Hello!

Brought home a new Clubman S in Chili on Friday. He (haven't decided yet) is replacing a Ford Focus ST, which I loved dearly BUT couldn't hold my cargo worth a damn! The ST was my "Sandy car" as it replaced a VW GLI that was flooded.

Anyway, there lots of others to choose from; but my three main wants were: 3 pedals, fun, and hauled stuff. What I got hauls more than just cargo, lol. A few things really led me to the Mini:

Fuel Economy (Do these things use ANY fuel?)
Square cargo area (all of my stuff I haul is in square boxes)
I can flip the rear seats down without moving the front seats up
I can fit. (6'8" / 260. Its hysterical - really)
Its like a go kart.


Since I bought one of the first New Beetles off the boat in 98, I've never had more people stop, stare and smile as I drive by. Could it be because a gargantuan is behind the wheel? Perhaps. I'll keep thinking it's the car. There are three dealers all 45 minutes in opposite directions. We don't see many in these here parts! It's a blast to pilot this little thing around town. I feel like I should wear a helmet!

A few digs that I have to get used to, though:
The ST's brakes were truly phenomenal; the Mini's I'll get used to.
I don't know how long it will take me to get used the the reverse lockout. Had a rental 318iT in Germany; it was the same way.
The wiper/turn signal stalks are weird. Again, I'll get by
Putting the key in the slot to start the car.
The visibility out the back doors is terrible. Not that it matters if I'm always the one passing!

I'll give credit to the dealer for a fantastic experience. Had an acceptable number, including my trade, all within an hour. The laid out all of the numbers, no bull, just "here it is". The dealership itself was cool - it's in an old, small Mitsu dealers building so in order to accommodate all of the accessories, etc they have cars lifts with clear plexi bottoms. Stacked up like Matchbox cars... While I was chatting with the salesman, I mentioned I had a bulldog - so on my way out, not only did I get a nifty goodie bag of stuff (hats, keychains, ezpass holder, travel mug) they handed me a stuffed Mini bulldog.

Chili Red S, 6M, black wheels, Premium 2, Cold Weather, Black bonnet stripes, armrest, rear fog, sirius.

Sorry for the crappy iPhone pics...

 

Wow! Looks great in red!

I was *this close* to getting a Focus ST over the Clubman.

Until I saw the clutch internals... No thank you!

I too am a long time VW owner... The Mini is fun!

 

Awesome, congrats! I just brought home a Chili Red JCW Clubbie this weekend and I agree with your assessment of both the car and the dealership...

I haven't driven an ST so I can't compare, but the JCW brakes are MORE than adequate on mine, I thought the S brakes were pretty damn good, so the ST must have been pretty impressive! Too bad yours didn't have Comfort Access - that was pretty much a must-have for me, and I love it. But hell, once you're rolling, who cares if you needed to plug a key in, right? I traded off an S2000 for the JCW and that car you had to put in the key, turn it to the Ignition position, then press a button on the left side of the dash to start the car. WTF?? Makes sense with a keyless system, but just an extra step if you didn't have it...weird.

The Mini's are kinda quirky but you get used to them quickly - I'm sure you'll love it! And it is amazing how roomy they are, both for big people and stuff. I bet you're a sight climbing out of that thing!!

Enjoy, and congratulations!!

PS - the black wheels are awesome, by the way. :-)

 

Congrats, great looking car. Red was second on my choice of colors when I got my 2013. Yeah, the view out the back is horrible, but I somehow like the little head bob that you have to do to see past the blind spot. Owning this car is a lesson in compromises, but so far I an enjoying it......

 

Congrats! I have a 2009 Twin for yours...even added the Black Rims. The car has quirks but has never once failed to put a smile on my face Rain or Shine! Enjoy!

 

Cure for Clubman blind spot: Grab two gears, maybe three, and punch it. Doesn't matter who might have been close to your rear quarters - they're gone now!

 

YESSSS!

Best feature ever!!

 

Congratulations. Red looks good

 

Nice. Welcome.

 

Congratulations!

Two things you can do to improve rear visibility: 1) Remove the retainer clip that keeps the rear headrests high, 2) simply remove the rear headrests (unless you have extra passengers).

 

Thanks everyone!

Just crossed 300 miles already ... always looking for some reason to drive, lol. I'll probably cross 1,000 by the end of the month. Road trip to the Adirondacks and Topsail Beach are already in the offing!

The car was dealer stock. Which, except for having Sirius/XM is pretty much how I would have equipped it. Even the black wheels, which I ABHORE on most cars as too "flat brimmed boy racer" look really good. And since I'm a clean wheel freak, the brake dust isn't so bad!

Forgetting how short it is, I've caught air crossing the highway ... guess I need to catch up on my "Sorry Officer Bob" stories, lol.