[tturedraider]

Can you do 175.35” in length?

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by tturedraider

Can you do 175.35” in length?

I CAN but I just don't want to take up a lot of garage space. One of huge benefits of the mini I test drove is how tiny it is while still having enough rear sear space for the kids.

[tturedraider]

Just a little thought about a new vs used Hyundai. Their 10/100 powertrain warranty only applies to the original owner.

And one extra fyi - so I actually gave a Kona some serious thought. AutoNation Hyundai O’Hare offered a $1,600 discount right off the bat, even on a car they brought in, and they were very straightforward. No one else did that and a lot of the others have expensive add ons. If you happen to decide that’s a route you’d be interested in pursuing text me or call and I’ll share more.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Definitely will plan to check it out. The tax incentive has income caps unfortunately so I don't qualify.

Ah, yes, I forgot the new law has income caps. Understood.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Ah, yes, I forgot the new law has income caps. Understood.

So I did a bit more digging... apparently there's a loophole if you lease the car and the manufacturer is willing to take the $7,500 off the price of the car. You can bypass the income caps doing it that way. Looks like Mini does that. Not sure about Chevy, but worth checking out I think.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

So I did a bit more digging... apparently there's a loophole if you lease the car and the manufacturer is willing to take the $7,500 off the price of the car. You can bypass the income caps doing it that way. Looks like Mini does that. Not sure about Chevy, but worth checking out I think.

So, lease it for 3 years then buy the lease out, it should come out ahead I would think. I'd bet Chevrolet does it too.

[wtwo3]

Finally got around to test driving a few cars...

First stop was Hyundai to check out a Kona Limited.

Call me spoiled or snobby or whatever other adjective you can think of.... the second I walked into that Hyundai dealership I got Walmart vibes. It just was not a pleasant place to be. When we checked out the Kona Limited, I would describe it as "not bad, but not great". The interior for it being the top of the line limited trim was very basic. It drove relatively well, was smooth, in sport mode had a little bit of pep to it. But overall it was a little underwhelming of an experience especially considering all the great reviews I've read.

Next we went over to Mini to check out the 2-door EV.

Instantly the interior was far superior to the Kona. Much nicer use of materials. Where the Kona felt very generic, the Mini showed some character with a much better and uniquely designed interior. The seats were also sublime. Then came the drive - and this is where things got interesting.

The EV I thought drove really well. It had instant torque and was pretty quick, ride was quiet and smooth, and it handled pretty well. It wasn't anything exciting, but a good drive. My wife then learned (because I failed to mention to her originally) that there also exists a convertible Mini. So she demanded we drive that. We drove a convertible Mini S, so comparable to the EV in terms of performance.

INSTANTLY, it was so much more fun to drive than the EV despite being just slightly slower. I don't want to turn this into an EV thread, and I'm by no means an EV hater, but wow the gas powered one was way more fun to drive - I didn't realize how much I missed the sounds and vibrations and gear shifts until I drove the gas powered version immediately after driving the EV version.

At this point my wife is viewing this purchase as a "2 birds with 1 stone" type of deal. She's always wanted a convertible, and this is her opportunity to get one while also having something that fits the other use cases (albeit it's blowing up the budget quite a bit).

So it sounds like my "beater" car is going to be a custom ordered Mini S convertible

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

So it sounds like my "beater" car is going to be a custom ordered Mini S convertible

You know what they say about happy wives Could be worse... mine wants an SL.

The good thing about getting a custom ordered one is Mini should have some more fun colors available, so definitely go all out.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by stein_325i

You know what they say about happy wives Could be worse... mine wants an SL.

The good thing about getting a custom ordered one is Mini should have some more fun colors available, so definitely go all out.

I'm sure if we had the garage space for it mine would want the SL as well. I would definitely go for some crazy color, but seems wife wants something a but more subdued. Silver over the light gray chesterfield leather. Looks nice but very conservative.

[AlpineBoost]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Finally got around to test driving a few cars...

First stop was Hyundai to check out a Kona Limited.

Call me spoiled or snobby or whatever other adjective you can think of.... the second I walked into that Hyundai dealership I got Walmart vibes. It just was not a pleasant place to be. When we checked out the Kona Limited, I would describe it as "not bad, but not great". The interior for it being the top of the line limited trim was very basic. It drove relatively well, was smooth, in sport mode had a little bit of pep to it. But overall it was a little underwhelming of an experience especially considering all the great reviews I've read.

Next we went over to Mini to check out the 2-door EV.

Instantly the interior was far superior to the Kona. Much nicer use of materials. Where the Kona felt very generic, the Mini showed some character with a much better and uniquely designed interior. The seats were also sublime. Then came the drive - and this is where things got interesting.

The EV I thought drove really well. It had instant torque and was pretty quick, ride was quiet and smooth, and it handled pretty well. It wasn't anything exciting, but a good drive. My wife then learned (because I failed to mention to her originally) that there also exists a convertible Mini. So she demanded we drive that. We drove a convertible Mini S, so comparable to the EV in terms of performance.

INSTANTLY, it was so much more fun to drive than the EV despite being just slightly slower. I don't want to turn this into an EV thread, and I'm by [...]

