Florida Newbie - MINI Cooper Forum

737Captain · #1 (**permalink**) Oct 9th, 2012, 11:38 AM

I'm thinking of buying a Mini for the wife (yeah right). We recently visited the UK, her for the first time, and she fell in love with the Mini and thinks they are the dogs.

Back in the late '60s and early '70s when I was growing up in England I owned a bunch of Minis from ranging from an 850 van with a one-piece fiber glass front as the original had rotted away,through a variety of others into which we transplanted Austin/MG 1100 engines, a 998 Cooper, 1275 S, and eventually 1340 S. We did club rallies and lived vicariously through the likes of Will Sparrow. I'll dig out some photos one day.

Now older and longer in the tooth I'm considering the new "S" for the toy box, to join forces with a bunch of motorcycles, 4 wheelers and an airplane. Thinking of a hard top 1.6 with panoramic roof or maybe a convertible, but Im open to ideas and suggestions.

I lived in US for the last 30 years and I am an about to retire airline pilot.

Tackleberry · #2 (**permalink**) Oct 9th, 2012, 07:12 PM

The MINI COOPER S is a fantastic choice. My wife and I both own one.

Mine

Hers

Now, I will say this, in the Summer time, the interior will get warm with a MINI equipped with a sunroof. I have the sunroof in mine. On the other hand, it is really nice to have in cooler temps. I have the six-speed manual and my wife has the Steptronic Automatic. The automatic tranny is very fun to play with. If she does not like to shift gears and you do, this is a great choice. Have a good time shopping.