Up until now it didn't make much financial sense to get used, as a used MINI was almost as much as a new one.
'Better' is a tough term, but if you're saving for a house (or don't have money coming out your ears) you can save a bit and not lose out on much. Some people are enamored with buying new - for me it's used on day 2, so it comes down to tradeoffs.
Even a 2 year old car still has a good bit of the warranty left, and you'll know in advance if it was a 'problem' car, and don't have to deal with 'teething' issues. That was one of my nightmares- spending the $$ for a new car and THEN having to deal with mechanical or software issues.

 

I've been in the "wannabe" club for a couple of years now... However, being Jerserygirl's "personal mechanic" means I get to drive Nittany from time to time (although not as often as some may think).

To be honest, I often wonder if the 48 mpg my '03 TDI Jetta wagon gets isn't worth the fact I don't like the car much of the time... However, after just getting back from MOT-'05, I have to admit the Jetta's seats are more comfortable on long trips and only marginally less supportive in spirited driving.

However, if something terminal happens to my Jetta, a used MCS in Blk/Wht w/o a sunroof and w/ a CWP will be tops on the list of replacements.

I'll likely go with used. I know enough about these cars now that I'm pretty confident in fixing them. Plus, I'd rather have a car that already has a ding or two... and I'd rather not have to worry about silly things like voiding a warranty with mods...

 

You can add me to the "wanna be" list.

Right now i'm in control of a '97 Volkswagen GTi VR6 the grandaddy, albeit senile grandaddy, of pocket rockets. I couldn't be more impressed with the car, with 179k miles on the tach it still is able to spank Wrx's and SE-R spec V's with just some minor bolt ons. I love the Euro look and build quality thats why i decided to stay the path and the mini has always been drop dead gorgeous to me.

I currently work for a partner of Citigroup call Primerica. It's a marketing and education branch that caders mostly to the middle class. It's a commission pay, and most peopel are turned off by that, but i love it since i am a self diagnosed work-a-holic. The Mini will be ordered someday soon now, but it seems everyday is a century for me haha.

Motor On...

 

Another wannabe here! I really want a MINI too, but am trying to be disciplined and wait for the '05s (and use that time to pay off my Jeep). Well, that and when I went to the dealer to order my car, my MA annoyed me enough that I decided I didn't want to order a car from them (I'll be getting mine from Classic instead).

Waiting is HARD!!!

 

Yet another wannabe here too. I am waiting to save up a nice hefty down so I can be comfortable with the monthly. The thing is my family and my girlfriend think I have a problem. They think this because I am on this website EVERY day and I dont even own a Mini yet! But I do know exactly what color my Mini is going to be and what options it is going to have...I cant wait!!!!

 

This sounds just like me! It seems like I build a Mini on MiniUSA every night!

I'm so in the club!

 

Drove 257 miles (according to MINI.com, the second closest dealer) on New Years Day 2004 to test drive them for the first time. Been addicted since. Learned about autocross because of this site. Did that this year for the first time in our '94 Nissan Sentra. (My wife had a best time, and also beat my novice friends in their new WRX, but that's another thread). Just test drove twice last month going and coming on vacation through Chicago. Bought Mini hat & travel mug for me, and t-shirt for my wife while there. Own both Italian Job DVD’s. Read Motoring File everyday. Went to East meets West meet in Chicago last year. Still saving my pennies. Is there a Word Of The Day for this sickness???

 

Hello,

My name is Norman and I am a Mini wannabe. My addiction first started about 20 years ago when a customer brought a 1st gen into the shop I worked at. I thought it would be cool to have one but they would have to be imported, too much work for a 22 y/o. Since then I have had many cars, some I liked and some I am glad I got rid of but I still remembered that Mini.

