Well folks, what was your reasoning for purchasing a clubman?

Well for me it was purely to have something different that wasnt as common as the std MINI hatch had become around my local area, the number of spoilt little kids getting them bought for them by their parents was doing my head in

Also, the way my car was displayed at the dealers made me want it there and then

 

I did a ton of research as my lease was expiring in Feb of '09. I was looking for economy (37 miles one way to work), with a little bit more room than the standard hatch back (1 child that is still in a car seat). I saw a clubman on the road in the fall of '08 and instantly knew this vehicle should be on the list. After an insame amount of research and using the online config tools; it was an obvious choice for me...the perfect choice! It fit all my needs; I could configure it any way I wanted and still meet my price point.v There is a limit to the madness of online-config! Fun to build, but it all comes with a price tag. The painful part was waithing for it to come across the pond; 3 months, but well worth it so far...20,000 miles in 1 year.

 

Longer wheelbase means people can actually be comfortable in the rear seats plus the additional storage room is significant over the original Mini. The 1/2 door facilitates rear seat access. I also prefer the barn doors to the hatch back. All IMHO.

No noticeable difference in performance from the coupe except the longer wheelbase made for slightly smoother ride, again IMHO.

 

I tried both the Clubman and the coupe. My son and his booster seat fit poorly in the coupe, but great in the Clubman.

 

its all about the barn doors. the clubdoor is like a cherry on top.

 

Because I have one (sometimes two) kayaks on the roof for most of the summer ... well, when they're not in the water! ... the rear barn doors were a major selling point. I was so tired of having my trunk lid from my old car, or the hatches on friends' cars bang into the bottom of my kayaks.

After that: well, the usual fun to drive, fuel economy and good looks also drew me to the MINI. The extra length means my two-piece paddles will fit in the back, along with a ton of camping and paddling gear. With the rear seats up (a position they're rarely in), I can fit an adult in the back. The clubdoor makes getting in and out of the back considerably easier.

--
Darryl

 

While the additional storage, the clubdoor, and the backseat are all very practical reasons, I actually preferred the way the Clubman looks.

I think the longer lines give it a lower, leaner-looking profile.

 

What Pete said about the back (I have a youngster in a rear facing car seat still and the Clubman makes it possible) and more plus I actually like the look of the longer wheel base on the Clubman. I have always liked MINI's and then this one showed up and was somewhat practical as well as fun so I fell in love.

In NYC I see 15+ Mini Coopers every single day. They are very common here. Kinda cool like it's the official car of NYC! I am lucky if I see one Clubman a week here. I have only seen one other NFR CLubbie ever anywhere is person. That's pretty unique and fun but not the reason why I bought it. Mostly, I just saw it and had to have it. It makes me smile.

"If you don't want to buy a MINI, then don't sit in one."

 

The practicality of the rear seat and the extended cargo space was our deciding factors.

Terry

 

What Made ME choose a Clubby....

• Couldn't fit my 2 year old comfortably in the back of a FERRARI
• FERRARI didn't have "Barn Doors"
• FERRARI didn't have a "Sport Button"
• Sport Stripes don't look good on a FERRARI
• FERRARI didn't have a Dual Pane Sunroof
• FERRARI only has 2 doors
• FERRARI doesn't have a load level floor
• FERRARI Insurance rates were too high

and last but not least, why I chose a Clubby...

I couldn't afford a FERRARI!!!!!!!

 

I can answer that in One Word... John-Cooper-Works!

 

One reason for chosing the Clubman ..... I don't have children or animals, but the reason ..... the extra room. Would not have bought a coupe. The Clubman is why I own a MINI!

 

space, the final frontier

 

"Real" seating space on the rear seat and the extra space for hauling luggage! (wife loves to bring extra things)

 

Love it! Fits your username, as well!

 

What he said - plus
1 - I prefer a sport wagon to all other configurations.
2 - The only way to get roof rails for load management options.

 

I still prefer the lines of the original cooper, but needed a useable backseat and the ability to tote telescopes...

Alan

 

Hi, my lease was coming up and wanted to scale down in price and MPG.
I love the Mini Cooper lines but thought an extra 10" or so would be a safety net, in the event of a rear ender!
I commute 80 miles a day with average speed of 78mph on the Long Island Expressway ..............lol

Salt n Peppa has 8900 on her since 10/22/09
Johnny

 

YES, he does!!

Anyway, I chose the Clubman mostly due to the extra space. My wife uses a wheelchair and, while I think it would have fit in the Hardtop, there would be very little space left over. Probably exclusivity had a bit to do with it also. The population of HzB/PS with silver bonnet stripes factory JCW Clubmans is likely pretty small...

 

I've had 2 Coopers...'03 and '06 and when the Clubman came out I knew I had to have one.

I play in a band and have to move equipment and the extra space is great.

Also, someone mentioned a smoother ride and I agree. The extra 9 inches make a big difference.

Insert phallic joke here.


Dave

 

That's a fact.
I had two original Minis back in 80's and both were coupes.
I saw original Clubmans only on photos and rarely on the road (usually rustbuckets)...
I always like "station wagon concept", I even had Taurus Wagon at one point!

I had chance to get "BROWNSUGAR" 2 weeks ago, and I jumped... No regrets...

 

I just found this thread.
I had been eyeing MINIS since 2002 while driving my Saturn wagon. When the Clubman came out, I knew that was it. Time to cave.
I like the space and the lines, even though it's just me and the gal and two Boston Terriers. I drove 250 miles to Detroit for a test drive and came back with one off the lot. It wasn't an S, which might mean I have to try again some day, but I love it! I can't see ever owning anything else now.

 

Like a few others, I needed the additional space for the new addition to our family. Traded in my 2002 cooper for the 2009 clubman!

 

Hello everyone,
To be honest I always wanted a Mini so I started to sell to my wife the idea of buying another car (she already let me buy a truck which I wish I did not) and she let me go play at the dealership. Then I wanted a PW/PW, SR, AT, and nothing else, she said "what if we have babies, they wont fit in the back". That is when I said well I like the Clubman, cause its longer, newer, and hey I always wanted a Mini, right? So I bought from the lot the PW/PW, SR, AT, they had with the Conv Pkg, Piano Blk Accents, Chrome int., 16" rims. Regrets, should have bought the S instead. Will do in 2 years, with no SR, no piano black interior accents, and 17's.

 

I was moving on from my Audi S4 Avant(wagon) which had plenty of space, but not the best fuel economy. I wanted sport with practicality. I eyed the back to be able to carry 8+ cases of wine with the seats down. I had been wanting a MINI for awhile, & due to my physical size 6'4" I thought the coupe was disproportionate.