$1000 Mini

2013 was a difficult year for me and my family. We had moved back home after being away for work three years and I was kind of in between jobs. My Dad's cancer was also back, and he was looking ahead at another round of radiation treatments. All these afflictions were temporary, within a few weeks I had found work and after a year of treatments my Dad's cancer was in remission. But despite my families’ circumstances improving, we were still financially drained from the whole experience. To make ends meet I sold my car.

Like most vehicles the old car has a story of its own, but I will save it for a future article. I had a little money to float me through but only one vehicle and two drivers and to work I needed my own car. I was on the hunt for something reliable but incredibly cheap just to see me through until I could build up some savings and get something decent. Fortunately, my prayers were answered, and I got a phone call from a relative.

It was my cousin, and he had the deal of the century for me. A year before someone had rear-ended his car, a Ford Focus hatchback and totaled it and he had also been looking for something new. He wanted to buy a New Mini Cooper but was not sure if he would like one. My other cousin, his sister, had been driving this Mini since 2008 and to make a long story short she was also about to buy her a new one. The trade in for her o8 model was abysmal so she asked her brother if he wanted to buy her old car to try out. He did and drove the car about a year before it broke down. The repair bill was about 1000 dollars and he decided to go ahead and buy a new one, having made up his mind that he indeed liked driving a Mini. Now though he had two, one of which did not run and needed to be repaired.

He called me and told me that if I wanted the car, if I paid to have it fixed, I could have it. So, 1000 dollars later and I had a car. It burned a little oil, and the transmission was a bit dodgy, but you could switch it to manual and shift with the paddles and it worked just fine. All I wanted at the time was a good point A to point B car. What I was not expecting was to fall head over heels for the little thing.

Yes, I loved the car, it was full of flaws but also full of character. Zippy and fun to drive I used to try and pick the curviest rout I could think of instead of the shortest. The wide stance and short wheelbase made it corner incredibly well and having to manually shift just made the car even more fun to drive. I often think about how if the transmission was not broken how, I possibly would have enjoyed the car less. I was always impressed with what I could fit in the little car and used it for school runs and for deliveries of all kinds. I even took it to buy my wife a new dishwasher and was genuinely shocked when the box would not fit. Not that I let that stop me. The fuel economy made it a great city runner, easily averaging above 30 miles to the gallon. That coupled with the how easily it could weave in and out of traffic and park and it was the perfect car, despite its technical hick-ups.

All of this surprised me even more because I remember when the new Mini's came out, I was not all that impressed with the look of the car. It just felt too wide compared to the originals, like someone had stretched an old movie to fit on a wider TV. That said the visuals have really grown on me and I think a lot of that comes down to a sort of timeless quality to its design. Also, the handling definitely benefits from the wider stance and that alone was enough to get me to forgive the cars slightly bulbous shape. The interior touches are also unique with the single retro speedo dead center and the tachometer right in front of you. This sort of style was popular in the early-mid 2000 and could be seen in lots of cars, but I think it’s held up the best in the Mini.

I drove the car for three years and put several thousand miles on it on top of its already overflowing odometer. But in 2016 she went lame again and this time it was just under 1500 dollars to have her fixed. The blue book value of the car in its condition and mileage was only about $4000 so I knew that soon my $1000 great investment was likely going to be a total loss if I kept it. By then though I had recovered enough financially that I could afford something else and traded the car, that's right traded the car for an SUV. What was funny about it is that I got as much money trading it in as my cousin, who bought it new, was offered by the Mini dealership three years prior and made $1000 over what I had invested in it.

I have to say though that I was sorry to see the old car go, and I catch myself every now and again wishing I had another one. You can get a good used one for a very decent price now so it’s still very tempting, but I think I will wait, maybe one of my cousins will call me and tell me that they are ready to sell one of theirs and I can get another deal of the century. Even if I pay full blue book value this time, I know it will still be one heck of a deal.