I live in LR, am considering a Mini, and would greatly appreciate help: 1) Memphis seems the closest dealer--how are they? 2) Does anyone in town service them? Other service details, frequency, cost, etc.? 3) Custom ordering positive there, and how long does that take? 4) I commute 100 miles a day, and I'm 6'2--thoughts on both counts? Thank you!

 

wel i dont know to much about them, but i just bought mine last week.... i am 6'3" 240 pounds and i fit great.... i dont even have to move the seat all the way back either. hopefully that helps a little bit.

 

Yeah, that's good to hear--thanks!

 

Hey motoboy, glad to hear you are interested in a MINI! Memphis is the closest dealer unless you purchase a used one which you can find in the area. Service, under warranty, is free and includes oil changes and fluids so while you are under warranty I would suggest going there. Donnie's Foreign Cars has worked on MINIs. I don't know what type of work he has done on them. He is located off Shackelford by Outback. I am out of warranty and do it myself.

MINIs have a full synthetic oil engine so oil changes aren't but every 15000 or so. Some have them changed more often others don't. Roadshow cannot change the oil inbetween services without charging because it is not apart of the warranty. The warranty only covers it for every so many miles. Warranty is normal 36K or 3yrs?. I've had mine for 1 1/2 years and have 62K on it so I never remember the exact yearly coverage. Roadshow is a good dealer. The service guy, Todd, is very informative and helpful. Just beware that MINIs don't deal like regular car dealers. Roadshow charges $99 per hour for service work if you have something done not under warranty or once your warranty wears out. Basic maintenance is not that difficult even though some think it is. I'm a girl and I can do it! (I do have my husband's help if needed. )

I bought mine off the lot so I don't know anything about custom ordering. sorry.
100 miles per day? You'll catch up with me in no time!

For tire work I go to Crosstire, others go elsewhere. Also know the BMW dealer in LR won't touch them. They referred me to Crosstire because they wouln't even rotate my tires.

Hope this helps. Know that MINI is worth the drive to MEmphis for awhile. They simply are the funnest car to motor around in!!

 

This is extremely helpful, Free Spirit, thanks very much, and for the encouragement!

 

If you go to Roadshow in Memphis, when looking for a Motoring Advisor, ask for Tom Taylor...he is a fellow MINI owner and Mid-South Miniacs club officer.

Roadshow is a great dealer. I am not sure what this says about some of us owners, but you would think we live there we visit so often to say hi.

Unless it has changed, the free maintenance runs 3/36,000 while the warranty runs 4/50,000. I am actually about to extend my maintenance contract because I am going to be due for a couple of big service visits right after my 3/36,000 runs out. I was quoted $1400 to extend it to 7/100,000. I probably wouldn't do this if we had a place to work on the car, but for now, it is just easier to let someone else do it.

I will warn you, maintenance and repairs on a Mini can be fairly expensive, but I think the free maintenance in the beginning balances it out a little.

Lastly, they have a pretty good selection on the lot. I ordered mine and waited about 4-5 weeks. The wait time all depends upon how many production slots the dealership has available for the month. I don't think the wait at Roadshow is as bad as most other dealerships.

 

i will ask for him, thank you! And that sounds a lot like the Triumph (motorcycle) shop i go to--something about English vehicles maybe.

great suggestion & info on the maintenance contracts, thanks, and for the good warning about the expense. motivates me to finagle commuting less. & great to have the ordering/wait info--i did send my build from miniusa.com to roadshow, so maybe now i'll follow up with tom... thanks again very much for your help!

 

Donnie works on MINI's, and I have confidence in his service. I have used him for my 97 BMW 318 for almost ten years. I just sold the BMW and bought my MINI2. He is across from Circuit City in west Little Rock (224-1991). Tell him I suggested him and he will charge you more!
Jim

 

I'mwith JimC67. I have heard good things about Donnies Foreign Cars. When my warranty is up, I plan on giving him a call.

 

Hey Motoboy- you have a Triumph?

