[Wynn]

HOORAY! My father just called me to say that he spotted his first MINI Cooper in Houston today... on the display pedestal in front of Momentum BMW on the Southwest Freeway (US 59).

...WOW! So of course, I will have to drive by there tomorrow to have a look, and see if they have one in their showroom. I noted on their website a photograph of their showroom which clearly has on display an ORIGINAL MINI, so I have to hope there's a new one outside of view to be seen in person. I'm so excited! Wheeee!

Bruce, I'll be the crazy kid at the bottom of the pedestal, looking up and drooling. ;-)

-wynn

[BruceK]

Wynn, that's great news. I hope it's a good omen that MINI fortunes in Texas will soon change.

I'm interested to know how much they are charging for it, or is it just a display item?

[Wynn]

WOW! I have SEEN A MINI! Yaaaaay! <swoon!>

Sure enough, Momentum BMW in Houston has a silver/black cooper on display out in front, but no other MINI on their campus here. Nevertheless, the MINI was unlocked, and the very friendly folk at Momentum told me to go check it out and have a nice time. So, I sat in the front and made rrrrr, RRRRRR!, rrrrrr, vrrrrroooooommmmm noises; I sat in the back and made, "HELLLLLP, LET ME OUT!" noises (because when I slid the front seat back into position, it trapped my feet underneath and I literally could not free myself without pulling the seat release forward again); I leaned on the hood and smiled and nodded as people looked on, and made, "heh, heh, THAT's right," noises; and I kicked a tire to simultaneously make "boink" and "OW!" noises.

Then I looked at the sticker, and made a really ewwwww noise, because they'd jacked the plain-vanilla Cooper model up just about 100%, to over TWENTY NINE THOUSAND DOLLARS. Say what?!

So, of course, they aren't a MINI dealership-- yet-- and I don't know where or how they got a MINI, but I suspect that one of their staff bought one elsewhere in the country to sell in Houston. Just a theory. A sincerely warm and helpful salesperson told me that they'd already sold one for OVER $30,000-- a nice yellow one, apparently-- and he hoped that they'd get the prices down to "something reasonable" by the end of the year, assuming they're certified soon to sell the things as a genuine MINI dealership. Hmm. It sounded a little iffy, to me, and the salesperson chuckled at the idea of paying MSRP for the car, saying very frankly that he doubted that would happen this year, just because there's so much interest and demand. Mmrrmmph.

Bruce will probably confirm for other Texans that BMW Center in San Antonio has been vastly more down-to-Earth in their approach, and I'm likely to buy from them instead of here in Houston... not merely to save $5000 (though I think that's a fair reason), but because I approve of their attitude. Now again, my sales person was truly very kind and helpful, and his frankness was refreshing. But who wants to buy from a place that will charge you more just because they can. My excellent salesperson in San Antonio, by the way, is Tracy Gutierrez, who could not be more warm and encouraging. She and BMW Center have promised from the beginning to sell MINIs at the sticker price, and I hope that means they get better customers-- people who will go a little out of the way to buy from a more human environment.

The MINI itself was delightful to finally see and smell and touch. I'm delighted to report that having seen it, I know that I don't need a sunroof-- in Texas, it turns your car into a solar oven, of course (made worse by having a black roof-- that's just a bad idea, here.) The dash felt more substantial than I'd hoped, the shifter felt GREAT (but burned my hand), and I loved the feel of the doors and tru-- er, boot as they shut. My only complaints, having seen the car now, are that the front cup holders are, as previously reported, useless for anything but drinks in cans; there's a real lack of storage space for common things, like coins or all the crud we usually put in that thingy between the front seats of the cars we're trading in for MINIs (pens, toothpicks, extra business cards, the reminder the vet sent in November to have the cat immunized again, a useless but cool "golden" dollar coin, the non-fitting ear-piece sizes for the cell phone (which look temptingly like Gummi Bears, if you're hungry), contact lens case, and that pesky collar button that suddenly came off as you forgot to release the shoulder belt before stepping out of the car one day. Where do you PUT that stuff, in a MINI?

And I had one other complaint... what was it. Hmm. Oh! The control stalks on either side of the steering wheel are just CHEAP! They look cheap, and maybe worse, they FEEL cheap, with sloppy motion and unsatisfying clicks, so that you just don't feel confident that: A)you really HAVE activated a turn signal, or B)that the cheap plastic stalk isn't about to just give up and break.

But aside from that, I was VERY happy with the car, after freeing my feet and getting the heck out of the back seat. I even delighted in finding that the boot space is more roomy than I had expected. Hooray! ...I'll just stop now.

