Tell us YOUR story!

[Luckiee's Son]

Ello!

This is a thread where, if you wanna, you share your story of how you fell in love with the MINI! (Like, when you first saw one, when you picked it up, when/how you joined the DMC.....)

Just wondering! I'm curious... Especially the club officers!

[66Cooper]

I would venture to say that I was the last club officer to buy a MINI, but have probably owned a Mini longer than anybody that is a current member.

My first Mini was purchased in about 1989, I have had micro and mini cars since the early 80's but stayed away from a Mini because they were so much like a real car. Once I purchased my 1960 Austin Seven I realized how much fun it was to drive a small car with "big car" performance and was hooked. That car is current taken apart and needs going though much like Simon is doing with his. I also have an Australian 1964 Morris Mini Minor in need of wet suspension work, but my bad shoulders have kept me out of car restoration for about a year now. Way on the back burner is my 1972 British Leyland Mini. Most of you have seen my Rover Mini Cooper, the only Cooper I have of the Classic Minis.

I got the opportunity to drive a MINI Cooper S on a fun run with the group that founded this club on a run where I really didn't want to drive a classic that far and was very impressed with the car and how refined I thought they were. Anyway, one thing leads to another and I have an 04 Cooper S, all Electric Blue, I think the first car in the club that was all body color, I know the sales person in Oklahoma City had never ordered one in all body color and kept telling me that the black or white roof was included in the packages I ordered, but he was very pleased when the car showed up and said he thought it looked great.

I could go on and on, and in fact I already have.

[Luckiee's Son]

Shweet Barney! Keep em' comin guys!

[dragonflyer]

I owe my whole life as I know it to the MINI and my mom.

It actually started back when I was in High school but I did not know it at that time. There was a guy in my area of Irvine that restored the classics and drove them around the city. Only saw the Mini there on a rare occasion and thought it was cool but didn't pay much attention.

Then in 02 I was driving my Motorcycle home from work and saw a new one on the freeway. I was excited to see that they made a new one that looked almost like the old one. That was right at the time when we were barely making ends meet. Had a degree in animation and graphic design and couldnt for life of me find a job so I was still working a telemarketing job in Mesa and commuting from North Phoenix.

This all came about at the same time that I was loosing my mom to cancer. One of my moms dying wishes was to get rid of the motorcycle and get a "Nice little economical car" After her passing she left us with just enough $$ to get us a couple "nice economical" cars (MINI and a Beatle)and pay off my student loans. So it was at this point that I got my first MINI cooper. I was hooked from the second I went to the dealer and sat in one. I loved the classic style mixed with furture style and technology. Of course I did loads of research before I even went in there. Didn't even know how to drive a stick at the time.

So I orderd just-a-Cooper because I didn't want to wait 9 months for the S and we needed a car bad. All the cars we had up to this point were had-me-downs and giant POS.



Searched for 2 months for the right roof graphic until I finally had to just make my own. Since I was a fanatic already I didn't event want to see me MINI with out my graphics on it so they had it put on before I got there. (Little did I know I was going to dedicate my life to do this for other MINIs)


It was shortly after this that I got a job in my field do to meeting someone that owned a MINI and we got to talking. He worked at a sign shop doing just what I'm doing now. That was were it all started. Most of the members know the whole story so I won't get into that part.

After the first Cooper I just needed something with more gettyup. So I sold the 03 Cooper for my 66 VTEC.


Great fun but not very practical for a daily driver. So I sold it and got my PickUp and an 07.

I absolutly love the 07 just as much if not more than my first MINI but I do really miss the VTEC. That thing was a blast!! And the Pick Up well, that is my dream Mini.

So there is my story.

So I'm on my fourth MiNi now and have loved them ever since. And now have dedicated my life to Making other MINIs You-nique.

[dragonflyer]

OH and Barney you have a great collection and have inspired me greatly to get into micro cars.

