Greetings all, My life has gotten to the point where the kids are grown (still living at home mind you, but that's another story) and though our Hondas (7 so far, starting with an '85 Prelude) have served their purpose wonderfully, I have started longing for a daily driver that is actually fun to drive. Not wanting to be the old guy driving a young guys sports car, and not ever being a trend follower, MINI became the obvious choice (and my current infatuation!). For the past few months I have been a daily reader of this forum and have been steadily working though the backlog of WRR episodes. Not sure I will make it though all 450 but they sure make my commute more enjoyable. So, if the feasibility study works out I am looking to buy a 2013 MCS. Currently spec-ing an automatic (too much commuting stop and go plus my wife never was able master a clutch), Premium Package 2 and Sports Package. Preferred color changes almost daily, currently leaning towards Lightning Blue/Blk. But then there is BRG/White. And Spice Orange/Blk is way sharp... Thanks for all the collective knowledge that lives here. Much more to learn and miles to go before I buy. -John
Welcome to M/A. No mater what flavor of MINI you chose it will not be a boring appliance type car. Enjoy the search!
:cornut: Welcome to MA and good luck in your search. Margi is an 08 BRG R56 MCS/JCWm that I've had for 5yrs and have enjoyed every minute of our time together. I'm 60yo and have already been through what you're now going through. You're making the correct decision. You might thing twice about the auto trans though. Jason
Welcome to MA. Theres plenty old farts around here like me and ^^^^^ :biggrin5::biggrin5::biggrin5::biggrin5: Sorry Jason I couldn't help myself. Enjoy the search its the funnest car I have had.
John step a little closer and you'll never regret or look back . . . Come towards the light we are all anxiously waiting to see YOUR pictures of your new MCS . . . . welcome Mini Attic . . . Glad you found us
Welcome! Hope you score a MINI soon. I wasn't able to wait for the kids to fully fledge so our 19 yr old daily driver is the 04 R53. We recently picked up the All4 S as a go-to vehicle for all of us (including the 16 yr old). All MINI's are great to look at, but I do like the look of those black tops quite a bit.
Thanks all for the warm welcome. I tell ya...once these things get under your skin it's hopeless. I guess I'm preaching to the choir aren't i. Jason, I have thought it over many times but unfortunately it's the one compromise I will have to make in order to make the MINI possible. My wife views driving a necessary evil and has no intention of learning a manual tranny. :sigh I even tried using the logic that I would be giving her the opportunity to conquer the one thing in life that defeated her. Immediate rejection. -John
By the way, welcome to MA! I drove manual trannys all my life until I bought my first Cooper. It's a CVT...yeah, not a good choice due to its problems, the the auto had not come out yet. I still have the Cooper, though, and drive it to shows and occasionally to MOTD. I now drive an '06 MCSa that I bought new, love to death and will never go back to a manny for [yep...same problem as your's....wife won't drive a stick!].
Thanks for the moral support. I keep telling myself... An automatic MINI is much better than no MINI (or the marital alternative!). -John
Welcome! We just picked up our new '13 "Justa" with a slushbox. (BRG with white top and stripes.) Like you are thinking, we went with the auto due to big city traffic and since this is technically "Herself's" car and she wanted the auto instead of shifting all the time. Here are my thoughts after only a couple of hundred miles. (It's brand new.) While I'm not wild about an auto in a small car that is this fun to drive, it was a requirement. So, I'm making due. The 6 speed Aisan unit in the "Justa" is pretty good so far. The only time I've had issue with it is if it's not in "sport" mode, on hills it holds high gear a little longer than I would like and feels to bog down and you have to push it a little harder to get the desired downshift. However, putting it in "sport" mode or manually shifting it takes care of that. And, it's only on hills. I really like the manual shift feature and will use that on twisties and hills areas. Otherwise, it's a pretty good unit. You know when it's shifting (it's tuned to be a little sporting even in regular mode so it's not Caddie smooth.) I prefer this to the "silky smooth GM feel" in a car that is sporty rather than a luxo-boat. :cornut: We're loving the Mini. Seats (we got sport cloth) are firm and comfortable, the ride is good and the driving experience is like my old 1st generation MR2 ie: Go Cart Fun! A great commuter car. Good luck with your decision! :cornut:
Thanks DM for your observations. I am looking forward to the sportier feel. Much prefer the feel of driving a car rather that riding in a car.