My husband was just on the edge of ordering a Clubman since he loves my MINI I just picked up this week. Now he is thinking it is not 'practical' because he is use to picking up things at Home Depot! We also occasionally go out to dinner with my parents and our young son.. and can comfortable travel in our present SUV. So my question is regarding the back seat. Is it really strictly a 2 person seat? Is it wider than the MINI, or pretty much the same?

Thanks.. wish our dealer wasn't so far away!!

It is strictly a two-person seat. Two sets of belts, not three.

Terry

Thanks Terry. He is trying to 'be practical'.. I say we can MEET them for dinner instead of driving them!

The practical side of that is you will spend less on gas.

As for going to Home Depot and picking stuff up. Well that is just a toss up. I can not get a screen door inside my car but then again it may not fit inside your SUV either depending on what model it is. Lumber is a different story i have had almost as much in my mini as i used to put in my pickup truck. And if it really a large amount most Home Depot's have a rental truck deal for something like 19.99 an hour.

Having the Mini can save you a lot on gas and then when you need to rent the truck from home depot you can and still have money left over.

Seems like a practical choice to me.

makes sense to me too!! I am still working on him!

In my book it is not "practical" to buy a car you won't have as much fun in as a Mini Clubman. Besides, they do make trailer hitches and a small trailer will haul as much as a pickup if needed. Good luck with it!

I can haul 4 three by four foot paintings in the back with the seats down and of course, haul something else I treasure doing while driving I can also haul all my chemicals and pinstripe paints to do car shows. Now that is a plus!
This car is practical, fun, fuel efficient, and full of surprises!

Considering its diminutive size, it is extremely practical. The rear sets fold down and you can haul a lot of stuff from Home Depot, maybe not sheets of plywood, but certainly a lot considering how small it is. Add a roof rack and maybe that plywood will fit after all.

Make no mistake, this is not a replacement for your SUV. But maybe you can keep the SUV, reduce the insurance since you will drive it less and use the Clubman for 80% of your need and still have the SUV when you need more room. That's what we have done, we still own a V-10 Ford Excursion (among other cars). It's paid-off and worth next to nothing, so we keep it. As you know, there are times when nothing will beat an SUV.

Terry

Two kids (ages 8 and 10) fit in the back seat of our Clubman for extended trips of more than 8 hours. We can also fit enough luggage for all of us (4 roll-aboards) into the cargo area at the same time. They like it more than the back out our Volvo wagon (think bucket seats!)

I was also able (with the seats folded down) to fit a pair of full-sized sawhorses in the back, along with power saws, clamps, etc. Imagine the surprise of the neighbors that I borrowed them from. They didn't believe that that stuff was going to fit in back- strike one for the clown car!

I have an old Chevy Silverado sitting in my driveway for that very reason. It costs me about $350 a year to insure (liability only), and a tank of gas lasts me 6 to 8 months. Most things I buy from Home Depot do fit in the Clubman... but a 4x8 sheet of sheetrock or plywood won't.

Thanks everyone. Our SUV is a 2007.. so not anything we would want to keep for 'just in case' times. I read him all the replies.. so it's his choice in the end. I tried reverse psychology.. telling him his 4Runner is nice, comfortable and just a bit boring.. but if he likes boring, so be it.

If you really want him to get the Mini then tell him "I can be just as boring as that old 4Runner you have, but with the Mini I could be very exciting"

If he's completely against it, give it time -- he'll come around. My wife hated the idea of getting any Mini. Now -- 7 weeks later -- she's looking forward to ordering a convertible in the spring.

If he's on the fence, get the car. There's a moment where doubt or uncertainty in a purchase is replaced by complete conviction. You are just delivering him to that moment quicker than he'd get there himself. This is the goal of every infomercial, by the way. Instead of getting him there via 30 minutes of early-morning airtime on some triple digit cable channel, you're using the "Executive Decision", followed by the heartfelt "Executive apology". Worked for me.

If I may add my .02!
I used to drive a 4-runner, a '94- LOVED it- was nimble, athletic and roomy- but not roomy enough for twin car seats and a person in the back row seat (we had twins in 99, and my DH had teenagers (now 20 somethings), plus our parents were all from out of town). We traded it for a Land Cruiser, which has seatbelts for 8 (with the 3rd row seats), plus it has a heavy duty tow package, which I use for hauling my horses (we live on a farm). I love my Land Cruiser, altho I wish we'd kept the 4-Runner as it was paid for. But I can't afford to drive it on a regular basis (we're 40 miles from town).

Sorry, I ramble! If you think the 07 4-Runner is boring (which I think it is, plus they no longer have a drop gate, and instead have a hatch back, which really ruined it, imho), tell him he should get rid of it, get as much $ for it as possible (still young/low mileage, could be worth something), get a Clubbie and if he still wants an suv, to look into the 94 or so 4-runners (the ones with the drop gate!)- Oh, and btw, with premo fuel I was getting 22+ mpg with the 94 4-runner (less with medium grade for some reason).

sorry for the rambling- and good luck with your DH.
Vivi

Well... after looking at my new MINI.. I think he became a little jealous... . He ordered his new JCW MCC on 9/5!! It's currently in production and he should have him in just a few weeks!! Good bye boring, gas guzzling 4Runner!!

Way to go- Congrats - You all will be very happy (and that's from someone who's mini is in production!)

Vivi