[DogWashMini]

I used to have a Spicy Orange Chevy aveo. I loved that car. Then one day I saw a Mini. It was instant attraction. Every time I was in the car with Don I would get excited when I saw a Mini. Everytime I saw one I told him it was my Destiny to have one. So, this year for Valentines Day he found one that was in our 1 income price range. He was gonna get it and surprise me. I hold always told him I wantd to custom order it and make it the way I wanted it. Instead of getting it first he told me he had found it and he wanted to show me. I thought it was a joke. We do tend to joke with each other a lot. After work one Saturday we went and I sat in it and fell in love. We took him home that night. I am hooked!

[Sanbient]

All the cars we had up to this point were had-me-downs and giant POS.

I was driving an '84 Honda Accord when I first saw a MINI. I loved small cars and it fit what I wanted. After that I started seeing them everywhere and it became the number 1 car on my wishlist.

Coincidently, I was leaving KS to move out to AZ and my honda died. I then borrowed a POS oldsmobile until I could get some things settled.

After getting tired of pushing a car more than driving it, I decided to buy myself a birthday present. I placed the order, talked to Drew at the dealership and impatiently waited for my car to arrive.

10-4-06 Sanbient arrived. Since then my life has completely changed. My car's allowed me to meet some great people, explore beautiful areas of the U.S. and gave me a continuous project/hobby that I never get bored with.

Michael

[Froglips]

About 5 years ago now, I purchased my dream vehicle, a 100th Anniversary Edition 2003 Harley Davidson Fat Boy. So over the course of the next 4 years I put just about every part you could put on it, on it. While I was in the process of doing all of this customization, all of the those "Biker Build-off" shows were on the Discovery Channel. Then I started realizing that whenever I would go to a bike event, or go anywhere there would be other "Bikers", everyone was dressed exactly the same. All of the vendors sold exactly the same things, and everything "Biker" was in reality "Poser". It was all about dressing up in your biker outfits (Read Costumes) and going out to "Act" as though you actually knew how to ride like the big dogs and real "Bikers" do.

At this point I was starting to get very disgusted with the entire corporate "Harley" thing, and everything that went with being a weekend "Biker" (Read Poser). I mean I am not going to go drinking and riding like all of my buddies always wanted to do. I am not going to go on real long rides, because they are not really that much fun on a bike (The endurance and convenience factor)... And while I do look like a mean-arsed ugly biker, with all of my tattoos and all, I am really just a nice guy who has always identified more with the "Surfer Dood" look than any thing else. I love my old school high top Vans!

Then one late afternoon in March of 2008, while I was riding along minding my own business approaching the intersection of Bell Rd and 43 Ave, this totally oblivious "woman" (Read a real bad word for a woman) talking on a cell phone, driving a big green SUV, decided that she would switch lanes weather I was in that lane already or not. As I was spitting on all of her passenger side windows, yelling the most vile curse words that could come out of a humans mouth, litterally standing up frantically waving my left arm back and fourth, and just about ready to kick her rear side pannel with my boot trying to get her attention, she finally noticed me in her mirror... Then she flipped me off, switched back into her original lane, and sped off like I was in her way somehow.

This was the last straw for me and the whole "Biker" thang!

Since I no longer had anything to prove to anyone, I decided I would get something cute, cool, fun, and above all else, something that does not look like every other car out there on the road today. Cars today are just fugly and all look alike!

Then I got to the MINI.com's "Configurator" and must have built 20 different MINI's that I wanted to order. There was nothing I could find about the MINI that I did not like. I knew I just had to have me one of these cars.

So, to make a long story even longer, I enter the Scottsdale BMW/MINI dealership to order my MINI. I purposely wore some old surfer t-shirt, burmuda camo shorts, and my very obnoxious 4 colored checkered old school high top Vans. I basically looked like I was a "Trails" employee (A head shop here in Arizona), but without all of the facial piercings.

Dave Smith at BMW/MINI took one look at me, and I knew from the look in his eyes that he thought I was going to be a total waste of his time that morning... But to his credit he still answered all of my very stupid questions, allowed me to test drive one, and allowed me to rebuild my MINI at least 6 different times on his lap top in front of him that morning.

Eventually, due to the fact that I am very impatient and they had one MINI there that had the JCW tuning kit already installed, I changed my mind a few times and finally decided to go with a Lazer Blue MINI they had on the showroom floor.