Then came my introduction to Auto crossing. I was doing well hanging with the Mustang guys and learning how to drive (there was an old guy with a stock 91 that usually competed for FTD so don't bash the Mustangs please). Anyways one Sunday afternoon what pulls in but a new Mini. I am weak, I admit it but darn these car companies for sparking my interest again. Well, I fell right back onto the wagon, staring at the few that would pass me on the roads, hiding under the covers with a flashlight looking at brochures quietly so I did not wake my wife. I managed to survive the first few years of production with minor relapses but then I was tempted beyond belief. A friend of my neighbor, who I had talked to many times stopped by to visit in ... you guessed it ... his new mini. I had thought he was a friendly guy but I soon realized that he was the automotive satin himself. He went on and on about how much fun the car was to drive...blah...blah... All I know is that pushed me over the edge. I must have one. I turned to see my then 2 month old GTI and began to think 'how can I financially do this'? I looked at the payment book and at my Quicken finance program and wept openly. I realized that in a moment of weakness I made perhaps a grave error in vehicle choice. Then I stepped into the gutter. I thought that if I didn't pay child support for for a few months I could pay more on the GTI, I wondered if you really could buy a card with a charge card and thought that ramen noodles wouldn't be that bad to eat every day for every meal.

Over the past few years my wife has been very helpful in trying to bring me back, we purchased a travel trailer and truck and found great joy in RV'ing. She got into NASCAR and we have been having fun with that. I was really doing well when until my last birthday. She handed me a gift and said it is something you always wanted. As I opened it I swear she pulled the flesh from her skin and became the she-devil. What was the gift that caused this? 3 words explain everything "The Italian Job". Why do I say she became the she-devil? Her response to me having a conniption was 'I thought you would like this, open it and let’s watch it'.

It was then and there I said "I will have you, oh yes I will". I started building Mini's every day on the website until I decided on the perfect one. Sitting at work with the options chosen I looked outside at the snow and wind and decided that perhaps this isn't the best time to buy a new car. Patiently I waited until spring. During the cold winter months I kept watching the movie my lovely wife got me for my birthday. Either out of love for me or her being absolutely sick of me talking about these cars she agreed one spring day to go to the dealership with me for a test drive.

We arrive and the sales girl gave us her MC 5-speed to test drive. I fought the Pittsburgh traffic and got to Schenley park..lots of twisty roads to try it out on. I asked if she wanted to drive and she said yes, darn me for being nice. I did not get get to drive it again at all. We looked at the few they had and decided on a black/black with most of the toys. All was going well until it came time for the trade in. They did not want my car so they gave me a ridiculously low dollar amount for it. After a quick discussion we realized that our dream was not only shattered but it was ground into fine dust like particles. We have looked at other makes and models but something keeps us from buying them.



That is my story, thanks for reading and listening. Since the new model is coming out in 07 we will be looking at our new mini this spring again. The movies are out and I am still building my minis. I have refrained from visiting the dealer and posting on this site but now that our group is here I can again start to dream knowing that I am not alone.



Norman

 

norman -- welcome to our little "group" here inside of NAM ---

jrock -- i also am tied to a Jeep -- what kind do you have?

and to everyone else -- thanks for sharing your stories -- as you can se...we are not alone.. :smile:

 

Hmm... I guess I'm a member of this club. I have been mildly interested in MINIs since Grassroots Motorsports had an article about Don Racine getting ahold of a MINI from the U.K. so he could start learning to tune them. One of the early reviews I read described the handling of the car by saying, "by the time you begin to feel the limits of the car, your passenger is screaming for you to stop!"

My interest slowly grew and at some point I had decided that I would get a MINI after my wife got her new vehicle to be our family car. In September of last year, my Neon developed a rod knock, and to cost to repair the car (replacing the engine) would be more than the car was worth. The car was still driveable, so we traded it in for a slightly used Minivan for my wife.

I'm currently driving my wife's old car - a 2000 Saturn SL1. While it is a good car for economy, fun is not one of the words you could use to describe it. My MINI purchase is one step closer, and in the past year, my fanaticism has increased exponentially. MINI community websites such as NAM, WhiteRoofRadio, and Motoringfile have driven my enthusiasm for MINIs, and I'm on track for an early 2008 MINI purchase.

