Have a decision to make. Going on a long trip tomorrow morning and wondering if I should take my new (used) 03 MCS or my wife's 01 Montero.

I know, it SHOULD be a slam dunk right? My concerns are:

1. I have 39k miles on the car now, with 11k left on the factory warranty. Do I want to add 2k miles to that total if I don't have to?

2. I've only had the car for 2 weeks and am still "getting used to it". Am I sure it will make the whole trip? Meanwhile we've had the Montero for over 2 years and have taken it on a few decently long trips with no issues.

I really like the idea of driving my Mini halfway across the country and back, but will it be comfortable enough for 2 people and some luggage?

Any thoughts, theories or ideas are welcome!

 

[FONT=Verdana]Depends on how you pack. If you bring everything and the kitchen sink than you may be better off in the bigger car. If you pack a bout a suitcase or so each the MINI would be fine. I spend two hours a day in my MINI and would spend more time in the seat but the wife seems to think I should come home at night and work expects me to show up. And next April-May the wife and I are going to pack the two basset hounds and some luggage and go from California to the Dragon. As far as the warranty, what good is it if you don’t have all the fun you can in your MINI? And you could always test fit the lugage in the MINI, if it looks too cramped take the big car. That is just my $.02. [/FONT]

 

My wife and I did 3,000 miles (Maine to Florida and return) this past May/June in our MINI. It was a blast. We had a good sized cooler and each of us had one medium sized piece of luggage + a carryon sized bag (not a large carron either). We had other stuff in the car, but with both seats down there was plenty of room.

The car worked flawlessly. Since you have 11k left on the warranty it seems to me this would be the perfect time to test it out on a long drive since a long drive is much easier on a car than a bunch of short ones.

 

I'm starting a road-trip from Albuquerque to California & back in 12 days. Gonna see Hoover Dam, pick up my Mom at Las Vegas Airport & see "O" at the Bellagio, see Death Valley & Yosemite, then spend a few days in CA visiting friends & family. For me, scenic trips are what the car was made for. You'll be using up 2000 miles worth of car in either case, so take the trip in whichever car makes the trip more enjoyable and hassle-free.

 

I drove around the country to the tune of 10,039 miles at 6 months of ownership.

Don't know your car? You will when you're done!

I was completely comfortable and had room for PLENTY of stuff for an indefinite period of time (I didn't know how long I'd be gone when I set out) assuming I was willing to stop at a laundromat (I was and I did).

5 of the 6 weeks I was by myself, but for one week I added my mother and all of her luggage -- which was enough for her to travel for 6 weeks, too!

Even now, with almost 65K on my '03MCS, I'd leave tomorrow and drive the same distance with no reservations. Of course, now I have AAA, which I would recommend since you've exhausted the Roadside Assistance period - just for peace of mind and hotel discounts.

Actually, last month I took a 3K road trip, and in a few weeks I'll be putting an additional 2500 or so on my odo. I just don't think about it - I bought it to drive, and the warranty is going to run out sooner or later (in my case it ran out sooner ), so you may as well have fun!

 

Thanks guys, keep em coming.

Also, my wife's biggest "concern" is the stiff suspension making the ride too rough for 18 hours worth of driving. I told her it will help keep her awake on her driving shift. Any thoughts on this?

 

It dint bother me nun.

(except for my 8 mile attempt at the severely rutted dirt road that leads to Chaco Canyon, NM)

And my Ollie is pre-softer suspension.

 

I drove to Chicago and back home to SoCal during the summer of '03, after only 7 months of ownership.

Since then, I've put in quite a bit of mileage driving to Vegas, San Francisco Bay area, and all points in between. My MC is at 91K and all prepped for driving up to Monterey tomorrow and on to Amarillo, TX then back home.

Am I aprehensive about how my MINI will do on this trip? You bet.
Will that aprehension stop me from going? No effin' way!

-Juan

 

Back in July, my wife and I made a 3,300-mile round trip through the South (Austin to D.C. and back) in her 2005 Mustang. Of course, I'd have rather taken the MINI, but at that point it was still crossing the Atlantic. The Mustang (which I would argue actually has less stuff-holding abilities than a MINI) did just fine, and never once did either of us find ourselves wishing we had a larger car.

Take the MINI, and take the backroads. You'll have a blast.

 

I'll make my wife read this thread when I get home, thanks all. Keep the advice rolling in.

 

Take the Mini and force the wife to pack less!

In my 3 months of ownership, I've done a little less than 9K in miles. It's a great car, use it! So have fun, let the wife drive once in a while and enjoy the drive, isn't that what Mini ownership is about?

 

Something I do on all long trips: Stop at every highway rest stop, get out, walk around and stretch. Amazing how just that small thing refreshes the mind and body. Keeps you awake too!

 

I have owned my MINI since 7-31, so, 17 days total now, and I have 3,700 miles on him already. I had 650 miles on the car when I took it on a 1,500 mile road trip to Florida and back in one weekend. It did wonderful on the trip and I can honestly say that it was a much more comfortable ride than any other vehicle I have ever owned.

Other advantages of taking the MINI vs. Montero...

