This message is for all the Canadian MINI owners.

Are MINIs as popular in Canada as down here in the States? I noticed that Cor and Rygold live in Toronto, and I know from my neighbours, who also hold Canadian citizenship, that Toronto is the largest city in Canada??? Are there many MINIs in Toronto (or in Canada generally)?

What's the length of waiting list for MINIs? Are cars being sold above MSRP?

 

Canada is only being allotted 2500 or so vehicles for 2003 from BMW. The MCS sells out as soon as the dealers get them in stock. The MC is a slower seller, and is currently being promoted heavily in sell-off ads for the 2002s.

I rarely see a MINI on the road in Toronto - but with such a slim allotment to the whole country that's not surprising. Most people I talk to love the car, however, there are naturally some who hate it. I have two teenage daughters. One won't even discuss it with me and the other has come along for the test rides figuring out all the inside stuff!

MINI Canada does heavily advertise in the Toronto area - bus shelter ads and MINIs stuck on the sides of two separate downtown buildings.

I think I like it this way - I'm leaving my Celica GTS behind for my MCS. The city is overrun with the GT version of the Celica. I love the car, but I'm looking forward to not being part of the crowd.

_________________
=R= #3077
My Sharona (Now on the rails headed for Toronto): LY/B MCS, Stripes, Premium & Sport Packs, Sunroof & Leather. Cold Pack is included in Canada, eh?

 

I'm out here in Kelowna, BC, and I can count the number of MINI's ripping up the streets with one hand. It appears that I'm the only running MCS here, as the other few MINI's are Coopers. There's one other MCS sitting at a used car dealer that they brought in brand new to attact attention to their dealership I guess.
As well as what =R= stated about the allotment of MINI's allowed, there are only 13 dealers across Canada. A larger concentration of them being out east.
The waiting lists out here are nill. Just have to wait about 3 months or so for it to be built and shipped.
Closest dealer to me is 4 hours away. Everyone that sees my car and has stopped to comment on it, ask about availability. Most don't seem interested in buying a car from a dealer that's so far away, in case something goes wrong. That works out well for me, because like others have said, I like to stand out a bit from the crowd. It's kinda nice only having a few new MINI owners around. It separates us from the multitude of ricers out there(Hondas, Acuras, etc.) I can spot a product of Honda once every 15 seconds. It's sick. No originality around here. Yeah, it's going to suck to have to travel 4 hours to get the car serviced, but at least I'm trying and wanting to stay away from the regular band wagon and following of Honda owners.
As for pricing, they seem to be fairly reasonable from what I've seen around. Depends where you go.
From one MINI crazed Canadian to another,
Cheers,

 

Kelowna is beautiful.

On my canadian road trip, the thing that surprized me was that the people in Lethbridge, Calgary, Edmonton, Edson, Jasper, and Banff all knew about the MINI even though the closest dealer was in Vancouver. No one asked "what is it?" Everyone that we spoke with about the car either recognized it as the new MINI or as having Mini roots. Very cool.

 

Here in Montreal, I've seen some MC and MCS. up to now, i think i've seen around max of 20 of them.

 

In Vancouver I've seenHalf a dozen coopers and 2 S ,tho there must be lots more . Drove down to San Diego for a couple of weeks then Vegas and saw 5 coopers on the road .

 

I live near Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, B.C. There are 3 coopers in the 100 km radius from here. I believe I have the only S. The population in this vicinity is probably about 100,000. I have only seen other minis whilst driving my other vehicle -no mini meetings :???:

 

Yup. Kelowna is quite the hotspot for activity and a whole wack of stuff. Lived outside of Toronto for 15 years, then in Calgary for 6 years, and now have been living in Kelowna for just under 6 years. I'll never move from here. Kelowna is not too big, and not too small. Just right. There's no way I'd go back to the big city life. I love this location. The views are awesome, wicked mountian biking and hiking trails, beaches around every corner, mountainous views everwhere, great weather, clean air, easy access for snowmobiling and skiing. It's way too enjoyable. No wonder everyone comes here to retire. Except, I figured it out way before retirement.
Anyone else here around the Kelowna area? Know there are a few from Vancouver. Anyone actually in the Okanagan region though?
Cheers,

 

Madman, you didn't even mention the wine. Incredible whites coming from the Kelowna wineries now. (Still, you couldn't drag me away from the ocean.) Cheers, -uu

 

>>Madman, you didn't even mention the wine. Incredible whites coming from the Kelowna wineries now. (Still, you couldn't drag me away from the ocean.) Cheers, -uu

.....uh.........I was saving that for last. Yeah, that's it.
..................And the wine is outstanding!!!
Actually it is. 'They' say it has been a great bountyful year for wine here in the Okanagan. Some wineries have even started on their icewine. One winerey actually reported this year as their best tasting icewine in about a decade. We had a couple days of frosty weather, and some wineries took advantage of that and picked a portion of their crop designated for icewine production, early. But saved some acreage for later in the season.
MINI keys tucked away for the night, bottle opened, glasses raised, and cheers for a great new year to come with the MINI.