Ready to buy new MINI but...

[zeebies]

Hi everyone. I am so ready to get my 2013 pepper white/black MINI. I keep visualizing it in my garage. Here's the only glitch. The closest MINI dealer to me is 3 1/2 hours away.

Would you still get a MINI if you were that far away from the dealer? What are the pros and cons? I'll have to make infrequent trips (over the years) to get warranty check-ups, etc.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks. Nice to be here.

[The Nun]

3 1/2 hours to the nearest garage, wow, Id get a 8 litre Mustang like everyone else over there then I reckon.

[zeebies]

Hi Nun. Mustang would never work!

It's 3 1/2 hours to the dealer to get warranty service done maybe twice a year. Plenty of garages around here for other day to day stuff.

So would you make the trek twice a year to have YOUR MINI?

[zeebies]

Mods, could you please move this to general discussion so I can get some more feedback? Thanks a lot.

[Caveman]

Unless the car has problems you won't need to go to the dealer twice a year.

Have you asked the dealer whether Roadside Assistance will cover towing that far to a dealer?

Is there an independent MINI specialist near you?

[zeebies]

Thanks Caveman. Yes, the dealer will cover Roadside Assist to the dealership.

There is an independant dealer 45 minutes away. They have about 6 or so used cars for sale but they do not service vehicles.

Also, my local BMW dealer does not do warranty work on MINIS so I can't go there

What's a MINI lover to do?

My other (distant) choices for a car were: Volvo C30 (I hear this is being discontinued) and AUDI A1 Sportback (only offered in Europe).

[Sejanus]

As much as I love my MINI I'm not sure I'd buy one if I was that far away from a dealer. It's not so much the warranty issue, but over the years the car has had some quirky issues that really required the familiarity of dealership service department.

[zeebies]

Thanks for your input Sejanus. I know. It's a tough call. Good point that some issues are best dealt with by the dealership. I'm also trying to give thought to after my MINI is 4+ years old.

I don't mind the long drive (I say that now) and my schedule is flexible. I'm just worried about the unexpected problem that requires me to get to the dealer ASAP. If the car had to be kept overnight I'd be waiting things out in a hotel somewhere. No sense using a loaner car in a situation like that.

This is depressing. I find most every car on the road BORING but the MINI makes me smile.

[Sejanus]

Have you thought about moving?

[zeebies]

I love a good MINI but I love where I live more. But, yes, for a brief 1/4 of a second I thought about it.

[rew7602]

I wouldn't worry about the drive to the dealer for unexpected issues, they can happen anywhere. I've been broken down before in the middle of nowhere Maine and had to wait for 3 hours for a tow and a 5 hour drive to the nearest foreign car service center (not even a dealer). I only live 30 minutes from my local dealer but that didn't really help me...

[My MINI me and me]

Everyone should own a mini at least once, make sure your dealer has enough courtesy MINI's just in case it does end up in the shop for a couple of days a year so that you can keep MINI-ing. That said the build quality on the current car should be near its highest as it is near end of life, so the early model issues that you tend to see should be ironed our. My convertible was the best in this respect. The saloon the worst and the early Clubman somewhere in between. Nonetheless the sheer driving pleasure should out weigh the outside chance your car gives you any ongoing trouble.

[zeebies]

Good points rew and My MINI. Thanks for chiming in. Breakdowns CAN happen anywhere and living 5 minutes from the dealer doesn't help you when you're far far away from that or any other dealer.

And a regular service visit can be seen as a fun road trip, eh? Even though it'll be an all day affair.

You peoples are giving me hope!

[Sejanus]

Lord knows I don't want to discourage anyone from buying a MINI, but while breakdowns can happen anywhere (I had a major failure over 150 miles from home once) they are far more likely to happen where you drive the most - near where you live.

One minor story about living close to a dealer and I'll let it go. I have an '02 MINI and the mechanism for adjusting the seatback on the early MINIs is a bit odd and can be tempermental. One day I was having the car washed professionally and they somehow screwed the seat up so that it was fully reclined (almost flat) and nothing they or I could do could get it to lock into an upright position. I drove to a foreign car repair place a few blocks away (sitting straight up with no back support), but it completely stumped them as well. So I drove to my local dealer (maybe 10 miles away) and they fixed it in literally 30 seconds for no charge. Apparently it was a common MINI problem and the dealership mechanics obviously knew exactly what to do. I can't even imagine what it would have been like for my back to have to driven 3.5 hours without being able to lean back at all (not to mention the safety issue) for a fix that could be done in less than a minute. MINIs still aren't that common and giiven some of their unique features and design aspects it is really helpful to live close to the specialized mechanics of a dealership.

[zeebies]

Thanks for your insight and for taking the time to post Sejanus - I appreciate it.

I find myself wanting to follow the MINIs I see on the road, stop them and ask how they deal with with the maintence thing up here in Maine. On average, I see 1 MINI every two days. I haven't caught one yet though .

So... I'll continue to consider.

Any other folks far away from your dealer care to chime in? Thanks.