I can only budget about $11 per pound of car.

I was delighted a few months ago when a local dealership put my dream-car, the Lotus Elise on display. Beautiful little car. A bit pricey. The next day I asked if I could get into it to see if it's as small as it looks inside.

Wow. It took me two minutes, laughing the entire time, to fold my body through the little slit and into the seat. My size 11.5 shoes could not press the clutch without also pressing the brake pedal. My knees hurt for the next two weeks. With that experience I can see that the MINI is quite the roomy luxury car. --doug

 

Thanks for keeping things on track Dave. In fact, I'm not even fully sure that i'm interested in a mini with those options, I just wondered how anybody could justify a "fully loaded" mini, especially in Canada (as it seems that the US MSRP is a bit more palateable). Nonetheless, when it's all spec'd out with the packages mentioned, it does look like a great looking car!

 

You forget all about the price once you drive it!

mine's over that *runs and hides*

 

Oh Man.... I have gotta join this thread....

Except I am just leaving work right now (late night) and don't have time to parse out a decent post - so I will see you later !!!

Bill

Note below - you will see that I pulled the trigger on what you intend...

 

$50 K Canuck is like what, $30K 'Murican?

 

Canadian, American doesn't matter. This is how you justify it:

It exactly as I wanted it, I can afford it, Its mine.

To try justify anything that is not strictly utilitarian to someone else goes into a subjective can of worms.


Paul

 

My dad tricked out his MCSc JCW up to 40k amarican . . . 40 large can buy plenty of more luxurious cars, but that's not what he was going for- he tested an M3 and had more fun in my MINI. He also has some serious bling with a carbon fiber dashboard- that's trick that you just don't get from sensible cars in that price range!

 

Since nobody has really asked you this yet Fez, what do you plan on using your car for? Are you an enthusiast or just looking for a fun car? Do you plan on taking your car to the track or is it strictly a daily commuter car? Would you modify your car or do you prefer stock vehicles?

Here is how I look at it (my opinion only)...

If this car is just a more enjoyable car to commute to work and back in, then you can probably save yourself some money by not getting things like the JCW package.

If you plan on keeping the car stock, but want to really have some fun and let loose occasionally, then go for the JCW kit. This way you keep your warranty with no questions asked and have the added power to play with.

If this car will find its way into track events, driving schools, autocross, or drag racing... then spend the extra money on aftermarket add-ons because they will provide more power and handling than the JCW package will.

And last but not least, drive some other cars for similar prices ($50k Can, $30k US) and see what you enjoy. Then drive the Mini, and see what the best choice is. The Mini is a blast to drive, no doubt about that, but you may be better suited to other cars for a similar price. Just do what I did and test every car you would ever even consider buying, and the one that you fall in love with is the one you take home. :-)

Sorry for the long message, my Mini isn't here yet so my driving time is spent here for now! :-P

Drew

 

Hey Everyone -

Very interesting mix of opinions in this thread. As someone who configured a MINI in the upper 40s and paid over 50 ($US) when the dust had settled, I am a little offended by all those people telling me that I am crazy and that I will never get my investment out of it... that obviously reflects your approach to automobile ownership and not mine - and that's a wonderful thing - but my values are my own.

Since I first learned to drive, I have always been one to carefully approach the car purchase and then not part with it until well over 200k miles are on it - or the car falls apart - whichever happens first. Typically, my ownership runs over well over 10 to 15 years for every car I have owned (one exception - a boring Saturn that I just had to dump.... what was I thinking??? ) Given this philosophy, I really really want a car that will suit me since I expect to be married to it for some time. Hence, the lack of sensitivity to spending on something that will never come out in the resale. In point of fact, I fully expect that I will be seeing not much more than a few hundred in resale by the time I sell my MINI anyhow (in 2020?) .

Now, I honestly looked at a host of other cars with much better apparent "pedigrees" than the MINI but decided that having a "very well equipped car" - and especially one with all available stock performance options - was a critical component of my selection. Yes, for $50 I could have probably driven away with either a new (or gently used) version of a number of my other choices (Boxter S, Jaguar, etc.) but to have the options that make the car a joy for me, I would have spent a LOT more and pushed the purchase well past the $50 threshold. Let's not pretend that those options don't provide utility and fun in the car - that extra money is really associated with many of the things I love best about my car whether the cabrio, the NAV, the JCW whine and exhaust sound, the scary power of full-on acceleration and high speed turn mastery, the leather, the red dash - the list goes on and on. Yep, I would have loved a basic MINI, but I get just as much joy from all the extras that found their way on the car - and that was a choice that I would not have changed for the world.

To gauge my choice as stupid because I cannot immediately turn my "investment" into cash is beyond silly. I didn't buy a mutual fund - I bought a highly specialized piece of transportation technology perfectly suited to what I want out of a vehicle - and intend to own it until it becomes too unreliable to depend on anymore - just as I did with my last car.

The big difference is, I expect to be loving every second I am in the MINI until that last moment I sell it. I cannot say that for literally any other car I have owned.....

