I came "this close" to trading in my '03 Cooper. (...woulda ordered an MCS, so don't worry.)

I was at the dealer, you see. Now my Cooper has just fully recovered from a front ender which left it with a freshly painted bonnet, a fully restored bumper w/ chrome bits, and a brand new clear bra. The interior recently had some parts replaced under warranty, too. It is absolutely show-room pristine in there...not one blemish on the silver trim (or anywhere else for that matter)!

A perfect time to trade it in. I stopped by my MINI dealer for an appraisal.

But as they left to appraise it, I watched it putter off, and I got a major pang of sentimentality. So many fond motoring memories....warranty repairs, software upgrades, hail damage fixed, door dings repaired, the latest wreck in which my MINI took it on the chin to keep me perfectly safe. The hours and hours of detailing, compliantly zipping through the twisties each morning, that grin that suddenly appears when I see my MINI across the parking lot each evening...the indi blue, 4-slat grill, and the 2-spoke steering wheel. All this went flashing through my mind. We've sure seen some good times together, my MINI and me...

Well, the appraisal went fantastic, coulda done the deal right then and there....perfect timing.....but, alas, it was not to be because......I still LOVE MY MINI!!!

I'm just an old softie, I guess, but me and my (still unnamed) MINI apparently still have many miles of motoring ahead. I'm surprised how palpable the connection has become between me and this silly IB/W machine....like an old friend.

I know someday we may have to part....and that's okay. The other day was not the time, though.

Happy Motoring!!!

 

jds you came so close to going over the edge, I can’t believe you could have gotten a good deal on the memories your little buddy has provided for you. Good thing you snapped back to reality in time. Unless you were going to pick one up on the spot, think of all the waiting and time you’d be without a friend to motor in and you know you would miss that more than anything.

I plan to keep this one forever. I’ll buy another in a couple years, but this little friend of mine will be with me for years to come.

 

Aw... you are an old softie... ME TOO! I'm keeping my '02 MCS. Let the changes in engine and design come... I'm staying with my MINI!

Godspeed.

 

YIKES!!!! (shudders) Yeah, I forgot about that!!!

 

Good man.. Well done and all that.


I love my MC also. (SG/B known as DaMINI)
John

 

Good show! I feel you on the whole not trading it in...I want another mini but there is NO WAY I will get rid of Hal.....thanks for sharing

Chris

 

I second. I will keep my '02 with its little niggles forever.

 

I very briefly (approximately 2 second reverie) about selling Ollie and picking up a Cabrio... then I, too, snapped out of it.

I'll never get rid of him -- like Sndwave I, too, will perhaps purchase another in some years. But Ollie will remain.

 

One thing I find really interesting about "living" on NAM is that with all the talk about 05's, it seems to make my 03 seem old and outdated. But then I realize, wait, we're still in 2004, and 2003 was just a year ago. Heh heh, ok maybe for only another month, but still, my '03 with 26,000 miles is still as much fun as it was on day 1--actually more so because I learned how to drive it hard over time.

I think it's a great thing to be sentimental. Everytime I visit the dealer, I just don't have that urge to get a new MINI. It's very different walking into the dealership. I looked at the new purple haze that replaces Indi Blue, and while it's close, it's not the same. Upon further inspection, I noticed that the lower front grill seems to be black plastic now--not metal--obviously something that would be replaced with an aftermarket grill pretty quickly.

The rear tail lights, and black plastic grill over the backup lights just aren't that significantly different.

I think our 03's and 04's are about as good as things could possibly be. Sure a few touches like the inside handle are nice, but not enough to make me want to change everything!

Just keep motoring and looking ahead! There are many more roads to travel and discover in your MINI.

