"Ommm...it IS on the floor, honey" :-|

[DavidJCW]

New guy here!  Same as the other new guys here!  Fiddy (and a half) years old, first Mini, having a blast.  I bought a used 2016 JCW from AutoDot in Sykesville last weekend.  Not much on the CarFax but I did find an Easter egg in the glovebox - Log book of all maintenance performed on the car as well as PO registration (lives/lived in Timonium, MD - older gent - initials LTM - IS THAT ANY ONE ON HERE???)  A guy may have been older but he went through some tires and brakes on his Mini JCW!  The car is pristine though, inside and out...based on the age and miles (92K) I am guessing it was primarily a commuter car (though there WAS also a SPEEDING warning stuffed in the back of the glovebox (You go 'n get ya' some Pops!)

 

So, this guy has been an admirer of Mini's since he saw the Italian Job on the tube.  He had the opportunity to talk his wife in to getting one a few years back when she needed a new car - so we stopped in at the Mini dealership in Sterling.  Having NOT done any research ahead of time (typical guy fashion - I AM a card carrying member, after all), we came in with only a modest budget and ZERO knowledge of the brand.  The Sales guy took us on a test drive in probably the slowest Mini on the lot.  WHO KNEW???  We sure didn't! 

 

So, the wife is test driving and we get up to where we have to merge on to 28.  From the back seat I say (gently) "OK honey, we have to merge in to traffic so you might want to consider giving it a bit more throttle to get us up to speed)  Now....I been knowin' this woman longer than I ain't been knowin' her and I should have known better.

 

"Ommmm...it IS on the floor, HONEY!"

 

Yeah...I knew that - OF COURSE I knew that 'cause my wife...she been driving LONGER than she been knowing me.  (I didn't know that her foot was on the floor...but...probably should have known)  Back to the Dealership we went.  She eventually got an Audi Q5.  My hopes and dreams of Mini ownership were squashed (so I thought)

 

Fast forward a few years and about 20 cars later (RAM SRT pickup, CTS-V sedan, CTS-V coupe, Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Recon, 66 Plymouth Fury, 68 Chrysler Newport, 21 Camaro 2SS, 21 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, 01 Jeep Wrangler TJ) and low and behold, we are looking at Mini's again.  I cannot say from where the idea resurfaced but we came educated this time (or so we thought).  Wait...different engines (N14, 16, 18), supercharger???  Gen 2?  R-WHAT?

 

I met and spoke with Ramsey at Catoctin Automotive Group up in Frederick and got a proper education (as well as doing my own research).  Ramsey is a pretty good guy and he was very helpful.  He put us in a 2012 JCW (N14) and then in a 2010 S(N18).  OF COURSE I liked the JCW better and the wife preferred the S.  No pressure from Ramsey...just a lot of good information.  I reccomend his shop if you need any work done - he knows his Mini's.

 

I SERIOISLY looked at a heavily modded '05 S in Winchester and thought it would be cool, different, until I test drove it.  The fact that the car only had a driver seat (Simpson Racing seat with a 5pt harness) should have tipped me off.  Yeah....no.  Not going to be able to sell the wife on this and with as much work that had been done to it, it was still a work in progress.

 

So I gave up on the uniqueness of a GEN 1 supercharged mini (Come on...how many I4 cars out there with SUPERCHARGERS???) after driving the younger, turbo'ed models with the fancier interiors.  We were definitely leaning towards the 2.0 - B48 engine (no replacement for displacement, right?)

 

I actually had my eye on a '12 S at Trust Auto in Sykesville that would pretty much match the look of the wife's JGC SRT.  So I drove up to have a look and all I can say is that Trust Auto took GREAT pictures of that car.  When I got there (I made an appointment to look at that car, they were expecting me) the hood was up on the car.  Upon closer inspection, a lot of rust where there should not be any and trim pieces literally falling off the car.  PASS

 

"Hey, but wait a minute - that other lot up here had that '16 JCW - while I am up here I might as well go look at it" a guy said to himself.  The folks at AutoDot (Oz, Nilda) were great.  Nilda pointed out a few roads where I could take the car to carve up some twisties - it did not take much effort from Nilda to sell me on this car.    Especially after test driving others with my wife and experiencing her driving LIKE I HAVE NEVER SEEN HER DRIVE BEFORE!  (Did I mention I been knowing her a long time?  NEVER HAVE I seen her drive like that -- and a stick nonetheless!)

 

When I had my CTS-V coupe and the Camaro 2SS - I felt aggressive - like I had something to prove when behind the wheel.  Driving those cars was not so much a FUN experience so much as it was a really bad attitude trip and resulted in many (what I like to call) DYNAMIC conversations with my wife.

 

The Mini is different for both of us; it's fun.  We smile when we are in it.  There is nothing to prove and no need to be the first off the line at every red light.  As a matter of fact - the few times I have driven it since last weekend have been in GREEN mode and I have been feeding my fish!  The roof opens, the windows come down, and we just mosey on down the road.

 

I am looking forward to the Mini community and many FUN miles to come.  Thanks for welcoming me to the family. 

[SneakyBaron]

Welcome! See you're signed up for the Antique Run tomorrow so will see you then!

[DavidJCW]

1 hour ago, SneakyBaron said:

Welcome! See you're signed up for the Antique Run tomorrow so will see you then!

Looking forward to it

[TATTRAT]

Welcome to DCMM!

[STXMINI]

Wow, what a story! Love the dedication to the MINI brand. Glad you found the true spirit of MINI ownership, the car that wants yo drive! Looking forward to meeting you and “Honey”

[1975_mini]

Welcome, I look forward to meeting you at a run soon 

[TATTRAT]

Good to meet you both yesterday! Happy motoring!