Hello all!

My mini is about 8mo old and has about 2500miles on it so far...
(I know...its my running errands car...)

We are talking about cross country trip sometime later this year
and wondering if many of you take your Minis for that kind of road
trips... Its about 1500 miles each way...could be more if we decide
to detour to some fun places...

On one hand, since this will be our better mileage car, it makes
sense to take my Mini... I just don't know if it comes to resell/trade
in later on, is it better to have low mileage or not...
(If we don't take my Mini...maybe we might look into renting some
economy car to save mileage and gas)

Just wondering if Minis are suited for long road trips...I guess...
Any input is appreciated.
Thank you!

 

This year on MTTS will be our 5th trip from the west coast to the east coast and back in our 2010 JCW Clubman, 65000 miles and still going strong.

Just motor on and have fun, remember it is all about the drive in a MINI

Bill

 

Did a 3200 mile 10 day trip back in 2009 in my MINI. Absolute blast.

Every year I've done our club's Blue Ridge Parkway Tour and that usually ends up being around 1,000 miles for a long weekend.

That said, impact on resale value is not a factor I consider when deciding what to do with my MINI.

 

We take ours on long trips. So far we went off to Yellowstone, for a total or 2800 miles, and to Victoria, BC for 2200 miles. We were planning on going to New Mexico last year, but circumstances changed so we didn't. That would have been around 3000 miles.

 

Took my 2013 JCW Hardtop from Cali to Colorado last July. 2000 miles round trip. Averaged 33.5 MPG. Then on the first week of October we took my wife's 2011 Clubman S from Cali to Montana and back. 3000 miles round trip. Averaged 35.4 MPG. They are a blast on the open road. You never get bored, and if you have an S, they don't know what a mountain is. They think they're still at sea level.

 

Picked up my '14 fJCW Clubman on a Saturday afternoon in August
Left for Branson Mo. Sunday morning.
Left Branson and went to Memphis Tn.
Then continued on home here in the Chicago area.
Loved every minute of that trip.

Just make your plans and load it up, you won't be disappointed.
The more I drive my MINI the more I come up with reason to spend more time driving to-n-fro.

 

Just returned from a 3000 mile road trip in a 05 Convertible - no issues.
Would do it again in a heartbeat.
Gerry

 

I took a 3200 mile road trip in October in four days...Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Fort Lauderdale Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and back to Michigan. Last day did 1200 miles in 20 hours. Averaged around 40+ mpg in my 2012 Justa. I had to do it solo since my wife hates road trips longer than 20 miles.

 

Mine has been to south Texas, on a couple of legs of MTTS 2012, and to UP Michigan (all from St. Louis).

Total blast, very comfy seats, mid- to upper-30s mpgs.

I bought mine to drive, not preserve it for the next owner, and I plan a long-term relationship!

 

If you're going to stress over resale value and milage - either put a cover on your MINI and pack it away, or get rid of your MINI now. Otherwise this will overtake any other enjoyment you get from your MINI.

Enjoy your MINI - DRIVE YOUR MINI. Get the most out of your MINI. Go on road trips with your MINI...

If you're concerned more about resale value then you're not enjoying your car...

 

I did a 1500 mile 3 day weekend with the dog in the mountains last month. I have a 09 S and had no issues. I also did a 18hrs each way trip tip to TX last year with no issues. Only stopped to stretch, gas and food. I'm planing two more trips this year, maybe TX again. For the other I'm thinking about hitting the BR parkway in W NC and taking it up to W VA and ending the trip in MA. Not sure about that one yet. I'll definitely going to MA, just not sure of the route.

 

First thing: Read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert M. Persig to get you in the motoring mindset.
Second: Study your maps carefully and find the roads less traveled.
Our last four trips: Black Hills and Badlands (including Carhenge) 1500+miles, MITO 800 miles, Memphis Blues & BBQ 1200+miles, Gettysburg - Adirondacks - Vermont - Stockbridge Massachusetts where they have 2 stop signs, one police car and...4800+miles and another MITO.
Give your MINI regular service, check the fluid levels very often and enjoy the heck out of it.


