I can't wait to be able to tell you! Mine is sitting at the dock waiting for her or his (might have a sex change across the ocean) ride home.

 

I have to echo most of the above!
My coworkers ask me about it all of the time. I don't have lunch with them as often - I go searching for twisties! You do get noticed, it is fun. The whole experience is fun. I am joining a local club (first outing next week!). NAM is amazing. Great people here and a very supportive community (the best part).
After my coffee I am out the door to detail! Then show off the car (er, go to a wedding)!

 

MiniBoz:

Hey mee too!
I'm picking up my new Clubman this morning and then off to a wedding to show it off this afternoon!

 

I drive slower since it's not an "S"

 

Awesome! A friend of mine has a Prius and kept calling the Clubman a "Ford Flex" all night. I told him jealousy would was just a back handed compliment! After a few beverages, he admitted how cool it was!

 

Too funny, My old Crown Vic is named Bertha.

Yes, interior lights color can be changed with overhead toggle switch. Very nice feature.

 

Hey all:

This may be one of the best threads I have found on NAM. I second the comment about being a NAM junkie, as well! All of this before I have even gotten my clubby!

I have seen (maybe) two Clubmans in my area since their debut so I am looking forward to showing the Blue Oc' around when he arrives. I dig hearing from all of you that the fun of the car has been worth the wait - reminds me of some of the cars I had in my past before I went 4 door sedan prior to the Clubster.

Question: I too, was surprised to hear of the toggle for the interior light color. How many color options are there and what are they? Thanks!

(can't wait to actually be an 'owner'!)

 

We do not pickup our Clubman until tomorrow, when we fly out to LV. But I can attest to becoming a NAM junkie. My spouse (HTClubman) was so fanatic about the Clubman coming in that we are flying out tomorrow to ge the Clubman instead of next week were we already had Hotel and Flight.

My spouse have never been that into cars until the Clubman...

 

After years of alternating weeks between my wife's car and mine as to who gets to park in our single-car garage each night, my wife now lets me park the Clubman in the garage *every night* while the old CRV sits out and collects tree sap.

She seems to think that this means she will get to drive the Clubman once in a while.

She has a point, but I'm going to feign ignorance and forgetfulness as long as possible

 

Although I don't have my Clubman yet, since I ordered it I:

1. got a promotion and a substantial raise.
2. noticed that women find me irresistible (which makes me wonder what comes later)
3. was asked to be Joe the Plumber's running mate for the 2012 election.

Ok, well actually I've become a NAM junkie as well. I've also been making a list of things I want to add/modify to my Clubman and a list of places I want to go in my Clubman.

My current car is a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix which I still love driving! I'm hoping I'll still feel the same way after driving the Mini for 7 years!

 

Well OK, I've noticed one change. The roads around here didn't seem that crowded before, NOW everyone seems to be in my way! I mean if you can't drive 65 through the turns, why are you on the road??

 

Funny! I too have a similar arrangement with my husband as we only have a carport, but my Clubbie will want that space! Currently the husband is feigning disinterest (to me) about the car, but I did hear him exiting a car with my brother the other day talking about all the features the car will have. So we'll see once he gets some time behind the wheel...did I just say that.

 

Interestingly, I am experiencing a lot of the same excitement and enthusiasm I did with my chevy SSR. While I don't get the roar of the big V8, I certainly have as much or more fun in the clubmanS. It's also fun to haul my two yellow labs around in. I could never get a dog in the SSR! A lot of the posts on these forums, Camaro, SSR, Solstice, etc. are incredibly similar across the board. We all basically love our rides and what we can do with them. The best part is that they all make driving more fun and we tend to pay more attention to actually driving, which in my opinion is a very good thing. Seems there are so few out there actually doing that these days! Time to get motoring! Oh, and the culture and language are fun too. Enjoying the badge thing right now.

 

My previous car was a toyota Rav4.. definite change going from being high up in a really comfortable ride and what is a totally cruisy car (the 3rd gen Rav is a great car).

Didn't take long to get used to though.

You really notice how absolutely huge something like a Patrol, Landcruiser or Prado is when you pull up next to them and your head height is somewhere around half way up their door.

I've had mine for 2 months and so far have not seen a single one on the road.

I've been approached by strangers, I've had people comment and start talking to me while stopped at red lights (when the windows are down!). I've kinda got used to constantly being stared at and pointed out when driving along.

