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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.
Hi all, thanks for your time and forum contributions.
After a couple of years in Greece for work, frequently seeing MINIs, I was enamored. After coming home from abroad, I found an '03 Pepper White R50, with 115k miles at a fair price, and well cared for.
The car's first service record is from Washington State, and I bought it in Maryland. That was a wow moment - how there are stories locked up inside this car, that I will never learn.
It's my daily driver in the Frederick Maryland and Harrisburg PA areas.
It's funny how frequently people ask if the car is NEW, given that I am most partial of the mini styling from those years (no offense), and had bought it to preserve as a vintage car for the long haul. On the other hand I guess those comments are testimony to the continuity of MINI's general design.
I don't have any great plans for the car, except to care for it as best as possible and do a transmission swap to a six speed, when the time comes. On the side, I am also working on a rebuild of an older ~'85 Jeep Wagoneer.
I've nicknamed it "Maverick", after Tom Cruise's Top Gun character.
Again, I've benefited from many posts lurking here and happy to be motoring with you.
Hi Wayne, yes, the car is currently a 5-Speed transmission. It still feels very solid at 120k mi.
Its' first modifications will def. be new khaki suede headliner (which I have to pull out anyway to replace the sunroof motor), and OEM stripes on the front.
In time, I am also hoping to replace the interior paneling with emerald green from another vehicle.
I have to take the car in next month to my local guy, I will pick up some MTL and ask him to change that out while he has it.
BTW, I had the opportunity to drive a 2019 Cooper S with some JCW features, which the local Mini Dealership let me use as a LOANER over a long 4-day weekend, I put 450 miles on it (a quarter of its' total mileage!). It was a really good experience to see how the company has moved in the last 16 years. It was amazing to drive! The dealership could not have been nicer.
I think the main unifying feature is that, for some reason, the driving experience in a MINI can be is SO enjoyable that music isn't necessary.
And when I got my car back from service I could honestly say that the R50 was still my "dream car", in spite of its' spartan simplicity...
