Hi, I'm Chad.

I'll give background Cliff Notes

Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. Moved to Florida last year at age 36. Married with children.

I've decided to give MINI a try. Bored with the Altima and the MINI just speaks to me. I love driving and it just feels good in my hands. Today I was looking online at local dealers to see who had what. Fort Myers Honda had a 2008 Pepper White MCS. I made the hour drive only to find out they had sold it the day before.

They had just taken in a 2004 MCS. I took it for a spin and let them keep it. Engine seemed solid, transmission was fine, loved the gear box (manual) but it was missing things I want.. possibly silly things but... I want what I want.

First of all I want audio controls on the steering wheel. I also want an armrest. The armrest can be added, he said they'd throw that in. The car had low milage but seemed rode hard and put away wet and dirty. Since they had just taken it in, it hadn't been detailed yet but the leather seats looked really worn as did the carpets... just didn't look good.

Also drove a 2010 Clubman today. Felt great inside. It was a justa with an auto trans. Even with sport mode activated it felt... boring.

So the hunt continues, I want the one they had on their website but it wasn't meant to be... the hunt continues.

Nothing like walking around on blacktop when it's over 90!!!

 

Good luck with your search. The right one will appear sooner or later.

Be sure you drive a manual Justa and push it to the limits.

 

The salesman was young and had finally had enough of my driving conservatively and told me to push it hard. I did, such a rush. I'll try a justa but maybe I should of tried it before S.

 

Welcome! I just moved away from Indianapolis myself. Are you considering soft tops at all? If I lived in a warm climate like Florida, I would definitely get a convertible. Good luck!

 

Where at in Indy? I grew up in Lawrence but in the late 70s early 80s it started going downhill - at least where we were. My mom remarried and we moved South of Martinsville when I was 10 then I moved back as an adult. Beech Grove is where we moved from.

I miss the urban setting sometimes. I'm a photographer and while portraits are nice my heart was always in street photography. Not much going on in that regard down here.

Anyway, no, I wouldn't consider a soft top. I do want the sunroof though. I was hit by a semi and the car flipped. While I never care to do that again, I certainly don't want to try in a convertible. The sun would eat you alive anyway.

Which brings a good question. Can you do heavy tinting (like limo tint) on a MINI's sunroof? The ones I've seen are pretty clear and the screen doesn't offer much.

 

Yes, the sun roof can be tinted like any other window. I would take it to a window tinting place and pick your level of tint. I have a sun roof in my 2007 S and absolutely luv it! Maybe you'll be lucky like I was, we drove 250 miles to look at a white mcs at a Madza dealer. It was not as represented and as we drove away, we found a Mini Dealer a few blocks away with the car we bought. Good luck, there is one out there with your name on it.

 

I had assumed it (sunroof) could be.

Dealers are open in Florida on Sundays but nothing within 25-30 miles and I'm not up for anything further today. I'd have no problem flying / driving home the right one BUT I'd be pretty upset if I put forth the time and expense and it was like the one you drove for and not perfect.

Who should I look to for warranty?

 

Welcome to NAM and best of luck on the search for your perfect MINI.

 

ahh, sounds like how i ended up with my 2013 Mini Cooper S Coupe i had an 06 Civic Si and wanted a bit more torque and man... STILL IN LOVE with my mini. was up at my parents farm this weekend and was sure to hit up some of the windy lake roads.. was a total blast..

if you can afford it, i'd build your mini to your liking since its gonna be yours for several years and why not? you only live once..

anywho, good luck buddy and i think an S is a must vs the justa models.

 

Thanks!

I've considered building one but I don't think that's an option at the moment. However, if I can get a decent dollar on trade in or selling it in a few years I'll definitely consider doing just that.

 

Welcome. I live in Fort Myers, about 3 miles form the MINI dealership. If you want to I could meet you and discuss some options and help you out. I know everyone there pretty well and am on my 3rd MINI, so I have an idea of what options are must-haves and what to look out for. PM if you are interested.

 

Thanks, I'll certainly keep that in mind. We're in NW Cape Coral, about 5 miles north of Pine Island off of Burnt Store.

The MINI I went to look at was at the VW/ Honda lot next to Sweet Tomatoes but while driving one MINI we passed the Clubman at the MINI lot (which was basically next door) and he said he could show it to me as well.

The Clubman sure sat nice, much better than the S if I'm honest. Don't quite understand why, I thought they were the same to the back of the front seat? Then again we're comparing and older S to a newer Clubman so its likely seen some changes.

And one other thing I can't quite sort out. I've heard so many people complain about how rough the ride is. I've not felt that in any of the MINIs I've driven/ riden in. Granted, it doesn't float like a Caddy ,but, it also doesn't seem nearly as bad as what's fussed about and I've been on some rough roads, not smooth as glass tarmac.

 

After furthering my search I found a 2006 MCS in Miami. Was everything I wanted EXCEPT an armrest but I'm sure I can find one sooner or later. Also, it has the HK system, I thought they all had the aux plug for MP3 players, can't seem to find one though. Picked up the newest Bon Jovi cd for the drive home, dialed in the settings that sound best to me and it went from the dealers bloated and boomy to clean and pretty decent.
Drove from Miami back home mostly on 41 through the Glades and some storms. Once I got near Naples I decided to try the interstate. Had no trouble at all, just cruised right along. Just have to get used to people looking. Once I get it washed and waxed, I'll take some proper photos.

Very happy with my purchase, just have to sort out the aux plug and armrest and I'm good to go!

Sorry for the crumby iPhone photo.

 

Very nice find. Glad you could find the car you wanted. Check out SWFL MINI for a local club. We are kind of slow now but we should be doing some events soon.

 

Agree... a 2006 MCS is a nice find, especially if it's been well maintained mechanically. It's been one of the most reliable MINIs of all the 12 model years. Pepper White is one of the classic colors, too.

 

Gorgeous R53!! 2006 and PW/B are a perfect combo.

A super nice arm rest is the Outmotoring arc arm rest. I had one in my R53 and loved it.

 

Will check it out!

 

I'll look for the armrest, thanks for the tip.

 

Thanks all for the compliments. I have to drive to Ibdianapolis tomorrow - but leaving the MINI at home, just don't think 4 adults and 3 kids will fit.

Once I get home she's getting washed and waxed.

I've named her Lulu after a song I really enjoy.

 

Picked up a slime kit today, should probably get a plug kit too.

I saw some folks using little vinyl plugs for the holes in their doors. Anybody know off hand what size? I need to run to Home Depot soon so hopefully I can find some.