I just thought I would chime in here. I recently purchased a used '06 MCS. I traded in a '00 Ford Ranger that I drove until about 180K miles with very few troubles. I plan on keeping my MCS for as long as will be practical. I graduate law school in a little over a year, so don't know if I will keep it as a second car, or get a newer clubman. Will just have to see, but I LOVE my MINI!!!

 

If my math is correct I have owned my 02 for 2790 days. I have no desire to replace it. If it stays semi reliable I will keep it forever.

 

I really like my '06 MCs, I do want to keep it as long as any future repairs don't start creeping past the price of new car payments. I am bummed today, I drove it for the first time since a big snowstorm (Big for this region) and I have discovered that my two boys "helped" me by cleaning all the snow off the car. The used ice scrapers !!!

I'm not done discovering all the dents and scrapes .

Well, I guess it's time to start some heavy modding, the warranty expires very soon....

 

Me. I'm not selling my MINI, ever. The car has been with my family since we picked her up at the dealer in Nov. 2002 (she's MINI #168 sold in the US), and she was my 21st birthday gift from my mother (hell of a gift!). I plan to teach my kids to drive in it one day (I'm 22 - no kids for a while)!

 

Well, I'd say to them: Your college $ is gone!!!

 

Was that the states or at that dealer? I got a shirt when I picked up mine in dec of 02 (#282), and I always thought it was the number sold at that dealer. Would be even cooler if it was #282 in the states!

Nik

 

You threw me for a minute there. I incorrectly assumed that your 21st birthday was in 2002. When I got to the part that said that you were now 22, I was wondering if they were teaching new math in school these days! Or like me, you now count in dog years. The car was a family car until your Mother gave it to you. I am good now.

That's what happens when you read too fast. I guess I read like I drive my MINI, fast!

 

Possibly. It's been 7 years and I didn't really pay attention when they were telling her the details. We got a shirt too, but it's long since lost... Either way, it's a cool fact.

 

I don't plan on ever selling my 06 MCS but I said that about my last car and well it's gone now... Life changes and plans don't always work out...
I started my career and my old Celica was showing it's age (13yr 160,000mi). I couldn't do repairs on it at my apartment as I planned.

Basically assuming I get married and have kids the mini will probably have to go at some point for something more practical (If that were today a BMW wagon)
At this point the plan is to keep it for ever but it's already proving quite expensive to maintain. New discs and brakes at 50000mi. My celica still had the original discs and second set of pads when I sold it.

I do still own my 72 beetle from highschool (2000)

 

Right on! My first car was a 73 Super Beetle. Killed in on ice with a telephone pole. :(

 

Sweet! I had a '71 Superbeetle when I was in high school. I sold it after I graduated ('97), and apparently the kid I sold it to caught it on fire by parking too closely to a bonfire.

 

My dad had a '71 Beetle I learned to drive a stick in. Loved that car, primitive as it was.

 

I plan on keeping my '06 forever...I have a lot invested in it as far as mods, diagnostic programs, and specialized tools are concerned. It is by far the best automobile I have ever owned.

 

If my S will be what my wife's base 04 Cooper is but more horsepower and more options, I'll never want to leave the Mini line.

I think it's easy to say you'll never want to sell a car when you love it, but bottom line is, sometimes a car gets to a point where the repairs are more than the car is worth. You'll rack up 600 dollar repairs over and over and over and after a while, it's more economical to get a new car.

Now, that's not going to happen for a LONG time (pray to God...) but one day I might have to let one or both go. Of course, they'll be succeeded by two more Minis .

 

I always plan on keeping everything.............40 some cars and 16 bikes later, I'd say I failed

My problem is that about every 3 yrs I get the "itch" and start looking at cars/bikes.....then it begins aaaallllllll over again. I've had this Mini a year, I look at it and think, "there's a great car to hang on to......but it'll never happen

 

Same here...
Ive been eying the new 370z but the wife gave me the evil eye.
(sold my 71 240z for the Mini)

 

I dont ever plan on getting rid of my '02 MINI.

