My name is Adam and i "WAS" a VWholic..
After 8 VW's,(from a Corrado to GTI, Passat and Jetta) i can now say i have been saved.....by the Mini Cooper.

Just purchased my first preloved 2003 Mini. Pepper White with black accents...just beautiful. It's truly a fantastic car so far. Part of my heart is still with VW's but, this Mini is on a completely different level.
I figured i'd start with a low mile, low year base model and work my way up to the Cooper S.....eventually.

One thing i would like to do is replace all the the "silver bling" on the dash and doors. Maybe to anthracite or black. So, if anybody knows of a place that sells these bits it would be greatly appreciated.

Im going to stay low for a while a read up on past threads and from what i've read so far, quite a knowledgable community.

 

Welcome!

I wasn't a "VW guy", but we considered the MKV GTI very seriously before we ended up with our MINI. We came to the same conclusion it sounds like you came to... there's just *something* about the MINI. It's so much more than "just another car".

 

That was actually my last VW, a 2008 MKV GTI. I had absolutely no problems with it and nothing bad to say about it. It handled like a top.
It was just time for a change and from what i've read, i was suited for a Mini.

Thanks for welcome reply!

 

That's how I figured it would be... a great car. I think we would have been happy with it. That said, I know we wouldn't have liked it as much as we love our MINI.

 

Welcome, and good choice. I'm coming from a Prius - great car, great mileage, but now I want to have fun. Call it late mid-life crisis.

Buck

 

Welcome to the most complete Mini site on the net. Bunch of good people here. Some flaming goes on but nowhere near the crap on most other sites. You will enjoy your purchase. As you get more familar with NAM, you will discover a fair amount of differences between 1st and 2nd gen Minis. Doesn't mean one is better than the other, just different. I love my 1st gen and plan on keeping Fizzgig forever.

Enjoy and have fun.
Kevin

 

I wanted a mustang GT for my mid-life crisis, and was very close to getting one, but then the wife talked me into the mini and I'm so glad she did! It just makes more sense and is an awesome drive. And, like others have said, there's just "something" about a mini you can't put your finger on. It's different, which is what I love. You see about 10 mustangs for every square mile here in Texas!

 

Welcome! You'll love the new Cooper. I have a non-S and it's plenty of fun, begs to be driven hard. Enjoy

 

Thanks for the welcome all! The knowledge about the Mini on the site is incredible.
I believe it is now time to upgrade!

 

Welcome to NAM!
Nice choice of car.
Look under door seals for H2O that maybe there.
Have been some rust issues.
On interior panels, keep eye out on NAM Marketplace.
There are usually some panel parts for sale.
You can always remove them and get them painted whatever you want.
Recommend that you get the Mini Bible, the Bentley manual.
Great for trying to figure out what's going on with car.

 

Welcome to NAM and congrats on the fabulous find. (A Pepper White/Black MCS was my first MINI love).
Here's an article you might find useful, I know you've already bought yours, but this might give you a heads up on what to look for.
http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/

Annette

 

Pay attention to the number of "I sure miss that car" stories on here and on other sites. You may have bought the car you are going to have for the rest of your life. I know I did.

MINIs are like that.

Val

 

Scary..

Just as scary...thanks for the info people.

 

I picked my MCS over a MkVI TDI! =)

 

Welcome Adam!