MINI2

Robert-in-Maine · Mar 13th, 2004, 05:02 PM

Hello. I test drove a Mini S last weekend and if I was wildly interested before I am now strung out like someone needing a fix.

I have one issue to grapple with... my dealer is 90 miles away from my home. Thus, all that free maintenance which is included takes me an hour fifteen to deliver the car each time.

Anybody else out there own a Mini and have your dealer an hour away?? If so, I'd appreciate your thoughts on the matter.

mini58 · Mar 13th, 2004, 05:09 PM

Hi Robert. I assume you test drove at Mini of Peabody. I live in NH and am about 45 min. away. I too was hooked after the test drive. Don't worry about the distance. The free maintenance is every 10k miles until you hit 36k so it's not like you'll be down there all the time. I don't believe they offer loaners so I, like you, will have to make arrangements when I need to leave my car for the day. Is it worth it? You're damn right it is! Oh, did I mention I have a new CR/W S on order!

obehave · Mar 13th, 2004, 05:24 PM

You're a piker compared to some here.
There are some that are 300+ miles away and I can think of a number that live on islands that have to take ferries and then drive to the dealer.

BTW. Welcome to the site.

mini.mble · Mar 13th, 2004, 05:24 PM

You've got it good!! I'm roughly 300 miles from my closest dealer.

goobot · Mar 13th, 2004, 07:48 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Robert-in-Maine

Hello. I test drove a Mini S last weekend and if I was wildly interested before I am now strung out like someone needing a fix.

I have one issue to grapple with... my dealer is 90 miles away from my home. Thus, all that free maintenance which is included takes me an hour fifteen to deliver the car each time.

Anybody else out there own a Mini and have your dealer an hour away?? If so, I'd appreciate your thoughts on the matter.

Robert... my dealer is 60 miles away, takes me 1.25 hours to get there. It's no problem. When I do need to see the dealer I get up early so I arrive right when they open, and then I'm back home or at work by mid-morning... not a big deal. Actually, I rather enjoy having a bit of time in the car, it makes for a good start to the day!

Good luck,

-gb

planeguy · Mar 13th, 2004, 07:57 PM

my dealer is 200 miles away, it is about a 3 hr one way trip. As, goobot said It is not bad if you get there early or plan to spend the day in the city where the dealer is shopping and such.

My dealer has free loaners, IMO any dealer that doesnt should not get your buiness, go to another dealer.

As for missing all that free maintence......there is not much to miss. First oil change is 10k second at 25k thats it. a couple of oil changes really is about it

moorlockx · Mar 13th, 2004, 08:57 PM

Mine's about 125 miles away. I've only gone up there 4 times in the past year. No biggee!

LordWinslow · Mar 13th, 2004, 10:00 PM

I live in Manchester, NH, I have all my service done at Peabody. Not an issue, they do loaner for cars that have to spend the night, but they do them from the local Enterprise dealer in on the Rt. 114 Autodealers. I also take a day off when I have work done, and bring in my laundry list. It is easier to have a few things looked at at once than coming back for several trips.

Get the MCS and don't worry.

Winslow

Cape Cod MINI · Mar 13th, 2004, 11:41 PM

Hi Robert, and welcome.
I'm about 100 miles from MINI of Peabody. I was there last week and made it a day. You get to hang out and chat, maybe eat hot grilled sausages with the Techs and MA's, watch sat. tv, etc.
Go for it. It's worth it.
Was it Peabody you test drove with?

Robert-in-Maine · Mar 14th, 2004, 12:21 AM

Thanks for all the replies.

Just wanted a reality check really. It was Mini of Peabody I went to and have to say the experience was nice. Probably the case with a car that people aren't simply shopping for -- the sales staff do not have to act weird.

Peabody is not a great looking place to wander around but I can take a laptop! Just a few more things to cover before calling in my order.

Now -- I know LY is the color and white roof/wheels, Premium and Cold packages... but still deciding about DSC. Have browsed some of the topics here. Read several road tests where it was lauded. I am leaning toward adding DSC to my config... I don't want 17" wheels though.
cheers all...

