could join the party. :-)
I've wanted to drive a MINI as long as I can remember. My dad had an MCS when the redesign was released- and it was a blast. A guy he worked with used to race one of the original Coopers, which must have been quite a sight to see: he was about 6'7", 350ish. Anyway- after we decided to have kids, I pretty much assumed it was also a decision to never own a MINI. Once I saw the spot for the dog in the back of a Clubman, plenty of room for the kids- and the ALL4 model just hitting the market? Perfect.
The problem for me is that I couldn't possibly drive a MINI with an automatic transmission- and they are hard to find on the lot, almost impossible in BRG. This is how I ended up on the website configuring the ideal Clubman, which is when things really started to get fun. I didn't realize how much customization is possible. Seven or eight iterations later I was ready to send my 6 door British racing green Clubman S with snowheel drive build sheet off to the local dealer. After calling around and a tossing a couple of emails around, I ended up ordering the $39,800 MINI for 5% under MSRP.
I'm really excited about getting that production number punched into the system and tracking the build. I've watched a ton of video reviews and otherwise trying to keep myself occupied during the wait, realizing it hasn't even really started yet. The greatest thing I've seen (a few times now at least) is the 'Building Cars Live' BBC production presented by James May of Top Gear. He and a couple of others spent two nights, ninety minutes each, following a Chili Red MINI through the production line. Have you seen it? If you haven't seen it- please do so now. You're sure to learn a few things about your MINI and the factory in Crowley. Fascinating stuff. :-)
So that's my story. I'll be be around a lot, especially after the vehicle arrives- my guess is sometime in the next 8-10 weeks.
Some details: Manual transmission BRG with black stripes, wheels, mirror caps and roof, HUD, Driver's Assist, Cold Weather and Fully Loaded packages, roof rails and fiber alloy illuminated interior. Some other stuff. Loaded up. Very excited.
My wife and I are returning our VW TDI Jettas at the end of this month under the buyback program. We recently(ish) moved to western Michigan and quickly saw the value in an all wheel drive system with the lake effect snow in the winter. So she picked out her Outback (which she loves) a few days ago and I ordered my ALL4 Clubman S on the 1st of this month. Yesterday I received my production number- and immediately attempted to log into the Owners Lounge. A cute message mentioned that "for a new onwer, you're pretty quick on the draw" and went on to say that I'm not yet registered in the system and should come back in a few days to try again. I have of course opted to try every few hours. At any rate, as I've said to my wife, at least I'm officially on the books somewhere in Germany as "impatient".
So yes- again, it's a Clubman. With a 7 and 9 year old and the dog- this was the only way I could join the party. :-)
I've wanted to drive a MINI as long as I can remember. My dad had an MCS when the redesign was released- and it was a blast. A guy he worked with used to race one of the original Coopers, which must have been quite a sight to see: he was about 6'7", 350ish. Anyway- after we decided to have kids, I pretty much assumed it was also a decision to never own a MINI. Once I saw the spot for the dog in the back of a Clubman, plenty of room for the kids- and the ALL4 model just hitting the market? Perfect.
The problem for me is that I couldn't possibly drive a MINI with an automatic transmission- and they are hard to find on the lot, almost impossible in BRG. This is how I ended up on the website configuring the ideal Clubman, which is when things really started to get fun. I didn't realize how much customization is possible. Seven or eight iterations later I was ready to send my 6 door British racing green Clubman S with snowheel drive build sheet off to the local dealer. After calling around and a tossing a couple of emails around, I ended up ordering the $39,800 MINI for 5% under MSRP.
I'm really excited about getting that production number punched into the system and tracking the build. I've watched a ton of video reviews and otherwise trying to keep myself occupied during the wait, realizing it hasn't even really started yet. The greatest thing I've seen (a few times now at least) is the 'Building Cars Live' BBC production presented by James May of Top Gear. He and a couple of others spent two nights, ninety minutes each, following a Chili Red MINI through the production line. Have you seen it? If you haven't seen it- please do so now. You're sure to learn a few things about your MINI and the factory in Crowley. Fascinating stuff. :-)
So that's my story. I'll be be around a lot, especially after the vehicle arrives- my guess is sometime in the next 8-10 weeks.
Some details: Manual transmission BRG with black stripes, wheels, mirror caps and roof, HUD, Driver's Assist, Cold Weather and Fully Loaded packages, roof rails and fiber alloy illuminated interior. Some other stuff. Loaded up. Very excited.