I have. My dealer has a free pick up and delivery service.

First time they flat bedded it the 70 miles to the dealer.

Today a very young man showed up to drive it there. That's 140 miles on the car by someone I don't know.

So would you continue with this very nice dealer (includes loaners), or drop it 5 miles away at a not as nice dealer?

Regards,
Red

 

I would not let someone drive my car that I did not know. I don't even like them driving it to "Check out the problem".

I drive further than that to my dealer - not the closer two.

Earl

 

I did and sold them on getting a MINI. His user name on NAM is timmons. He just got his car a few days ago and is very excited...

 

>>I did and sold them on getting a MINI. His user name on NAM is timmons. He just got his car a few days ago and is very excited...

That is a very nice gesture on your part, but I bet you were in the car with "timmons". We just handed the keys to this guy. (Dealer: "Qualified Driver" Translation: "no outstanding warrants"?

Regards,
Red

 

A friend, who is a Harley guy told me once about what he says to people asking about riding his bike. I same might apply to MINIs and strangers:

Dude: "Hey, dude, can I ride your bike (MINI)?"

Dude: "Sure, can I screw your wife?"

 

I have, but I was in the car, and it was only a couple of miles. I dont think I could do what you do. It doesn't get that far away from me.

Nik

 

If your relationship with your Mini is like mine with MISFITOY, then I'd say no way. Sleep with my wife??? What the hells wrong with you????

 

I have. On one fine Sunday afternoon in Newport Beach, CA, this guy in a 1200 mile old G35 coupe who parked next to me offered to let me drive his car after only talking for about 45 minutes. I told that the only condition was that he drove my car after. He obliged. He was really cool and liked driving my MCS. The only reason I let him drive was that he was offering to let me his car. Wouldd I do it again? Yeah, but it all depends on the situation.

 

Hell NO!

I zero the odo and write down my mileage when I valet park at the airport, same thing if I have to leave ziggy at the dealer. You should ask the dealer whose insurance is in effect when their driver is in posession of your vehicle. If he has a wreck you may be the one left holding the bag.

X2

 

Sure. Why not?

It was driven by complete strangers while in transit.
It was driven by complete strangers if it was a dealer trade.
It was driven by complete strangers when it was PDIed.

Maybe I'm just being pragmatic about the whole thing, but someone who is a lot boy/driver for a BMW/MINI dealer has already driven lots of MINIs. It's not like he's going to do something ridiculously stupid to "see what the little car can do".

Also figure that, working at a BMW dealer, he's probably driven a few M3s, possibly an M5, and most definitely a 540i six-speed. Our MINIs are very timid in comparison, so I really wouldn't worry about a "wottle-she-do" run.

Now Volkswagen dealers, on the other hand...

 

Simple. I would drive it myself to the nice dealer and drive my loaner back! :smile:

 

Sure Ocifer (hic), you want the keys??!! Can't I jus follow you to the station??!! I don't let strangers drive my car..

 

Im not too worried about it if it's at the dealer that i take my mcs to.
The car's not going to break that easily anyway. Im attached to my car
but sometimes, you just have to let her go to get work done on it.

 

After I accept my new MCS, I will not let anyone I don't know drive it. Very close friends that I know to be very good drivers might get a chance, but only if I were riding next to them.

The exception will be when the car is in for servicing, and I will be there watching. I have heard horror stories of some young shop flunky moving a customers car and wrecking it. I will probably walk around the car with a video camera filming with time /date on when I drop the car off for servicing just to have proof there was no damage to the car.

If anything were to happen to a car I like as much as I do the MCS, I would be sick. Just not a good practice to loan out something you value.

All my friends want to ride in my MCS when I get it, but they are all smart enough not to ask to drive it. Two of them have let me drive their cars, so I may give them a shot at driving mine, but only under my close watch.

 

My MCS had 3 miles on the od when I got it
and no one has driven it since.

