Hello all. This is my 2003 mini Cooper finished in rare Velvet Red. I've owned this car for 6 years now but just found this forum and decided to say hi. A little back story; This car was purchased in a sad state. Blown transmission, rock chipped and peeling hood, just generally worse for wear and with just 129K on the clock. PO used and abused the car and that was clear when we bought it. We knew nothing about the car or any euro car for that matter as my family had mainly owned and worked on Hondas prior to the mini but we dove in anyway. My dad always saw my friend driving around in his 2004 MCS and I think the curiosity got to him. My mom would also say "That sure is a cute car."

We rebuilt the transmission and learned about the differences between the Midlands and Getrag boxes. We got to finally drive the car and learned that it handled better than any car we'd ever driven. I was completely sold on these cars and was fascinated by all the dealer options and performance upgrades that could be had and I learned early on when researching the car that the paint color was very rare and that made it even sweeter to me.

When I eventually decided to move out my parents gifted me the car saying that I would probably take better care of it than they would. 6 years later it is at 168K and going strong. It got new shoes this week and has an engine mount and timing chain in it's not too distant future.

This car has been a learning and bonding experience for my dad and I and that's something I'll forever be greatful for. I have huge plans for this car once I have some time and garage space to work in but for now I'm just enjoying my daily driver.

 

Nice!!

 

Hi - I can’t figure out how to start a new thread, so I thought I’d piggy back on this one and hope for the best.

Is there anyone out there who still owns a Velvet Red beauty? I have a VR touch-up kit that I’d love to pass on to someone who can actually use it. No guarantees, but it sounds and feels like both the body color and clear coat pens are still good. I’d be happy to send it off to a VR MINI owner for the cost of shipping. And if you’re in or near the Sacramento, CA area, we can arrange for a simple hand-off!