No way am I well off. I am pushing 50 and have worked for the State of Colorado for most of my life. In the past 9 years my husband has been mostly let go from his jobs (he's a machinist). My job is very secure and it is "soft money", so no hiring freezes or problems like the rest of the state employees are going through right now. My hubby finally got a really great, secure job. We still make less then $80,000 combined but by about a year from now everything except our home and MINI will be paid off. This from almost losing our home a few years ago. You don't have to be rich to get what you want or to turn your situation around, just hard work. How did we afford the MINI? I drove my Toyota Tercel for 17 years. We were a one car family (no kids). I drove the Tercel to work and my husband rode his bike 14 miles a day to his job (when he had one). We both grew up in Boulder and everyone rides bikes so it was no biggie for him. In the last 2 years we managed to save up a large downpayment, increase my credit score from poor to excellent and fix up the Tercel for him to drive for a couple more years. In a couple years when the bills are paid off we will sell the Tercel, my MINI will be halfway paid off and my husband will get a new MINI of his own. So, through hard work, doing without anything for a while we saved the house, he found a great job, got my MINI, are paying off the bills and can start traveling again (our other passion besides MINI). So if you don't have a lot, don't give up. Just take it one step at a time and keep the faith.

 

It depends on where you're driving it! I teach at a private college ( = laughable salaries). Soon after my Clubman arrived, a public safety officer was admiring it in the parking lot. He then said, "I've noticed a few of these in the faculty/staff lots -- if you don't mind telling me, what do these cost, anyway?" From his tone of voice I could tell he thought MINIs must be less expensive than he thought if faculty and staff could afford them!

 

I will be the Nth person to iterate that you don't need to be well off to be a mini owner. I am 21 in college working only part time. I bought my '07 MCS last year cash. For me it was an easy decision. I go to school in an area where living costs are very very low and I have some considerable savings. I set a budget for my car purchase based on the money I had saved (I have worked year round since I was 13 often having multiple jobs) and the fact that whatever I bought at that budget would be my only car for the next 8 to 10 years. I was lucky enough to stumble on a barely used (13k) MCS with no options for just under my budget constraint and bought it on the spot.

To me it was worth it because after college I will never have a car payment to worry about until I am well into my career. The icing on the cake is that the car is a Mini and there isn't a single car I would rather have.

 

If you're talking financials when you mean well off, then the answer is No.

However, I have a great family, great motoring buddies and friends, a great car to drive, a roof over my head and earn enough money to pay the day to day bills and feed my family. I'm very well off in that sense.

 

I definatly don't think that i'm well off. I do live within my means. I'm 24 and have a good paying job(even though the economy is forcing a 10% pay cut). I do have student loans and rent to pay and try to put money away every month. and as with everyone on here try and put some money towards the MINI weather it's for mods or to just try and get it paid off early.

I feel like i did the smart thing. I wanted to get an 09 JCW but it would have been just that and nothign else. I have a MCS with a sunroof , cold weather, and comfort access. These are things that i wanted but couldn't have afforded on the JCW. Plus it is still less than a base JCW car would have been.