[JohnPaul]

Hey Wynn! I'm leaving my office now to head over to Momentum...er I mean to go to an important meeting! (Shhhhh)

Can't wait! (i hope i won't be dissapointed by the quality. I've been reading about poor or mediocre build quality. And with your comments on the turn signal lever and such, it is a slight bummer.

[JohnPaul]

As I approached the silver, black-roofed MINI on the lot at Momentum I was entranced by its sublime stance. I circled the thing, nodding, eyes slightly closed, in recognition of the elegant sportyness of its lines (having studied its form in hundreds of photos). But suddenly, as if wakened from a dreamy trance, my eyes caught sight of a crevice where none should exist. The black plastic (so very plasticy) 'round the fender had separated from its host.

"Oh" I said. Acknowledging the faint rumors fluttering about my brain that the MINI suffers from 'poor and inconsistent build quality'. I was then doomed to examine the entire car with a new eye. A more critical eye. A disappointed eye. Yes, the seats are snuggly. Yes the dash is sporty. Yes the toggles are clever. Yes the tachy and the speedo are rally. But the glove compartment door is flimsy. The under dash is loose feeling. The trim isn't trim. I wonder after a year (or heaven forbid even less) of city driving, if bits and pieces will begin to fall off. That black fender trim was 'held' on by three tiny plastic clips that my 3-year-old could shatter in an instant. (yes, I know, keep him away from the car then) but I worry even the slightest bump by an errant shopping cart will send the trim plummeting to the asphalt only to be crushed by a mad woman in an Excursion.

What to do?

[Wynn]

I feel your pain. I noticed that separation, too. I wasn't too disappointed, though, by that, or by the glove box door, which felt to me a lot like some others I've used, and I was glad to find that the door release inside felt more substantial than I'd expected after reading someone's post about it.

I had a look at how the black fender trim is attached, and decided two things: first, yeah, it didn't seem really solid. But second, it did seem totally sensible. I'd expect that if you had a problem with it, it'd be easy to service or replace, and inexpensive.

When a friend of mine bought the first Altima, his wife was a little dismayed that it seemed all plastic and snap-together; she felt it was cheap, in a way. But they'd only owned it a week when we had a nice Houston flood (this was around 1991, so nothing like last year's Noah-inspired disaster), and they took four inches of water in the car. Their dealer estimated somthing awful like $3500 to take care of it all, but Peter felt inspired and took the car apart himself, in the back yard we both shared at the duplex. He and his wife were delighted to find, suddenly, that all the pieces came out in an intuitive fashion, and with ordinary tools and such. They were able to dry and clean almost everything very satisfactorily, and restored the car to great condition without too much trouble and only minimal expense, except for under-car things that had to be addressed by a proper mechanic.

I suspect that some of these trim bits may be like that on the new MINI-- that sure, something might snap off one day, but that it'll likely also snap right back on, or that you'll be able to snap on another yourself for a few bucks. And in the long run, that might be vastly better than finding a huge dent in something on another car that would require a terrific effort and expense to repair or replace. So, maybe snap-on fender bits are a blessing. I'm not worried about them. ...Though I do wish that the control stalks didn't look like plastic 1950's spaceship replica bits or something. If it had solid-feeling black stalks, or chrome, or just white even, or in a finish to match each dash, and were less round and bulky, I'd be more proud to let someone else drive my MINI.

wynn

[BruceK]

Quote:

Originally posted by JohnPaul
... The black plastic (so very plasticy) 'round the fender had separated from its host. ...

After many, many years of classic Mini ownership in the US, I have a theory as to why the wheel arch trim you saw was loose, and it has nothing to do with sloppy assembly:

It seems there are certain idiots in this country who, upon seeing a car the size of the Mini, (or the MINI in this case), feel compelled to see if they can physically pick it up, and the wheel arch is where these cretins typically attempt to do this.

JohnPaul, while some loose wheel arch trim pieces did occur on a few very early MINIs made last summer, my thoughts are the problem has been correctd and it is now no longer a problem with MINIs.

[JohnPaul]

Wynn says >>it did seem totally sensible. I'd expect that if you had a problem with it, it'd be easy to service or replace, and inexpensive.<<

You gotta love this guy. I can imagine being stuck on a deserted island with him "hey guys" he'd say "just imagine how much a tan like this would cost you at a Darque Tan."

Bruce says >>It seems there are certain idiots in this country who, upon seeing a car the size of the Mini, (or the MINI in this case), feel compelled to see if they can physically pick it up, and the wheel arch is where these cretins typically attempt to do this.<<

Of course! That explains it! I can see those cretins lined up in front of Momentum BMW, late at night, dressed in black, shoe polish on their faces, grunting and groaning as they expend all their cretinous energy trying to lift the MINI. Then suddenly *SNAP* goes the wheel arch trim and thus ends another night of dastardly cretinous deeds.

