Winter: Driving or Not

Discussion in 'MINI' started by Justa Jim, Jan 6, 2011.

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  1. Justa Jim

    Justa Jim Well-Known Member
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    May 6, 2009
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    You must be settled in for a long winter's nap. :D

    Jim
     
  2. Crashton

    Crashton Club Coordinator

    Jun 4, 2009
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    Yes I am, sitting here at the confuser looking at pictures from sunny drives. :beer
     
  3. Justa Jim

    Justa Jim Well-Known Member
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    Relax and dream on old buddy, dream on........:Thumbsup:

    Jim
     
  4. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    One thing I've noticed about my car, it seems to take quite a while to warm up - at least enough to get some real heat out of the heater. If I jump on the hiway it comes up a lot quicker than if I'm in town, and in town it seems like the heater cools off again, then when I pull away from the light smartly I start getting good heat again. Too efficient a cooling system I guess.

    Once it's completely warmed up it's fine tho....
     
  5. Buckman

    Buckman New Member

    Dec 21, 2010
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    the mini Countryman is supposed to be the "winter version" i thought? Or ... *gasp* are all those ads I've seen ... not ... telling ... the ... truth ... ?!?!?!?!

    i am curious to hear from COuntryman owners directly - has anyone taken one for a "spin" on the ice/snow yet?
     
  6. Justa Jim

    Justa Jim Well-Known Member
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    I have noticed a similar thing. Sometimes the heat is strong and other times it is not (same with the A/C). If I switch from both, to the floor vent, I will get cool air from the dash vents for a bit. Thank goodness for heated seats. :D

    Jim
     
  7. Friskie

    Friskie Well-Known Member

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    Heater works great. Just got back from a couple of errands; 18º, sunshine, severe calm and the top down. Wish I could read people's minds.
     
  8. Justa Jim

    Justa Jim Well-Known Member
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    For some reason I thought you were in CA.

    Jim
     
  9. lotsie

    lotsie Club Coordinator

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    Coming from a much colder climate than where I live now, I motor with my windows down with the heat on. That way 10F feels like a nice summer day:Thumbsup:

    Mark
     
  10. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

    Mar 30, 2009
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    I'll bet that Lois is not in the MINI at the time!
     
  11. lotsie

    lotsie Club Coordinator

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    No, she comes from this swamp land, and like the rest of the locals thinks 10F is what the Arctic is like:lol:. One week tornadoes, the next week snow:crazy:
     
  12. amberback

    amberback Club Coordinator

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    My MINI stays out of the snow. Garaged and on storage insurance December till it stops snowing.

    However, if I lived 5 - 10 miles from work instead of 40mi I'd probably drive it year-round. Maybe someday.

    It certainly isn't forgotten though. I think I've made more mod plans while it's in the garage then when it wasn't. I haven't seen it since the first week of December and yet I'm still on the forums everyday and buying it stuff and making plans. :)
     
  13. Mr. Jim

    Mr. Jim Mudshark
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    Same here, that's the way to do it if you can, this way all the work is done by spring :Thumbsup:
     
  14. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    My daily commute is 40 miles ....just sayin....

    My buddy Don had his All4 out in the snow yesterday and reports that it's "awesome"!
     
  15. Mr. Jim

    Mr. Jim Mudshark
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    Sweet! Gotta get rid of the disco and get a countryman or clubman for year-round use! :Thumbsup:
     
  16. Justa Jim

    Justa Jim Well-Known Member
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    I've been thinking about this since this thread started. I think the only way I could leave my R56 in the garage all winter would be to have a Countryman too. That way I could have a summer and winter MINI. My wife is going to have a problem with this I think. :cornut:

    Jim
     
  17. amberback

    amberback Club Coordinator

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    40 miles each way? I drive about 100 miles a day on average. Most of the way on a highway with big trucks. My new car is already chipped and scratched just from summer driving. I'd be afraid to see if after a winter of salt trucks. Add to that TSD Rallies, MINI Events, and vacations and my MINI would have 250,000 miles on it before I finished paying for it in 5 years. And from reading the forums, it could need some serious repairs by then. :eek6:

    My dad is a Honda mechanic, so the cost of me owning a 10 year old civic as a second car is very small.
     
  18. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Dec 22, 2009
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    40 miles daily - or 20 miles each way....

    And my '09 Clubby has just under 30K on it now, and yes the front has chips and scratches on it too. I had a clearbra on my '03, I wish I hadn't been so cheap and got it on the Clubby too - but I had already exceeded my budget.

    My buddy Don now has 3 MINI/Minis in his garage....the new All4, his '06 JCW and his Mini trucklet!

    I'll post up a pic of his MINI filled garage he sent me when I get home tonight...
     
  19. Buckman

    Buckman New Member

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    Minidave please don't take this the wrong way but I want to hide behind the bushes and bash your friend Don over the head and steal his cars. Lucky bastard ....

    I am slightly heartened by the positive reports regarding the Mini Countryman in the snow. Might make it an easier sell to the wife ....
     
  20. Redbeard

    Redbeard JCW: because fast is fun!
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    Dec 17, 2009
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    I don't know these SoCal winters have me wondering if I need to garage my Mini... ;)
    IMG_20110113_113049.jpg IMG_20110113_114006.jpg
     

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