Old fart!? Jesus. Not sure if I should even respond to this one, sonny... but OK.

I've got 30k miles on my MC. Bought it used more than a year ago with 5k miles. (Yes, I have a massive commute.) You could argue that the fact that I'm ponying up for a new S says something positive about my experience with the car, but I would posit that it really says something very negative about my mental stability.

Before taking the 2nd plunge, I test drove some "comparable" cars - WRX, RSX, GTI - and was consistenly underwhelmed. I also drove a couple of co-workers cars that would be comparable in price used - A4, 3 Series. Relative to the Mini, they all had a slightly vague, ponderous, imprecise... normal... feel to them. To some degree, they all seemed to lean toward the center of the market a bit, with some combination of softer suspension, slower, more insulated steering, and generally less road feel. They all felt a bit dead or numb in some way. I think they all give up 300-600 lbs to the Mini, and a couple of inches of wheelbase, which doesn't help their cause.

I'd argue that the Mini is a true sports car in the sense of driving being an engaging, active, entertaining experience - and that's what I'm looking for. If I didn't need to be able to haul one or more kids in car seats on a regular basis, I'd be driving a Miata, no doubt. I totally agree with what you guys (gals) have said about the MX5. I love the feel of that car, and it scores huge points on reliability and price. The Mini is as close as I've found to the feel of the Miata with a semi-functional rear seat and decent safety features. Even with fwd, the Mini manages to come close to the Miata's entertainment factor (and if you throw in the JCW, it compensates in other ways...)

As for what I'd do differently, I didn't spec out my MC as I bought it used. But after living with it for more than a year and 25k miles and test driving other Minis, I went for a fairly basic S. Only added fogs and a sunroof.

Not sure that's what you were looking for, but there you have it.

 

No offense intended on the old fart comment; was referring to the length of time this thread has existed, it's astounding really.

I was debating between a decked out Cooper and a bare-bones Cooper S. In the end I decided my commute dictated more "creature comforts". I've heard several experiences just like yours however so who knows... might be trading "up" to a more load S if I get a promotion or something :smile:

 

old-fart here
mid-Jan '03 - placed order for Mr.Motor
March 9th - Mr.Motor finished
April 9th - picked up Mr.Motor
May 1st - Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap!!! That reminds me, I have to rotate the tires asap!

Everyone - don't forget: Deals Gap '04!
Cheers,
Ryan

 

Since you are reading the "Old Fart" Chronicles, you will be up to speed in no time, Juan!

Regards,
Red

 

OK, newbie here so bear with me! I ordered my IB/W MCS today from Moritz in Arlington, TX. My production number is 3502590. I was told it would be a late April or early May delivery. Currently my IB/W is showing up as a DS/DS online! I was told it would change in a few days. Anyways, it's time learn as much as I can and make some new friends. Specs below:

2004 MCS
Indy Blue/White/Bonnet strips
Leatherette
Harmon Kardon
Xenons
Auto wipers/mirrors
MFSW
Prod # 3502590

 

Welcome to NAM and The April Club, kgmini! :smile:

Indi blue/white - my kinda MCS I always get a chuckle out of this pic of MM2, back in November, when we were using him as a paperweight for the front subframe of the Roadster, lol


_________________

 

Thanks for the welcome Ryephile! Great pic. You can always count on a Mini. LOL

I LOVE the look of IB/W. Still I had some apprehension picking a color. It was a toss up between IB/W, DS/B, and EB/W(B). Then in the final minutes CR/W started to work itself into my mind.

 

Good to see some new folks chiming in...

I'll post an updated list once I get home and have a chance to check my own status (wishful thinking?).

I'm hoping I didn't make the wrong choice w/ the CVT Cooper. I LOVE speed, and couldn't stop thinking about that supercharger kick the MCS provides; my 3 mile daily commute in HEAVY rush-hour surface street traffic (I live in the city) would HATE that stiff clutch however.

After driving the CVT a while I never really found it to be deficient... it's certainly no speed demon with a human occupying the passenger seat, but I still managed to drive 70+mph on surface (non-highway) streets without even realizing it (still adjusting to the center-mounted speedo concept), so it seems plenty "dangerous" from a seat-of-the-pants perspective. I think a radar detector will be my first addition (after my ice-link of course, which will be ordered as soon as V2 comes out in mid April).

I can always "trade up" if the need arises I suppose...

