One of my favorite quotes from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding":

Toula Portokalos: Ma, Dad is so stubborn. What he says goes. "Ah, the man is the head of the house!"
Maria Portokalos: Let me tell you something, Toula. The man is the head, but the woman is the neck. And she can turn the head any way she wants.

 

Dying to know how all this shakes out.

 

Hey Pole. You have no color in the south. You need to motor down to Florida a run the Gulf Coast Beaches!

 

Hey Fire. I hope your hubby is reading this. Is it helping?

 

So far none of it's working....

I think I'll tell him that if I can't get what I want, I'll get a Smart car there cheap and he can worry about the 40 miles I drive daily on and off the highway!

 

FD you've got a whole lot of Fellow MINIacs rooting for you!!

 

I've been thinking about your delima...what are the points your husband is balking at?
I'm sure us MINIacs can come with some "Point Busters"...I hope!!

 

That's the problem no real reason just, I'm paying for it oh and it's too small. He makes much more then me. We hardly ever take my car anywhere. 2000 Suzuki Esteem. Before that I had a Plymouth Horizon the I won as used car. They wanted you to use it as a trade in on new. I said thanks for new car and gave up the 78 Dodge Aspen. Paid $500 for had it 8 years drove it almost 7 years sold it for $500.

Time for what I want not what I find or falls into my lap so to speak.

ETA: In other words I have spent $9000 purchase price in 22 years for cars.

 

Ok, it is sooooo YOUR TURN!!! just DO IT! In our younger married years we bought practical, cheap used cars, because we were raising a family. When I decided I needed a new car, I had had my wonderful grand Cherokee for ten years. At 58, my kids are grown with families of their own, soooo, it was my turn! Fortunately my husband supported me in any decision I made. He still works full time, and me part time, so he makes more than me. I was able to put a chunk down on my Mini, so payments are very reasonable. Somewhere in my subconscious I really wanted a Mini. I always did a double take when one zoomed by us, and I was simply not a "car person". After over a year of Mini ownership I am now a "car person". Enjoying every second of this car. Joined a Mini motoring club, met other wonderful Mini owners, attending my first "dragon", MOTD 2012, at my husbands insistence, and simply having the time of my life. Life is too short to "settle"..., nuffnsaid, and good luck!

 

Footnote: there' a lot to be said about a new car warranty as well. Free oil changes and lots of things covered under it...DO IT!!!!!!!!

 

I wanted one forever also...and finally my husband agreed to 'look'...well...after our first test drive and the look of joy on my face...being the wonderful man he is, he said...ok! I had my heart set on a grey, convertable, stick and ended up finding my little jem! My budget didnt allow me to ge a new one...but I could not be happier with my 'previously loved' MINI...I did put it away over the winter and boy did I miss it. His previous owner did lots of great mods to it and I havent done much too it as far as changing anything. Our belief is...you live once..enjoy it!!! We have been on some great trips already in it and this summer we are making a trek out to the East coast (from IL) and I cant wait! Go for it!!!

 

Our Story is very similar to the others, we were both driving "Gas Hogs", Hubby sacrificed his 1999 Chevy Blazer that I happened to spy on a used Car Lot, it was fully loaded and we paid $9000 Ben Franklins for it!! When Molly came home, he started to drive my 2001 Dodge Durango, also loaded, I bought that to replace my 1996 Chevy Pickup that I inherited from my Mom, more like gifted, but you get the idea. I absolutely had to have a Black Durango, I was lucky to find it when I did, but at 15mpg it was time to find something a little more economical since we both were filling up weekly. We began to test drive and after creating wants/must haves on each it came down to the MINI "Hands Down", based on options and Budget. We also put a large amount down to keep my Payments down. It was my car after all and yes Hubby makes more than I do too, but I was comfortable I could make the payments. We each have bills that we pay out of our own accounts, it works really well for us. Not sure if this would be an option for you, but at least it might give you some ideas on how to make your MINI Dream come true!!

 

That is like 22 years of car hell.

Who cares who makes the money.... we have always been a one income family. Crimany the MINI is my wife's and she is a home maker - should I make he walk!?

I have had 2 new cars in our 30 years together, one I didn't keep. The other I drive now, a 2007.5 GMC Sierra 2500 crew-cab diesel.

