Hi all. I'm Jared, from Bethlehem, PA, USA.

I figured I should introduce myself before I make any more posts, cuz I kind of feel like a troll, ha ha- even though my posts are positive and I try to contribute, I still feel fraudulent because I don't quite own a MINI yet ha ha...

I absolutely love them, classic and new, and I was ecstatic when the MINI was released, but then saddened when they had such bad dealer markups (at least in my area they did), but now that that isn't a problem anymore, you're probably wondering why I don't have one, well I decided to keep my current car for a bit more seeing as how it's just barely paid off, and then I heard about the '07 MINIs, which piqued my interest, I like the idea of turbo instead of supercharger on the Cooper S, and I am just going to patiently wait and soak up knowledge off of MINI forums in the meantime.

I'm still getting a feel for this site, though. I am a moderator at FocalJet.com and we pride ourselves on the uncanny sense of cameraderie, skill, and, well, maturity, compared to other sites. Too many car forums are filled with fast'n'furious kiddies who like to argue nonstop, so I'm hoping this site is more about sharing and learning than "OMG UR CAR IS RICE I WILL KILL J00 IN THE 1/4 WITH MY NOS" kinda talk

But yeah so far I like what I see here

 

Oh, I should add, as gas prices continue to rise, the chance of me buying a new motorcycle instead of a new car continually increases... my other "I REALLY REALLY NEED THIS!!!" vehicle is a Ducati Monster, specifically an S2R. And with the new Ducati Classics that are coming out, the Sport 1000 and the GT 1000 have caught my eyes, too!

sigh... although I gotta say, I'm a car nut before anything. And I could give you a list of cars I would love to have in the same price range as the Mini (Mk.V VW GTi 2.0T, WRX STi, EVO RS, MazdaSpeed 3, Volvo C30, Volvo S40), my heart still comes back to the MINI.

So yeah, I envy you guys- but I'll be joining you sooner or later

 

Welcome, Jared! Have you test-driven a MINI yet? You may want to get in on this platform instead of waiting for the new 2007. The supercharger is great...wonderful dolphin whine!

NAM is a fun site and we have an incredibly wide demographic: members are ages <16-70+, plenty of women, and people from all walks of life who love to discuss, share info, and debate one another about our beloved MINIs. It gets a bit heated in the Performance Mods forum, but that's interesting, too.

Enjoy the site and all that is required is enthusiasm/interest for the MINI! You aren't a troll!


Clover

 

Welcome Jared!!! Yeah, in the world of cars MINIs are something very special. Hard to explain. There are faster cars to be sure...and maybe a few that handle as well...but there's something else. I think there's a charm to MINI that most cars just don't seem to have, and it's not just a trendy thing...Mini have always had this. Add to this the fun factor. Doesn't seem to matter how menacing, mean, or upscale we tweak them...driving a MINI remains essentially a whole lot of motoring fun and, frankly, Minis have also always been famous for this, too. Some people may not get it, but for those who do...its' magic!!!

 

What's up!

I'm waiting for the 2007 too. I feel your pain, I've wanted a MINI since they came out back in ('02?) but haven't taken the plunge yet. Just gotta hope they don't screw with the design too much. I didn't like the pre-production pics at first, but they've really grown on me.

I wonder when they'll start taking orders for '07s.

 

Tell ya what Jared,
I'm only about 30 min south of you... and will be ordering my MCS in the beginning-mid october. That should put it here in time for christmas. How about when I come up for chistkidlemart (no idea how to spell it) I can meet up with you and take you for a drive