and back after a year of studying and searching for my perfect Mini...picked up an R55S manny tranny in immaculate shape ... meet Sonic

 

Congrats! More pics, please!

 

Nice, and welcome! Love me some R55 Clubmans

 

I have been looking at Minis for a several years...researching each year, engine and model, each trouble spot and strong point...narrowed it down to the 2011 Clubman S considering price, reliability and space in the back and it had to me manual. Searched for months to find the right one...Drove 4 hours to look at one...no good...lined up 7 others to look at in the next couple days within 4 hours of me. The one I really wanted (the one shown)...the owner had not messaged me back and I was already on my way to look at 3 others that day. Halfway there he messaged me I could come see it. It was a couple hours out of the way but went to see it first anyway...Awesome looking, he was a military mechanic and kept better than perfect care of it. Extra wheels and tires. I was very thorough and he was on top of everything. Then the test drive...feels great too...we're driving in the direction of town where a friend of mine lives...about 45 minutes from there, so I asked randomly if he knows the town...he says "Yep"...me, "I have a good friend over there...Jeff F"....the man says..."I know Jeff, we've been friends for years!"...Wow...Then says "my Son surfs and climbs with him"....So I say..."Tom M.!?!?!?"...and he looks at me with wide eyes and says..."YES!"....me, "TOM M. IS YOUR SON?!?!?!?!...I have surfed with Tom, I have climbed with Tom, I have Ice climbed with Tom and Tom has stayed at my house in 2 different states!!!" Turns out I had also met this seller 20 years ago picking up surfboards from his house when he used to live in the same town as my friend...In shock and awe of the coincidences in this world...and several personal conversations later...He says..."I'll take a thousand off the price.....you're like family". I live in NY, the seller in CT, his son in HI and my friend in RI, none of seeing each other for 10 years...And I am now, for the first time a proud owner of the car I've wanted for years...and it has a perfect maintenance record and a deeply personal story to boot....tell me fate doesn't exist.

 

Great story, thanks for sharing! And for the additional pics.

You certainly found just what you were searching for. Again, Congrats and enjoy!