All the other cars she drove new (7 of them), and if we kept them I drove the hand-me-downs. We always bought her the family sedans for her's and the children's safety. Cavalier, Nissan wagon, Astron van, Caravan, Camry. Then as the kids grew and had their own cars her first fun new car was a 2004 PT Cruiser HO turbo - we traded a very new Camry for it that kept having auto tranny troubles. They replaced the whole tranny in the end, but by then she was soured on the Camry. The MINI replaced the PT Cruiser.

When trying to decide between a Clubman and hardtop... she sat in a hardtop in the show room looked up and smiled and said this is what I want. I knew that's what she really wanted and discouraged buying the Clubman. We are almost empty nesters and really don't need the Clubman, and have the beast of a truck when more passenger space is needed. She ordered the MINI to her specs it was all her choices.

We take the MINI everywhere and I usually drive when it's the 2 of us. It saw 10,000 miles the first year, even though the PT only averaged 6,000 a year. That tells you how much we like it.

Seriously, get the MINI or get a dif husband.

 

Life is too short to not get what you've wanted for 10 years. It's only a car, so go, customize it and get it on order and go have fun! I'm on my second Mini and they are fun cars to drive. You know that your husband is going to be asking you for the keys once he drives one.

 

Lorilou, my husband is wonderful, too about such things. He wants me happy. I first test drove a used S and decided it wasn't for me. Wanted a non-S hardtop, but he steered (no pun intended!) me towards the Clubman, citing I would be happier with just a bit more room. After much thought, I agreed! And couldn't be happier. She suites me to a "T"!! Also OP, minie was an "Executive Car", so I got a very nice deal on a fairly loaded Mini, she even had a spare tire, which I didn't discover until after a few months of ownership!!

 

FireDragon I really hope you get your Mini. 10 years is long enough to dream of one and only get to play with your toy Mini. I hope your husband can come around and appreciate that making you happy can make him happy too.

 

Good luck Firedragon. My wife doesn't understand the MINI but she supported my decision to get one.

I tried to get her to buy a new mini-van but she said that hers worked fine and she didn't need a new one. We have had it almost 9 years and it has never failed her. So I got a MINI when I gave my old car to my daughter.

Seriously Firedragon's husband test drive a MINI on the highway and curves. It is fun. If the power of the TDI has you try the S. I am happy with the base hardtop. Oh, Lightning Blue is the best color

 

Well put, Kirby!

 

Thanks everyone. Some of you have said some funny things and some to too funny.

I'm deciding how far to push things. So I'm thinking.

 

Tell him you narrowed it down to three cars:
Used Pontiac Aztec
Nissan Cube
MINI Cooper S

 

I never thought I'd see those three cars mentioned in the same thought, EVER...

MINI doesn't deserve to be in that quote, but it certainly makes the cooper look good heh.

 

Add in the Hyundai Veloster and the Nissan Juke to the mix

 

FireDragon,

So for many years wanting a Mini this was me with this same problem. My Hubby's words and I quote "I will NEVER own a BMW!" I of course tried the whole Weeeellllll it's not totally BMW?!?! <high pitched obviously grasping at straws voice>

Long story short I researched the snot out of it and came up with all the pro's and con's. I told him that "I just wanted to LOOK at one" so we went to the dealer and thoroughly went through the car. This gave him time to take the whole thing in, not just a quick test drive. We have big beasts that we haul around so we needed a bigger car so we looked at a clubman and it was too small so we ended up looking at the Countryman (the even let us bring the dogs to make sure they'd fit). I of course fell in love with it! He still wasn't sold, but after my list of pro's being so much more than the con's and the Countryman being big enough to fit us all, he agreed. Now it's still not his baby like his Tundra is, but I am IN LOVE WITH MY RUPERT! So it may not be a matter of him falling in love with it. If you are in Love with it and he can tolerate it it still may work. We were driving around the other day and he did admit it had a lot more room than he thought and I even got him to entertain the idea of getting a little Justa or MCS gas saver as a second drive around car. He really is surprised how much attention we get in Rupert and even has fun using some of the features. So there is hope for the non believers! The car definitely has a personality and fits me well... And you know what they say?! Happy wife, happy life... Hahah

Good luck!!

 

That's how we ended up with MINI - that and the go-cart test drive.

The other contender was a GMC Terrain and is still on the radar especially with the Denali version just being released, but no plans to ever sell the MINI.

It sounds like the price is strong with this relunctant husband. And a MINI is not cheap in all forms, certainly not as a Countryman.

 

Juke