This is the first time i've ever had custom number plates. I figured i already stand out on the road, a set of custom plates isn't going to make me any more noticeable than i already am.

2 months in and i'm still washing it at least once every 2 weeks. If i get out of the car after driving home and i see any bird droppings, i wipe it off. Never done that in 15 years of driving.

I agree with the person that said they keep losing their car in parking lots! i came out from a meeting yesterday and as i'd parked in an area that was limited time parking, i actually thought my car had been towed. No, there it was hiding A few times i've had to do the "lock.. unlock.. lock" on the remote to find the car with the flashing lights at night

I'm not a motor head, i know nothing about engines, i wouldn't know how to replace a sparkplug, i've never belonged to a car club.. and yet i'm thinking about joining one now !

 

I found these by accident one day, and there's one for every person's taste...
They help make the clubbie more "findable" IMHO.
Downside: They could be a magnet to unscrupulous types
happyballs

 

It is a bit different. Most of the driving experience I had with my WRX (fast go kart :D ). But, the WRX was more of a cult car, not many folks knew what it was. Good for avoiding tickets

We have a ton of mini's around here so don't draw that much attention. Probably get as much as my first 240Z (many years ago).

Change in life? Yep, it is the wife's car and she now drives 10 times as much as she used to. She would avoid drives into town and let me pick stuff up instead. Now she just goes! Change in my life? I don't get to drive as much :( Probably changed her more than almost any other thing we have ever bought.

charlie

 

thanks for all the replies. it's been really fun reading all of your experiences.

 

Did all that in one month ,, Ordered the Cooper to have as a gas saver and kept the SUV,,, OMG my baby arrived in August and in September I picked up the clubman Its the funnest thing I have ever done,,, I really love my car its fun , cute ,,,, and FAST .

 

Since adopting a Clubman, I'm:
-better looking
-approached in parking lots by women(asking Mini questions)
-waved at by all other Mini owners
-waved at by some cops

 

I came from a Chevy Suburban, so yeah, my life has changed. Not sure why I was driving the mom mobile to begin with, but hey, I was.

1. I am gone so long when I go to the grocery store, I know my wife thinks I am having an affair. And I am, just not with another person.

2. I still get gas once a week, but it must be because I drive so much.

3. I drive WOT from stoplight to stoplight, which probably explains why I get only 25mpg and why I get gas so much. "Only 25 mpg."

4. I have been approached 4 or 5 times, not as much as people on here claim that it happens all the time. People love to look at it and ask if this is a new model, or if this is "the big one."

5. I was washing the car almost once a week until it got cold, and before I washed my car maybe 4 times a year.

6. I pull through spaces always, but I never park far away, that is just not me. To be honest, I haven't been in a situation where I thought another car's doors could even reach mine to dent them.

7. My 2 year old loves to ride in daddy's car and says Vroom Vroom when we go around a curve at about 35mph.

8. It made driving fun again. Driving was always fun for me in my Jetta or BMW because they had manuals, but this takes it to a whole new level.

9. I only have one complaint and that is the dirty butt. Because as I said above, I hate washing my car!

10. When we drive my wife's landrover, she asks me why I drive so slow, I average like 35 in a 45 without knowing it. I realized I need to floor a tank like that just to go the speed limit, whereas in my MINI, if I floor it I am going 85 in just a few seconds. I love that. I can't make myself get an SUV up to speed.

 

I have owned a three cars now. First a 2002 chevy blazer zr2, that was fun until it fell apart in 2004. After that awful experience I bought a 2001 Acura Integra GSR... I put 124,000 miles on that car, autoX'd often, spent time driving the dragon, meeting other honda owners and friends... needless to say I loved my Integra. As it came time to find a replacement for the integra I drove everything. I felt the new honda's had lost touch with enthusiasts that once bleed honda compact cars. Owning a Mini has been great. I like the German gimmicks, ride quality, build quality... the overall experience has been great. I do miss some of the raw, uncanny driving experiences of my integra. With all of the doo-dads and gizzmos on our cars, and electric steering, I feel like i has lost a slight bit of the driving experience BUT what I did gain I am sure all of you can agree on. One of the best things about owning a MINI is the ccomrodory that comes with things like NAM. I love standing in a parking lot with someone you have never met talking about how bad the runflat tires are and how they absolutly love trading gas mileage for turbo noises...