Windshadow · Mar 14th, 2004, 01:02 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by obehave

You're a piker compared to some here.
There are some that are 300+ miles away and I can think of a number that live on islands that have to take ferries and then drive to the dealer.

BTW. Welcome to the site.

Waves at Obehave from the Island of Nantucket

I too have bought From Peabody and in addition to a $200+ R/T 3 hour each way boat ride I will drive another hour or so (depending on traffic)north of the boston 'dealer' to get to them

Robert-in-Maine · Mar 14th, 2004, 02:18 AM

Are all of you full time Mini drivers then? This will be my primary car driven every day. I hear some are buying them and not driving them too much, esp. during winter.

Cape Cod MINI · Mar 14th, 2004, 09:31 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Robert-in-Maine

Are all of you full time Mini drivers then? This will be my primary car driven every day. I hear some are buying them and not driving them too much, esp. during winter.

It's not my primary because I need my pickup truck for work. Still, I've managed to put on almost 37,000 miles in 19 months of ownership.
I drive it all winter with snow tires. Put them on from November through March.
If you are getting the S, my opinion is get the DSC. I turn it off a lot, but find it very useful in the winter.

snid · Mar 14th, 2004, 01:05 PM

Like others have said... go to MINI of Peabody. I've got a "problematic" MINI and have been there a bunch. It's a 200mile, 3.5hour drive for me. I've never had to use their loaner car service because they have always managed to get things fixed in one day.

My MINI is my only car, I've got 45,000 miles on it. Drive it all winter in Vermont. Put real snow tires on it, and it's pretty good. Really good in terms of steering in the snow. Not that good in terms of getting moving in the snow (comapred to the ubiquitous Subaru all wheel drive up here). If you're gonna drive in the snow, get DSC and snow tires!!!

LordWinslow · Mar 14th, 2004, 01:36 PM

Agreed, get snow tires and DSC. My first Cooper didn't have DSC, but I had to get a nice set of snow tires. That made the difference and made the winter easier to deal with. With my new MCS, I have DCS and snow tires, however I didn't bother to have them put on when I picked up the car. Stupid really but I was able to drive home from Saint John, NB in a nasty snow/ice storm, in my little blue S, with DSC and the 17" summer tires. The hardest part of that trip was getting the Boarder Police to believe I was an American.

As far as a daily driver vehicle the Mini is my only transportation. My first Mini logged over 33K in miles (had to have the CVT replaced at 17K, and that was the only major issue I had). My new S that I picked up in Jan, now has over 5.5K and is going strong.

Go on put the money down and order...

Winslow

mini58 · Mar 14th, 2004, 01:53 PM

Robert, my MCS is on order. Hopefully I'll have it by the end of April. I also wanted DSC but not the 17" wheels. I got the CWP, DSC, auto ac, f/r fogs and the mfsw. I think its great that you can choose the packages if you want or do it a la carte! With a lot of cars the only way to get some options is to choose the whole package. It sounds to me like you know just what you want. Now all you have to do is order it. Go for it! You won't regret it!

Windshadow · Mar 14th, 2004, 02:11 PM

Ghillie; my 2004 MC-s will be my everyday driver.

My other 'car' is my 1948 CJ-2A Jeep bought new by my dad the year i was born and given to me on my 16th birthday,,, now fully restored it is a parade and picnic machine these days and I doubt I do 250 miles a year in it

obehave · Mar 14th, 2004, 04:24 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Windshadow

Waves at Obehave from the Island of Nantucket

I too have bought From Peabody and in addition to a $200+ R/T 3 hour each way boat ride I will drive another hour or so (depending on traffic)north of the boston 'dealer' to get to them

Now I know who to pester if I ever make it up that way.
Always wanted to

scooterboy · Mar 15th, 2004, 03:35 AM

Just chiming in as another NH person located 45 minutes from Peabody. I had the exact same concern before I bought, but now I can say it's no big deal. The first scheduled service is at 10K, next one at 25K. Service crew is the best I've ever seen.