Is there a NOMINI badge?

 

I was once a member of this club...it started in January 2002 after seeing Mini Coopers at the Detroit Auto Show. I scrimped, saved and did whatever I had to to finally get my very own MCS this past June. I tend to hang onto cars for several years so I'm counting on this one to make it. So far, it gives me a great big smile everytime I get behind the wheel. Bide your time, they're worth the wait.

Swizzle

 

Ya, TX is 6.25%...

I'm hoping they don't scrap the tax credit where you can get that back... Knowing my luck, it's either already gone, or will be gone just in time for next year's taxes

 

Is that a play on words or do you really call your 'Explorer' an 'Exploder', made me laugh anyway. I've been in this damn club as long as I can remember. We just bought out the lease on our Honda Civic and I've got another 2 yrs. and a bit to pay that off. I would have traded when the lease was up but I was laid off and I am trying to start/build my own business.
(see profile). I'm looking at getting a used 05/06 MCS in 2009, seems so far away...or a new MINI see how things go by then.
Norman, I just read your story, sounds all too familiar. My wife said the other day "maybe by the time you're 50 you can get your MINI". "But..." I said "I'm only 37". Hopefully sooner rather than later. Thanks for the story, great stuff.

 

I have been waiting and researching and lurking for a while now....planning to order in Feb 2007!

 

Make sure to post and let us know all about the new car when you get it!! I'm going to be watching the forums like a hawk between Feb 2007 and Jan 2008 to gather new owner opinions of the R56 MINI.

 

sure thing FULLpint!

 

I am until I can get a check from the insurance co....

 

We are in the club for a few more weeks. Still deciding on either an 06 cabrio or 07 since there will be no change to the style for cabrio until 08. Have all the options picked, color (I think) and one more lease payment on a 325I. I am on crutches for a few more months, so I can't drive it anyway.

 

I hope this will not be considered a cruel post, but my membership in this club ends in a week when I pick up my Checkmate S.

I waited 4 years for this so don't give up on the dream folks!

 

im with you astro... i pick up in a week and i have wanted a mini since my first trip to the uk in 1991. when they came out here finally i freaked and have been waiting for the right time. (pay off debts, etc. ever since) . weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

Sigh......count me in, too. I've been a loyal MCO/NAM member since 2003 but I'm in the middle of law school now. Got no cash for a car payment, yo. But someday I'm going to buy a PW/PW '06 MCS (with Premium/Sport/Cold pkgs) and lovingly restore it to like-new condition. I dig the supercharger whine - don't want no stinkin' turbo!

 

Congrats to Astrochex and Pearface on their new MINIs!!!! Don't consider your transition from hopeful waiting to ownership cruetly; consider your new MINIs hope for the rest of us!!!

 

Thanks Fullpint!

And that was my goal, there is hope for everybody!

 

I'm a member of this club. Just 11 more payments until our Honda CR-V is paid off and then I'll take some of my savings stash and use it for a downpayment on a MCS. I can't wait. I might go early and get one as a 45th birthday present for myself.

 

Let's see... Good things come to those that wait... Anything good is worth waiting for... Patience is a virtue... Your day will come.

Yes, I've been using these statements as mantras waiting for the time when I too can become a MINI owner.

Count me in as a member of this proud and elite group... MOW (MINI Owner Wannabes)

I'm a bit hesitant about purchasing the 2nd gen MINI so I guess my only recourse is to wait for a 2008.:impatient Yikes! Is it humanly possible to hold on for so long?

I drove my friend's MINI last year (05 MCS DS/W) and I was hooked! Never has a car made me feel sooo happy! It left a BIG smile on my face. Now, I guess that I will excercise patience and wait for my 2008 MCS. Is it at all possible to have withdrawl symptoms from just one drive?