Hello all. I just placed an order for my mini on thursday 04/21. I can not wait to get it in. Its interesting how i got to buy a mini. I was looking at a new car as i wanted to upgrade from my 2000 subaru impreza. When i was looking into the Subaru STi and WRX, i called the insurance companies to see what it would cost to insure. Well to find out it was going to cost me over 4k a year to insure one of those puppies. If you do not know i am located in NJ and 21 years old. My brother was giving me suggestions on what other cars to look inot. Mind you i wanted something fun to drive and something with some power to it. Well he mentioned the mini and i just laughed at him. So i said lets take one for a test drive for giggles. Well to tell you the truth, i feel in love with the car after a test drive. Man do they handle so well. We did not get a chance to push it to see how fast they were. this is the MCS by the way. So after a week of thinking and calling insurance companies, i got a price for 2500! Man does that take a load off! I went back on thursday and ordered my MCS. By the way i took it for another test drive could not resist!!! Here are the specs:

Jet Black
Black top
Light grey/gray leatherette and anthercite dash
Sport package
LSD
Everything in premium package except for sunroof
weather and convience package
Web spoke wheels

By the way is it worth getting the alarm system? I did not add that option as i was thinking if it is worth getting an after market system.

I cant wait to get my mini and am already planning mods for it as well as getting some stuff on order to have it ready for when i pick it up.

Garrett

P.S. I apologize for my spelling mistakes. Also what was your wait for your mini when you ordered it? The dealer tells me 8 weeks.

 

Welcome to NAM, Garrett! Great story about choosing your MINI! I have a black/black MCS, too! It's gorgeous and needs lots of detailing! But the MINI is fun to care for, so you'll love it! When do you take delivery?


Clover

 

Welcome aboard and congrats! The wait will go by quickly...8 weeks is pretty good. You must have ordered it at a dealer where the waiting list is little to none - Yayyy!!! As far as the alarm, I don't have first hand experience with it. Some like it - others have had issues. You can do a search in here for more info...

Donna
02' CR/W MCS (gone to MINI heaven - burned up)
05' Cool Blue MCSC "Ariel"
05' HB/W MCS on it's way - no name yet

 

Woo-hoo! Seriously, people who haven't driven a MINI just don't get how much pure driving pleasure AND bang for the buck you get with these cars. You'll be grinning from ear-to-ear as you speed (safely) past the re-fueling SUVs with some extra change in your pocket to spare!

I seriously do not miss the NJ insurance racket. Have you gotten a quote from NJ Cure? They were saving me $700 a year compared to Prudential when I was in NJ. They insure "good" drivers, so I am not sure if they insure under-25 drivers, but worth a call for comparison's sake.

On the up-sids, NJ has some of the lowest gas prices in the country. I was there a few weeks ago, and premium was under $2.30. I paid $2.79 last night at Costco. San Diego has the highest prices in the country - damn sunshine tax!!!

There are several threads here on the alarm. Some think its a great idea, others think there are enough anti-theft features built in already. If it reduces your insurance enough to pay for itself in a few years, that might be reason enough.

Can't wait to hear more about the MINI and see pictures when s/he finally comes home! Good luck!

Carol

 

I have no idea on when the date of when the car will arrive. I call each day to see if the car is in production, but keeps saying its scheduled and waiting for production date. :( How long did many of you guys wait to get yours?

MINIclo- when you say lots of detailing, do you mean your car in general or becuase of the color, it gets dirty all they time?

Garrett

 

Garrett, it is mostly because of the color. The boot (rear) does attract a lot of dirt, due to the design. And on roadtrips, bugs fall in love with the front-end of MINIs, and sacrifice themselves on the bonnet (hood) and windshield!


Clover

 

Thats no issue, i wash and detail my car every weekend so taking on that kind of responsablity is not an issue. My dad keeps telling me i should not get black. But i asked him who was buying the car and making the payments. Of course the answer was me!!!! Besides he should be happy i am getting off of his insurance. Great news, i just called ASK MINI and my MCS is in production and with a completion date of May 6th. How long does it take to move from there?

Garrett

 

Depends on where you're located. West Coast deliveries are generally 6-8 weeks from the production number being issued. Also, I strongly suggest that you invest in a clear-bra (invisashield) for the front end of your MINI. I sure wish I had!

Clover

 

I am located in NJ. I was just looking into that. Would the dealer offer that kind of service or would i have to take it to a special shop for the clear bra? Anyone know of where to go?

 

Hey, Garret, welcome aboard!

I know what you mean about insurance. I'm 38, male, brown eyes, clean driving record, etc., and I was paying $1050 to insure my '97 BMW 328is. My same carrier--Farmers--quoted me $760 per annum for a brand-new MCS!

As for the wait, it took me about 99 days from the time I placed my deposit. I pick up "Black Jack" this Friday in Salt Lake City. Because I live on the West Coast, it takes at least 3 weeks longer.