One thing though, on BOTH demo drives I got w/ a CVT the car was under 1k (pre-breakin) miles. To you CVT owners, does the engine "open up" any as you pass the 1200 mile mark and beyond? It seemed to me (at least on the demo) that the CVT is very much designed to "learn" your driving patterns and adapt accordingly, is this the case?

EDIT: P.S., Ryan - GREAT pic... makes me really happy about my IB/W color choices, that blue really "glows" a nice deep color. Out of curiosity, what wheels do you have on in that pic (I LOVE them)? Since they're white, are they as hard to clean as the OEM white wheels (which I opted out of since I'm quite lazy about cleaning)?

 

It's great to see the April club staying on page one.

JPL, congrats on taking over as kotl. You'll be great. I just came back from a weekend in the LA area. I was driving my father's van with an automatic trans. My feet got exhausted moving from brake to gas and back thousands of times per minute it seemed. I am so glad I don't live there. I think you will be happy with the cvt in city commute traffic.

Ryan, How's the lowboy project coming?

Andy

 

>>Welcome to NAM and The April Club, kgmini! :smile:
>>
>>Indi blue/white - my kinda MCS I always get a chuckle out of this pic of MM2, back in November, when we were using him as a paperweight for the front subframe of the Roadster, lol
>>
>>
>>_________________
>>

That is a lovely paperweight, and a great picture Ryan!

Regards,
Red

 

wow, i've been away for about a week, and i come back to see the APRIL CLUB back to it's full glory.

I can't believe it's been over a year aready since i anticipated the arrival of winnie, my PS/PS MC.

Congratulations on all the new guys and girls in their new found obsessions of all that is MINI. Use NAM to guide you through to delivery, as there are some really good resources available. And you can always ask us old farts, as I see we are being called for any pointers, suggestions, etc.

As for me, I do have some bad news to report. Last week, I ran winnie up on a sidewalk. The dark road in downtown richmond turned hard right and I wasn't paying attention and kept going straight. The driver's side went completely up the curb, while the right side luckily went up the sidewalk ramp. Damage estimated at 3k. Side airbags deployed on driver's side, which i think were unnecessary, so I now need new airbags, new headliner, new drivers seat, new side pillars, also, two new tires, a new wheel, and alignment, among some others. worst thing is going to be driving the rented mitsubisi eclipse around til she's fixed.

so i'll be waiting for a while, too, for the return of winnie.

good luck new april people!

wags

 

Hey all... still no change in my production status (scheduled for production w/ no confirmed date).

Does anyone know how current the automated phone system is? I've been working under the assumption that it's the same as getting it from a live person in customer service... should I be bothering a real person?

Here's the current "list":

150:
SynapticFire - MCS, DS/B, #6608586

112:
JuanPacoLopez - MC, IB/W, #7081430
XAlfa - MCS, DS/DS, #6602173

111:
kgmini - MCS, IB/W, #3502590

I'm the only MC so far :smile:

 

Status update!
I'm due Feb 25.
I have VIN now!
...TD84275
Guess I'm really in the March club now (not complaining)
And I count my blessings.
Still lurking, although I've started a new job and haven't time to contribute much.
Should make the time go faster though :smile:
-SF (Eric)

 

did you get your updates from a live person or what Synaptic?

I've been wondering on the accuracy of the automated phone system.

Congrats on the status upgrade!!!! I'll still keep you on the list, as was the custom for last year's crew it seems. Once a CWFAC'er, always a CWFAC'er I think :smile:

 

Andy - the high-boy Roadster project is coming along nicely - we've been busy busy working on it - LOTS of fabricating and such - I'll have to snap some pics and do another update on my long-lost thread in OT

Cheers,
Ryan

 

>>Anyhow, welcome to kgmini. I'm still trying to catch up with the previous generation's posts. I'm up through about page 100 or so (end of April 2003). Good stuff... makes the wait seem not as long to read the whole chronicle so quickly :smile:


JPL, I started reading the thread last night. I'm going take my time and read every post. I called Mini today and spoke to a lady there. She said that mine may be finished with production on/around March 19. My birthday is April 26...that would be a most excellent b'day present.

 

KG, If I remember right my car was a March 12 production date, and I picked him up April 11, 2 days before my Dirthday and that included shipping to California. You should be in your MINI on your birthday.