Well at least you figured it out I looked up what a Limited interior looks like and I prefer the N. Much nicer with the perf steering wheel and suede/leather sport seats. Purchased 2 Hyundais in less than a year and didn't step foot in the dealership either time but I can imagine it being rinky dink. I believe a lot of their dealerships are going through a massive rehaul though. We couldn't step foot in the first one in MS because of just that. Car was delivered to our house without ever seeing it the second time.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by AlpineBoost

Well at least you figured it out I looked up what a Limited interior looks like and I prefer the N. Much nicer with the perf steering wheel and suede/leather sport seats. Purchased 2 Hyundais in less than a year and didn't step foot in the dealership either time but I can imagine it being rinky dink. I believe a lot of their dealerships are going through a massive rehaul though. We couldn't step foot in the first one in MS because of just that. Car was delivered to our house without ever seeing it the second time.

Unfortunately didn't get a chance to check out the kona N but I'm sure that would have been much more fun of a drive. Ultimately I think we decided that it was still a bit bigger than what we wanted.

[wtwo3]

Well guys.... the search has officially come to a weird end. Just placed a deposit for a new custom order mini cooper S convertible. Not exactly "beater" status, but it'll serve multiple purposes and slots nicely between the X7 and M3. I can see myself driving it in the winters while my M3 is garaged up, and my wife driving it in the spring/fall months since she's a huge fan of convertibles. Definitely not where I expected I'd end up, and WAY over the original budget I set, but still.... It's a fun car and I think I'll enjoy having it.

Ordered from Zimbrick BMW/Mini up in Madison, Wisconsin after having reached out to 6 different Mini dealers in the midwest. They were exceptionally easy to work with, and it felt good that they worked hard to gain my business. It's only been a few days in talks with them but already I'm comfortable recommending them.

[Alfisti]

LOL that's hilarious, it's amazing how often on threads like this that the budget gets blown to smitherines.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

LOL that's hilarious, it's amazing how often on threads like this that the budget gets blown to smitherines.

Yeah... honestly everything was going by the budget.... right up until the point my wife learned that mini makes a convertible. Then it was pretty much game over.

[tranquility]

Congrats. It's something both you guys like so that's a win. When I was car shopping, I originally just wanted a 3-series, then S4, then Cayman, then TT-S, then my Z4, so I can kinda understand you going all over the place car and budget-wise haha.

[StradaRedlands]

The MINI sounds like a great for you both, and it can actually be more than a "beater." Especially as it's being ordered to spec, it will potentially fall into the long-term keeper category for you!

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

The MINI sounds like a great for you both, and it can actually be more than a "beater." Especially as it's being ordered to spec, it will potentially fall into the long-term keeper category for you!

Yeah I didn't fight it too much. It serves multiple purposes and checking off that box of having a convertible for my wife, plus legitimately being fun to drive. So I was OK blowing up the budget especially since we're planning to keep it long term.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Yeah I didn't fight it too much. It serves multiple purposes and checking off that box of having a convertible for my wife, plus legitimately being fun to drive. So I was OK blowing up the budget especially since we're planning to keep it long term.

So, you have Cliff notes for your whole process, car and budget-wise? All I remember was that you wanted old at first and now you're over-budget haha.

[John4C]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Well guys.... the search has officially come to a weird end. Just placed a deposit for a new custom order mini cooper S convertible. Not exactly "beater" status, but it'll serve multiple purposes and slots nicely between the X7 and M3. I can see myself driving it in the winters while my M3 is garaged up, and my wife driving it in the spring/fall months since she's a huge fan of convertibles. Definitely not where I expected I'd end up, and WAY over the original budget I set, but still.... It's a fun car and I think I'll enjoy having it.

Ordered from Zimbrick BMW/Mini up in Madison, Wisconsin after having reached out to 6 different Mini dealers in the midwest. They were exceptionally easy to work with, and it felt good that they worked hard to gain my business. It's only been a few days in talks with them but already I'm comfortable recommending them.

Attachment 3240612

Congrats! I had almost forgotten about this thread. You ended up in a great place. Those Minis are good fun. Awesome that you found something both you and the wife can enjoy.

Best of luck with it. What kind of ETA did they give you on the order?

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by tranquility

So, you have Cliff notes for your whole process, car and budget-wise? All I remember was that you wanted old at first and now you're over-budget haha.

Cliff notes:

Wanted to buy a cheap car that would serve as something I could drive in the winter and as something my wife could drive if I ever need to take the X7 out (as my M3 is 6MT and she's unable and unwilling to learn to drive stick). Original budget was $25k, which then increased to $30k. Car needed to be small so as not to take up too much garage space.

Started getting more serious about the process this month... test drove a few cars. Was all set to find something within budget..... up until the moment my wife learned that mini makes a convertible. The rest as they say is history.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by John4C

Congrats! I had almost forgotten about this thread. You ended up in a great place. Those Minis are good fun. Awesome that you found something both you and the wife can enjoy.

Best of luck with it. What kind of ETA did they give you on the order?

Thanks! May have to hit you up for some wheels

They said roughly 2 months. I'll get my prod # tomorrow, and I can use my BMW login and add the car (although I think it's a separate "mygarage" than BMW), so will know more then. These are produced in the UK so shipping will take a while I guess.

[c1pher]

Can we start a thread on trying to convince my wife we need a fourth car?