I thought there might be some interesting stories about the purchase of your MINI. Mine is due to be delivered in a couple of weeks so I will go first.


I have always been interested in the MINI since they came out in 2002. I always was fascinated by the Classic Mini Cooper S when they occasionly popped up here in the Northeast.

Since I have college age kids and other pressures of supporting a family I put my MINI dreams on the back burner. Then it came to a boil about two years when I found NAM one day while browsing the internet. I then started my inccessant babbling about how cool these cars are and how great it would be to have one. My better half finally told me that if I lost 100 pounds (frankly I needed to lose more than that) I could get a MINI. This was not exactly a bet but more of a goal or a challenge. Though at the time it seemed almost an impossibility.

Some months later I made the decision to attack my life-long weight problem by investigating Weight Loss Surgery. If you are interested about this you can easily Google this. It took a over a year to make the decision and arrange to have the surgery.

In the meantime my MINI passion continued to grow. I spoke to my brother who is a car nut an AXer (Currently owns a Boxster and a Civic Si) who suggested that I get this out of my system by going to a dealer for a test drive. Big mistake! Needless to say that I was now HOOKED. My MA was also not a small guy and I was amazed how well we both fit!

Fast forward about one year (April 2008) and my better half reminds me that I should start thinking about the MINI since I was scheduled to have the surgery that month. I had the surgery on April 28 and everything went well.

In June my wonderful supportive wife reminds me that the MINI goal will soon be in reach and that the summer would be the ideal time to sell my current car and look into a MINI. When I reminded her that the 100 lb goal was not yet in sight she assured me that it would work out.

After looking at a few used MINIs I finally decided to order my car from a local dealer.

As of today I am down about 94 lbs as my now completed MINI is sailing across the Atlantic. I am confident that my long ago challenge will be met just as my MINI arrives in New York and is delivered to my dealer!

My life has gone through many changes and getting my dream car will cap off what has been a very exciting time in my life.


Well that's my story. I think it worked out pretty well. I am anxiously awaiting to join the ranks of my fellow MINIacs!!

See you down the road somewhere.....

 

Not very interesting but here is mine.

I had a 1995 Ford Bronco that was lifted, geared, running lockers and was all decked out. But sucked gas like mad! So one weekend I was in the desert and I crashed it into a ravine. Even with all my 6 off road lights I just didn't see it. So while it was in the shop being looked at I got a rental. Went to Enterprise and all they had was full size 4 door trucks. I didn't want to dump gas into a rental so I said "What about that little thing over there?" It was a 2007 Mini convertable. I didn't even think I would fit but when I sat in it and adjusted everything it was very nice. So I took it. Drove it for the first day and didn't think too much about it.. Then as the days went by and I got to drive it up a grade I fell in love with it. It was so fast and cornered like a dream. It was an auto with the shift-it-yourself option which was fun. So after I turned it back in I just knew I had to get one. So I looked high and low and finally found the 2003 MCS I have now. It's been the 2nd best vehicle I have owned (14 so far). The 1st will still be the Bronco.

 

my story is nothing special. but, never the less, i am going to tell it. first off, i am 56 yrs. and am somewhat retired( sorry for being a little vague). in my teenage years i drove very boring cars, not inexpensive, but just boring. in 1972, my dad bought me a baby blue "vega gt". the car was a blast to drive, but had some major problems that have been well documented. after college, i bought a ford capri v-6. i think that there are some folks in my age group that can remember that car and appreciate how that car was so far advanced ahead anything american made. the middle 70's came along and i started to make some money. after going through all the "bimmers", i decided to splerg and buy a used 308 gtb/4 ferrari. i was a cocky kid of 26 and i always liked cars. the car was fun and, because of the killer inflation in that era, i was able to sell the car without taking much of a hit. one time my wife was at a store and a kid asked if that car was a kit car, and she told him that it was a ferrari( poor kid).
anyway, i have had many performance cars and many wonderful sedans(s500), and currently in my "small car ideology" i have just 3 cars.
i have a 2005 audi s4, a 2005 a4 3.0 quattro avant ultrasport, and my pepper white 2008 mcs manual. you know, i just love everything about my mini. in today's changing world, the mini is a charging ahead. after we have worked to save for our later years. the mini is just wonderful. sorry for the severe rambling,but this was from the heart of a true car enthusiast.
sincerely,don compton

 

Don,

My brother conned my old man into getting a 72 Capri (w/an automatic ) It was unreliable but great fun!!