Richard

 

I test drove a MCS Cabrio a while back,not because I wanted to,the dealer asked if I wanted to.Well it was nice,faster than my MC and with the top down it was a hoot,but not for me.Poco is my first new car,after 35 years of driving and owning cars, at 32k miles,still the lowest miles of any car I have owner,theres still lots left in him.Mostly I,m a cars last owner till they go to the big car crusher in the sky

 

My 03 MCS Valentine was my first and probably last new car. Got him just for fun. I like him as he is( yes, plan to spend couple of k on mods), do not care about new gizmos - have mor ethan I ever needed and wanted. Did see 05 cabrio with all the shortcuts on the trim and so to keep the price down - thank you, no.

PS: Also one of the last owners before the junkyard

 

I don't think I'll be trading in my MCS for a long time.
I'm more likely to wear out my old Maxima with 114,000+ miles on it and get another MINI. Then again, the Maxima is doing quite well so I could be looking at the 2006 MINIs


It think the decision to trade in is a tough one if you and your MINI have been through alot together- hopefully not all bad memories.

I had a 1978 chevette for 8 years which I took pretty good care of and sold with over 80,000 miles on it before moving from Chicago to LA. You always hope that the next owner will be good but for an old cheap car in a snowy area that wasn't likely to happen.

 

The new MINIs are model year 07, not 06! So tired of everyone saying they're 06's - they'll just be released in late 06, that's all.

-mike

 

My $0.02.

I still have the first car I purchased, 25 years ago. It was 17 years old at that time, now 43 years young. I've restored it in the intervening years, and would like to keep it many more. My kids are already arguing over who will get it (if I ever relinquish it in my lifetime). Having such an old car today is much different than when I bought it. First of all it is too slow by modern terms to be on the highway, especially with the 6,000 Lb. SUVs and Pickups out there. Still on a country lane, in the spring through autumn with the top down, there is no better means of travel. I hope my MCS lasts until it too is an old-timer. Then it could bring that smile to my face just like my MGA.

 

just to chime in-i know cars are just metal objects, but by about this summer i was convinced i was going to keep the car forever. Since about a year only about 8200 miles have been put on the car (the most of 7500 in the summer ). I was convinced I was going to keep the car for the rest of my life, and it was going to be a highlight car of my collection. But with me passing out behind the wheel , and the car almost being totalled, there is the problem. But I have not given up. I am going to buy the car back, and over the next couple of years hopefully repair the car to a perfect original condition. I just cant part with the car after only a year. Long live the mcs.

 

Playing around in the time machine again mike? It is now 2004...come back this way...follow the xenon light...

 

I had a '59 MGA Coupe in college. I can't tell you how many times I've thought it since I ordered my MCS. If I love the MINI the way I loved "The Beast," I'll be happy.

And I'll keep it forever!

 

I think I get attached to all my cars.. not just the MINI. My first car was a 2000 Oldsmobile Bravada. Just a very basic SUV (blech) but I still get sad when I think about how I sold her.

I often thought about trading my 03 Cooper in for a MCS too, but the thought of selling him was just too much... I eventually crashed him so no need to worry about selling anxiety.

I'm driving an Audi now which I thought I didn't like, but it wouldnt start this morning and I had to have him towed to the dealership... I broke my heart to see him go. I guess I'll just have to start collecting cars since I'm clearly to emotional to ever sell them... foolish... such a loser

 

When I got into an accident with mine, the whole ordeal wanted to make me trade in my mini too. But everytime i came close, i just couldnt bring myself to. That's why I convinced my little brother to get a new MCS. You gotta keep it in the family

 

I really love the new cabrios but when it came to the idea of selling Nittany to get a cabrio, I just couldn't do it. I love my MCS and with IB discontinued there's no way I'd part with her or her painted dash . So I happily motor on without a drop-top and I've decided to spend the money from my recently sold M3 on a classic car instead. A whole different world of driving enjoyment.

 

Jerseygirl, just look at what you and Nittany started with that IB dash of yours! Ain't that great!!! Definitely something to be proud of.

Yeah, I'd miss maving an IB MINI and, since mine is a Cooper, a lot of the styling is changed up now as well.

In the end, I guess this will become an increasingly present facet of the MINI scene...some of us will want to hang on to the "older" models. Hey, I wouldn't mind driving a restored classic......MINI!!!