We had gone to France in 2000 to help a couple from our church who run a retreat center in a 14th century Chateau. We spent a weekend in Paris while we were there. It was in Paris I saw my first MINI, a classic (how romantic) and fell in love!!! My husband is a bit of a car nut so I asked him what "it" was. When we got home I started doing research into the car and found out that BMW had bought MINI and was redesigning the MINI for mass production again. There were articles in our local paper about the event. I wanted that car. I haven't had a new car since I was 18. But, I was helping our daughter through college and was committed financially to that project. So, for 4 1/2 years I waited. I knew if I test drove one too soon that I wouldn't be able to stand the waiting. In the fall of 2004 we took our first test drive. I knew then for sure that this was the car for me. It just spoke to me... My husband thinks I'm a bit nuts. Still I had to wait till the spring of 2005 when the tuition payments would be over and I'd be free to start the process. Going to my daughter's graduation in VA we came upon a sweet MINI for sale in some guy's front yard. It was a 2003 MCS with only 6700 miles on her and the price was right. It wasn't the way I thought I'd buy my first MINI but it all fell into place so quickly. But, she wasn't in my life too long, only 8 months, when she met an untimely death! A van with 8 men it pulled out in front of me and totalled her! My dad told me I was going to kill myself in "that car"! But, I survived to buy a new 06 MCS and the love continues....

 

i wanted one since i saw the classics all over europe.

skip forward 10+years...
began searching last year, holding out for the perfect MCS, which i found listed online last week as "06 Mini Cooper S, 1500 miles." (that's all it said)

my father (who owns a 03 MCS - another fun story) test drove it for me and said "if you don't buy this RIGHT NOW, I will!"

how could you not follow your father's advice? he hasn't steered me wrong in 30 years...

now if only he would stop asking me to trade MINIs.

 

Enthusiast motorcyclist here that was looking to get a car as close to the fun and thrill of two wheels as possible, yet still have some practicality when needed:

- ability to carry 4 (wife & 2 kids)
- be good in the snow with proper winter tires (we’re skiers)
- ability haul junk and outdoor equipment like bicycles, skis, kayak (I have factory racks and a roof box).

That eliminates the Boxster, Cayman and Elise....(I already have the ultimate fun solo ride with my bike anyway). So the go-cart-like Mini was about the only thing left that could fit the lightweight, great twisty handling, fun drive requirement. Also doesn’t hurt that the Mini’s so cheap and good looking .

Also have an ‘01 Audi S4, and as great a car as she is, carrying 1000 lbs more weight, she simply isn’t as a much fun in the tight technical twisties which I really love riding/driving the most. So my wife’s driving my S4 now... it’s a lot more fun than her SUV .

I’ve always heard that the Mini is about as close to a motorcycle as you can get on four wheels...... so far, I have to agree .

 

I noticed the Mini's when they first came out, what held me back was the rumor that BMW was going to release a retro BMW 2002... Of course, that has never come. Practicality at the time, didnt let me take more then a casual walk around of the Mini back in the early days and I got a Honda Element.

I was getting bored with the Element so I was looking at different options. Was out one Saturday (April 1) looking the Honda Ridgeline and the new Toyota FJ Cruiser with my wife and said "lets go test drive a Mini just for grins"

We went, were impressed with the one in the showroom and the sales rep handed us the keys,, no driver license, he just said go drive the red one.

About 5 miles of driving for me, another 5 miles for my wife,,, walked back into the dealership and said "how bout a purple one?". When we learned April was the last month of production, out came the checkbook and the order went in. Even the sales rep thought it was strange that my wife didnt say a word.

Mini is on the ship due to unload May 3rd. It has been a long time since I have been enthused about getting a new car.

As far as for pracitical use, going to keep the Honda for getting dirty,,, the Mini is a toy.

 

My first impulse came when I saw a photo of the concept in.....'99? Then in
'01 my wife and I participated in the BMW European pick-up program. When we took delivery of her white 325xi at BMW headquarters in Munich there were a half dozen Mini's of different colors parked outside. After examining them at close range I needed only to wait until a dealership opened ten minuites from my home in March '02.....to go for a test drive and to place my order.

 

mine was when I drove my GF cooper after my WRX started to crap out at only 35k miles. I couldnt believe the turn in and the over all feel of the car. 3 weeks later, I went and got my S, and ive never looked back since. so basically, the deciding moment was when I realized the performance aspect of the car.
even though the MINI isnt a killer on paper, the track shows a different story. because honestly, my 280 whp AWD turbo car wasnt even near this much fun, especially at 3580 pounds

 

Keeping it brief:

Love them as a kid growing up in Europe. Later in life, talked my live-in, practical girlfriend to trade her Civic in for a car with character and yet still practical. We broke up, she moved out, I missed the car, went out and bought myself one. Void has been filled . Oh, then I got a new girlfriend.

