[Bill Sz.]

We took delivery this evening of our Cooper CVT from Long Beach Mini. It is one of the first CVT's in California. We can't say enough good things about the dealership.

A more detailed report on the car will follow this weekend, after I have had a chance to drive it. However, my wife drove the car home (about 5 miles) and her initial comments were: "Smooth, quick, and responsive." She has driven the 5 speed Cooper and she didn't feel that there was much difference in pick-up or acceleration between the two cars. She also commented that the transmission was silky smooth. There is no real sensation of the car shifting gears. She went on to say that the transmission is smoother than her Mercedes 300E!

A delivery picture is attached and see our other post for a picture of the CVT shifter.

More to follow this weekend.


Liquid Yellow Cooper CVT -w- white roof & mirrors and sport package, leatherette and 16" 5-Star alloys (in our hot little hands); and,
Dark Silver Cooper S -w- white roof & mirrors, premium & sport packages and lapis blue/leather due in mid June.

[hachomini]

Great picture of your car! Bill Sz.! You must be ecstatic! THe color combo is great!! Looking foward to hearing from you soon!!

[KarmanS]

car looks great! Hope you and your wife experience many wonderful miles in it! (until you get your S that is... )

Congrats and thanks for sharing!

[Sejanus]

Congrats I say as I seethe with jealousy. Feel free to give us a full report on how it drives and handles. Especially with regard to the CVT.

[Quadra]

Good luck & enjoy the Coop. Pls. give us a play by play on how it drives & handle. In addition, let us know if you run into any quality issues (hope not....)

[smiffy]

Dont you just love the look and smell of a new car

[PigLick]

Great pics and info Bill, thanks! Definitely let us know your more in-depth impressions after the weekend!

Also, I have a question. Do you have the multifunction sterring wheel? If so, does it have a "paddle" on it to switch gears? I've heard mention of this type of thing here and there, but I've never heard for sure whether this was on the MINI or not.

Enjoy your weekend! (like I had to tell you, hehe)

PigLick

[ADO15]

Seeing the picture of your car makes me think that white roof is clearly the best combination with that yellow paint on.. The black roof just get too dark I think..

[Bill Sz.]

Smiffy: I have gone down to the garage where we keep the Mini 3 times tonight .... It has that great new car smell! (Too bad we couldn't bottle that.) And the sight of the Mini isn't bad either. We keep asking ourselves, "Do we really have one?" Yup!

[Bill Sz.]

Last night we drove our CVT Cooper to the Mini Owners of America, Los Angeles, club meeting ... and we promptly joined the club. A great bunch of people! Real "dyed in the wool" Mini enthusiasts. They are putting on a huge 3-day "Mini" meet, called MiniMeet West on August 22-25, 2002 at the Orange County Fair Grounds in Costa Mesa, California.(more info at www.moala.org).

When we drove into the parking lot of a local pizza restaurant, we didn't know what to expect. Then we saw about 15 classic Coopers, Cooper S's, Mini mokes and Mini Woodies ... all in excellent shape parked in the back. It was a "Mini" auto show.

As it turned out, (to our surprise), our CVT Cooper was the only new Mini, and, as you might imagine, it generated quite a bit of interest from all the members who were present. Digital cameras soon appeared, snapping away at the car. Several members wanted to jump in and get their pictures taken in the car (we naturally obliged).

We parked the CVT between 2 classic Cooper S's and it was amazing to see just how much bigger the new Mini's are compared to the old Mini's. (Basically the front disk rotors of the new Mini are about the size of the old Mini's wheels!)

However, after many of the members came over and introduced themselves, the BIG QUESTION seemed to be, "How much did we pay over sticker for the car." When we told them that we paid sticker for the car, they seemed amazed. Just about everyone had a story of how this or that dealer was adding outrageous mark-ups to the new cars. They also seemed quite interested in the CVT transmission ... no one had seen a CVT Cooper before ... and they asked many technical questions, many of which we did not have answers to.

As we strolled and looked at the other cars, we chuckled when we saw 2 cars with windshield decals that read, "No BMW Parts."

Not to worry, though. All in all, a great bunch who welcomed this new Mini family into the fold with open arms.

Liquid Yellow Cooper CVT -w- white roof & mirrors and sport package, leatherette and 16" 5-Star alloys (in our hot little hands); and,
Dark Silver Cooper S -w- white roof & mirrors, premium & sport packages and lapis blue/leather due in mid June.

Bill Sz.

[hachomini]

Seemed like you had a great time Bill! Do you have pictures of the meeting? It would be great to see your car parked next to the two smaller minis.

THANKS!

[Bill Sz.]

Quote:

Originally posted by hachomini
Seemed like you had a great time Bill! Do you have pictures of the meeting? It would be great to see your car parked next to the two smaller minis.

THANKS!

Here is a pic of the CVT Cooper parked between a classic Cooper S and a Woodie.





Liquid Yellow Cooper CVT -w- white roof & mirrors and sport package, leatherette and 16" 5-Star alloys (in our hot little hands); and,
Dark Silver Cooper S -w- white roof & mirrors, premium & sport packages and lapis blue/leather due in mid June.

[monsta]

So you have those '100% free from BMW parts' stickers over there too..

[Sejanus]

Early arriving CVT, taking laps on a race course, attending Mini club meetings, man, Bill you are the living the life! You are my idol.