Look, I have wanted a MINI for over five years and putting off buying one is not easy. You can ridicule me for pointing out a problem that "only happens once" but you have to realize that I have rotten luck in buying things. I could write a book on it. If there was one item in a million that was defective, I always get it. Usually it is minor, but sometimes it is not. (My '67 VW was my first new car and there were two defects. One was the radio, which had a noisy one cent resistor in it that I replaced myself. The other was the left front brakes had the wrong shoes installed at the factory. It seemed to stop okay until they destroyed the brake drum. How many VWs do you suppose came with the wrong brake shoes installed? Well, mine did. Maybe it only happened once, but once is enough if it is yours.) If I buy a new car, I expect it to last. Most of you blokes are part of the "throw away society" and if the car starts to fall apart in a couple years, you trade it in. I don't. Some design elements of the MINI do not bode well for long term ownership. As to the crank windows, mine have never given me any trouble, but even if they do, you have to admit that replacing a snap-on plastic handle is a lot cheaper than tearing the door apart to replace a motor and gear assembly. |