 

Always thought they were cute - sat in the car at the autoshow. Loved it. Drove it. Sold.

 

Went to go look at BMW and went into the wrong door, I was on the MINI side. Sat in an orange convertible and was amazed at the room. Never thought I would like the fit.

Took it for a test drive and loved it. Wife went for a drive a day later and said it was cute.

I didn't buy then, but I knew it was only a matter of time.

Fred

 

My first awareness of the existence of MINI came while reading the 12/2003 issue (I think) of Money magazine which had a detailed comparison review of the Hummer H2 and an LY/W MCS - lots of nice pictures and a very entertaining writeup.

We were just considering a second car and that article sold me on the MINI. Was still a bit leery of the comfort factor in getting in and out of that small a car and a test drive put all my fears to rest. Couldn't get the silly grin off my face as I ordered it, anxiously awaited delivery and have been having a blast ever since.

In fact, my commute to and from work, is often the best part of my day!

-MediocreFred.

 

I have lived and worked in San Francisco for about 10 years, so a car was neither necessary or desirable, giving parking issues here. I bought and 'restored' a VW Karmann Ghia, sunk some cash into the engine and redid the interior, shocks and brakes and rims and a nice ivory paint job, drove it as a sunday fun car for about 5 years... but the thing began rusting from below, and not having a garage, though the nosecone was never crushed, it was getting scratched and scraped and dinged and monkeyed with, being parked on the street, and in the rain. I loved the car, but I was sadly wacthing it decline faster than I had hoped.

I decided to take a job in Marin County, largely to allow me to bike in from the city and get some roadie miles in, over the Golden Gate Bridge, as part of my commute. I would just use the Ghia on rest days avery three or four days to give the legs some time to recoup, and this was fine, until winter, when the roads were wet, the skies were dark, and maniacs were trying to run me over in their SUVs... my Ghia's primitive safety features weren't cutting it and I had a few close calls with the brakes. I decided to spring for a new car for the security and, theoretically, the hassle-free warranty aspect, after working on an old car for so long. I hadn't purchased new, or even remotely new, since a 96 CBR F3, but since I decided to stop riding a motorcycle in the bay area, nothing after that. I knew I wanted a sport hatch: small, sprty, responsive, functional, carry the bikes on top, etc. Being a VW devotee, I was pretty much locked in on a GTI. I went to the auto show in 2003 late summer, and my three vehicles to look at were the GTI, the Mini, and the Element (just toying with the idea, throw the bikes int he back etc) and while I had always obsessed about classic Minis when I was younger, I carried the perception that they were too small and unsafe for today's roads. At the show, there was no question that the Mini had the exotic style, the classic look, and the obvious fun factor down. I had no idea yet of it's handling, but just looking at it from the exterior, I was sold. But I sat init, and had doubts. The interior at the time felt small, probably a knee-jerk reaction to feeling like my Ghia had been small and unsafe) and I admit the cockpit details and styling were too clown-car for me. I preferred the clean, minimal detailing of the VW. And so I bought a silverstone grey 04 GTI 1.8T.

And it was fun.

I learned a few things in the next few years:
SF hills are hard on a performance clutch. Because you push it. In the Ghia, I was really just putting around all the time. Not much stress on the car. In the GTI, however, I was zipping around, and frankly, what the hills didn't do, I did, until, to my horror, I had to replace the pressure plate, and therefor the clutch, at 21K. That's abysmal.
The GTI didn't hold up as well as I had hoped. Despite the reported improvements in reliability in the VW's craftsmanship in it's last model year for the Mark IV, little things were bothering me. And once the clutch went, I just lost the joy to drive the car, despite having a new clutch $2500 later. I just began to feel like I was biding time until the next problem. Which is always true. But it wasn't fun.

So I started thinking about the Mini again. My needs were still the same: small, hatch, fast, maneuverable, well-styled. It was a done deal conceptually, not only in terms of the vehicle's particulars but also the Mini culture, being very, very similar to the old school veedub world I was in for so long. My only sticking points were selling the GTI, and taking the plunge on the MCS, which was, after options, significantly more expensive, for a similar on-paper vehicle. After researching for a few months, talking with just about all the dealers ont he western seaboard, and trying to sell the GTI on the private market, the happy convergence of factors came when a local dealer reported to me that he had gone ahead and ordered my car back when we were first talking about it. It had just come in. To my specs. In the showroom. Not a bad selling tactic, ey?
After some negotiation, my trade-in was finally financially feasible, and I was able to make the deal happen last Friday. I drove down in the thickk of the worst traffic the Bay Area can provide, and swapped out for my new Mini, and have had THE best weekend with it.

