Today is the one year anniversary of picking up Lilly. She's been a real trooper thus far, though I am celebrating our anniversary by having a new windshield installed today. Unfortunately, one of the chips in the windshield began to spread last weekend. (BTW, I opted not to go through MINI for the replacement. The mobile glass folks will come to me for 1/4 the price! I'm guessing, with my commute, that I'll have to replace it annually or close to it, and I'm just not going to pay Mini prices for that.)

Other than that, ownership has been a dream. The only bummer thus far was that I was rear ended three weeks after I drove her off the lot. The damage was somewhat superficial, but it still cost the guy a pretty penny to have it repaired plus covering my rental car for 2 weeks.

As of yesterday, I had just under 21,000 miles on Lilly. I've only had her in for regular service, otherwise I've not had to visit the dealership.

In hindsight, the only thing I wish I'd opted for was the ipod adapter and rear fog light. That's it. OK. Maybe the windscreen, but I'm not even sure if they offered it as part of the initial purchase. I know most people who don't get an S wish they had, but not me. I bought her as a commuter and I get almost 500 miles per tank.

This weekend I'll drive her to Tahoe, the following weekend I'll give her a good wash/wax/top treatment before the winter sets in.

 

Good to hear about your year in review. I can't wait to start motoring! I've heard a lot of chatter about the windshields - is there anything that one can do to prevent these problems (short of staying in the garage)?

 

Yayyy!!! Glad to hear you've had a great year with your Cabrio...
Happy Birthday...

Donna

 

As a new owner, it great to hear "things have been great, and I'm happy with my purchase" stories. Thanks!

 

homerwest,

The windshield chipping/cracking issue is a long standing one. Lot's of threads on the topic here and at Mini2. I don't remember why the Mini is so prone to it, perhaps that it's more upright than most windshields. Mercifully I did NOT order the autosensing windshield wipers given that I can see many windshield replacements in my future. BTW, the windshield replacement went well. Looks exactly like the Mini stock windshield. Replaced next day, in my driveway. Mini wanted 4 times the price, the earliest appointment was almost 2 weeks, and they wanted to keep the car overnight. The installer DID leave fingerprints on the car (the bastard!) so I guess I'll have to wash her again tonight.

 

One thing you can do is get chips patched as soon as they happen. Much cheaper than a whole new windshield, almost invisible, and they prevent the chip from spreading.

 

Good luck with Lily. I'm picking up my MINI this week. It's also a BRG/tan cordoba. I hope it looks as sharp as yours. I checked out your gallery pix. Sweet!

 

Yay BRG! Happy Birthday Lilly!

 

Very cool. Happy anniversary Another happy BRG Cabrio owner