Howdy all,

I figured i would become a member here since I seem to lurk quite a bit when searching for good info on r53's. I am located in Northern California, Folsom to be exact and have been on the hunt for a Mini for a little bit now. I was big time into Japanese imports in my younger years, and then my attention got diverted to motorcycling until this past year when my wife and I had our first child. My whole world changed and I decided that motorcycling was no longer a necessity in my life, and since then I have been wanting to pick up a little fun car to drive and fix up, which will in the future, allow me to introduce my son to car culture.
The r53 has always been a car i've admired and will eventually be picking one up when the timing is right.
Anyways, I look forward to embracing the mini culture, learning and hopefully contributing here in the future.
Cheers,
Ryan

 

Great to hear your story. The R53 is a solid choice if you’re looking for something fun, raw, and engaging to drive. Coming from Japanese imports and motorcycles, you’ll probably appreciate how direct and mechanical it feels compared to newer cars. Folsom is actually a good area for it too, with plenty of nice roads nearby once you get it sorted.

It also makes sense wanting to pass that car culture on to your son later on. The R53 has enough character to make every drive feel memorable, and it’s a great platform to learn maintenance and small upgrades on. Good luck with the search, and hopefully you find a clean one at the right time.