My wife and I drove around town, into the Presidio, and just had a hell of a vehicular-honeymoon. The MCS is perfect. And in pepper white, it's in many ways the spiritual sequen to my old Karmann Ghia.
It just feels right. I know there will be problems. 4 days in, and I hear squeaks, rattles and clicks in the interior fit. But hey. It's a funky little go-cart and looks abeautiful, and just as was said earlier, it's the closest thing I've personally driven to my old motorcycle days.

T

 

I sat in one. :D

 

Hey Doc, does she have any sisters left at home??!?

Now, my story...

I went with my buddy and his wife to kick tires on BMW's. I wanted a 330Ci, but she was OBSESSED with MINIs. After looking them over, I really liked the looks, but I honestly thought the car was all looks and no substance. The cutie-pie MA had a tough time getting me to do a test drive. She asked if I wanted to try the S or the CVT, or the Cooper Manual. I told her that I was there to look at the BMW's next door...just humoring my buddy's wife. She finally asked me why I didn't like a car that looked so cool, and I told her that I was afraid that it'd be a giant disappointment, and I just didn't want to associate BMW with a car that wasn't fun to drive. She came back with the key to an S and told me to Sit Down, Shut up and HOLD ON!

Apparently, this girl was a closet autocross fanatic! She launched the little MINI out of the dealership SIDEWAYS...blasted down the access road at warp speed, dodged a few construction barricades then zipped into a parking lot and slid to a stop using the handbrake. She asked me if I'd changed my mind about a 4 cylinder car being fun to drive.

I did some research, joined NAM, got out of the job from HELL, and ordered up a CR/W MCS/JCW with all the goodies, and I'm STILL (after a year and 28K miles) happier with the MINI than any car I've ever owned.

Rawhyde

 

Early 2003 I was scanning through a Communication Arts magazine in my graphic design class for an interesting ad campaign. I saw the MINI web designs, thought 'Whoa. Nice.' and decided on it for my presentation.

Later that year I had my first 'live' experience with a MINI at the bus stop on campus ... a JB/W with white stripes was parked in the lot across the street.

I. Couldn't. Stop. Staring.

From 2004 on, I became a frequent window shopper at MINI of Nashville. I think I drove them nuts. Test drove, test drove, test drove ... although I really needed no convincing. I played around online, mainly with PS/B MCa, then I saw John's car. I never thought I would fall in love with a white car (okay, maybe not oh-so white), but it seemed perfect on the MINI.

Got a job. Saved and saved. The dream was becoming more and more of a reality. I saw a picture of the '07 design and almost died (have to get an '06 before that THING - apologies to those who like it - comes out!) I went back and forth between 'Do I want to move or do I want a MINI?' Circa January, I had decided not to get it ... too much financial burden (just out of college!).

Circa March, a close friend could tell I was still aching for it and told me if I really, really wanted something I should go after it. Later that month, driving down the highway after work, I saw a car coming from the opposite direction and thought,' That is such a beautiful car.' A few seconds later it finally registered that I was looking at a PW/B MCSc with black stripes ... almost the exact specs I had fixated on. A few seconds after that I was on the phone with my dad ... 'I'm getting the MINI.'

I did the figures again and realized the numbers weren't so bad ... I could even go for the S. My PW/B MCS, black stripes, 6-speed manual (yep, learning the stick just for this car!) is now scheduled for production!

See. Dreams do come true.

 

My wife and I were looking in Consumer Reports at fuel efficient cars of all things and we both said that MINI Cooper is so different and it looks great. I like it. Sent an e-mail to Prestige in NJ, they replied and we went for a test drive. I said, "I'm buying one!" during the test drive. That was April 1st, 2005.
Could not be happier with a car.

 

Loved it since it came out, but awaited the convertible version...
Convertible appeared and I awaited a used one to presumably pay less...
Pepper white, which melts my heart, came out in convertible and i started looking more closely...
Discovered my minimally-optioned convertible cost less than any i saw used, AND i could order it in luscious pepper white...

and then it was off to a dealer, where the absolute kicker was that my upright bass slid right in! top UP, even!

i'll send a picture for the "largest item in a mini" thread when my car arrives!