PS: All those trips were made completely clear of any major cities, interstates or other 4 lane congestion. (except for a few miles on I44 around Joplin on the way to MITO)

 

Hello everyone! Thank you for all the replies!!

OMGosh, didn't realize how so many of you actually take such long trips
in Minis! I know its really really fun to drive!!

I agree with 'Minis are meant to be driven not to sit there looking pretty'
comment! (I know Mini will look pretty driven on the road!)

Anyway...I will now try to convince my hubby that it will be FUN! Saving
$ for gas is worth more than the comfort. (but then again, we have an S
and so it might not be so long of a trip...)

Thank you for all your pointers, too!

 

Will I? No.

Would I? Yes.

My wife does not like the seats in Fenimore. She would be very unhappy with ~25 hours in them. And I am unlikely to go on a long trip without her.

If I were going on a long road trip without her, I would have absolutely zero hesitation about jumping in Fenimore and hitting the road. Heck, I'd even do a road trip to a good race track, flog the car around it mercilessly for a couple of days, and then drive back! (I'd make sure to have fresh brake fluid, fresh pads, and fresh tires first though! Those items wear very quickly at the track.)

 

I've taken longer trips on a Harley Sportster. Compared to that the MINI would be like driving a limo. As far as the mileage having an impact on the resale of your car; the loss won't be as much as the cost of using a rental car for your trip.

 

Did a cross country trip in our MCS last summer, had a blast..

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-and-back.html

 

Lots of wives are not up to minimalist packing and travel that a MINI cabrio requires. One gauge of acceptance in our circle is: "How many days in the Bridger Wilderness without a bath?"
The hard tops have more luggage space but careful planning is still called for. On our 3 week Gettysburg trip there were several visits to a Laundromat. Met some interesting people and had some great 'car' visits.

 

I do hope that this was a joke by MDRI. I drove my wifes MINI straight thru to NYC for hurricane Sandy last year from FL. and after 8 weeks I drove it straight thru back without it missing a heart beat, plus drove it all over while there as a subcontractor for FEMA doing building inspections. Only problem was got stuck in the sand in the middle of the road in Breeze Point. On the way up and back I averaged just over 36 MPG running 80 plus.

 

I drove 5,000 miles from Virginia to Phoenix and back over the holidays. No issues at all. I did take out my rear seats to make more room for my two goldens. They loved it.

 

When we first got the MINI, worked out how much luggage we could get in the boot. We had to cut out one bag we used to take with us. We just take the two pieces which fit in the boot. We can survive just about indefinitely with this, but we do have to visit launderettes. Our longest trip so far is 30 days.



[there's supposed to be a picture here, but its missing.]

 

Picked up a new Paceman over the holidays and we did 3100 miles.


I found the seats very comfortable on long trips and it was a lot more fun jamming on tunes, seeing the sights and hitting some back roads then dealing with the whole air travel hassle.


What really surprised me the most was being asked about the Paceman at almost every gas station, two people ask if they could take photos.


My wife LOL and said Bonnie and Clyde would not have lasted long driving a Paceman.

 

Forgot to mention that prior to visiting Carhenge on the way to the Black Hills there was an overnight in a small town with a killer small batch brew pub and before that, a stop to be amazed by the world's largest ball of twine and near that we met a wheelwright who rebuilds old wagons and such and gave us a ride in this. Remember, it's journey not the destination...

 

First off, if you bought a Mini (or any car) worried about resale value then you are just a sad individual who will never know real fun. If you don't think that your Mini can make a long trip then please just sell it and put it out of your misery... and it's misery. Maybe you can sell it to someone who will make it feel loved.

 

I've taken my 2010 MCS from Charleston, SC up to visit family in NH and can say that it's a delight on a long drive... especially so when things go from "what a nice ride" to "totally insane speedway of death/idiocy" around exit 5 of the NJ Turnpike... having a zippy small car that handles great sure was more fun than trying to not get killed in the old Prius...

 

Sure. Why not? Just drove it a thousand miles over the holidays. It was brilliant.