I have 20K miles in less than 9 months. Have snow tires for winter, but no DSC. Haven't slipped once. It's my daily commute car to Norwood MA - 75 miles each way. No regrets.

Order your lemon meringue pie and start waiting!

Robert Stancliff · Mar 15th, 2004, 01:40 PM

Hi,

It's 250 miles to my dealer. Before I bought the car I was concerned about this. I didn't want to let this keep me from getting the car I wanted. Anything unusual would be a long drive from my little town. I wasn't going to drive a Ford or Chevy just because of this.

Been back to the dealer once....so far, so good.

Order your MINI.

Mar 13th, 2004, 05:02 PM	#1
Robert-in-Maine ...do you feel lucky? Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Maine Local Time: 06:30 PM Posts: 35 Offline	Maine - or 90miles away from your dealer? Hello. I test drove a Mini S last weekend and if I was wildly interested before I am now strung out like someone needing a fix. I have one issue to grapple with... my dealer is 90 miles away from my home. Thus, all that free maintenance which is included takes me an hour fifteen to deliver the car each time. Anybody else out there own a Mini and have your dealer an hour away?? If so, I'd appreciate your thoughts on the matter.

Mar 13th, 2004, 05:24 PM	#4 (permalink)
mini.mble MINI Nimble Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: N.M. U.S.A. Local Time: 05:30 PM Posts: 33 Offline	You've got it good!! I'm roughly 300 miles from my closest dealer. He's here: IB/W CVT, MFSW, sport seats, rally lights, AUX input, and on-board comp. Arrived March 19, adopted on the 26th.

Mar 13th, 2004, 08:57 PM	#7 (permalink)
moorlockx MINI2 Master Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Fayetteville, NC, US Local Time: 06:30 PM Posts: 893 Offline	Mine's about 125 miles away. I've only gone up there 4 times in the past year. No biggee! -- '03 S B/W

Mar 13th, 2004, 10:00 PM	#8 (permalink)
LordWinslow Back... Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Londonderry, NH Local Time: 06:30 PM Posts: 1,416 Offline	I live in Manchester, NH, I have all my service done at Peabody. Not an issue, they do loaner for cars that have to spend the night, but they do them from the local Enterprise dealer in on the Rt. 114 Autodealers. I also take a day off when I have work done, and bring in my laundry list. It is easier to have a few things looked at at once than coming back for several trips. Get the MCS and don't worry. Winslow This space for Rent

Mar 13th, 2004, 11:41 PM	#9 (permalink)
Cape Cod MINI Exposing the Beast Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Cape Cod, MA Local Time: 07:30 PM Posts: 5,354 Offline	Hi Robert, and welcome. I'm about 100 miles from MINI of Peabody. I was there last week and made it a day. You get to hang out and chat, maybe eat hot grilled sausages with the Techs and MA's, watch sat. tv, etc. Go for it. It's worth it. Was it Peabody you test drove with? Missing my buddies Dan and Ed but glad I have two angel buddies, And on a quest to Right Secco's Wrongs

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Mar 13th, 2004, 05:09 PM	#2 (permalink)
mini58 MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Manchester, NH Local Time: 06:30 PM Posts: 5 Offline	Hi Robert. I assume you test drove at Mini of Peabody. I live in NH and am about 45 min. away. I too was hooked after the test drive. Don't worry about the distance. The free maintenance is every 10k miles until you hit 36k so it's not like you'll be down there all the time. I don't believe they offer loaners so I, like you, will have to make arrangements when I need to leave my car for the day. Is it worth it? You're damn right it is! Oh, did I mention I have a new CR/W S on order!

Mar 13th, 2004, 05:24 PM	#3 (permalink)
obehave Mini Mod Join Date: Sep 2002 Local Time: 07:30 PM Posts: 9,388 Offline	You're a piker compared to some here. There are some that are 300+ miles away and I can think of a number that live on islands that have to take ferries and then drive to the dealer. BTW. Welcome to the site.

