Test drive day, yes it did rain a lot!
I'm now two weeks in to ownership. I have a silly grin on my face. Only once in the last two weeks have I not driven the MINI, as I decided to bring the work van home instead, and that night I had the van, I missed the MINI!!!
A little bit about the car I didn't want to buy, but I bought it, and I am enjoying it!
It's a lightning blue, 2007 1.4 MINI One. It has most of the options you can throw at a MINI fitted, still with a full years TLC pack to go and has only done 26k miles! Cloth interior, panoramic sunroof, air con, multifunction steering wheel, alloy wheels, bluetooth and usb connectivity, heated screen, heated mirrors, heated washer jets, cruise control and a six speed gearbox (which is a novelty for me in a car!). There is a few more things, but I can't remember them!
Union Jack scuttles installed, and for a change when the instructions say two minute job, they were correct!
Union Jack interior mirror cover fitted, just a one minute job for that!
And finally Dangermouse on the boot. That should help me find the car more easily!
Apart from the car is very nippy for the little box it is, and handles well, even as well or not better than my old MX5. Ok, the drive is wrong (FWD instead of RWD), but the little blue car is fun!! MPG running at the moment around the mid 40s, which is slightly better than the best MPG I could get from the Jag!
One thing I have noticed, the original Mini has a whine, just a certain engine or gearbox noise that tells you it's a Mini! You know the noise, you've heard it as a Mini goes past you whilst you are walking somewhere, you know, that little whirring, whining noise, well I've noticed a little whirring, whining noise in the new MINI, it is there, I can hear it and yes it just makes me think of the smaller one. Maybe the BMW MINI has eaten a BMC Mini!
Apart from the addition of Dangermouse on the boot, a Union Jack initerior mirror cover and just some new chrome surrounds for the keys, I'm not going to change anything else on the car (at the moment!). I looked at a fully Union Jack clad red MINI One tonight at Berrys of Heathrow, and yes it does look a bit too OTT and tacky. I don't think I will go with the Union Jack vinyl sunroof decals! Well, not yet!
Other than the little whine and whir, the car is fun! The ICE system is ok, not ground breaking, but it's fine. My iPod works ok through the AUX cable and next week I will found out if it works better with the official BMW Y cable (which I didn't pay the BMW Dealer price for!). I've done nearly 500 miles in the car in just over two weeks and they've been fun! I have no idea where I have been, well apart from the long way to work, the long way home from work and Bluewater, and at just over £40 to fill up and do 300 miles plus from a tank of fuel, it's quite economical.
So, for another three and a bit years I am stuck with Dinky. Long may Dinky continue to give me stupid grins and fun twisty roads to play on!
1 comment:
And a very fine looking car it is too!
Post a Comment