I would definately drive it to the dealer and pick
up the loaner myself. That one hour drive is
why you have YOUR car. (Turn it into a TWO hour
drive!)

If I was chatting with someone who really knew his/her
stuff, had a sports car, possibly worth more than mine,
and offered to let me try out hers... I would likely let
her drive my car.

God speed.

 

The only strangers to drive my MINI are Valets and I always remember to tell them about pulling twice on the release to get the door open. I can just imagine the poor guy stuck in there or worse pulling so hard it breaks.

I've let friends drive it cuz it's so much fun and different from other cars and be real it's a $25,000 ride not $125,000. I go with them of course but I'm the one telling them to punch it and go faster thru the corners!

 

>>and be real it's a $25,000 ride not $125,000.

To some a 125000 car is cheap and to others, like myself, a 25000 car is VERY expensive. So be real and understand price is relative...

 

Any of my friends is welcome to drive my car, some have and I have driven theirs. If a fellow NAM member wanted to feel how my car handled, sounded etc with the mods I have, no problem. I know the service guys test it after working on it, know the valets drive when they park it, know my tuner test drives it...no biggie here.

 

Of course I'd let them drive it (vs. using a crappy dealer whose only advantage was being closer)! Come on...the guy works for the dealer, right? If he damages your car the dealer is liable (unlike what is often the case with a parking valet...so I don't consider these equivalent situations). And not letting the dealer even drive the car to "check out the problem"?? IMO, that's just nuts.

Look, let's put this in perspective... I (and millions of other parents) put my kids on a school bus every day to be driven 20 miles roundtrip to school. I don't personally know the bus driver...and sometimes they have substitutes I've never seen before. These are the risks of day to day life that I and most other people are willing to take with something REALLY valuable (i.e., other human beings). Relative to this, the car's just a hunk of metal.

 

There are 2 things in life that you never hang out to strangers:

1)Girlfriend/wife

2) Car

 

are you kidding? you've got it made!! you get a loaner, and if anything happens to your car while the dealer person is driving it, it's their problem! I'd do this in an heartbeat before i'd even let someone valet my Mini!! If a place is Valet only i either don't go there or park somewhere else and walk. I drive 90miles to Downtown Mini in ORL instead of around 20 to Ferman in Palm Harbor, i sure wish Downtown would come pick up my baby!

 

I guess sometimes you just have to let go "sniff"..

But the 70 miles in traffic to the good dealer means losing time at work work at a very hectic time, and yes, as a previous poster said, these dealer guys drive a lot of cars (it's a BMW/Mercedes/MINI dealership) so they may have already gotten their ya yas out.

And they just flatbedded it back into my driveway nice and clean with the correct one way miles on the odo.

It is pretty cool with this pick up and delivery option, but it was worse for me than putting my first born on a schoolbus for the first time.

"It's just a car". No. It's a MINI!

Regards,
Red

 

I used to think I wouldn't, but that's how I fell in love with these cars. I met Dominic online here and he offered to meet me to drive his car and get a real feel for the vehicle. Actually, the part that sold me was how he drove it. Obviously, I didn't know the car very well and I didn't want to push it, but he sure did. Anyway, I needed to find out if I fit and how well they perform especially for daily usage considerations. It all worked out in my favor as I now own a 2004 MCS, dark silver with black. Dominic's friendliness helped me find the car for which I've been looking and let me tell you, I've been looking at cars for the last three years. I been waiting for that right something to come along and it has. So, yes, I think I would let someone else drive my car. Would I let them take it alone? Probably not, but I'd let em drive it just the same.

Here's to all the open and friendly, helpful and always available MINI owners that I met here at NAM. This site rocks. Without it or Dominic, I'd still be driving my Tacoma.

 

Sure, let him drive it.

It's just a car afterall. I let people drive mine. The only thing
I'm worried about is if they crash it, and presumably this kid
has dealer-supplied insurance.

 

Sure, drive away. It is only a car. If he wrecks it; let the dealer replace it with a new one.