Mar 13th, 2004, 07:48 PM	#5 (permalink)
goobot MINI2 Regular Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Cleveland, Ohio, USA Local Time: 07:30 PM Posts: 71 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by Robert-in-Maine Hello. I test drove a Mini S last weekend and if I was wildly interested before I am now strung out like someone needing a fix. I have one issue to grapple with... my dealer is 90 miles away from my home. Thus, all that free maintenance which is included takes me an hour fifteen to deliver the car each time. Anybody else out there own a Mini and have your dealer an hour away?? If so, I'd appreciate your thoughts on the matter. Robert... my dealer is 60 miles away, takes me 1.25 hours to get there. It's no problem. When I do need to see the dealer I get up early so I arrive right when they open, and then I'm back home or at work by mid-morning... not a big deal. Actually, I rather enjoy having a bit of time in the car, it makes for a good start to the day! Good luck, -gb

Mar 13th, 2004, 07:57 PM	#6 (permalink)
planeguy MINI2 Regular Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: wichita, ks Local Time: 06:30 PM Posts: 106 Offline	my dealer is 200 miles away, it is about a 3 hr one way trip. As, goobot said It is not bad if you get there early or plan to spend the day in the city where the dealer is shopping and such. My dealer has free loaners, IMO any dealer that doesnt should not get your buiness, go to another dealer. As for missing all that free maintence......there is not much to miss. First oil change is 10k second at 25k thats it. a couple of oil changes really is about it

Mar 14th, 2004, 12:21 AM	#10 (permalink)
Robert-in-Maine ...do you feel lucky? Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Maine Local Time: 06:30 PM Posts: 35 Offline	Thanks for all the replies. Just wanted a reality check really. It was Mini of Peabody I went to and have to say the experience was nice. Probably the case with a car that people aren't simply shopping for -- the sales staff do not have to act weird. Peabody is not a great looking place to wander around but I can take a laptop! Just a few more things to cover before calling in my order. Now -- I know LY is the color and white roof/wheels, Premium and Cold packages... but still deciding about DSC. Have browsed some of the topics here. Read several road tests where it was lauded. I am leaning toward adding DSC to my config... I don't want 17" wheels though. cheers all...

Mar 14th, 2004, 01:02 AM	#11 (permalink)
Windshadow MINI2 Master Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Newcastle Maine Local Time: 07:30 PM Posts: 2,450 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by obehave You're a piker compared to some here. There are some that are 300+ miles away and I can think of a number that live on islands that have to take ferries and then drive to the dealer. BTW. Welcome to the site. Waves at Obehave from the Island of Nantucket I too have bought From Peabody and in addition to a $200+ R/T 3 hour each way boat ride I will drive another hour or so (depending on traffic)north of the boston 'dealer' to get to them S BRG/W Randolph 3 PAC NAV Mid Coast Maine, U.S.A.

Mar 14th, 2004, 02:18 AM	#12 (permalink)
Robert-in-Maine ...do you feel lucky? Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Maine Local Time: 06:30 PM Posts: 35 Offline	Are all of you full time Mini drivers then? This will be my primary car driven every day. I hear some are buying them and not driving them too much, esp. during winter.

Mar 14th, 2004, 09:31 AM	#13 (permalink)
Cape Cod MINI Exposing the Beast Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Cape Cod, MA Local Time: 07:30 PM Posts: 5,354 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by Robert-in-Maine Are all of you full time Mini drivers then? This will be my primary car driven every day. I hear some are buying them and not driving them too much, esp. during winter. It's not my primary because I need my pickup truck for work. Still, I've managed to put on almost 37,000 miles in 19 months of ownership. I drive it all winter with snow tires. Put them on from November through March. If you are getting the S, my opinion is get the DSC. I turn it off a lot, but find it very useful in the winter. Missing my buddies Dan and Ed but glad I have two angel buddies, And on a quest to Right Secco's Wrongs