Hey, good luck with everything!

 

Johnny, I'm going to go ahead and file that one under "Too Much Information."

 

For us East Coasters, it's probably closer to 4 weeks. It helps that all of the autos come into port in NJ. Mine took about a week to load on a ship, 9 days to cross and another 10 days to arrive at the dealership (your results may vary).

 

Garrett,
Great to hear from you and welcome to NAM.
I bought my first black car 11 years ago and still have it. At the time I had a choice of "one" color for the options I wanted in stock so that was my "reason" for black. I have learned to appreciate it and in a MINI it looks fabulous (when kept clean).

Since owning a MINI for over two years I would have to say that for all car owners, the MINI owners are about the most clean crazy bunch I have ever seen (are Miata or VW owners as nuts?). I guess Corvette and Acura NSX owners are pretty fastidious but they don't drive around as much as us MINI motorers.

So, for most of us we clean our MINIs often like 2 to 4 times a week or more so if you can clean your MINI at least once weekly you should be able to do pretty well.

Personally I think a clean MINI is a happy MINI.

Or at least it looks sharp and make "ME" happy.

 

Hi garretwp -

Welcome to the neighborhood! I'm in NJ as well. Which dealer did you go to? ...I went to Morristown MINI.

When I ordered my car the overall wait was 4 months. I ordered Winston in May and he arrived in August. The waiting will pass, but MAN it seems to last forever - I used to check the progress of the car daily, and then I even tracked the progress of the container ship coming over from Britain

MINI owners tend to be obsessed!!!!

- - michael

 

Not to get my hopes up, but if it takes 4 weeks to get it, I will be super happy. Just in time for my grad. gift to myself haha. But ill take into factor that 4 weeks is pusing it. But who knows what the deal will be. It only took a few days from being ordered to being in the building stage. For anyone willing to answer, where did you finance your car and what is your APR? The dealer is telling me that he can only offer me 6.25. I think that they could do better. Also i bought my car from Princeton BMW/Mini. My MA is down to earth and a few years older then me.


Garrett

 

G -

I financed through the dealer... I think my rate was 5.5%, but that was 1.5 years ago.

...Was your MA Julie Hoffman by any chance? If you get a chance to talk to her, she's very knowledgable and friendly. Great person.

Cheers - - m

 

I can not remember off the top of my head. Hmmm ill have to check with the dealer again and see what they can do for me for APR. I am also joining my credit union but do not know how that will take to become a member and get a loan from them. They offer 4 percent upto 5 years.

Garrett

 

My MA at princeton bmw/mini is Jeremy. So if anyone goes to princeton bmw/mini, ask for Jeremy. Hes the type of guy who doesnt push you into getting something you dont need. He actually suggested i didnt get a few things.

Garrett

 

Howdy Garret,

Sounds like we have a lot in common. I was looking to buy a new car, but I really wasnt' looking when I test drove the MCS at Princeton with Jeremy. Welp, after that experience, I knew I needed to find a way to make it happen. I spent a month or so configuring the car myself, then I went back and drove it again with Debbie. That's when I made the order. I appreciated their help, but I related better to Jeremy (like you did) because we both graduated from college at the same time, and he could tell that I had done my research and did not treat me like I knew nothing about the car. Quite the contrary, actually, it was like taking a test drive with one of my friends.

As for your wait, my car arrived in 6 weeks, but they said that that was pretty fast, so I would expect yours between 6 and 8. The best way to track your car (that I found) was to follow it once it's on the boat via the Wallenius Wilhelmsen site (there are specific directions on mini2.com).

GET THE CLEAR BRA ASAP! But don't get it from the dealer (mucho dinero). I waited 2,000 miles to get mine, and yes, there ARE chips on the car. Not doing the clear bra right away is my ONLY regret regarding this car. I know a great guy to do it in Kenilworth (I live in Westfield, Union County). If you buy a clear bra, this guy will put it on and do a good job at a fair price.

PM me if your'e interested in his information, or if you want to get together to motor! My parents live in Hillsborough, so I'm down there a bunch, and I'll be working at Mercer County Park in July.

mb

 

mbcoops,

Thanks for the info, pm me the information for the guy who does the clear bra. Do i order the clear bra and then take it to him? Where did you get your kit from? Can you see that it has been installed? Or is it hard to tell that anything is there?

Garrett

 

Hey, don't laugh! Those insurance companies want to know everything about you!

 

Haha Yes they do! Thank goodness I am not an agent with the insurance company I work for.

 

Congrats on your order Garrett. Nice specs.

 

Garret:

Congratulations on your purchase! I also took the MINI for a test drive on a lark, and ended up ordering one. I had an 6 or 7 week wait (there was a port strike to boot) but the time went fast. Didn't know about NAM at the time... I could have spent that time boning up in the Detailing 101 forum .