MINI Cooper S 2008!

Last Saturday, I test drove a Mini Cooper S at Mini of Concord. It was an awesome experience there, great customer service. The MA let me drive an automatic and a manual in the empty Waterworld parking lot. This car is freakin awesome to drive. Accelerates quick, Turns quick, Stops quick. Its a wonder I didn't throw up! Driving manual was pretty smooth, because the clutch is more forgiving than other manuals that I was learning on. (Thanks to Frank for letting me drive his M3 all those nights, sorry for the stalling thanks for teaching me with patience!) (Thanks to Dillon for being the first to teach me manual and letting me loose in a veteran VW GTI in the streets of Portland fearing for my life! it was fun tho).

Yea, I've actually been researching a lot about the car for over a year now, and now that I have a job in Santa Rosa after I graduate, I'll need a car to get my ass there! I was originally going to get a used car, but I thought, what the hell why not give myself a graduation present! (and a 3-5 year burden of heavy debt)

Anyways, after the test drive, I signed some papers, threw down $500 clean for a deposit and ordered my Astro Black Mini Cooper S!










Yeaa son, is that clean or what. But the bad news with speccing out your own car rather than taking one from the lot, is you got to wait 6 weeks for it to get built at the Oxford MINI Plant in England and shipped across the Atlantic, through the Panama Canal and to the Port Hueneme BMW Vehical Distribution Center. Yep, you get to track this thing being built! my how time has changed. This is going to develop into some obsessive Facebookchecking-like daily ritual.

This feels kind of like an impulsive purchase, but I have been planning this for a while now. I've been playing around with the MINI Configurator for a long time(embarassed to say how long). Once you start, you can't stop, its like crack.

Here are some points that attracted me to being obsessed with this car (ask Angel she knows):
-172HP @5500RPM (from a twinscrolled turbocharged engine)
-177ft-lb Torque @ 1600-5000 RPM (it pulls almost all the time)
-26/34 MPG! (comparable to a corolla or civic)
-Easy parking around the city?
-One of best handling cars in this price range

And here are the options I specced out at the dealership:

Astroblack Body w/ Black Roof
Premium Package (Panoramic Sunroof, Auto AC, HIFI speakers)
Leather MFSW (Multi-Function Steering Wheel)
Xenon Headlights (due to Anthony and Frank's Testimonials)
Rear Fogs (to blind you haha jp, due to forum readings!)
White Turn Signals (yellow lights on a black car just aint right)
6-Speed Getrag Manual
DSC (You never know when you need it)
16" Bridge-Spoke (Perf. Run Flats)
Leatherette Sport Seats (Standard - hey i'm not made of money)

So yea, Claro said that it would take around 45 days to arrive in Concord. If the world were perfect, this would put it a week before graduation. I can't wait! Sign up for rides in the comments section! hahah and Henry called shotgun forever, so you'll have to physically remove him if you want to sit up front.

I guess I'll put updates as I get more info on production PEACE