Old car died, new car... MINI !!!!!

'05 Cooper S

Anyone else driving a MINI? I love this thing.

Those things are awesome, my BIL has one. They're WAY too small for me, though, both in terms of how much crap I need to cram into my car and how long my legs are. Fun little car, though.

Being below average height does come with some advantages

This thing has the same power of my civic sedan and can outpace sports cars all while getting 35 mpg highway. That is my kind of car. I am really happy with it.

The BIL and I have talked about putting his Mini in the back of my Element and playing "Knight Rider."

EDIT: Oh, and it sounds like you need a motorcycle...

the_bird said:

Oh, and it sounds like you need a motorcycle...

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I would, but I fear the death.

My little brother bought a clubman last year (he got the S at my insentience ). They are indeed awesome little cars.

I'd love it if they came out with that AWD model they've been tossing about...all rallied out with a bump eating suspension would be perfect for my drives to and from the gas wells :rockin:

Edit: Oh, and yes, you do need a motorcycle. Everyone does

I looked into them before I replaced my GTI....test drove a couple and realized that I just couldn't jive with several design elements (mainly the dash/control layout & rear hatch-well and storage situation) in combination with the travel time to the nearest dealer and decided to get another GTI instead.

Neat cars....Enjoy the new wheels!!

I had one a million years ago (Mid '80's) I'm 6'3" and I fit in it fine. I probably looked like a real dick, but I was not uncomfortable in it. You can go anywhere in those things!

Their awesomeness is why they made the remake of "The Italian Job" And the reason that the Mini Cooper dominated rally racing in the 60's.

Awesome, awesome fun!!

Danged Beemer drivin Yuppies!

I have never had a car that was actually exciting to me before. It is pretty cool. I can't wait to see the look on my family's faces when I tell them. They all got huge SUVs when they had families... I sold my suburban full size and bought the smallest car on the planet that can accommodate a car seat Their jaws are going to drop for sure and it will be worth a giggle.

My girlfriend has the 2004 Mini Cooper S 40th anniversary edition. I'm in love with that car.

I will admit that taking my brewery to remote brewing sessions will be a bit tricky now...

Boerderij_Kabouter said:

I have never had a car that was actually exciting to me before. It is pretty cool. I can't wait to see the look on my family's faces when I tell them. They all got huge SUVs when they had families... I sold my suburban full size and bought the smallest car on the planet that can accommodate a car seat Their jaws are going to drop for sure and it will be worth a giggle.

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Let them drive your Mini in town......Instant conversion!

Nice car, but just looking at those things makes my claustrophopia kick in. Excuse me. I have to lay down.

Boerderij_Kabouter said:

I will admit that taking my brewery to remote brewing sessions will be a bit tricky now...

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I swear I saw someone had one of those small little trailers hooked up to their Mini... I wonder if you could do something like that.

the_bird said:

I swear I saw someone had one of those small little trailers hooked up to their Mini... I wonder if you could do something like that.

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A mini with a brew-trailer would be a wet dream on wheels. I would have to paint it to match though, complete with racing stripes

Hope you never have to send it in for fixin. My FIL is an adjuster and he says there are only a few certified shops in the US. That said, it's a pretty sweet little car! I'd love one, but there is not way I could see driving my family and dogs in that, plus the need to pull my utility trailer and camper and whatnot. If I had the extra cash, I'd consider that for a daily driver and use the Jeep for UTILITY stuff, like it was made for.

My '93 Ranger just got hit, and I'm waiting for the insurance co. to declare it a total. When that happens, I'm seriously thinking about getting a Mini. With all of the driving I have to do in the city, it'll make parking a LOT easier !
The only downside I can see is whether or not it will hold all of my tools for work. How much storage space do those things have ?

Homercidal said:

Hope you never have to send it in for fixin. My FIL is an adjuster and he says there are only a few certified shops in the US. That said, it's a pretty sweet little car!

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Yeah, I thought of that. We have a certified Dealer in Milwaukee.

I bought a used 3 series, specifically for the sporty car, awd and manual transmission. I have to say, the Mini looks like an amazing car to go bombing around town. The price starts looking like the 3 series new if you keep adding things, side effect of being BMW built, I guess.

WRT traveling with the brewery, I guess it depends on a) how much stuff, and b) how many people! And being sure *not* to go bombing around with a full bucket full of wort!

It has a pretty surprising amount of storage. The rear seats fold flat to provide a rather large truck area. I think I will be taking a bunch of pics tonight or tomorrow, so I will post them here.

Homercidal said:

Hope you never have to send it in for fixin. My FIL is an adjuster and he says there are only a few certified shops in the US. That said, it's a pretty sweet little car! I'd love one, but there is not way I could see driving my family and dogs in that, plus the need to pull my utility trailer and camper and whatnot. If I had the extra cash, I'd consider that for a daily driver and use the Jeep for UTILITY stuff, like it was made for.