 

Yeah, I've gotten that look more than a few times

I don't know, if I were you, I might just be putting sunglasses on her to hide that evil eye and sneaking out to the Nissan dealer Niceeeee car

 

Hello all:

I started this thread well over a year ago. I still have my '05 R53 S hardtop and quickly coming up to 67K miles. The car is running like a champ and still looks fantastic. I am happy to report that I have no rattles or squeaks and the car feels solid like a bank vault. I have added a few mods in the suspension and engine that have made the car even more fun/pleasurable to drive. The car was born at Oxford on Feb 19th, 2005 and delivered a month later on March 20th. 5 years old already! This car is my everyday driver and I enjoy it to the fullest... Like your favorite pair of jeans!

We have one 3+ year old boy and another one coming in late April. I have no plans to sell this car. Actually, it is a fantastic family car. My son has grown up with the MINIs and even was brought home from the hospital in a MINI (Our now long gone '02 MC). I can tell he is a future motorer in the making!

So I don't post here in NAM much anymore, but I am still a MINI owner at heart.

Please keep posting your stories! I still believe we 1st gen MINI owners have been blessed with the best machines to ever come out of Oxford!

 

I bought this car at 65k miles about 1.5 years ago (85k now) and have had a lot of stuff go bad. Rear calipers went bad, driver window is failing, engine mounts are shot, control arm bushings are shot, slight rattling from supercharger (or hopefully belt tensioner), strut tower mushrooming, failed strut mount bearing, brake reservoir cracked. I'm concerned about the 120k life of the supercharger.

However, I LOVE my MINI. I am so happy to own and drive this car. It's entertainment everywhere I go. I can easily kill 6 hours just driving around endlessly on canyon and mountain roads. I get goosebumps making 90 degree right hand turns without touching the brakes and the car handles it like a champ. I've scared myself around some crazy turns and the car would've handled more. =]

The car was worth $17k low bluebook and I was able to to talk the guy down to $15k. I knew going in that I wanted to replace the suspension and make it run 'better than new'.

So as each part fails, I replace it with something better. I replace the rotors with Centric Premiums and put Axxis Ultimate Pads on them. I have two NTE Performance rear calipers ready to install. I am getting the engine mount replace with aftermarket polyurethane mount and getting powerflex bushings all around. Redoing the control arms with powerflex bushings. Have parts to replace ALL of the pulleys and belt in one shot; ALTA 15% s/c pulley, 5% lightened crank pulley, altanator pullet, OEM idler pulley and OEM belt tensioner pulley (with stop). Very soon I'm ordering some IE fixed camber plates to replace the shot strut mounts and the m7 strut tower brace which I'll use to straighten out the mushroomed towers. Next in line after that is paying my friend for a used ALTA Intake 2.0, IE Exhaust, and IE sway bar. I'm keeping my eyes open for a used supercharger to send off to get rebuilt, ported, and coated.

My MINI is going to rock so hard when it's done I get goosebumps just thinking about it!

As soon as the important stuff is done, I'm going to go AutoX at Qualcomm with the BMW club. Even further down the line when it's paid off I plan on getting a commuter sedan and turning this MINI into a little screaming demon of a race car. =]

 

My 6 and 8 year old daughters love the car. They actually taunt me to take turns faster and go fast on the freeway on-ramps. haha!

 

Picking up an '06 MCS with 23k miles on the clock next week. Very excited to join the Mini crew and intending to keep it for a long long time!!

 

Congrats kishg, you'll love the car.......unbelievable fun to drive.

 

I learned in a '67 Squareback in the late '70s in south Jersey, and had about 7 yrs. experience by the time I got my license....

I have owned several air-cooled VWs over the years:
I had a '68 Beetle, a '72 Super Beetle, a '73 Squareback, then after moving out to the wild wild west, another '68 Beetle, and a '73 Beetle.

I love my MINI, and will keep it for as long as I can, but I miss my old air-cooled VWs. Maybe I'll find another one eventually, since there's nothing like them for dirt roads, and I don't want to ding up the MINI....

C ya,
Dutch

 

If you have the same shirt I do it looks like an odometer. My car was delivered in June 2002 and my number is 17. It was supposed to be the delivery number at the dealer. I think they had already delivered more than 17 when I got mine. It may well have been the 17th ordered car delivered.