First, I have to apologize to the enthusiastic and tolerant folks on the Week 26,27 and 28 Support Groups threads. I've probably stressed my welcome there, lamenting the experience I've had trying to decode when my car is actually being built. Patience is certainly not my strong suit, so I'm struggling to rekindle my excitement about the car. I thought that maybe telling my story might help. So, here we go...

I've never been a "car guy." I got my license the summer that gasoline disappeared, so I was lucky to get the family car at all, and one of my own was out of the question. So, while I liked reading about sports cars (MGs, Triumphs, etc, and occasionally muscle cars), if I wanted to get my wheelborne jollys, or even go anywhere, I learned to do it on a motorcycle. For a lot of years, that's been my passion of motion. Still is. But I always figured that if I'd been born 3 years earlier or 10 years later, I'd have been a car guy.

So, cars were conveyances. Reliability and economy were the priority. I found my way to VW diesels, and relished frugality a lot more than performance. The TDI engine changed that, in that now a VW diesel had enough oomph to get out of its own way, at least. My last car was a Passat with a performance chip, which made 149 HP, and 277 Ft. Lbs. It was a sleeper. And, unlike a lot of earlier VWs, largely problem free.

When the new MINI was introduced, I thought they were the absolute s***. But, being a practical guy, and in view of the fact that when my wife and I travel, we take my car, owning one was out of the question. So, I'd only sat in a 1st gen MINI once or twice, and have never driven one.

Some months ago, one of my wife's co-workers sent home the "Zug" brochure. I said "Huh! Neat," and that was it. Then, the price of diesel went out of sight. That didn't look like it was going to improve, and I was leaning back toward a smaller car. I stumbled onto the Zug brochure again and went online to learn more. I found out about the fuel economy, and the reported improved reliability. So, off we went to the closest dealer to drive one. We drove a Clubman S and thought it was pretty neat. We drove a regular MINI Cooper to test the automatic transmission; it had the sport suspension and 16" Goodyear runflats, and dadgum near rattled my fillings out. But, we measured the cargo area (of the Clubman), and determined that we could get the stuff we sometimes travel with in there, and the door was open (so to speak). I went back and spent about an hour on a test drive, and decided it was what I wanted.

I also looked at the Corolla, the Mazda3, and the Civic sedan. The Corolla was too boring, the 3 is nice, and a good value for the money, but kind of crude, and doesn't get as good fuel economy as the others. The Civic was (is) the best option. It's really refined, quiet, comfortable, and has great reliability records. The current model is out there used at a good price, with either manual or auto. Truth is, I could buy one, even new, and save a bundle compared to the Clubman. But, there's a pretty fair chance that if I bought one, I'd see one exactly like it on the way to work the next day!

I'm sure we all have spent a potload of time with the MINIUSA configurator. I've spec'd out everything from a bare-bones model to one with every package (except sport suspension) and leather. I finally got a combination I liked. The ability to specify things down to a really great level of detail made it a lot of fun. I got a buyer for the VW, and placed my order.

My experience since placing the order hasn't been great. I'm hoping it will improve once I get a solid production date, and I get closer to being back on four wheels. Meanwhile, I'll hang out here. OK wif you guys?

 

I had a similar experience -- test drove the same cars you did, thought similarly of them. And...I got the Clubman instead. The reasons there are similar, too.

But I don't know that I'd use "confessional". Makes it sound like a guilty pleasure. The economics over 3 years (taking fuel and maint costs into account) are similar enough that I will get the pleasure without the guilt.

Here's to Zug.