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I'm not sure I buy that. BIL's needed to have some work done, he's never had an issue getting it worked on that I'm aware of. You can't just bring it to any BMW dealership? It's not like the car's all that uncommon anymore, it's been out for a while and you see them on the road all over the place.

My only brewery right now is a three Keggle AG setup that takes a pretty massive amount of space. It would be a clown car with stuff strapped tot he top if I tried to fit it all.

Boerderij_Kabouter said:

A mini with a brew-trailer would be a wet dream on wheels. I would have to paint it to match though, complete with racing stripes

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It can be done. Neighbor across the street regularly hauls lawn equipment in one (on a trailer), sometimes a bike, and even hauled a U-Haul apartment box. Not sure if he got the hitch from teh dealer or as a U-haul add-on.

There is this too.

Mini Cooper Towing & Hauling | Hidden Trailer Receiver Hitch | MiniDoMore.com

I'd definately look into how much weight I could tow with a mini, and add in the cost of adding a trailer hitch and a trailer to the cost of buying the car. They're awesome cars but wholly impractical as a family vehicle; you want to start taking the fam to Grandma's house for the weekend, might be nice to take the "fun" car but be able to stow all the bags and stuff in a trailer. You must know by now how much stuff you need to bring along with a kidling!

Boerderij_Kabouter said:

It has a pretty surprising amount of storage. The rear seats fold flat to provide a rather large truck area. I think I will be taking a bunch of pics tonight or tomorrow, so I will post them here.

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That was another problem coming from a hatchback w/ 48 cu ft of space....it looks ample but for a hatch, not so much & the deeper well behind the seats means that 99% of what I have to carry around for work needs to get lifted up and past that well:

mini - 24 cu ft w/ seats folded down,
clubman - 32 cu Ft..but you have to drive around in a car that looks like a hearse for midgets

brewt00l said:

clubman - 32 cu Ft..but you have to drive around in a car that looks like a hearse for midgets

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lmao That is really funny.

brewt00l said:

clubman - 32 cu Ft..but you have to drive around in a car that looks like a hearse for midgets

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I always liked those. Now, even more.

My SIL look at one, but the sun roof and poor AC made that car an easy bake oven.

the_bird said:

I'm not sure I buy that. BIL's needed to have some work done, he's never had an issue getting it worked on that I'm aware of. You can't just bring it to any BMW dealership? It's not like the car's all that uncommon anymore, it's been out for a while and you see them on the road all over the place.

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Yea, pretty sure you can take it to BMW dealerships. If you look, a lot of BMW places have a Mini dealership attached.

olllllo said:

My SIL look at one, but the sun roof and poor AC made that car an easy bake oven.

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Look at ones with no sun roof. My GF's doesn't have one.

Mine has the full moon-roof but it has retractable ceiling shades. The inside stays pretty cool I would say. It is cooler than my civic anyway...

Did you get rid of that lovely Civic I had the pleasure of riding in?

Nope, Civic is still an awesome car! That is what I am hoping this MINI will be. Feed it oil, and be nice to it and it costs almost nothing to own. That car has been the best. We are getting rid of our old '95 suburban because we don't want to fix the exhaust and it is killing us slowly with its song.

The donkey sniffer will enjoy this

I managed to find footage on youtube from my days as a Mini-driving gnome.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfmo8zM-zcc]YouTube - Tamiya Mini Cooper Rally[/ame]

Boerderij_Kabouter said:

Nope, Civic is still an awesome car! That is what I am hoping this MINI will be. Feed it oil, and be nice to it and it costs almost nothing to own. That car has been the best. We are getting rid of our old '95 suburban because we don't want to fix the exhaust and it is killing us slowly with its song.

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Song?

Would this be the equivalent of BB's in the muffler rattling at idle?

If this guy can fit into one anyone can.
http://www.motortrend.com/features/consumer/112_0906_penn_jillette_celebrity_drive/photo_04.html

Killing us softly with his song??? no one??? Just a song reference don't know why it popped in my head.

The 'burban's exhaust corroded and separated from the engine block. It is now dumping all the exhaust straight into the cabin.

Boerderij_Kabouter said:

Killing us softly with his song??? no one??? Just a song reference don't know why it popped in my head.

The 'burban's exhaust corroded and separated from the engine block. It is now dumping all the exhaust straight into the cabin.

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Roberta Flack, easy. Or The Fugees, if you want to be more current.

MikeG said:

If this guy can fit into one anyone can.
Penn Jillette In Mini Cooper Photo

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Exactly. As I said before, I am 6'3" (Pretty big for a gnome) My mini was not uncomfortable.

Boerderij_Kabouter said:

Killing us softly with his song??? no one??? Just a song reference don't know why it popped in my head.

The 'burban's exhaust corroded and separated from the engine block. It is now dumping all the exhaust straight into the cabin.

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Ahhhh. I knew the reference but thought you had a similar issue as mine.