Forever... 165000 and climbing. You never know it though.

First years rock!! (no matter what you all say about build issues)

 

So would that be Richmond, VA? If so where abouts?

 

I'm gonna run mine til it's dead. Took me 11 years to kill a Camry's transmission so I just got my Mini a few weeks ago. It's an '04 with 54k miles, it's got a lot of life left in it. Just washed it tonight too :D can't wait to drive it in the morning.

 

I have a high mileage 03 MCS and am bringing it back to show room condition. I want to keep this thing forever.

 

I'm keeping my 04 MCS. So far 77,400 miles and running like a champ.

 

I just have the transmission start to go nuts and throw some codes at me. I think it may be time to trade her in for something new. Wish the thing would run forever, but there it is. Time to pull out the newspapers this Sunday and start car shopping. Taking a new S out for a run is on the list... The good thing for MINI is it's seen a few improvements since 2004 so... here goes. Wish me luck.

 

Update: 65,000 smiles on my 2006 MCS and still loving it. No plans on selling it any time soon.

Although the coupe coming in another year or so might be able to sway me.

 

147,500 at the moment....

but I cheated a but...

Cheers,

Charlie

 

i plan on keeping my literally forever. mines an 04 with 48k miles, and its not a daily driver so its not like if i have problems with it i have to replace it with something else to drive. only problem ive had ever would be the starter going out. no other issues besides that

 

I could never understand at first when my mini friends who drive 1st generation minis tell me that it feels so different to my R56 MCS.

My husband trades in his VW for an R52 MCS last year. I was able to compare the drive of the R56 to an R52. I have to say that I am hooked on that R52. I love the sound it makes and it corners better than my R56.

Long live the first generations MINIS!!!

 

I plan on keeping mine. A 2006 R53 with only 24,000 miles, and exactly 5 years of ownership this coming Monday, 1 Nov. Undersized pulley, full race exhaust from the headers to the tailpipes, reprogrammed computer and a CAI makes for a really fun ride. And most important to me, a Chrono package that gives me gauges instead of idiot lights, and a steering column mounted speedometer. My grandson is 2 years old, so I figure I got at least 16 more years of ownership before he inherits the car . Perhaps by then, I'll see a suitable replacement, as I see nothing in the second generation models that excite me.

 

I'm planning on keeping mine forever. I've only had my R53 a month, but fully understand how great this car is. The whine of the supercharger, the burble of the exhaust, the handling, the styling - I appreciate the whole package more & more each day.

I'm determined & committed to do whatever it takes to keep my baby on the road for the really long haul. I only have 30,600 or so on the clock so hopefully it'll be many many years. Even if I get another car for whatever reason, I just can't see giving up my first gen MINI!

 

Wow, I'm so glad I stumbled upon this thread tonight. I purchased my '02 in '02, and I took a lot of ribbing from friends and co-workers at the time, which somehow made me love my MINI all the more. I paid him off that first year, and ended up purchasing a 5 series wagon (rare manual transmission) for work (which demanded the extra room). I tired to bring myself to sell my MINI, because I've never been a believer in keeping two cars, but I just couldn't do it--really, I tried and never brought myself to let go, and now I'm so happy. It would make little sense to sell him today, he only has 30 k miles, but I'd not get for him his market worth, or the value he has to me. Had I sold him a few years ago, I probably would have invested the money from him, which would have tanked in the market collapse. So, after a rough Spring this year, with some heart wrenching losses in my family, I really did decide to just keep him forever, and I began to make some changes that I wanted to make, but was too pragmatic to do so before. I needed to do something to distract me, something that would bring a smile back to my face, and Mack just seemed to be the right distraction. I open the garage and see him there, and grin broadly again, I get behind the wheel and have great fun tearing through the twists and turns of the I live on. Yes, indeed, I'll drive Mack--not until he falls apart--but until I do.