Lets say you get 28MPG on this trip in the MINI, and 17MPG in the Montero. Using gas prices locally ($2.95/87 + $3.05/93) you would spend roughly $215 in gas for the MINI, and $340 in gas for the Montero. So, you start by saving yourself $125.

Also, the MINI is a safer, more responsive vehicle. On my road trip to Florida I had a box fall out of a loaded up truck right in front of me. In the MINI I was able to swerve onto the shoulder and back at 70MPH and it didn't even phase the car... Had I been in my 2004 Blazer it would've been a different story!

One last thing... I agree completely with Gromit about stopping at rest stops. It's a good chance to stretch, use the restroom, grab a drink, check on the tires, etc. The MINI is surprisingly comfortable though, so you may find yourself skipping rest stops and just stopping when you need gas, that's what I ended up doing.

Drew

 

More things to keep in mind:

1.) You'll never, ever use that caddy full of car care products you're packing! Plus, as someone suggested to me while I was on my Road Trip, it's lots of fun to let the foreign dirt accrue and then wash it all off at once

2) If 2 people can't fit several weeks-worth of luggage/stuff in the MINI, the problem isn't the car...


Good job on the math, Drew Though they'll probably average even higher fuel-mileage, thus saving even more money.

In fact, I say you should take the MINI and make a game of it! A game called; "Let's tally up gas receipts and see how much money we saved by not taking the Montero." Use the winnings to take yourselves to a killer dinner.

Sounds fun.

 

O, You're gonna See O, Oh tell me how it is....Oh how I wish it were me. They also have a CDS also has a second water show in Vegas! As well as Love the Beatles show.

 

We did about 25 hours/1500 miles in my 03 MCS last weekend to MITM. The ONLY complaint was that my left knee was aching a bit after 6 hours on the interstate with cruise on. Dunno why. But it happened in both directions.
Take an MP3 player (and the AUX input) or plenty of cds.

 

Cirque has a few shows in town now, but I think O is still the only water show.
We saw Love a few weeks ago and left feeling vaguely disappointed. It wasn't very "Cirquey" and it was less Beatlesy than it might have been.
O was fantastic when I saw it several years ago. It's fine to get a cheaper/further back seat for O, that way you can see everything going on.

 

Unless you're driving over buckboard, it shouldn't really be an issue. I've done a few multi thousand mile trips in the MINI. No problem. Wifey generally likes the cushy Subaru wagon, but had no complains on our last CA-MT-WA trip. BTW, your four years is likely to be up before your 50K miles, so "let 'er ride"!

 

Yeah, I underestimated for the MINI and overestimated for the Montero. I would think a faily large SUV would be lucky to get 17MPG, but since it is going to be mostly highway it might. You should get in excess of 30MPG in the MINI, maybe even around 32-35MPG depending on your speed, the road conditions, driving style, types of roads you take.

Does the Montero take Premium? Thats what fueleconomy.gov is saying! If so, just the fuel savings are reason enough not to take the SUV.

Now the other extreme with the numbers...
MINI: 34MPG @ $3.05/93 = $180
Montero: 16MPG @ $3.05/93 = $380
Total savings = $200 *roughly*

I know, I'm a dork, but if you want to pay me a % of the money saved I will be glad to send you my mailing address.

Drew

 

The $200 gas savings is the best argument IMO. Thanks guys.

 

If you've got an early '03, you may have the 'stiffer' sport suspension. So, I can understand how that would be a concern.

My first MCS was an early '03. My wife and I did a round trip from central Calif. to the Canadian border and back shortly after we got it. By the time we got back, we didn't even notice the suspension.

I loved that suspension. Its the one thing I missed when I traded the '03 for an '05.

Also keep in mind that, when driving in unfamiliar areas, the responsiveness of the MINI can be a life saver. We narrowly avoided an accident in Oregon, because I didn't see an intersection that popped up on the other side of an underpass (it would have been my fault), but good anti-lock breaks and tight steering made it a near-miss.

 

We drove from FL to MD and back last month. I do have to say it was a little more bumpy then my Durango, but WAY more fun of a ride. So much so my wife only got to drive for an hour or so. We averaged about 29-30 MPG. We used soft luggage because it fits better. I also only folded down the left hand back seat so the passenger could recline better.

 

any car, but a chaffeur driven limo is waaaay tooo loooong in my opinion. But if you have to then stop at least ever 100 to 150 miles to stretch the ole legs, empty the bladder and in general just to loosen you up a bit. My wife and I are both in our 50's and we didn't find the MINI to stiff for the long haul, but I have standard suspension and 15" wheels.

 

We saw Le Reve at the Wynn, and that was a water show. Freaking AMAZING! I would highly recommend it!

We put about 3500 miles on my MINI, although he had about 2000 miles to start with. Seattle to San Fran, LA, Phoenix, Vegas and back through SLC. The MINI did amazingly well, and came out without a scratch. Never had any trouble at all. I say DO IT!

 

Just got back last night, 1100 miles each way (and I-75 through most of the states were being worked on). Our "stuff" filled the boot and both back seats but left enough room to put the seats back far enough to be comfortable. Stiff backs, but great gas mileage... we ended up spending about $110 each way for gas =)

Thanks for convincing us to take the Mini!