 

My name is surffox and have always been a car addict. Like all addicts, my need for speed over powered me. Attending Vintage Sports car races was a mild tonic. As a hobbiest, I shared a 6000 sq ft garage with vintage Alfa freaks. I restored MGs and had plenty of parts and panels. They had to either make theirs or scrounge a them for their hoard of parts cars. I would pit for them at the historic car races. This kind of supplied my habit. When I retired from the pastorate, my congregation gave me the keys to a 99 all wheel drive 911, actually it was only for a couple of weeks, then they gave me the keys to a new Viper for a couple of weeks. Finally,they arranged for me to have a new Corvette, for a couple of weeks. But, in the back of my head was the one car my Alfa friends respected and sometimes feared,the vintage Mini. After I retired and relocated to the Outer Banks, I bought a Discovery for beach driving and fishing. My first born called and told me was getting a Miata. A following call from my second born told me he was having an MG B roadster shipped from Ca.
Here I sat with and old man's car a Discovery. I went into a severe depression when suddenly a vision appeared on the T.v., and ad for a new Mini. Some weeks later,I business that took me off the Hatteras Island. Since, was only 35 miles from the Mini dealer, I decided to check it out. I do believe in love at first test drive. Second test drive brought it home. We have been very much in love ever since.
Surffox

 

I drove a Turbo New Beetle until it was totaled when I hit the side of an Acura that pulled across the road in front of me. Photos here.
Looking for a car that is even smaller, faster, and more nimble, the MINI was the logical choice.
I may be genetically predisposed to small cars.

 

Interesting story? Not really...more a matter of poor impulse control than anything else. Saw Minis on TV, a few on the road, but had never seen an advertisement for them, so I had very little direct marketing influence affecting my decision. Super cute car, quick, reasonably efficient, and just flat out cool. So I was hooked even before the test drive.

I like the stories thus far!!

 

It wasn.t just an ad, it was a divinely originated epiphany!
surffox

 

I won my from a Mountain Dew Contest even though I already had a Cooper S on order! I was automatically entered in a contest when I used my Ralphs card and bought a Pepsi. Had no idea there was a contest. I was actually the runner up and the woman who won, did not update her ralphs card info. Update your grocery card info!

 

OK ... here goes. We had moved back to the US from England, and once I found my current position, I needed a second vehicle. I had wanted a small 2wd Toyota truck, and had found an old man who was willing to sell his. So even though I kept looking for other trucks, I kept measuring them by the one the old man was going to sell. Problem is he never ended up selling it. The longer I looked, the more I realized that a decent truck was going to cost me more than I had originally thought. So when the amount I was willing to spend starting creeping above $10K, my wife said I should forget about a truck and look for a MINI, since I had always wanted one, but never thought I'd be able to afford one. Anyway, the Monday before last Thanksgiving, I found MS MINIVER on Autotrader 1 mile away from where my father-in-law lived in NJ. And since we were going to his house for the holiday, I went with a $10K check in hand just in case. I had never even sat in a MINI before, much less tested one. But 2 blocks down the road and I knew I had to have it. I am now one of those terrible ministers who is blatantly in love with his wife AND his mistress!

 

One time, years ago, I saw a MINI. That was it - I HAD to have one. I freaked out every day after I visited miniusa.com or saw one. I was a teenager without a job so I got a job. I set a goal for myself: save up $10,000 for a downpayment and get my dream chili red MINI. I beat that goal and saved up $11,000. The rest is history.

 

I spent forty years in the pulpit, I got my mintress after I had been retired for five years. It is a delightful turn of events. I think I have the only one living on Hatteras Island.
surffox

 

Would that be the only MINI, or the only mistress?

 

I thought they were sinonyms
surffox, or maybe "overrev"

 

i got mine off the forum here. i really wanted a jcw but most of 'em were out of my price range. i was close to getting an '05 w/ lsd from seattle when i found my car. the seller actually personally delivered my car all the way from oklahoma to california (!). he was a super nice guy and i got my jcw!

 

Wow ArtP me too ....my MINI is my reward for losing 100 pounds!! I said as a joke 9 mos. ago when I started my HMR diet plan...that if I lost 100 lbs, I would buy a MINI b/c I would be able to fit in it....well, here I am at 96.5 pounds down....with my car afloat and on its way.

My partner says that she plans to drive the car until I am at 100 pounds... and the car will be about a month earlier than I expected....guess I gotta get on that treadmill

Congrats to you ArtP! and enjoy driving that MINI as the new Mini you!

 

artp,

Congrats on weight loss! You already know this, but weight loss takes a significant change in lifestyle and re-learning (or sometimes learning for the first time) of how to eat well, even with the surgical procedures available. It is great hear about your success! I am currently 20 pounds into my journey of losing 60 pounds.

Like you, I have had a long love for the Mini, starting with the classic. I drove and maintained (or should it be the other way around) a 1974 MG-B which I loved, even when Uncle Lucas pay his visits!

When I learned of the new MINI coming out, I started building them on the configurator each year (I still have them stored). During that first year, I did visit a dealer and sat in one, but I vowed I would not test drive one until I was ready to make the purchase as I knew I would be able to walk away from the test drive without purchasing it.

In January, my parents told me they were buying a MCSC off the showroom floor. It took me a couple or so before I let myself take it out for a drive. Then, my parents went out of state for a month and I spent everyday with it! One week later I placed the order for mine!

It will be almost three months to the day of ordering it that I will be picking mine up (hopefully). These past two and a half months have be so much longer than the 6 years waiting to order it!

Congrats again on your weight loss and your new MINI!

 

First off, congrats to all of you who found a healthier you AND a MINI to boot! Win-win in my book.

Now, I have personally found the MINI to be health inspiring. I don't know why, but the purchase of the MINI brought me ouf of a two year slump recovering from an accident (and gaining weight due to stress mostly).

