Hello all!

I've been roaming around here for the past week or so and finally figured I would introduce myself as a potential Mini owner in the future, I just need to convince my fiance! We are looking for a new car because we both just graduated from college in the past two years (TOL-EDO! :D) and my old 1997 Blazer isn't cutting it anymore. I've loved Minis from the minute I saw them (Yes, I'm one of the "Italian Job" people, lol) and always wanted to own one.

I have been looking at used 2008 Clubman's that have been for sale mainly for the bigger size for the potential of starting a family and having a baby (We have no plans in the NEAR future, but within the next two-three years it's a possibility), but that's the issue my future wife is having with the Coopers right now, is the smallness of them. Any tips on how to sway her to a Mini?

We're gonna go to Mini of Pittsburgh this weekend (Work in Pitt but live in Cleveland, so probably buy in Cleveland if we do buy one) and check them out and see what's going on with them. Any tips for when I'm there. We don't plan on buying for another two-three months as the wedding is in February unless I can convince her sooner, lol.

So anyway, sorry for the long winded post, lol. HI!

 

Welcome to MINI! Ask her what her concerns are with regards to size. I currently drive a Justa Clubman. Before that I had a Honda Element and prior to that a 1st year Honda Odyssey (not the behemoth they are now). Now I hauled around everything, including big kids (tall son, growing daughter and tall hubby) and dogs (big Lab, a Beagle and a German Shep) and loaded my cars up with all sorts of items (shrubs, trees, vacation stuff i.e. beach chairs, etc.). There has not been much that I can't fit into the Clubman, the back seats fold down flat for a decent sized cargo area! I do have a roof rack and bike rack to drag around my bikes and if I ever wanted a roof box, or a rack for anything else, I could get one. I no longer have the lab, but can fit both the beagle and the shepherd with room to spare. The third door on the Clubman would help immensely if you needed to get a young one in and out of the back seat.

Now that being said, I am selling my Clubman to go even smaller. I know everything I need will still fit in the hardtop Cooper, dogs included, and maybe not all at once, but there is never a need for everyone to be in the car at the same time (people and dogs). The small cars are a blast to drive, easy to park, easy to wash, get great gas mileage and are just so much fun! Plus all the MINI people meet up and go do really fun things! Go test drive a few, and make sure she gets to drive too!

I never really understood why people want to drive around in cars as big as their living room, who needs that much room? (It never seems to be the people that really need them.)

Check out the thread on what people fit in a MINI, they are a blast! And good luck!

 

She's worried about fitting an infant car seat in the car mainly. And probably things like groceries and whatnot at the same time, I think she sees them as a weekender vehicle, but I see the potential for it as an everyday vehicle.

I'm also a Construction Manager so she thinks that I need a pickup or SUV for that type of job, which I'm trying to break her of that thought which is hard when you see construction vehicles driving down the road all the time that are SUV's and Pickup trucks, lol.

I'm looking for something that is practical.. Yet fun to drive, I don't want to go with a boring everyday full sized car. Plus, I love that the Mini's give you performance PLUS good gas mileage.

 

Yes, welcome (potentially)!

I'm somewhat on the other end of your situatuation. Our kids are all nearly in high school or college. We just got our new MINI after a long-distance admiriation for a number of years.

I can tell you that my small convertible is plenty roomy for my kids in the back but maybe not for long trips and lots of groceries (althouth the fold down seats adds a lot of room.

For the time-being, car seats will fit fine in the back I'd think and I'd exepct that there could be a mini-van in your future as the all-around car.

We're very happy to have a small, economical car in addition to our van. Between the two, it works for us and probably would have 10 years ago too.

Good luck.