Greetings All:

So I'm a newbie here. A non Mini owning newbie. I have a '97 Jetta as my daily driver, and as you might have guessed from my "handle", a rather run of the mill 1984 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce (until you approach the red line, that is). It's pretty bulletproof with the Bosch fuel injection and all.... but that's a topic to be discussed on my other bb, the Alfa BB http://www.alfabb.com
I've joined this forum because I want to learn more about the Mini. One of the guys in the Alfa Owners Of New England, the club I belong to, recently got a Mini. (Hi Dave P. if you're reading this) He loves it. He says it's the closest thing to the Alfa Experience you can get in a new car these days.
Some day I'm going to have to replace the Jetta, and since, at the moment I can't get me an Alfa here in the USA, my next choice would be a Mini. I've already learned from here about the exploding rear windows in the convertable. I need to know if this car is O.K. to carry around the two kids when they graduate from the car seats. I'm still trying to sort out all the options and goodies that you can get with the car. I've got lots of reading here to do!!!

Thank you and take care
Marc Olivier
Somewhere in Southeastern Massachusetts

 

Hey, Marc! Great to hear from you! Have you driven a MINI yet? We'd love to hear of your impressions . . .

 

Welcome Marc!

Though I can't speak for MINI usefullness related to kids, I can confirm one thing. I've owned several Alfa's in my life and still have an 86 GTV-6. The visceral sensation I had when test driving the MCS for the first time gave me a big wave of deja vu. When I finally nailed it down I realized that it was the same "oh my god this is awesome" feeling I had when I test drove the 88 3 liter Milano that we eventually bought. And now that I have 1000 miles on the MINI I can say that this is the first car that has approached (and exceeded) the fun feeling I had with that car.

From a driver's standpoint you won't be disappointed.

A_Sr.

 

The practicality of two kids in the back seat depends somewhat on your (and your SO's) height. If you're 6'5" with the seat all the way back, there is NO leg room in the back seat.

Since my Mini is new, the novelty has not worn off for my three girls (and likely never will! ) and they (and all their friends!) want to be in the car as much as possible (tall teenagers!). But because I'm under 6', two teenagers fit in the back seat without any problem (not recommended for long trips however).

Still, IMHO, the Mini is probably not best classified as a "family" car. We use the 1990 VW Vanagon for that!

 

There is no such thing as a run-of-the-mill Alpha!

Here are a couple that are on my when-I-win-the-lottery list:

 

[QUOTE=Rick-Anderson]There is no such thing as a run-of-the-mill Alpha!

Here are a couple that are on my when-I-win-the-lottery list:




Except for the license plate (mine was a black plate car) that looks just like my old Alfa! Don't tell me they're worth real money now. It was an econo cruiser (okay, 20 mpg average for 0-60 in 12 seconds and under 120 top speed wasn't great, especially for something called Veloce but...) and a delight to drive. It needed double clutch upshifts from 1-2 and 2-3, but that was part of its individuality. Even prior to restoration I enjoyed just getting into it and going to the supermarket or anywhere. It was so practical and so reliable until the motor blew (twice), but I learned later that was due to my mechanic's shenanigans. Otherwise I would have kept it. I miss that car more than any other. Perhaps I should have gotten a red MINI after all.

 

Thanks for the greetings:

I'll try to address the questions posed to me....
- No I have not driven a Mini yet. I did sit behind the wheel of one, the very first one I ever laid my eyes on, at the Bay State Antique Auto Show, in Dedham Mass about 3 years ago. Much to my surprise I fit in it quite well. The closest dealer is in Downtown Boston. Quite a trip from here.
- I am under 6 feet tall, hell I'm even under 5'11" tall!!! Ditto for my wife.
- Yes I know there's no such thing as a run of the mill Alfa. I just didn't want to sound elitist!!! I've seen too many Mini ads I guess!!! Mine is just a totally stock example. The roof needs replacing. That's why it only comes out in sunny warm weather. There's a bit of the tin worm showing through in some of the more obvious places, but not in the floor (that I can see anyway). It does have a lovely looking and sounding all aluminium engine, and as previously stated, it sounds better the higher the rpm's go.

By the way here's a picture of the current toy. Don't want to get rid of her, just thinking of the day when it's time to replace the Jetta.
- Rick that 70's white GTV is sweet. Same engine and drivetrain as the Spider. So parts are easy to get. Some of the Spider parts were the same from 1960-1994 !!! And you don't need to win the lottery to afford one. Check the AlfaBB under "cars for sale".