Just wanted to say hello and finally introduce myself to the group. I picked up a 2004 MCS about a month ago as a daily driver during the winter months as my E55 and rwd don't go too well together in the snow.

The story goes...I was looking to replace my '95 Maxima with an '04 Maxima and stumbled upon this Mini the dealership also had there. My friend who works at the dealership said I should test drive the Mini. Me knowing nothing about Mini's said sure why not and was instantly hooked on how fun this car was to drive. The handling, the small looks yet roomy interior, heated seats burning butt in less than 1 minute, the whine of the supercharger, and the pano roof made quite an impression on me. My E55 is also s/c and has pano roof so I felt right at home with a "mini" version of it . Two days later I bought the car.

That same night on the way home from the dealer I ran my friends '02 6spd Maxima and was very surprised to see the Mini hold its own but still get pulled on. Both him and another friend liked the Mini soo much that one found and bought a Mini GP 2 weeks later and the other is trying to sell his Maxima first before he buys his Mini. I also ran my friends GP and he walked me pretty easily.

Because of that, the modding began right away. I ordered an Alta 15% Pulley and CAI and installed it 2 weeks ago. The install wasn't too bad as it took me about 5 hrs with the help of another friend, the pulley install guide found on this forum, and a pulley puller rental from Alta. I'm sure the next time around it can be done twice as fast.

This past weekend I ran both the '02 6spd Maxima and GP again post mods. Now my Mini pulls on the Maxima and doesn't get walked on by the GP but still slightly pulled on.

Last week I was out of town working in Detroit and decided to pay Chad at DetroitTuned a visit. Chad is a very nice and stand up guy who answered all the questions I had and gave me a tour of his shop. I bought a couple of things that could fit in my rollerboard on the plane ride home...one of those things being the DT bypass valve. I don't have the yo-yo effect but want that full boost earlier and that 1 more psi I may gain.

Sorry for the long introductory post, but the Mini is a great car and deserves it . I have more fun driving this car than my E55 now even though it has twice the horsepower .

Below are some pics taken at the dealership I bought it from.

 

nice MCS! i like the color combo too. congrats on the car.

 

Congrats on the car.. Very sharp.

Check out www.chicagominiclub.com if you are looking for stuff to do.

 

Welcome to the Gang, you may want to visit www.chicagominiclub.com for more details about events to meet with other MINI owners. We will have some great events this year and many new events too.
Opps, looks like Steve beat me to the "enter" key. LOL

 

Welcome to the Chicago MINI community.

I've always liked the dark silver/black combo -- very sophisticated.

cheers,
bonmot

 

Welcome to your new addiction!
I too new nothing about minis and stumbled across mine at the dealer while looking at a jeep TJ.
glad I got the mini. the absolute funnest car ive ever owned! and ive owned close to 40 cars in my day. most being the 60's to 70's muscle cars.
NO MORE AMERICAN CARS FOR ME!

 

Great looking MINI! Welcome!

 

Thanks for the warm welcome guys! Wish I could make it to the go-karting event, but I have other obligations. I'll be there the next event though.

Hopefully this Saturday I can install the DT Bypass Valve and see how the car responds!

 

Were are you located?

 

I'm in Des Plaines right next to O'hare airport.

 

hmmm.. that's almost in my backyard... ok, not quite... but close enough.

Congrats on your MINI. Maybe we'll see you around

 

Welcome! Nice looking R53! I picked up my 04 S over the summer to be a daily driver as well, as my RWD car is strictly a good weather vehicle. Only now I think I enjoy it nearly as much as my "fun" car.

Once it warms up a bit, I'd like to tackle a pulley install, but was hoping for some guidance from someone who has done it before. I've installed headers, electronic boost controllers, rear ends, and some other minor bolt ons on my other vehicles. But always with a few people around to help coach and assist.

When the weather warms up, if you'd be willing to act as a guide, I'm sure myself and possibly a few others would like to do a mod day for a pulley install.

 

Hey Dan00Hawk,

No problem. Just let me know when. Why wait for the weather to warm up... nothing a propane tank with a heater in a garage can't solve . Thats what I did...sure I felt a little dizzy from the propane smell, but the way the car pulled afterwards was well worth the headache

 

LOL Well, waiting for the weather to warm up is also an excuse for finding time to make sure the wife won't be around so she doesn't catch me adding more stuff to the car. However, I think I can spin it off as preventative maintenance with changing the belt and all. If I do it while changing the brake pads, I'll likely be in the clear.

 

Welcome to the club. We've got a little gathering at Knauz Mini on Feb 13 from 6:30-7:30. Bring it by so we can all have a look.

 

Wish I could make it but I'll be out of town that week.

 

I'm the friend with the 02 Maxima and now an 06 Hyper Blue MCS JCW. Looking forward to Mini meets this year. No pictures yet due to the poor weather we're having.

rt

 

but, MINIs love snow!

snap away!!!

welcome guys

 

Cold weather!
funny, here in Phoenix we wait till the cold weather to do things. LOL
Hard to wrench on your ride in 110 degrees.
and yes when i first moved out here i made the mistake of laying my tools by the side of the car while working on it, having the sun position itself on them for a good while and got burned while grabbing them. (it dosent take long)

Oh and at 4th of july last year we actually were able to cook an egg in a pan in the sun! Just let the pan sit on the ground for 1/2 hr and then dropped in the egg.

but hey you dont have to shovel sunshine!

 

 

Nice Pic,
brrrr. is that ice hanging from the side skirt?
i do not miss that!

 

Some pics taken last weekend...thought you'd all enjoy . First time we had all 3 together.

 

Nice!

 

Sweet pics and a good family!

 

Sweet pics. I keep telling my friends to get MINI's as well but they prefer pure HP drag strip power and comfort.