At this point I am sitting down in front of, Dave Smith, at his little salesman table there, and he asks me how I plan on purchasing this car. I say "I am going to finance it". He then asks me how do I plan to finance it. I say "I was hoping BMW would aprove me, but if they do not, I will get someone else to". He then asks me what my credit score is. I say "I am not sure, but I think it is probably over 750". He then asks me how much I plan to put down on the car. I say "NOTHING"! I can tell I am blowing him out of the water with my answers becasue of the look on his face.

He leaves me there for a few minutes to go check to see if I am telling him the truth about my credit, and he comes back with this really big grin on his face. He then shakes my hand, and offers to purchase me a beverage (Which he would not do before this time for some reason BTW. I even asked and he pointed me to the water cooler down stairs before this).

[Luckiee's Son]

[Luckiee's Son]

Teresa? Dee? You out there?

[BellaMaria]

So I rented convertibles one weekend a month and drove them everywhere.... usually about 1,000 miles! So much so, the Hertz and Dollar staff knew me by my voice on the phone and would give me hook ups on my rentals...

One day, Danielle decides to rent an Audi A4 Convert. To her sadness (at the time) they were out of stock on pick up day and they presented her with a MINI. She wasn't happy (bc she had no idea) and so they offered her a Seabring. HECK NO... and it was the Mini that she rented.

Well at the end of the 3 day rental, Danielle was back at the store asking for a week rate. At the end of the week, she extended another week. At this point she was completely in love with the MINI and began mourning the loss of the rental after she returned it.

The beautiful (not) Mercury Sable Danielle drove had over 90K miles on it.... so she called the bank, got a loan and began her MINI qwest...

Five weeks of searching all over the USA it finally came to a rest, May 11th where I found my PTSITER Mini and the rest is history. I have never got so many offers for dinner in a car before! lol

I found the DMC website b4 I even purchased my car! lol.... You guys are great!

And that is my story.

[scuzzlepook]

Okay, here goes

[deemotored]

When I was a wee girl of about 8 or 9 my parents bought a used 1965 Cooper S. White with a ragtop. I used to "drive" it all the time. I would steer for my Dad.
When my Mom and sis went to London in the early 90s they came back with pictures of all the Minis they had seen there. Oh how I loved them!
When I started hearing about a new MINI being brought over to the USA I just KNEW I would get one, but didn't know when. I had just started my business and times were tight. Besides I had my beloved Honda Civic EX which really was a fun car.
Then my friend Ceily who had moved to San Fransisco about a year before called me and said she was getting one of the new MINIs in Utah and driving it back to CA. I was SO jealous!
Then a short while after that she said she was moving back here and did I wanna hang with her for a few days and we could drive back to Phoenix together. So I flew to SF and she picked me up in a 2002 Pure Silver Cooper with a sunroof that had the coolest sun shade screen thingee. Her plate was "SUV B8", that's SUV bait.
The whole way back to the city I had a big smile on my face. Following 2 days in the city doing the most fun random activities with someone who knew the city real well, we embarked on our journey.
Since at that time there really were not too many MINIs around you can imagine all the stares and attention we received on the way here. SO much fun and I got to drive it a bunch. Sigh. Good times!
So she doesn't have her MINI anymore, but now she gets to roll around in mine with me. And her Mom and Dad both have one and she wants another one soon.
Anyway it was just a year or so later that I went to MINI one day with my Mom (just to look) and I said I really want a motorcycle (but it will KILL me and your father) well then I'm getting a MINI (good idea lets' go look) so I met Debbie at MNS and I went home that night trying to decide between Black, BRG, or Solid Gold.Silk green had been discontinued sadly. My whole family was in on the decision making. It could have gone either way.
I waited 3 months and followed her through the canal and the dock and yada yada til she was mine.
That was a great day. I drove straight to my parent's house and waited on the curb for them to get home from work. I took this picture. The rest my dears is history.

[Luckiee's Son]

Thanks T & Dee!

LOL

[minisaz]

After pulling off an amazing gold bullion heist from a heavily guarded palazzo in Venice, Italy, with my gang -- inside man Steve, computer genius Lyle, wheelman handsome Rob, explosives expert Left-Ear and veteran safecracker John Bridger. I couldn