Driving is a passion of mine. I have competed, been to visit Skip barber, and actually spent 2 years of my life getting paid to drive exotic sports cars. I have had a decent run of drives but somehow I always loved parking a R8, Aston, or a M3/5 to get into my MINI... In fact where I worked MINI's were common... We loved them even with all of the riff raff of the "other" sports cars.... It says alot for MINIS

I love my clubman, there is nothing like fast wagons... Secret love of mine. YES its a wagon, Yes it may look "motherly", Yes it is not the lightest version of the vehicle, BUT somehow I keep coming back... we all do...

To sum up my clubman s ownership experience: I feel I have grown up, I can have a blast on the dragon, be competitive on a sunday AutoX, take a long trip with the GF and not listen to her complain about the road noise, and also I have found owning a BMW/mini to have the very best dealership experience, thank you motorcity mini... it does help alot...

Its become a way of life... Its exciting!

Prost! --->to the mini owners!

~Robbie~

 

This is a fun thread and this is my first post here on NAM!

I decided to finally chime in since I will be trading my SUV this weekend for a clubbie so this convo enticed me. I am excited and also scared since I have a life long tendency towards saving money and buying cars only based on practicality and low price. Even the SUV I now own was very cheap and is only 2wd and also a very basic model with zero features. WELL ALL THAT WENT AWAY WHEN I TEST DROVE A MINI!!!!!!

So what if I won't have the room I had for gear and stuff. So what if this car I am getting costs several thousand more than my current SUV. THIS CAR WAS JUST PLAIN FUN TO DRIVE!! And I HATE driving. I dread having to drive. Road trips suck! NOT ANYMORE!

I am buying a justa cooper clubbie with a few bells a whistles but not too many. (cold weather package, blue tooth/usb, sun roof, viper stripes, arm rest, floor mats, roof rails and mini roof base mounts)...and since I am buying an in stock 2010 the dealer is discounting $500 bucks off msrp and adding the stripes with free installation, the mini roof mount base for the rails and floor mats at no additional charge. Those were extras I was planning on buying anyway so that's another $750+ in savings. Seems like an okay deal.

I can't decide on horizon blue, chili red, or night fire red. We are leaning towards night fire red and black.....I love the garnet ish feel to the night fire but I don't like how it appears brownish or even orangish in some light.....

One big change for me will be using a roof box for our outdoor adventures. I just couldn't imagine going shore diving (scuba from the shore) or camping with all our gear in a mini without a roof box. Heck, we sometime go camping and diving at the same time and the gear llist becomes weighty!

Another change for me will be strapping a toddler in without four doors.

Of course, as others have mentioned, there is also a long list of positive changes! I live in NYC so street parking will become MUCH easier!!!!

I do worry how the clubbie will handle in winter though compared to my SUV....That is probably one of my biggest concerns along with safety in a small car....

 

Welcome jbrowland!

I was driving a 2001 Lexus IS300, then a 2008 Lexus RX350 (which we still have for road trips). I'm not at all worried about winter driving in the MINI since I was used to my RWD IS300...

How the Clubbie has changed me:

1) I find every excuse to drive... even on weekends when I am used to getting chauffered everywhere by my hubby.

2) I am obsessed at trying to get better gas mileage... but when I find someone on my tail, I love to lose them in my turns... like a split personality thing... which the S lets me do with ease.

3) I am never afraid of parking around concrete posts in tight underground lots (unlike trying to manuever the SUV when I was used to driving a small car)

4) I stare at every other MINI hoping to get noticed (which doesn't happen in Toronto btw).

5) I too love to play around with the mood light toggle... it goes from blue to purple to pink to peach and ends at orange. I currently have it on purple.

6) I inhale deeply through my nose everytime I get into the car (it's my first new car).

7) I keep touching everything to get familiar with how the textures feel... fluid silver trim, chrome, leatherette, dash, everything!

8) I use the boot often to store my stuff instead of the front passenger seat... and press the auto-open button on my key fob to do it... then show off the hydrolic auto-open barn doors...

9) NAM addict

10) Having a personalized licence plate

11) I don't get upset in traffic jams anymore... I love my commute now!

Many more but don't want to bore you...

 

People (Mina Diva) keep mentioning cool things their car comes with that they like. For example the mood light and the auto-open doors. Gonna have to see if mine comes with those and add them to my "love" list as well!!!

Is there a pdf of the manual on line somewhere so I can get a sneak peak?

 

Try this link:
http://www.motoringfile.com/index.php?s=manual+pdf