MINI (BMW) Sold out!

Driver Nanny's.......we might as well take the bus!

 

I dunno the F56 just looks wrong. I had a R53 for six years and now have

a R58 JCW. If something happened to my R58 I'm not sure I could buy a

new MINI. And I don't feel good about that.

 

Leasing also allows people to drive cars via a 2 year rental that are way above what they can actually afford.

 

Rab, if I got rid of my R58 I'd replace it with a GP1.

 

This is true & why my wife leased her Audey's. I don't care for leasing, but really don't care if anyone can afford to buy the car they are leasing or not. What does that have to do with the price of donuts? :donut1:

 

Do it, you will be much happier.....

 

I tried leasing 2 Audrey's once, but one found out about the other, and it led to constant bickering. So I traded one in for a Jenny, and that worked out well for about a year, but it was getting too expensive, and plus I kept getting this embarassing rash that started soon after initiating the lease. The residuals on both were too high to warrant anything permanent, so I let them both go, and married a Debby, which ended up being much cheaper in the long run, as long as I don't violate the terms of sale, in which case I lose half of all my stuff, and both of my donuts.

 

We have one of the "worst" Audi's built and sold in this country (at least if you believe the forums), the infamous Allroad with the twin turbo V-6......only problem is, nothing has gone wrong with it in the 10 years we've owned it so far.

And we can't afford to replace it with a similar car - not that they make one anymore. The 2014 Allroad which is built on the A4 platform instead of the A-6 we have now, also has a 4 cylinder engine, and no air suspension and so on and so on, and still costs well over $50K!

For that matter, were I to replace my 2009 Clubby with a new F version, I fully expect the replacement car to cost about $10k more than I paid 5 years ago. That's absurd.....

 

So back to the OP's original post, which I read as a stream-of-consciousness rant at his audio system while listening to the WRR boys summarily dismiss criticisms of the F56. A lot of their dismissals are based on the "sky is falling" complaints WRR logged when MINI released the R56, which was of course followed by ever increasing sales numbers despite its shortcomings and the fact that the core of the dedicated enthusiasts community continued to perceive that certain attributes that made the 1st Gen so special and appealing were being lost.

Their podcast is a great service to the MINI community; I am a faithful listener and generally believe they do a great job with it. I do believe; however, that over time they've been losing a considerable degree of objectivity. MINI USA of late gives them and their MF compatriots unique and privileged access to inside information that often gives them the scoop. I think they're somewhat hesitant to take a stand by saying or agreeing with the most critical comments..."your new [F56] baby is really ugly"... for fear of that unique access potentially drying up -- i.e., thus the "sucking up to MINI." So the dissing of people saying that they are ruining the brand continues...

 

I don't listen to WRR because I feel they are shills to the company. Same reason I don't read MF. They have both motored on as far as I'm concerned.

 

This is dead on correct, and it actually goes all the way back to the R53, where you could count on MF to acknowledge then minimize any issues (the 2002's had a fair share of issues). And then Gabe would throw out something like "It's not true, we a VERY critical of MINI at times, just last week we did a whole paragraph about how the cupholders could stand improvement. Well, actually they're pretty great, but maybe they could be a little bigger. Or not."

That's MF. Each new MINI is better than the other "in every way," which seems to be their favorite line. And you're right, it's gotten worse with time.

Granted, MF does get scoops here and there, and they're worthwhile for that, but any review/opinion piece written on there is so comprised that it's generally worthless. It's sad in a way, Gabe was/is an enthusiast who started off in the right direction, and wanted to cater to enthusiasts, but ended up catering to the masses instead.

 

We are heading to Detroit tomorrow, so I'm curious to see the F56 in person. I've heard some feedback from a couple of people and most of the criticism was more related to the interior.

I can honestly say that I don't think I will ever own another MINI as my primary vehicle, but I could see owning a used R50 as a third car. I think the R50/R53 were the best looking hatchbacks.

 

Sadly WWF, MF and the hosts have turned to the dark side like MC2.

The only difference is MF has spelling and grammar check. :lol:

 

OK, sitting in a bar in Detroit and ready to give a 3 Bear review of the new MINI...

1. JCW looks really good in person. The catfish mouth is even more pronounced and works well. The brushed metal paint looks incredible.

2. The interior looks better across the board. Looks more premium to match the cost of the car. The red Start switch is awesome. May be to much tech in the car.

3. The headlights slope back way to much.

4. In person and looking at the profile of the car, the catfish lips on the S look better than the Justa.

 

So it only took you 3 beers to like the F'ed 56 huh...... :lol::lol::lol:

 

I don't think any of the 3 of us are going to run out and buy one, but it looked good in person. We all agreed that final judgement would need to wait until driving it.

 

This picture makes me laugh, but in the 'I feel bad for laughing at the kid who just keeps falling down' kind of way.