In Clovis..just east of Fresno CA.

Great to be here.. I am just settling in on the idea of an MCS for my next vehicle. I've been searching for a while at various cars in the sporty/fun bracket. The mini from what I gather, comes the closest to fulfilling that wish where many only give you a 'promise'.

The minisua website is mind-boggling when doing a 'build'. But I do like that some of the 'hotter' options like LSD can still be picked as single options.

Considering the mini would likely require less paint than most cars, it's a little disappointing that a good half the colors are 'options'.

A quibble really. The overall concept is great.

My closest dealer is in the bay area (Mt. View). I would be interested if there are dealer ratings anywhere on this forum. Like major ones to avoid, and others ranked high in customer service, etc.
In any case, I will be doing a lot of research on here as I prepare to take the plunge in the very near future!

 

Hi! Welcome

I do agree that it's pretty shady to have only ... what, TWO colors available at no extra cost? The rest are "metallic", and cost an extra $500.

Definitely do a search of the forums for the dealership you're thinking about to see what people have to say about them. It sounds like you have way more dealerships to choose from in CA than in most places. The entire PNW has only 2! Portland and Seattle for something like 4 states?!

 

Welcome to NAM, hope you find what you want.

 

Welcome! I hope you find your perfect car!

 

Hi daleb, welcome to the ride of your life. There is a group called the MidCal Mini's that is in your area (midcalminis.com). You are welcome to join the banter and I'm sure we can answer your questions concerning the best dealers and what we do when we need something repaired. We usually yell help to SRTech. The club meets once a month (no dues) and we usually try to have a couple runs (twisties preferred) a month. Michele is our unofficial leader because she has experience in keeping an unruley group in line. We even have a car decal and t-shirts. Make the plung and join the fun. Ken

 

Sounds great! I'll check it out. noted from some older posts there seems to be some good stuff to say about East Bay Mini up in Pleasanton.

thanks again!

 

Welcome to NAM!

Hope your find your perfect MINI!

 

Quit trying to find your perfect MINI, Order it!

Build it on the configurator and then print it out.
Take the print out to the dealer of your choice!

A $500 deposit starts the adventure of a lifetime!

 

...and the wait

 

Waiting is just the first part of the Adventure!

The President of MINICCI bought her first MINI off the lot. No wait to build, no tracking it accross the pond on the ship nothing. Almost instant gratification, Dang break in period! She gave it to her hubby.

Then she wanted a MCS, it was an order.

Inother words: Do the wait now or do the wait later. Any way you do it...

Eventually you will wait on a MINI!

 

East Bay MINI is in Pleasanton and they sell at MSRP. I am in the process right now and they seem to be good people. I would not wait any longer tho as specing(?) your own 2006 days are nearly over because of the 2007 model change-over. PEZ

 

Welcome! We have about 35 members in our area even though the nearest dealer is over 100 miles away and most are active. We usually have at least a 33% turnout at events. PM me your name and e-mail address and I will add you to the e-mail list I keep for events and updates. The next meeting is July 7th in Madera and the location and directions can be found on the website (http://www.midcalminis.com). We may be doing a run on July 1st (this Saturday) so watch the MidCal forum hear on NAM. If you want to see any of our MINIs in person, just ask; most weekends, there are a few of us doing something MINI related together.

Steve

P.S. I've heard mostly good things about East Bay Mini.

Edit: Don't be afraid to show up without a MINI. I went to my first two meetings and events in a very large 3/4 ton 4x4 pickup. :-)

 

Here's a general question which I'm sure midcalminis has addressed before. You are sitting over 150 mi from the nearest dealership, and your poor mini has a problem that needs dealer attention.. now what?

 

The first thing I did when I saw the 06 color selection was to e-mail MINI-USA and complain about the LACK of colors in their color selection. Most of it is highway camoflage.

 

That's why a lot of potential buyers in the Fresno area have not bought MINIs. And why I've been doing some of the repairs on MidCal members' MINIs as well as my own. It is sometimes more expensive to get warranty work done (having to drive over 100 miles/losing a day of work) then having someone local do the work. Brad (Scooby03) and I have something cooking on that front coming in the near future.

Steve

 

welcome to NAM. you'll love hte mini... the good and the ugly

 

Well Steve, I'm sure that could be said for many parts of the country. And if 'poor mini' is disabled, you will not be driving it to the Bay Area either. Just considering all possibilities. I have no problem working on cars, but don't want it to be a sideline.. being retired, I want my trips north, and elsewhere to be for pleasure. I really wonder how they would handle a dead mini (that's a sad thought, sorry!) under warranty. Unless they are willing to transport it to the dealership which could get costly (for THEM), I wonder if they would 'contract' the work.. maybe to Weber BMW?
Are you guys licensed mechanics?
Not that I'm fond of Weber BMW, but that's another story for another day.
I like this group though.. having been a quality engineer I tend to get OC about asking a lot questions. I see a sound vehicle here that had some rough patches during it's first couple of years but seems to be on the go now.
I will contact 'East Bay' soon.. I understand about the '07s although it seems many expect something changed over again.. so the reliability of the 06 may still be the best at this point.. sorry to 'worry' the issue. Considering the central coast, etc. I am surprised they did not 'dot' the golden state more evenly. Hell, even farmers out here like new cars. And the country roads are waiting for me!!

 

MINI roadside service is free during the warranty period and will tow you however far you need to go to get to the nearest MINI dealership. I have been working on cars since I was about 12 years old, but have never done it for a living. I got tired of my parents' cars going to the dealer and coming out with more problems (or damage) than when they went in, so I started repairing them myself. I will only do certain repairs on MINIs because there are a lot of things that require the dealership computer to diagnose or to setup if the ECU is involved. Currently, I am only doing this for friends, but I may do more in the future. Brad is mechanically challenged, but has other strengths.

Steve

 

yes, I forgot about the free towing tied to the warranty.. it's on their dime.
We have had mostly Honda based cars and frequent Honda North for oil changes .. around $13 w/owner's oil/filter.
And I have no problem doing my own routine maintenance. Have not quite digested the 10K oil change intervals..but that's for a future time. I am sure we will make a connection soon both socially and for more tips and informal clinics, etc. I enjoy that stuff.
I was very active on the acuramdx.org website starting when we were still in the Bay Area some 4 years ago.
I have your schedule from the midcalminis site...and numbers, etc. Will be in touch as well as post my start date. This looks like a go, Houston.

here's my wish list subject to change:

MCS, blk wht top, Cold Wther & Sport Pkg, LSD, 3spoke with cruise, HK radio option, and $40 device input (I am an 'anythingbutipod.com' kind of guy').
I have never upgraded sound systems before, but I hear so many positives on the HK...it could save more work later. I take it the LSD is popular choice?

My wife has already named it Big Boss based on black suit and white hat..and it will sit next to a black CRV in the garage ('Junior'). I realize these details are important also.. .