Well, we knew this day would come but that foreknowledge doesn't make it easier to deal with. We have sent our MINI Cooper S to a new home. After almost seven years it was time to move to a four door vehicle. It's stupid to develop attachments to things but it's easy to do. We had ordered and customized the MINI to our exact specifications. We followed the creation process over the internet as it was built in a factory near Oxford, England. We tracked its travel over the Atlantic and it's disembarkation on the shores of America.
We will never drive a car as fun as the MINI. It handled like a go-cart and accelerated like a vette. I liked having a car with an engine that wasn't turbocharged but...supercharged. A supercharger just sounds cooler, a relic from the old days of British racing. Yes it had quirks. Repairs were expensive and it did rattle a bit inside. But it took corners like nobody's business. It was a breeze to park and manuever in tight spaces. It darted in and out of the Dallas mixmaster at will.
But JDW's legs are getting longer. Our family might expand. We need more room for luggage and traveling since my truck is now ten years old. MINI's are also known for having very expensive issues after 100,000 miles (i.e. rumours of $8,000 tranmission replacement). With our odo at 84,000 we didn't want to take the chance. It was a good car. Really didn't require a lot of work (only the brakes, a water pump replaced and some other minor repairs...usually about one issue a year). Tires were expensive but the gas mileage was fantastic...despite using premium gas.
We will miss the looks on the road or in parking lots or the smiles from children. We will miss the waves from other MINI motorists (all MINI motorists wave at each other). I will miss owning a car that has dozens of fan clubs dedicated to it.
We toyed with the idea of a MINI Countryman and that may be an option down the road. But we have been mightily impressed with the new VW Passat V6 SEL Premium. So it's done. The Brit is gone (although owned by Germans) and the People's Car is now in our driveway looking very sleek and sophisticated and even faster than the MINI.
