Hi Guys,

I just wanted to introduce myself to the forum. I have been a long time e90post member and now I hope to contribute to this forum.
My name is Al and I am 22 years old.

Now onto why I got a Mini.
Given the current economic times, I wanted to show my dad some support and decided to "downgrade"* (I now realize that the Mini is NO downgrade but more on that later) at least money wise in the car I was driving.
I have been a car enthusiast all my life and have had the privilege of owning some pretty decent cars. When I was 16 I got my first BMW which was a 330i with the M-sport ZHP package, then at 17 I got a 335i, then at 20 a Z4M convertible and then at 21 a Z4M coupe. I have to say that I was a little reluctant to order my Mini at first, but it has been love at first sight since i got it. I had to wait 6 weeks to get it but couldn't be happier with my choice. I got a white Cooper S with the red leather and piano black interior. I love this thing even though I have not gone WOT yet since the engine is only breaking-in. Ayways, I just wanted to express what a great car this is for the price.
I hoe to learn from all of you and I will be posting pics of my car probably tonight. Happy motoring!!!

Pics if anyone wants to see my MINI and ex-cars.
http://s862.photobucket.com/albums/ab182/bmwi6/

 

Welcome and you'll find the car will out perform most.

 

That's alot of freakin cars in such a short amount of time. BTW I wouldve never been able to downgrade to a mini if I had a z4m coupe. I LOVE that car. (I want my next car to be a 2000 M coupe) anyway, it's certainly not that much of a downgrade, they're awesome cars. The thrill still hasn't worn off over a year later for me. I love beating on my car haha.

 

I have an M Coupe myself. I bought my Mini last year, intending for it to replace the Z. But once I had it, I realized there's no way I'm letting go of the Coupe. It's paid for and the Mini is not. I've got a tough decision to make shortly, and I'll probably wind up selling the Mini and taking a big hit.

They really make a great pair of cars if you can afford to own both. My current financial situation doesn't make that practical, or I'd definitely keep them both.

Do you miss the Z yet?

 

IF you really wanted to aid the US economy it would have been better to buy a high profit margin Chevy Suburban or maybe a Jeep Grand Cherokee at MSRP, not only are you helping US auto makers but also the petroleum industry.

 

The answer is Yes!!! I miss the z4m every single minute. Especially since I had ordered that car just the way I wanted. It was AW with red leather, carbon leather trim and the navi. I had an AFE intake, supersprint exhaust and vmr 710s on it. It has been by far the prettiest car I have ever owned. But I didn't think it was fair for me to be driving it when I know my dad is struggling financially. Anyways if you can hold on to the Z, do it, because it is the last of the raw and truly special BMW's.

 

Why don't you do your dad a REAL favor and buy your own car? Or maybe a bike? What planet do you live on, believing you can cycle thru half a dozen BMW products in as many years?

 

Well even though your point is valid, you do not know all of the sides of the equation, so please reserve your judgement before understanding my situation. First of all, I am going to school full time on a scholarship so I need to focus on school, and secondly I am doing an long-term internship at a bank so that when I graduate I can have a decent job. So I will sacrifice a little bit of money now instead of working at mc-donalds and paying for my car now and then 10 years down the line having to ask my dad for the down payment for my house. As to the cycling BMW's, at the time it was something that I could do, so I do not understand your objection. I hope that helps you understand the situation better.

 

that's quite a list of cars for anybody, especially for a 22 year-old.

i mean, saying you got a brand spanking new Mini to help out your parents sounds like oxymoron to me..

but then it's your car and i'm not your dad.

welcome to the community. you will like it here.
i've been a bimmer guy all my life (e36, e46 etc) and MINI community is so much nicer than others that consists too many "******"

but please, do me a favor and don't flip your MINI like your previous cars and keep it for a while and truly appreciate the car the way it was designed to be..

 

Congrats & Welcome! Enjoy!!! Hope the thrill lasts a good long while...

 

I think he meant to help his dad's economic situation not the county's. His dad only has to pay for the new MINI now instead of the Z4M coupe payment, plus less insurance likely.

I know if my dad was rich I would ask for the same cars you did minus the convertible, I'd prefer the E46 M3 or 135i, but I have a poor dad that gave me a 1977 Ford LTD lump of schit when I was 18. Want to trade dads?
Nice pics is that dad's Porsche?

After economic situ gets better I would ask for a Lotus Exige 260 and keep the MINI too or an E92 M3.

PS: Seriously, want to trade dads.

 

I call dibs on trading his dad with mine first

my first car was a 10 year old E36 325 with 150K miles on the clock.. i still miss it sometimes though.. i have good memories with it.

 

Lol. It seems that way, but money isn't everything in life. I would have sparead a couple of these cars I would have had the chance to spend more time with him. Plus the more I mature, the more I realize it's so much better to start off with worse cars and move your way up. You enjoy it SO much more. I still love my dad, so I don't want to trade him.

 

OK if deal does not go through then I am next in line, but I will throw in my sister in the deal to sweeten the pot
Here is the pic of the legendary "The Brown Bomber" A.K.A: "Love To Drive 2" LTDII. It had a Pioneer 8-Track but it was already 1990 and casettes were the standard.

 

yesterday i went drove by the house that i sold my 1st car to, hoping to get a glimpse of it. it wasn't there

 

and dude, your brown bomber is awesome!

 

It is just so much fun to find out how rich kids think.

 

Thanks

Just remembered toward the end we started calling it "the Brown Boat" cause when transitioning weight in turns it would make a C-R-E-E-E-E-K - C-R-E-E-E-E-K haunted boat like sound and when you accelerate the front end would come up and you'd barely be able to see over dash.

 

And it's equally as fun to see how the poor kids react.

 

 

We're being awfully snobby towards someone who easily could have come in being very snobby, given the life he has been blessed with.

Jealousy does funny things. But don't let it bring the bad out in you.

Personally I would have gotten a 335i back then But the new 135...

 

the question is, is it jealousy?

i'm not feeling jealous one bit towards this guy. but when someone just out of college (if he did go to college, that is) and tells us that he got a brand spanking new MCS to help his parents.. it's like wtf?

it's like asking to be flamed lol

 

Well it may not be jealousy. Perhaps just ignorance

His life situation is what it is. "Downgrading" his car probably got his dad ~10+ grand selling the Z for the Mini.

Besides, it's not our business, he did what he did. Let's just welcome him to the community instead of giving him a bad impression of it.

 

yup

 

Thanks, I appreciate it when people understand other's situations. In the next 36 months I will be saving approximately 20k by having the MINI and not the Z4M. Plus, when I finish college and have to start paying for all of my stuff, I am probably not going to be able to afford a very nice car, so by having the MINI I can have a nice long-term car. I think I made the right choice with the MINI. I have done a few mods to it, which I will be posting pics of when they are finished.