 

I'm sure it's possible to have a problem with Roadshow....but, in over four years I've yet to have even one. They always treat me great and fix my MINI right the first time. Eric, the tech who works on my MINI, is friendly, skilled and professional. I enjoy talking to him about my MC when I'm at Roadshow.

Wish it was closer, but for me it's easily the best dealer I've ever bought from.

 

y'all are great--thanks very much for the help & contact info on Donnie's, Jim and RGP, and for the Roadshow testimonial, Resmini. Really good to know, especially since i commute so much already. by the way, nobody knows when they're getting the clubmans in do you? maybe that's another thread entirely(?)

 

and yes, Minerva L, an '05 Bonneville, also a classic design from the 60s. i think they'd go great together!

 

This is a quote from Brandon Nichols, the sales manager at Roadshow MINI. It will answer your question on the Clubman.

"I also wanted you to know that the 2008' Cooper, Cooper S, Clubman and Clubman S Owner-Build-Slots are available. We will only have a few slots for the first units too arrive (Cooper / Cooper S in January and Clubman / Clubman S in February). So, if you know an AMOK Member that is interested in one of these MINI's, have them call or email me. Lori Patton just arrived back from the Clubman Owner Introduction (in Europe) and says
this MINI is Awesome!"

 

What color? Mine is white and tangerine- '06 Bonnie T100! They're a blast, aren't they?

 

Free Spirit, thank you! I've been very eagerly awaiting the chance to even just build my virtual Clubman on the site. For my lifestyle, a Mini, with a side doggie door?! Perfect!

 

What a great coincidence, ML! You've got a beautiful bike. Mine's black, but not the "Bonnie Black" with the all-black engine--my engine's the standard silver. I wanted a bike all my life but waited until the right time and right bike, and seeing my Bonnie in the back corner of the shop on Asher felt right like how I imagine Charlie Chaplin noticed the bowler and cane in the prop closet. Yes (!) they're a blast! I described it to a friend once as like being on a rollercoaster you never have to get off of or stand in line for. Great meeting another Bonnie rider! Have fun & be safe!

 

hi motoboy, if you have a 100 mile daily commute, you'll love motoring back and forth to work in a MINI. and trust me, you'll have plenty of room 'cause at 6'1" and well ,lets just say i am around 275, i have plenty of room in my MINI. ROADSHOW is absolutely the best dealer to work with before, during, and after the sale. many dealerships don't ever seem to know or care who you are after you take delivery of a car, but at ROADSHOW, since you take delivery of a MINI, which is not just any ordinary car, they treat you very well after the sale. and like "vargasgal" said, be sure to ask for tom taylor when you go to ROADSHOW as he is one of the founding members of Mid-South MINIacs. todd fulford, service advisor, will work with you and treat you very well. i have been buying new and/or used cars now for 33 years and ROADSHOW is the only dealership where i have made multiple car purchases. i bought my 2003 MINI there and also my 2006 MINI convertible there. and hopefully next year, i'll buy my wife a MINI Clubman from ROADSHOW. i haven't seen this in any of the other replies, but you can build a Clubman at www.mini.uk for kicks. pricing is in british pounds so just have fun for now building one!
keep us up to date on your new MINI when you get it.
alan
www.midsouthminiacs.org

 

hey alan, this is great! i've had my mini configured on the american site for a long time and visit it often! and i keep checking for the clubman, so THANK YOU for the workaround to the UK site! and thanks for the height & weight testimonial as well and the commute encouragement--it's a concern, though i think like you--may as well have the miles be great motoring. (my commute is LR to PB & back, and when i ride my motorcycle i go 365, which i have to myself, instead of 530. maybe i could mini that way too--even more miles, but much more fun.) really appreciate the roadshow testimonials--this is an even bigger deal to me than the commute, because i've had a honda for 20 years, all of them at Russell, and i still deal with the same service guys i did when i was 17--they've been awesome to me. i'll definitely keep you posted--thanks for asking and for the help!

 

hey motoboy, i goofed, the uk website for MINI is www.mini.co.uk

 

no problem! i figured out what you meant in a single google step, but thanks for following up!

ps. i checked out your gallery--you & your white convertible on the track, grand canyon, and california border?! that is so great...