I've been following a thread about the age's of MINI owners. Made me think it would be fun to see which NAM member has been driving MINI's the longest. Maybe one of our wonderful vendors would judge this thread, and possibly offer a prize to our longest Statesman, or Stateswoman.

I'll start. Three great months.

 

Depends on if you're talking Mini's or MINIs. My first Mini was a 1961 I bought in 1971. My first MINI was an '02 I bought in 2005.

I'm thinking you mean MINI.

 

I wanted to drive a Mini sometime around 1965, didn't have the opportunity. Actually started driving a MINI in May of 2007, so there are lots of people who have been driving them longer.

 

How long have you been driving a MINI?

 

I bought my 02-S off the lot, actually off the truck, on a Friday evening in Late Sept of 02 as I recall. I wasn't the first by far but there were not very many on the road at that time. I'd seen my first on the way to work in the morning. Computer searched for the dealership at lunch, found one was just on the other side of town (Norfolk) drove over after work and came home with the car around 9pm leaving my Miata in the dealer's lot to be picked up the next day. Car I bought was just coming off the truck .. I asked if any of the cars on the truck were unspoken for and turns out a DS/W S with lapis blue leather, the premium pak, 16" S-lites fell into that catagory. I offered sticker (but no dealer mark up) and they went for it. Took about 90 minutes to do the prep and paperwork..... I had test driven an S and a just-a by this time. More important a call to the spousal unit said "bring it home now!"

My son was almost in tears thinking I'd sold the Miata, he was soon to get his lic' and glowed up when I told him we just needed to go back & pick it up. He wasn't a MINI guy yet but later ended up getting the 02 from me/us as his first car and we ended up with a bit better that 95,000 on it before we decided trading was the best thing to do cuz he was/is 4 hours from a dealer with no MINI recommended mech's any nearer....

Back to the 02 .... it was almost dangerous driving it the first year. People would pull along side and take pictures even on the highway. Good practice tho for when you take the big dive and buy a classic.....

I drove the 02 as my daily until son needed a car for school so I let him have that one and got a new 07 (off the lot again) which is my daily today. And I have the 79 for grins and giggles rides on the weekends as well as excuse for welding lessons, and a welder, and auto painting lessons, and auto paint guns, and tech manuals, and and and

So call me October of 02 . . . . but don't call me late for Happy Hour .. continuous MINI driver since then and a Mini driver for 6 years to boot.

 

We got our first MINI in July of 04, so 5 1/2 years driving MINIs.

I learnt to drive in a Mini, that was starting a week after my 17th Birthday, Feb of 1980. That was almost 30 years ago now, but not driving Minis continuously since then.

My Mum had a Mini when I was young (like about 4), I remember them letting me drive it about 2 feet up the driveway once, I also probably got to steer it when it needed pushing. That would be about 43 years ago, but still not driving them continuously since then.

 

Hey Capt thanks for sharing your story with us.

 

OMG, I'm glad I didn't want to judge this thread. Another great story.

 

9/02 to present. Two MINIs. 160k miles. Many track days. My R53 is getting a bit long in the tooth and I would love to stick with MINI for a third round, but I'm just too underwhelmed by the R56. Maybe I can hold out to see what the next iteration brings. To bide my time I may need to install that big-valve head and cam...

 

bought mine in june of 08 didnt get to drive it till august of 08 had to get built and shipped been driving it ever since 75 miles a day to school

 

Test drove one in late April, ordered mine May 1st, built June 10th delivered August 18th 2002. There are lots of people that have had theirs longer than mine though..

 

Been driving my MCS since Aug 3, 2002 - first customer at dealership when it opened to the public. Plan on keeping Fizzgig forever. I intend to be being buried in it to prevent my kids fighting over it.

Kevin

 

Customer specced PS/PS MCS, built June 18 2002, delivered July 18 2002, still going strong, mostly garage decor now with 31000m on the clock.

In January of 2002, the "yet to be" dealership invited the wait listers to see the first of the demonstrator Coopers in the flesh. We were invited to check it out thoroughly, sit inside, but no test drives. I test drove an MCS on the day the US dealerships opened their doors in April 2002.