Andy

 

>>KG, If I remember right my car was a March 12 production date, and I picked him up April 11, 2 days before my Dirthday and that included shipping to California. You should be in your MINI on your birthday.
>>
>>Andy

WOO HOO!! That would be so awesome. The MCS would lessen the impact of turning 30. Man I'm getting old. I'm sure that will pass the time quite nicely. I'm trying to decide whether I need to bring a bib or not. Don't want to drool on the dealer's demo. LOL

 

So I finally bothered a real person on the AskMINI hotline today...

Turns out the automated phone system IS just a bit remedial (though still MUCH better than the OL). He said I have a Week 11 build, which he said means it should go into production on the 8th of March. Does this sound right to anyone else? I looked at my calendar and since the year started on a Thursday I'm having trouble figuring out exactly when "week 11" is.

At any rate, looks like I'll be taking delivery the first week of April provided everything goes smoothly. Hopefully I won't get stuck in VDC hell for too long like a few of our "first gen" members did.

Today's time-wasting question: what car are you replacing with your new mini? In my case it's a '93 Honda Civic DX, the first car I got in highschool. It is now in quite bad repair, mostly due to being 11 years old with no major damage so far. It needs a CV joint, new transmission, new A/C, and a few other things... anyone want to buy an old Honda for REAL cheap?

 

The people at ASKMINI are quite nice and helpful. The sales people at Moritz were equally great. I stopped by the dealer today and did all of the paperwork and took a trip around the block in a MCS. Talk about a blast! I can't wait until April/May for my Mini to come home. Reminded me of my '96 Miata M and Honda S2000. Lots of pep and terrific feel of the road. Loads more fun than my current ride (Ford Focus).

That leads me to your question JPL. I'm not going to trade in my trusty Focus. It will make a great daily driver and grocery hauler. Sounds like you got your money's worth out of your Honda. My first car was an '84 RX7. It was 7 years old when I bought it. It lasted me through almost my entire college career. When I sold it it had nearly 250K miles on it. To this day I think it was one of the best cars I've ever owned. It was a blast to drive. Not super fast but fun to toss around.

I found a handy setting in Outlook which displays the weeks on my calendar. Looks like week 11 is Sunday the 7th thru Sat. the 13th. Mine is tentatively scheduled for week 12.

 

>>As for me, I do have some bad news to report. Last week, I ran winnie up on a sidewalk. The dark road in downtown richmond turned hard right and I wasn't paying attention and kept going straight. The driver's side went completely up the curb, while the right side luckily went up the sidewalk ramp. Damage estimated at 3k. Side airbags deployed on driver's side, which i think were unnecessary, so I now need new airbags, new headliner, new drivers seat, new side pillars, also, two new tires, a new wheel, and alignment, among some others. worst thing is going to be driving the rented mitsubisi eclipse around til she's fixed.
>>
>>so i'll be waiting for a while, too, for the return of winnie.
>>

Sorry to hear about your incident, and I hope you were not hurt. That is the main thing when it is all over and done. If I recall, winnie was one of the first on the road out of the 03 club.

Regards,
Red

 

>>KG, If I remember right my car was a March 12 production date, and I picked him up April 11, 2 days before my Dirthday and that included shipping to California. You should be in your MINI on your birthday.
>>
>>Andy

Mine was done on the 12th as well (hey, we ALMOST shared a birthday... it was either the 12th or the 14th); I picked Scrat up on April 12th.

I'm done with winter, okay? I'm running a battle with my lower front lip lately, it's just catching on everything. Upping the psi in the tires helps only a little (and I'd rather not run too high with winter wheels on). I'll have to re-check the rolling diameter and see if that is off - I can't imagine that it would be, but hey.. stranger things have happened.

Watch out for frost heaves! Took a HEAVY blow to the Audi's frame last week on a wicked double-dip that the state hadn't noticed yet - took the frame down to bare metal, through the thick rustproofing. The mini whacked its (*^( front lip on the same place (going a good 10mph slower).

We need another chefie visit. I've got a list of random things in the pantry and fridge that I'm sure he could come up with a great meal from - sort of our personal iron chef...

 

ditto Rachel: This winter sucks more mostly because now we have MINI's to worry about However it's bittersweet - we also get to Motor

 

>>ditto Rachel: This winter sucks more mostly because now we have MINI's to worry about :evil:

 

Hey JPL, can you get me on the April list? I put in my order at the beginning of the month. MC IB/W, Premium, CVT, Xenons, !6's in White(R83), 3-spoke MFSW. Production #3502455. Called today and it is scheduled for production with no date set. Can't wait.