Hi All,

I just made up my mind yesterday that I have to have a mini ... I was on the hunt for a hybrid but didn't like the design of any of them, then I happened onto some govwebsite that listed the most eco-log&nom-friendly autos - and the mini was right up there! I had always loved the looks of the mini but didn't realize it was so virtuous.

Now that I've made up my mind I have to have one now - today! I don't want to wait the two months for it to ship. But I want a red one with a white top and sunroof. I live in this small town called Los Angeles, CA and so far I haven't been able to locate any dealers that have what I want in stock. Do any of you southern Californians have a suggestions? If I should find one in San Diego would the warranty be honored in Monrovia?

I went down the hill and met my mini neighbor for the first time. She told me to buy an S cause it would make getting up the hill easier. Do the minis come with GPS? Am I going to be the oldest mini owner at 61? (lied about being 60.) If you were buying your first mini, what would you do or not do again? Thanks for any suggestions. I hope to be one of you soon! Best, Ranchopam

 

ranchopam - welcome! :smile: Sounds like you've been bitten by the bug. I can't help you with finding a car in So Cal, but
just a few observations...

First of all, you'd be nowhere near the oldest member here! Plenty of folks in their 50s and 60s. :smile:
Now why would you seek out a MINI for its fuel economy and then buy an S just to get up a hill easier? Unless you're
climbing that hill at over 4,000 rpm, you're not going to notice much of a difference. The Cooper definitely has plenty
of pep to get up steep hills!

Those are the best kind!

 

I agree... the S is not a fuel-efficient car.

It would seem that the original intent of your car search has gotten side-tracked.

 

I have an S and am buying my wife a standard Cooper and I have no fear that her little car will have problems getting around the hills in my area. Sure the S has more power, but I'm looking forward to the fuel efficiency of the new Cooper for our highway trips. . .

I'd highly suggest buying your MINI from an out of state dealer. Most of the California dealers have huge mark-ups above MSRP or charge unusual fees for cars on the lot.

We live in Alabama and are buying our new MINI from Classic MINI in Mentor Ohio even though there are closer dealerships. Give Julie at Classic a call and see if she has something on the lot for you?

 

you may want to widen your search outside of california. you could find plenty of minis in stock all over the country and you can probably save $$$ even if you have to have it shipped. i know that MINI of St. Louis sells their hard tops at MSRP + $500 (if even that anymore).

 

I avg 35 mpg... and i can't complain at all bout the pep. I have zero regrets going Cooper instead of an S... except that i couldn't get electric blue Had to say it

I love the sound of the S, but the mpg are too good to pass up on the Cooper. Especially since it handles better and looks better than any other fuel efficient car that can get about the same MPG.

 

Even better than having it shipped to you. . . . buy a 1-way airline ticket and enjoy the fun of driving across our beautiful country!

. . . .a fantastic excuse for a brief road trip!

 

That's where I got mine, and they were great to work with!

 

I bought our 04 JCW/MCS used w/ 3100 miles. Great deal, everything we wanted, under full warantee, and didnt have to go crazy staying off the go peddle for the break in miles. TOTALLY HAPPY USED MINI BUYER!!! I'de look on line at Auto Trader. So Cal has the most listings.
Here is the link

http:http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searchresults.jsp?advanced=&certified=&isp=y&searc h=y&lang=en&search_type=both&make=MINI&model=&star t_year=2002&end_year=2006&min_price=&max_price=&di stance=0&address=76107&x=61&y=14//motors.listings.ebay.com/Passenger-
Or Vehicles_Mini_W0QQfclZ3QQfromZR12QQsacatZ31860QQso cmdZListingItemList
Hope this helps. Joe D.

 

Several folks from LA have also bought from Moritz MINI at $0 over MSRP. I drive a Cooper as well...good fuel economy trumps power increase I seldom would use.

 

I just bought an '03 Cooper with 15,000 miles on it. It did not have all the features I wanted and is not the S, but I drive a lot and the 35mpg is worth not having the S. I don't feel like my car is dragging and struggling to get up and running. Look on ebay for a mini. I just sold my RAV4 on ebay it was easy and the auction was over in a week. A friend of mine has bought 3 cars from ebay. He buys a one way ticket and drives back. :smile:

 

Ranchopam,

Short Bus is right. I have a S and have tracked every gallon of gas I've put in. 26.8mpg since I got it. Not bad, but not 35 either.

I love my MINI but gas was 2.69 today, and well.....

 

Welcome to the cult, Pam!

:smile: Give South Bay MINI a call (in Torrance) and see what they have on the lot. They are the newest SoCal dealership and eager to please, from what I have read here. :smile:

Your MINI warranty is good at any MINI dealership. You shouldn't have any trouble taking your MINI to Assael, but they will likely treat owners who bought from them better. (Sucks, but it seems to be true.) And the oldest MINI owner I've heard of was a gal in the Northeast in her early 80s!

Yeah...which part of that "small town" are you in? I'm in Mar Vista! :smile:


Clover

 

Howdy,

First of all, I love my new family ... Even if I can't drive the family car yet .

Thanks so much for your helpful responses! I have definitely decided in favor of the Cooper - and a special thanks for the gentle chiding of one Namer who reminded me that the whole purpose of my purchase was to be more ecologically pure and self-righteous than my 6-cylinder Toyota station allows me to be. That said ...

I went to one dealer today who actually had in stock the red & white beauty with the sun roof that I dream about. I has asked him how much and he said he wasn't allowed to say over the phone, but that he would definitely make my trip worthwhile.

Turns out, this dealer charges $1,500 over the MSRP, plus the Demo that he was willing to deduct $1,200 from had all this sports equipment that I would never need (unless I get the lead in Italian Job ll) and that cost about $6 thousand extra. For that I'd rather have a navigation system. To make a short story long, the price was $27,800, and so I took my beat up Toyota and went homeCooperless.

Also, since this was the first time, I've actually been inside a Mini much less driven one, I was kind of surprised at how rough the ride was ... like bad shocks. The salesman told me this is the nature of all sports car and that it probably seemed rough to me since I'm use to driving in my comfy Camry sofa. Whatever, I'm still hell bent on getting a Cooper - yes, I'm hooked. What else can you drive with a built in support group? The therapy's worth it.

But it looks like I'm going to have to order one and start waiting for my ship to come in. Heck, I wanted one today!

PS I will call Torrance tomorrow. And I live in Eagle Rock between Pasadena and Glendale