But, the better MINI purchase story is not mine, but my wife's. She has never in her life owned a brand new car. She has never in her life owned a sports car of any kind, mostly econobox types. She has struggled hard most of her life. She has always loved the Italian Job movie, and especially the MINIs (Carlize is he heroine btw). She's also been through several major operations in the past few years. So, as she was recovering from the latest one last year (and watching the Italian Job), I told her about the MINIUSA site and showed her the configurator, as a way of building her dream MINI some day. She spent days playing with it, and finally configured the one she wanted. That night I sat next to her and pushed the button that would initiate the order. I don't think she slept for more than 5 minutes that night, and not much more for the next 4 weeks until her car was delivered.

 

Thanks Bloo!

You have done a grat job. What is HMR?

When do your expect your Cubbie? I assume you are getting a Clubman based on the ZUG in your handle.

My MC is due in about a week and I am like a kid before XMAS. My wife is a bit more lenient about hitting the 100 lbs mark. I actually considered getting a vanity plate that says "100 LBS" but I probably won't bother.

Please keep me posted on how you are doing. If you are in the Northeast or plan on traveling to the NYC area let me know. We can compare before and after

Thanks for the kind words

Art

 

Thanks for the encouragement. You are absolutely right about the WIN WIN. I hope to have many years of happy and healthy motoring!

 

-00

Congrats on your efforts as well and congrats on the MCSC! Look like you will have your baby very soon. I hoping for delivery by 8/1

Be sure to post some PIX after you get him!!

Thanks again
Art

 

Great stories guys! The hubby and I are on a "diet plan" (a much smarter way of eating, not necessarily a "diet") and we're only at 20lbs down on a 45 lb goal, so I really admire what you guys have accomplished!

My little story was quite an adventure at the time...When I redployed from OIF 1, my then-boyfriend picked me up and drove me to get my little hoopdee (read: bum-around cheap car) - a Fiat from the on-post "car care center" where he had paid for it to be tuned up...it sat for a year in my garage! I was supposed to follow him to his new office, as he'd moved jobs and I didn't know where it was...except when I turned on the Fiat, a funky "bad" light kept coming on...the Germans at the care center didn't know what it was since they didn't work on those cars (nice and helpful they were...NOT.) So, we took off...but he got ahead of me and I started having car problems -- it would rev and then die completely. So i turned it off and back on, it was fine for a minute and then did it again. By this time, i thought the BF had gotten on the autobahn, so tried to follow....by the FIFTH time the car died on me ON THE AUTOBAHN, i figured i was in big trouble and turned around to get back to post. Yah...about THREE miles out, it died and wouldn't start. SO I HAD TO PUSH IT BACK!!! And the BF? Long gone. He figured I went home. !?!? My cell phone was dead (again, sat for a year!) and I had no idea what his new phone # was! I ended up calling his much higher ranking commander (the only name I knew) to come get me. I pushed the car near a MINI dealership, and since I knew my car was a doornail....well, after the first test drive, it was love at first drive. The BF tried to talk me out of it - but started the conversation with, "you don't need THAT!!" Don't SAY things like that to me!!

I returned from my second OIF deployment, and found out that MINI had made a TURBO!!! Oh, was I excited! A turbo MINI on the AUTOBAHN!! I had to have it. I told the then-husband (yes, I found him after he left me stranded!!) I wanted one, and he learned not to start THAT conversation. So I had TWO MINIs for a while!

 

While I don't really have a story, I'm in a similar situation as a few of you. I decided to buy my Mini as a gift to myself for finally getting my weight under control. I'm down 76 pounds as of tonight, with another 50 or so to go! And all that in only 15 weeks! By the time the Mini gets here I should be close to 85 or 90. Didn't have surgery or anything like that, just severely altered my eating habits (only eat about 1200 calories a day right now) and exercise a lot.

So yeah, losing weight and buying a Mini - seems to be a common theme in this thread.

 

I was coming out of a lease on an Audi A4 (great car btw.) It was my 2nd Audi and I was going for my 3rd...except my local Audi dealer decided he was going to make some money off of me (since I like my Audi, their service..etc.) Game on...game off. I knew how much I was willing to pay for their A4 or A3 for that matter...and started looking at Volvos, etc (our other car is an Outback btw.) I had always wanted a Mini..but didn't believe it practical nor did I believe I would get WSO (Wife Sign Off.)

Net net...we drove an hour to the closest Mini dealership for a test drive to "mark it off the list." You know...get that monkey off my back. Well...the wifie thought it was kinda cool and fun to drive....we drove it home that night. That was my 06 Space Blue JustaCooper and I should have Clubman first week of August.

Cheers,
Peter in Sarasota

 

I have an 05 M3 on lease, which ends Nov. 1.

I was originally going to buy it out of lease, but...
1. it gets 17 MPG
2. it goes out of maintenance next spring
3. it goes out of warranty later next year

I decided to lower my cost of ownership to save for a new M3 in 4-5 years, or something like that, so I ordered a MINI. I got a JCW since that is sort of the "M" of MINIs.

The residual on my M3 is within about $100 of my JCW order.