One last point - when standing next to my MINI and asking myself whether this really feels like a $50k car to me, there are not many things that bother me about equating the fittings of the car with the investment. Yes, all that plebian plastic in the interior is not commonly seen at $50k but my leather will distract attention from that any day. The noise level in the cabrio is more than I expect in a $50k car - but if I were averse to noise I never would have considered a cabrio. Perhaps a few other small annoyances - but the "warm and fuzzies" about just sitting in the car more than outweigh them.

At the end of the day, before "Maggie", I have never counted the minutes until I leave work to get behind the wheel again - and even now I can't believe I think this way - but it is fun as hell and I feel less than half my age. No car has ever done that to me - and if the options further enhance and refine that joy, then the whole thing was more than a bargain....

If others are getting this joy at half the investment, then I think that is wonderful as well - but please don't deny the rest of us the fun of achieving a car that is our personal dream come true.

'nuff said !!

Bill

 

Well, I guess I'm one of those crazy ones then. My MCS was worth close to $48,000 CDN. I was no longer able to order a MCS with the JCW kit, and the options I wanted were limited. Guess the factory is preparing for the '07's. The car was just sitting there, all suited up and ready to go. I had the funds, and I wanted a mini and no other car for that price, so I picked it up and is now mine. It is an uber expensive mini, but a mini is what I wanted. I've gone through a number of cars, and for the past 3 years, I've never forgotten about the mini. So this time around, my target was just the mini. I have no regrets. Heck...its just money anyways. When u really, really want something, I guess something's gotta give And sadly, its usually money Its all worth it, if it makes u happy.
Also, my justification...the mini is one of those timeless cars. Any other car you drive, will display its year. A new car or old car...the mini always looks current. In this department, I guess I'll be saving money. Don't always have to change when the new one comes out.

Here is my un-regretable MCS!

 

Hey guys,

It seems like everybody has made some fantastic points here. It seems there are some who don't mind spending $50K CANADIAN DOLLARS (I emphasize that again) on a Mini and there are others who would rather purchase a used E46 M3, Porsche Boxster, etc for the same amount of money.

I intend to use this car as a daily driver - going to work, using it on the weekends, taking spirited weekend drives with the top down, etc.

Having been into the 'modding' scene for many years when I was younger (namely with VW GTI's), I think that i've put this behind me. Maybe i'm getting older, but my priorities have changed and I now prefer cars that are close to stock with the only "certified" modifications done by the factory (hence JCW is appealing). I know the feeling of pride that comes from modding a car oneself (having had true coilovers, bodywork, engine tuning, euro parts, etc done in the past) but I've come to realize that as much fun as I had doing it, it also caused me some heartache at times (and I simply don't have the time or attention to devote to modding at this point in my life).

With regards to purchasing other cars such as a used E46 M3 or Porsche Boxster S, I do agree that these arguments do hold merit. However, having owned both used and new cars in the past, I think that I would really prefer something new. There is just something appealing about being the first one to drive a car out of a dealership, putting on those first few miles, breaking the car in yourself, and generally being part of the whole process from the very beginning. Although i'm sure I would have a lot of fun with a slightly used M3, it just doesn't have the same appeal in my eyes as a brand new Mini - the Mini, to me, has all the luxury and fun appeal, without the pretention of owning one of the aforementioned sports/luxury cars.

In the past I drove a car for a maximum of a couple of years before selling it or trading in it, so i'm quite used to the negative effects of depreciation. I understand that money spent in options is largely unrecoverable. With respect to the JCW package, however, I think that this will most definitely be a postiive selling feature in the future (much like the "M" packages from BMW or the "S" packages from Audi). This is one car that I intend on keeping for quite some time (read many, many years) due to it's "timeless" form and fun factors. Hence, at the end of the day, although I will suffer a lot of depreciation largely in the first two years (assuming non-linear depreciation) in the long run I think the car will hold its value adequately well and when the time comes to sell it will hopefully have some buyer appeal.

Just my $0.02

Thanks for your input and arguements - please keep them coming as I think this has turned into a great debate! Cheers!

 

Isn't that $0.015 American?

Yes, that would be the one.

 

how many pesos would that be?

 

Sorry. It's actually $0.0177 American and $0.19 Mexican

 

A lady walked into a MINI dealership just to browse. Suddenly she spotted the most beautiful car that she had ever seen and walked over to inspect it. As she bent forward to feel the fine leather upholstery, an unexpected little fart escaped her. Embarrassed, she anxiously looked around to see if anyone had noticed and hoped a sales person didn't pop up right now. But, as she turned back, there, standing next to her, is a salesman.

With a pleasant smile he greeted her, "Good day, Madame. How may we help you today?"

Trying to maintain an air of sophistication and acting as though nothing had happened, she smiles back and asked, "Sir, what is the price of this lovely vehicle?"
Still smiling pleasantly, he replied, "Madame, I'm very sorry to say that if you farted just by touching it, you are going to ***** when you hear the price.

 

The most expensive MINI I have seen, was a Hot Orange '05 MCSC decked out with JCW everything and stickered at around US$47K. Obviously, the dealer was having a hard time getting rid of it.