Mar 14th, 2004, 01:05 PM	#14 (permalink)
snid brown is back Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Burlington, VT Local Time: 07:30 PM Posts: 4,216 Offline	Like others have said... go to MINI of Peabody. I've got a "problematic" MINI and have been there a bunch. It's a 200mile, 3.5hour drive for me. I've never had to use their loaner car service because they have always managed to get things fixed in one day. My MINI is my only car, I've got 45,000 miles on it. Drive it all winter in Vermont. Put real snow tires on it, and it's pretty good. Really good in terms of steering in the snow. Not that good in terms of getting moving in the snow (comapred to the ubiquitous Subaru all wheel drive up here). If you're gonna drive in the snow, get DSC and snow tires!!! jtross \| snid \| jason - bloggage (including videos)

Mar 14th, 2004, 01:36 PM	#15 (permalink)
LordWinslow Back... Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Londonderry, NH Local Time: 06:30 PM Posts: 1,416 Offline	Agreed, get snow tires and DSC. My first Cooper didn't have DSC, but I had to get a nice set of snow tires. That made the difference and made the winter easier to deal with. With my new MCS, I have DCS and snow tires, however I didn't bother to have them put on when I picked up the car. Stupid really but I was able to drive home from Saint John, NB in a nasty snow/ice storm, in my little blue S, with DSC and the 17" summer tires. The hardest part of that trip was getting the Boarder Police to believe I was an American. As far as a daily driver vehicle the Mini is my only transportation. My first Mini logged over 33K in miles (had to have the CVT replaced at 17K, and that was the only major issue I had). My new S that I picked up in Jan, now has over 5.5K and is going strong. Go on put the money down and order... Winslow This space for Rent

Mar 14th, 2004, 01:53 PM	#16 (permalink)
mini58 MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Manchester, NH Local Time: 06:30 PM Posts: 5 Offline	Robert, my MCS is on order. Hopefully I'll have it by the end of April. I also wanted DSC but not the 17" wheels. I got the CWP, DSC, auto ac, f/r fogs and the mfsw. I think its great that you can choose the packages if you want or do it a la carte! With a lot of cars the only way to get some options is to choose the whole package. It sounds to me like you know just what you want. Now all you have to do is order it. Go for it! You won't regret it!

Mar 14th, 2004, 02:11 PM	#17 (permalink)
Windshadow MINI2 Master Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Newcastle Maine Local Time: 07:30 PM Posts: 2,450 Offline	Ghillie; my 2004 MC-s will be my everyday driver. My other 'car' is my 1948 CJ-2A Jeep bought new by my dad the year i was born and given to me on my 16th birthday,,, now fully restored it is a parade and picnic machine these days and I doubt I do 250 miles a year in it S BRG/W Randolph 3 PAC NAV Mid Coast Maine, U.S.A.

Mar 14th, 2004, 04:24 PM	#18 (permalink)
obehave Mini Mod Join Date: Sep 2002 Local Time: 07:30 PM Posts: 9,388 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by Windshadow Waves at Obehave from the Island of Nantucket I too have bought From Peabody and in addition to a $200+ R/T 3 hour each way boat ride I will drive another hour or so (depending on traffic)north of the boston 'dealer' to get to them Now I know who to pester if I ever make it up that way. Always wanted to

Mar 15th, 2004, 03:35 AM	#19 (permalink)
scooterboy MINI2 Master Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: NH Local Time: 07:30 PM Posts: 795 Offline	Just chiming in as another NH person located 45 minutes from Peabody. I had the exact same concern before I bought, but now I can say it's no big deal. The first scheduled service is at 10K, next one at 25K. Service crew is the best I've ever seen. I have 20K miles in less than 9 months. Have snow tires for winter, but no DSC. Haven't slipped once. It's my daily commute car to Norwood MA - 75 miles each way. No regrets. Order your lemon meringue pie and start waiting! My MINI Mods

Mar 15th, 2004, 01:40 PM	#20 (permalink)
Robert Stancliff MINI2 Regular Join Date: Aug 2003 Local Time: 06:30 PM Posts: 202 Offline	Hi, It's 250 miles to my dealer. Before I bought the car I was concerned about this. I didn't want to let this keep me from getting the car I wanted. Anything unusual would be a long drive from my little town. I wasn't going to drive a Ford or Chevy just because of this. Been back to the dealer once....so far, so good. Order your MINI. Robert Stancliff Sr.

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