Well, I have come to the conclusion i do not like my mini any more. Ive never loved her like i kept telling my self i did.

I had an 06 R53 MCS and i loved her to pieces. That was a true car, one that connected me to the road. Something i could whip around with the intoxicating super charger whine. Her pristine metallic blue paint job and her bold white rims. It was a time where mini cared about the brand they sold and the enthusiast's that purchased them. Where you rarely saw another mini on the road and when you did you would get an enthusiastic wave

I have to say i have not had one single problem with my current clubman. Shes been rock solid and a great car. Aside from a little cosmetic issue where the chrome beltline fell of the back, mechanically shes perfect and i have 7,600 miles on her.

When i test drove my clubman i kept telling my self that it was better then the r53 it was better. But its not, it really isnt and it bother me. Its too refined. I feel like im just driving a car from point a to b not a toy and i just dont have the connection with the road i did with my r53. I cant stand that theyve become a me2 car and every owner i happen to see in the parking lot they dont care to talk about minis, its just a grocery getter. When at the dealer ship the owners sitting are always miserable to talk to. Its just not a mini to me. I cant stand the turbo, cant stand the blow off, cant stand the lag...

I would get another R53 but i cant find one with low miles and in good condition. For that reason im seriously contemplating getting the following cars

Subaru WRX STI
BMW m135
BMW 335 xi coupe
Audi A3
Audi A4/S4
Audi A5
R53 MCS or GP if i can find one

I have my eye set on the subaru and the m135 im just not sold on the looks. I have driven the cars in my list multible time and they all provide me with what i want. Everything the r56's should have had in them. To be hones i really feel that mini failed as soon as the released the r56's. granted im not comparing apples to apples but still i feel they are not a Mini.

My question is, has any one had experience with dumping there lease on lease trader and how it worked with BMW financial? i read they have to have the same credit score or higher as you and you but thats about it. all i can say is if i cannot get out from under it i am extremely happy i leased it

And sadly, i dont fit right in the mini "coupe" other wise i would be all over it!

 

If I were you, I'd just hold onto it until a good R53 (or GP.) comes along. You know it's what you REALLY want

I agree that the 2nd gen feel a bit disconnected, comparatively.

 

Why was it you got rid of the R53?

 

I recently ordered a Countryman and drove our '05 MCS to the dealer before the test drive, so the differences were pretty apparent, and your observation on the driving experience was spot on. The R53 feels a lot more ragged around the edges, and I do love that supercharger whine. Unfortunately, our MCS sits lonely in the garage these days, and since we've decided to become a single vehicle household we decided to get rid of our Element and MCS and get a Countryman S. Our MCS only has 53,000 miles on it, so there are still some low mile R53's still out there. It is Liquid Yellow though, and it seems people either hate it or love it. I'm taking it in next week for the trade-in appraisal, I'm curious to see what the offer will be.

 

Maybe hold on to it until the 3rd Gen MINIs come out? Who knows how those will drive compared to the two previous generations.

In short: Don't get rid of the MINI

 

I would take a LONG look at the file pump problems with the BMW 135/335. I was going to buy one- LOVED driving it- but the fuel pump problem is ridiculous. On the BMW forum, several people had their fuel pump go out FOUR times in less than 15K. Yes, BMW will fix it, but the car can simply stop running if the fuel pump goes. Imagine being stranded on the freeway in rush hour traffic. No thanks.

The STI reminds me a bit of a MUCH more powerful MCS. It is definitely ragged, and the ride is not what I would call smooth. It feels a bit tinny too, but man the car can flat out go! It was actually a bit scary because the turbo kicked you back in your seat when it engaged. You can pick up a base model STi for about 36K, and it will do 0-60 in under 5 seconds.

No way in hell I'd EVER buy an Audi or VW product. The three worst/most unreliable cars I have ever owned were VW/Audis. Have you checked out the TrueDelta website? Audis and VWs have the most repair issues of any car (well, normal cars) that I have seen. Love their styling, and I love to drive them, but I need a car that was somewhat reliable.

I agree with the comment about waiting for the right R53 to come along.

 

Where are you looking for a replacement R53?

 

I think you will take a hit on it because of the color. But NADA recently just stated that there are 107 used cars that are actually valued higher used then new. So you might get lucky.

However before you go in get the values yourself from NADA, KBB and http://clearbook.truecar.com/used-mi...aa/98030/26500

This way you will have a very good idea before you walk in the door. From what I have seen Mellow Yellow and the BRG cars seem to be getting low balled. I would be interested in what you find.

 

Where do you live that you can get an STI but not an r53 i'm assuming they both have low miles. Because I got an 04 r53 for 13k with 50k miles and all the STI's where ridiculously more expensive.

 

I run a business, the economy really hit us hard so the Mini needed to go among a few other things. I have two installers and I found it to be selfish to let them go and keep my Bayby/Toy. They had families to feed and i just couldnt bring my self to hurting them.


Very true, if i could find a GP that wasnt beat to hell i would gladly pay the price. Every one ive run across (and thats not many) are trashed

Ive talked to my dealer, they said they can get me out of my lease but ill have to pay between 2500-3000k They said that if they happened to come across a GP or a low miliage 06 R53 they would split that cost with me after negotiations to get me out from under it. I have a really good relationship with my dealer, they know that i baby my cars and they would have no problems selling it off the lot. Besides, i am 5k under my allotted miles per year.

There is a hyundai dealership that has a pristine WRX Sti that they were selling a wicked good deal. Im sure they had no idea what they had on their hands. When i called them back to take it for a longer test drive my salemen said that 1/2 hour after i walked out the car was gone. Guy walked in and wrote a check.

I just want to get out of my lease, i dont want to pay for something im not enjoying.

 

WOW!! I wish MORE small and medium size business owners felt the same way you do. It is a trait that's very scarce in todays gotta have it all world.

I applaud you for taking that action!!

 

+1...Kudos!

 

What he said. Hopefully that good deed will be returned by the Universe in the form of a clean, well priced GP for you!

 

Well, not a GP BUT MY MINI it just went up, I hadnt checked ebay in a few weeks and came across a mini that looked strangly like mine. I have the original window sticker and the vin matches. Of course once i saw the seats, the alta intake and yellow brake calibers i knew it was mine.

Holly Poop, i cannot believe what im seeing. Emailed the guy and hes selling it because his wife is due any day now and they need a more piratical car. And he only put 13000 miles on the clock without so much as a hickup

As it stands right now Im going to go into the credit union tomorrow and get pre approved, then try and schedule an inspection. He lives 7 hours from me. CMON bank, approve me its probably crazy to do this before i dump my lease but how many chances are there to be able to buy your car back, not only that but Your first car

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mini-...#ht_500wt_1182

 

That's awesome! It's meant to be!

Keep us updated!

 

I can tell you know it's the fact it's a clubman. Don't take that the wrong way clubman folks but it's not the same as a coupe.

I know while you're in the front seat, it "looks" like a coupe but it's not. I drove one for a while and couldn't wait to get back into my R56.

I've had two R53's and I know what you mean about connecting with the road, it seems that every car manufacturer produces their next generation car to be more like my father's buick... they become too refined (Jeep did it, Corvette did it, etc, etc)

Go test drive a coupe, I'm sure it'll feel like an upgraded version of what you had prior. I love my R56.

My .02 worth....


Mark