I have a question for REXICON / anyone knowledgeable about classics:
I'm looking at a '71 Mini MK3 with a newly rebuilt 1400 in very good condition overall, and I'm wondering what the value range is there. I see adds anywhere from 5K to 17K for older ones. I'm looking for a '73 or older classic that is set up for rallies / canyons, a good daily driver with some kick...
Any years to avoid?

 

I was merely making a statement on ease and convenience. I have used the method you suggest of reaching over, opening the passenger door, and trying to fling it open with just the right force so that it doesn't hit anything, nor comes rebounding back at me. But by comparison to the Odyssey, where the kids can flick the handle and the power sliding doors do the rest with no risk of dinging an adjacent vehicle, it's simply a bit more effort.

I think we can be enthusiasts and still be objective.

 

Fair enough - I guess I have never been lucky enough to experience the whole van thing.

Even my wife's MB - tho van-like in shape and dimensions has the horribly wide swinging doors that the kids have learned not to swing wildly in confined parking. I've always had to get out to unleash the kids from my Wagon due to the child-locks as previously stated so the Clubman doors will represent status quo for me.

I guess my point is that I would think the advantage of having a nippy car well suited to these gas strapped times and urban congestion would outweigh the inconveniences of hopping out to open doors. I've yet to experience it as an adult (I used to love riding in my Grandfather's Cooper when he would race my uncle in his ex-GPO Moggy van along the narrow lanes of Cornwall) but I'm assuming the much fêted fun factor of driving a Mini would make the choice a slam-dunk in the Mini's favour. I'll report back in a few months as my wife and I will both be sharing the Clubman for our errand/school runs.

 

For those with baby seats... I have one of the bigest seats and it fits great in the back. I can see that it would be difficult to use two of them, but if you just need one... It fits nicely and is easier than our MDX to get the baby in and out. This is mainly due to the size of the opening that the clubman provides when you open both doors and fold the seat forward.

I also took 4 - 6 foot tall men in it to lunch the other day and they all could not believe how much room was in the car.

 

We love our Clubman for Day to Day runs and just did the 6 hr drive to the Dragon. Plenty of room for 2 adults a 5 year old and all our stuff. We have a Toyota Sienna as well with DVD player and tons of room. It is pretty much parked until we need to go on a much longer, more toys trip. I guess if we get a roof rack we can take the Clubman later this summer if gas prices continue to rise.

 

I got in/outof the back seat several times while at the dealer while my '04 was being serviced......60K and no problems btw.....and can see that the little back door makes getting in/out a lot easier than in my car w/o a back door, but I was expecting it to be like a back door on a regular 4 door car, which it is not.....so, I was wondering, how often do people have someone, say like my 84 year old mom who is in ok shape but not spritely, have trouble with getting in/out of the back? I had been thinking that maybe our second car would be a Clubman but now I think I should stay with a true 4 door as sometimes I cart around my 87 y o dad and my mom....any opinions?

 

For the elderly situation, I'd stay away. If your parents aren't now, they likely soon will be getting into cars by siting down slowly sideways onto the seat (and maybe even with help), and then swinging their legs over into the car. I don't see how this method would work with the Clubman.

Or, an alternative (although I don't know what you might be looking for) is the Mazda 5, which has great access sliding rear doors, higher captains chairs in the rear, but its still really a car and not a van.

 

We are currently looking into taking the Clubman plunge.

We have two small children and have test driven the car several times with the kids in the back. Leg room is great, and I'm about halfway on the hook.

I think that 99% percent of the time, it should have more than enough room - however it's the other 1% (vacations, extended day trips) that have me concerned.

So does anyone have any specific experience yet taking their families and their luggage on a road trip?

 

Yes. Took the family on a 600 mile roundtrip road adventure in the Clubman a week or so ago. No problems fitting luggage in the back of the car. 18 month old toddler in the back.

Great car and 38 MPG can't be beat!

PS: it pays to pack smartly.

 

One of the main reasons we chose the Clubman over a BMW 1 Series is becuase of our "little" kid. He's pushing 6 foot tall at 15 years old.
When we checked out the BMW 1, I got in the back seat and my head was touching the roof. No way our boy could ride in the back of that car. We got smart and took him with us on the MINI test drives. No issues riding in the back of the Clubman. A bit more comfortable than riding in the back of the tii.

 

Keep in mind that you always have an option to rent the bigger car for that 1% of the time and not have the gas cost for the 100% for that 1% variant.

 

There is always this too. Not sure what it would do to mpg, but it doesn't do too much on my other cars.

 

MINI sells a roof storage box that integrates with the MINI roof rack system for the Clubman. I am considering getting one in the future for longer roadtrips.

 

Only bring 5 days of experience (Just got my Clubman S on Saturday) to the table, but.......

There's plenty of room in the back for smaller kids - and all their stuff too! My 7-yo loves the car - his favorite things:

1) The club door - "my door" as he likes to say;
2) Pressing the start button when dad's in the driver seat;
3) Pressing the stop button when we park;
4) The mood lighting - what a great "gimmicky but wonderful" idea!
5) Tossing the car around the Western Penna twisties! - my favorite!

Get the Clubman S - it's a totally different car than the base Clubman - especially IMO if you plan to get the auto transmission...

I drove all flavors (Clubman & Clubman S; auto & stick on both)... The base car w/ auto was definitely sluggish - though the handling on all cars was the same...

I am sure you will love any version though - these are really great little cars!

 

Our preferences were the same as Mannie-k. We drove the S and non-S, Manunal and auto. We made the mistake of driving an S first. We were jaded from then on. The auto non-S seemed like it wanted to rev, make noise, and then finally get up and go. The S wanted to rev, make a bit less noise, and it was gone.

50 hp more, and the mpg was not that great of a difference that I thought it would be. I'll still be concerned about longevity with the turbo and all. We tend to keep our cars for MANY years.