Hi All,

I've been in line at my local (California) dealership, but I just don't want to wait any longer. So, I'm considering buying out-of-state, and driving the car back.

There are so many threads on this forum, giving kudos to Classic, so I called them. The car would be ready for pick-up in Feb or March.

So here's my question : should I consider doing this drive at that time of year ? Or should I be patient ? Or go to another out-of-state dealership that is located in a warmer climate ?

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

If you don't want to drive your new MINI on a long road trip in the dead of the winter season, you can also consider having it shipped to your doorstep. Discuss this option with your out-of-state MINI dealer.

Don't let the snow be a deterrent in getting a much better deal from elsewhere. When there is a will, there is a way...

 

It might even be more cost effective to have it sent out this way. I've had cars shipped before; both sent and received and the process is really quite painless. You should at least research the option.

Good luck!

 

I just did that - bought from Classic, drove back to Sacramento. Hit one hellish snowstorm in Utah - glad I have some snow-driving chops left over from my midwestern days!

One of the main reasons my wife and I did the trip was we had lots of friends and relatives to visit - Columbus, St. Louis, Emporia (KS), Colorado Springs. Convenient - each about 400 miles apart. We only spent one night in a motel (in Wendover, NV), and we bought few meals, thanks to our generous hosts. So the trip was very cheap.

Have you seen MINI of the Hampton's (MOTH) latest offer? Check the Vendor Announcements forum - the title is something like "Convertibles in Stock, $500 shipping." A little ambiguous - the $500 shipping applies to all cars, coupes or convertibles, in stock or special order. That might be the way to go. Our plane fare (2 people) and the gas coming back added up to more than $500!

 

If you're going to upgrade the wheels and or tires any time soon after you buy it, get the all seasons so they're on for your drive home.

Then, head south and then west and come home on Route 66 as much as you can. That way you should miss most of the fluffy white stuff and do some historic and fun.

And, look at it this way, by the time you pull into your driveway your break in period would be over!

If I didn't have 2 medium sized kids , I'd consider this option myself.

HunterBoss

 

This ia an incredible forum. Over the years I have participated in Miata, S2000, BMW, Mercedes, and Evo VIII forums, but this is by far the best. You guys have so much experience, and you are so sharing. I can't remember ever seeing so many long, well-written responses to a question.

I can't wait to get my car, so I can meet up with some of you guys!

March road trip coming up : Ohio -> N. California. My boss will not be happy, but I will be ecstatic

 

Woo, hoo! You're going for it! You will not regret it!

 

I am also getting our MCS from Classic...in February. We will also be driving back, but to Southern CA. We're thinking of picking it up and heading south to New Orleans and then west to the coast. We have the potential for snowy weather just in the first 500 miles or so. If you did this, you would of course have a longer drive, but that's why you're buying the Mini....to drive!

 

NoFe203,

Welcome to NAM! :smile:

I definitely recommend the roadtrip purchase. I purchased my 2002 MINI in New York. At the time I lived in Denver. I flew on a one way ticket into NYC and drove the 1600 miles home. It was a great trip. The best part? Getting home, having a hot car, and already having the break-in period done with.

Honestly that time of year could be a little dicey weather wise. I would not recommend planning that trip if you are getting the performance tires. Going through Wyoming, Colorado, or Utah could mean encountering snow and the performance tires won't cut it.

Keep an eye on the weather and remember you can always diver a bit south and catch I-70 instead of I-80. They run parallel, and aren't really that far away. It might extend out the trip a bit, but it's always better to take the safer dryer road in the winter and avoid the snow if you don't have some time.

Again, welcome.

Dave

 

You might try Roadshow in Memphis (at msrp) for a little shorter trip although Classic has been supportive to our MINI community. From Memphis you can take the southern route back home missing most of the white stuff of winter. Take the plunge and get the cabrio and drive home top down with the seat warmers on and the heater blazing...you won't regret it.
Mick

 

...but watch out for that part of I-70 that's west of Denver. The part that goes through all the ski resorts!

And of course, you can hit snow just about anywhere on the trip, 80 or 70 or 66. I got snowed on in Flagstaff, AZ, in June once!

Speaking of performance tires, I mentioned earlier that I didn't have much trouble with them in the storm we hit. (When I placed my order, I asked Julie at Classic about them and she said they weren't too bad in the snow.) But I had a lot of experience driving in snow when I was younger. YMM definitely V.

We thought about going south from Colo Springs through Santa Fe and then out to LA (more family there, too), but that would have added at least a day to our trip and we were already planning to go to LA in January. But if you haven't seen Santa Fe, it's definitely a city worth visiting. And someone else mentioned New Orleans - my "other" favorite city, right up there with San Francisco.

So many roads, so little time!

 

Don't worry about winter,any MINI can handle it

 

True enough. You may not know this, but I grew up in Denver. It's actually the source of my username (DiD = Dave in Denver). That was my original username on Roadfly and then again on NAM before I moved to L.A. and shortened my username, since it no longer made sense when I was showing L.A. as my location.

My reason for mentioning I-70 was just to keep his options open depending on the weather. Sometimes the weather (snow) doesn't get all the way down to Denver from Alberta. Also, I-70 is very well look out after by the Colorado Department of Transportation going through the mountains.

 

FWIW I'm picking my mini up early March in Minneapolis (I live in Seattle) and driving straight to California for the Fontana ProSolo. I'm not too concerned about the weather or the drive (grew up in Wisconsin, though). Good luck with wherever you end up going to.

 

Be sure to go to New Orleans. And When you get there be SURE to eat at Irene's (the BEST Italian food) and the two hour wait is worth it (just put your name on the list and come back in an hour and a half). Also have breakfast at the Clover Grill.

Earl

 

Should you decide to take the road trip, which I highly recommend, this is the route I had originally planned when I picked up my MINI from Roadshow MINI in TN. My wife and I flew out there on a one way ticket, and took an 11 day road trip across the USA. I had pretty much passed the breakin point by day #2.

Here's a picture of the route. We stuck to it, except at the beginning we went down to New Orleans, and at the end, we skipped Washington---came down from Montana to Idaho to Nevada and back to California.