First Car, First Mini
 

Hi, I'm Katherine! I recently graduated from college and finally got enough money for my first car. I test drove a Mini Cooper on a whim and loved it. I put a deposit down on a 2008 Mini Cooper Clubman with 93k miles on it in mid May and would have gone to pick it up immediately (I did test drive it but it was almost 3 hours away and I had to do some research.) Unfortunately, I flew out of the country that week and am just getting back now. I'm really excited both to have a mini and my first car. I need to get another key, as it only has one and it didn't come with the owners manual. I'm not sure what else I am going to do. I guess we will see when I go pick it up.

Welcome to the forum and the MINI experience. Congratulations on your recent graduation from college. It is important to realize that MINIs need regular maintenance, especially oil changes, every 5,000 miles with full synthetic oil. If you take care of your MINI, it should be the most fun car you will ever own.

The forum should be a great resource for information about your new MINI especially the 2nd generation Clubman section.

+1 what the CPA said. These cars are NOT drive 'em and forget 'em appliances. They need tender loving care on a regular basis. They are quirky which should translate to more fun than anyone should be allowed to have. Besides regular fluid attention, you'll also want to rotate the tires at about the same time as the oil change. They have built in negative camber which results in minor uneven tire wear. The only distraction I see in your choice is that the top doesn't disappear at your whim.

Pictures will be required. Without pictures, it didn't happen.

Welcome.
If you haven't paid for the car in full I'd have it inspected by a MINI mechanic as with 93k miles it likely has some things needing attention you want to find out before you own it and can't get out of the deal.

Convertibles are not for everyone. The MINI Convertible was the only car available the other day when my wife wanted to pick up some supplies for a party. Three balloons filled the trunk. A few cases of soda and one bag filled the back seat (which already has the emergency repair kit). Two inches of leg room in the back so nothing could go there. The MINI was full with about what would have fit in the SUV's passenger seat.

MINIs with roofs are great for when you need to bring along more than one person or a reasonable amount of stuff.

That issue is dealt with by my co-pilot's '15 R60. Great for hauling grand kids especially.

Hi and welcome to the world of all things Mini Cooper!
Congrats on your acquisition!
You can download the manual online.
The key will cost you a bit of money, as you will have to have it matched to your car. Mini likes to charge a good deal for that!
We hope you love your Mini!
If you go to the gen 2 area, there is a lot of information to help you keep it in good shape!
Show us some pics of it, when you can!

Unfortunately I live in New York and don't possess a garage at the moment. A convertible would be ill-advised at this point albeit fun.

Well, considering the environment, I don't think I'd want a drop head in the big city either. Anyway, you've got the right car for some great adventures.

Yup! That's the reason we got my wife her '16 R60 SAll4. We don't have grand kids (yet), but we do have a dog and he HATES (with an intense passion) the back of my F56. The R60 is really great for Ikea runs as well. ;)

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A 3 hour drive to go pick it up, a 2 hour wait in the DMV, and a 3 hour drive back. The dealer fixed a couple issues we had talked about and took off part of the price because I have to buy a new key fob battery (it stopped recharging). I have my own wheels now. There is one tiny issue I am going to do myself. The antenna casing is cracked open at the spring. I am going to look into fixing that but that should be it. The vin checks came back clean and he did maintenance on it.

Nice - congrats on the new-to-you car! They are quite fun, I must say. In addition to the F56S, I also own an E93 BMW and a Ferrari 360 Spider. The others might be faster or more comfortable or more luxurious, but I drive the MINI to work and back nearly every day because it is, without a doubt, the most fun.

Enjoy your new ride!