Well guys, thanks for the reassurance. Truth is, your kind and thoughtful words was all it took to convert me back to the properly obsessed MINI enthusiast all my friends have grudgingly learned to know and love. I'll happily buy both stories....er I mean...reasonable explainations. Now, there's the problem of the missing center console...

[dhall]

I wasn't so surprised by Momentums price....the Volvo dealer had 2 also, both @ $30,000. I 'imported' one from IL...Indy Blue/White, aero kit, 17" wheels, Union Jack, Racing Strips, Rally Lights and I love it. Makes you question your devotion once someone is willing to give so much above MSRP.....maybe I should cash in (my 'S' will be here in June)

[JohnPaul]

I just visited the MINI Cooper at Momentum Volvo & Pre Owned. It sold last night.

I take back what I said yesterday about quality. This one was tight. (Obviously, no cretins found their way into the Volvo showroom.) I can't wait to get mine Indy Blue Baby!

[BruceK]

Quote:

Originally posted by JohnPaul
I just visited the MINI Cooper at Momentum Volvo & Pre Owned. It sold last night.

I take back what I said yesterday about quality. This one was tight. (Obviously, no cretins found their way into the Volvo showroom.) I can't wait to get mine Indy Blue Baby!

JohnPaul, how do you explain the paradox of these two statements:

1. The MINI was sold (for $29K persumably)
2. No cretins found their way into the showroom


????






Hey, it's only a joke - no offense intended!!! It obviously went to a extreme MINI enthusiast who was will to pay extra to get the car he or she wanted.

[JohnPaul]

Yes BruceK, that is a quizical paradox. Hmmm. I'll have to consult volume IV, chapters 15-26 in my dustbound edition of Paradox Lost.

Meanwhile, the salesman told me the cretin...er I mean buyer has 4 classic Minis already and now this New MINI, and he...hey wait a sec...didn't you say--"After many, many years of classic Mini ownership in the US"...Ah ha! BruceK -have YOU been lurking around a certain Houston dealership lately?

[BruceK]

Quote:

Originally posted by JohnPaul
Yes BruceK, that is a quizical paradox. Hmmm. I'll have to consult volume IV, chapters 15-26 in my dustbound edition of Paradox Lost.

Meanwhile, the salesman told me the cretin...er I mean buyer has 4 classic Minis already and now this New MINI, and he...hey wait a sec...didn't you say--"After many, many years of classic Mini ownership in the US"...Ah ha! BruceK -have YOU been lurking around a certain Houston dealership lately?

It's not me!

I'm much too cheap to consider spending something like $10K on "additional dealer markup" or "delivery to Texas" or "market adjusted price" or however it was presented. Heck, $10K would buy 1.5 classic Minis!

[Wynn]

I love it that my fellow Texans seem so admirably literate. I spent the day volunteering today at Bellaire High School, where I offered a class on T. S. Eliot's "Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock." I wonder if MINI enthusiasts are disproportionately well educated?

"Paradox Lost" brought a grin to my face.

[BRG4Me]

None of the gouging described above surprises me in the least - I'd expect nothing less from the pirates at Momentum... any Momentum dealership. I'm not optimistic about being able to get a Cooper at MSRP from a TX dealer once they finally figure out who the dealers are, so my plan is still to go out of state and deal with a reasonable dealer (they ARE out there) where the initial rush has died down. I was in VA about two weeks ago, and MINI of Sterling was taking walk-in orders for Coopers at MSRP with no mandatory add-ons or gimmicks - order a car and get it in 90 days. Unfortunately, they wouldn't sell me a car, saying they weren't "allowed" to sell out of their territory.

[JohnPaul]

Wynn you probably already know this, but T.S. was also a Mini fan. In fact, the original opening stanza of Prufrock made mention of his love for the car:

Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherised upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question . . .
Oh, do not ask, 'What are we, ninnies?'
Just let us go and buy our MINIs.

[JohnPaul]

hey dhall - any chance you'll be driving your MINI through my neighborhood? I'd love to get another up close look and hear your comments about the joys of MINI ownership.

[BruceK]

T.S. Elliot? Let me get this back down the proper level. Since the word 'paradox' is topical in this thread, I should tell you my uncle has a house on a lake, you can walk down from his house to the water's edge and you'll see a paradox.

[JohnPaul]

BruceK, your story sounds fishy. You shore it was a paradox?

[Wynn]

So now I just see a nurse. And I never metaphor I didn't like.