I was #15 on my dealer's wait list, deposit paid in July 2001. The early MINIs to reach the US were factory specced and the color choices on the MCS were mainly EB/W and DS/W. There were also some CR/W, LY/B, LY/W and PS/B on the lots. My MCS was one of the first customer spec MINIs and took 3 long months from the initial introduction of the factory specced MINIs.

377 days, deposit to delivery.

 

Although I was aware earlier when BMW first announced the MINI project, I didn't test drive until Labor Day '02 and ordered in Nov '02. JoeGreen was built 1-10-03 and delivered to me on 1-31-03. He's been my one and only since then.

30 states, 4 provinces, Dragon 3 times, Indy 500 once and just shy of 160K miles today. Kudos to everyone on NAM and members of CMMC who have helped me with maintenance issues over the years!

 

Def not me... only 1.3 years...

 

I learned to drive on a Mini when I was 16, which puts it in 1984. I had 4 more Minis before I moved to the States in 96.

When I heard that BMW was re-engineering the Mini and was going to sell them in the US, I told my wife "unless they screw it up, that's my next car".

Well, they didn't screw it up. I had to wait till I got a real job after we moved to Vegas to order Alice.

Ordered July 4th weekend in 2002, delivered Oct 22nd 2002 after being held up in the California dock strike of late 2002. Used him as my daily until my daughters were ready to start daycare last March. 2 infants in the back seat of a 2-door is just not feasible. With 1 baby, it would have been ok, but not 2.

Oh yeah, bought another classic in 2004 which I drive occasionally, these days probably almost as often as the MINI.

 

The family's first MINI, now my sisters car, was taken home in April or May of 2002, with the second MINI coming in October or November of that year. I learned to drive in that first MC, was only 15 at the time. According to the DMV, it was the first MINI in Lincoln. My father, as the legend goes, bought someone's spot on a waiting list on eBay for that car.

So I have 7 years, 9 months experience with MINIs.

 

Been driving MINIs since September 7, 2002. We have owned a total of 4 ('02 MC, '04 MCS, '05 MCS (Still my daily driver) and '08 Clubman S (Wife's).

Between all 4 cars we have put 140,000 miles in nearly 8 years of motoring.

 

If you are talking MINIs, and not Minis, I can claim to be at or near the top. Helix Imported a MINI from Gothenberg, Sweden in November of 2001 under U.S. Customs TIB laws, which allow importation of non-DOT certified vehicles for the development of U.S. manufactured parts. I have been driving MINIs ever since. Here's a shot of it at the Dundalk Marine Terminal (anybody hearing the theme tune to season 2 of the Wire????) awaiting pickup with some older brethren.



I think we were several weeks later than Mini Mania for the honors of first private importation of a MINI. We did have the first left-hand drive MINI, as the Mania one was imported from England.

 

BTW, we were required to export the vehicle after a certain duration of time, so now my cousin drives it around Stockholm.

 

I ordered mine in April 2002 and took delivery June 14, 2002. Still own it. My family owned the original Mini's big brother, the MG1100, in the mid 60s I have really liked small cars since then.

 

I too, would like to stick around with MINI but the current crop doesn't do much for me either. We like the Clubman S for what it is, but from a strict MINI point of view, the best MINI's were the first gen cars.

I just can't get excited over a MINI SUV. sorry.

 

Dont remember the exact date.. but I got the first new MINI in AZ on the opening day of the dealership.. It was early May of 02. It was a PS/B Cooper.. Since then I had a 04 EB/W S... 08 PW/PW Clubman S...and a GP. GP is the only one I still have.

 

By far not the longest owner by a longshot, but Scoopie became mine in April of '06. I 'built' one online, but none of the dealerships relatively near me had my color combo, so I ended up driving out to the one in Annapolis since they had a PH MCS on their lot. Saw her, test drove her, and left with her. She's my daily driver and currently has 49k.

 

I first drove a MINI in Feb of 02, started my ownership that March!