 

Well-written post. I'm very sorry to hear that you had a rough Spring, but it sounds like your MINI was therapeutic in a way, maybe somewhat cathartic.

I totally share your sentiments: when I peek in the garage & see Ruffian there, I grin wide, I refer to my car as "her", or by her name. And lastly, as you so aptly put it - I plan to drive mine 'til I fall apart.

BTW, Mack has some suh-weet stripes!

 

Hey, thanks, Fridayxiii! I'm rather new here at NAM, and it was downright nice to get such a friendly reply. Thank you, and Ruffian sure is fine! (Mack's stripes came from the UK and were applied when he still had a white roof. There was an additional much broader stripe that went with then--white on the bonnet/boot, black on the roof. He ended up looking like he was wearing a Run DMC Adidas track suit!! So, pulled off the broad stripes and painted his roof and mirrors red, which is was my first instinct. There is a lesson in there somewhere!)

Again, thank you!

 

I will never buy a car that I do not intend to keep until I die. My current fleet consists of 5 vehicles, including my R53. If any of my cars were to become totaled, I would still keep them as parts cars to feed the eventual replacement example.

When I was ready to buy the R53, I spent months looking for the precise color/interior/option packages that I wanted. I finally found one that fit the description perfectly (and was already a JCW car, so that saved me the trouble of upgrading). It was in CA, and I was in FL, so I bought it over the internet and had it trucked to me.

 

Wanted a MINI for a long time but didn't ever think it would happen. The little red sweety is sitting in my garage. It puts a smile on my face everytime I see it and to drive it is something only MINI people know.
I've had some minor fixes and will do anything it needs done, just because I love it and am keeping it forever. How lucky I am to have my little 2005 MC.
It knows it's loved. I say "it", only because somedays it's a classy lady and the next minute, a little brute.

 

--Keeping mines forever. When the engine, supercharger and or tranny burns up... I'll upgrade them. If the kids don't want her maybe I'll ask to be buried in her. =)

~p

 

 

Yep, posted on this thread before but just have to again...

I am never getting rid of my MINI... With the upgrades I've made and fixing the usual wear & tear items, my MCS is a scream to drive while slicing & dicing traffic in the big city... I can't think of a better inner city car than a 200+ hp MINI...

 

After driving around in this thing for a week, I sure hope I keep it a long time. I don't know if it's just me or not...but the 2nd gen minis don't do it for me, the supercharger scream and the look of the 1st gen completes it.

 

I bought my ‘06’ R50 in March of 2010 and I love it despite a few quirks. She had 15,700 when I took her home and now has 25,800. As long as the CVT holds up Red Hot Mini Pepper will become my son’s first cat when he gets his driver’s license in 2015.

 

Hah! im 17, and she's my first car. i plan on keeping her the rest of my life, eventually, I'll probably turn 'er into a track car. Just installed a mini mania CAI last night, damn did that make a difference! about to hit the 71k mark in probably the next couple weeks. have had some issues, but most of them are my own fault (i learned to drive stick with the car, ill need a new tranny within the next 5 years, and a new clutch within the next year), and my tires are almost bald. but nothing can explain the smile on my face when i come into a corner at 50 and hear them tires screachhh! ah i love this car.

 

I just wanted to make a comment about this thread, which I find to be rather special. It just seems as though so many folks are either always striving to find something "newer" or "better," and they are never satisfied. Then there are those who take for granted their cars, no matter what badge they may wear. The thing about this thread, and each and every one of you, is that it is one of the few "places" (virtual or real) that I find genuine gratitude and appreciation, and it is so refreshing!

Whenever I open my e-mail and see that there is a new posting on this thread, I immediately hit the link. I think you're all good people, and I bet you are pretty happy in your lives, day in and out. I'm not only thankful for my MINI, but I'm grateful that people like you all exist.

Just wanted to mention that.

 

but there is just nothing to replace it with
Maybe a 2010 JCW at $40K