Archive for December 2008
Dec 31st, 2008
This from our friends over at Leftlanenews. It’s quite a different story than we’ve been hearing from some dealers especially in the US. But we certainly welcome the news. Here’s an excerpt:
Thanks to healthy demand for its small, sprightly coupes and convertibles, as well as plans for its upcoming Crossman off-roader, Mini says that it expects to see an increase in sales next year, despite a generally dismal outlook expected by most industry analysts. Mini is aiming for a 1 percent increase in sales this year.
It’s nice to see a car company, in the midst of quite a few other car companies, actually doing well. Even nicer, at least to this group, that’s it’s a car we are all pretty big fans of.
[ Mini forecasts sales increase for 2009 ] Leftlanenews.com
Dec 30th, 2008
What a year for MINI enthusiasts. The new Clubman, the new JCW and the continued evolution of the R56. Not to mention new performance products for the R53 and tons of new cars on the horizon. So we’re going to take a look back on 2008 and give you our top ten stories on MotoringFile based on number of comments, number of page views and how important each story was to us. continued →
Advertisement
Dec 29th, 2008
For all those wondering if and when any of the MINI Challenge cars would surface state-side, the answer is a resounding yes. But even better one of those cars is now for sale on eBay. However with a buy it now price of $64,000 it’s not what we would cal racing on a budget.
+ 2008 BMW Mini Works Challenge Race Car / eBay
Dec 25th, 2008
It’s the crazy time of the year again. Motoring from family to family for some, staying put and avoiding the weather for others. Around here we will be busy thinking about things that aren’t really MINI related while we spend some time with our friends and family.
To that end, news might be a bit light for the next few days. But, if you are in need of reading material, might we recommend going back through the archives where you will find more than 6 years of stories that have been posted here at MF, including all of our R57, MINI E and event coverage.
Hoping “all y’all” have a great Holiday!
Gabe & db
Thanks to CJ and Scott for the photos!
Advertisement
Dec 24th, 2008
BusinessWeek seems to think so, via Yahoo! Finance.
But there are some good deals out there in this recession; cars that are worth the price and will hold their value. And in spite of our exasperation, we don’t advise buyers to to ignore the American brands. Our outlook is more nuanced than that, although unfortunately for the Wee Three’s sake, it’s still not the story they want to read. Here’s the breakdown, and the logic behind it.
There are a few cars that actually made the list like the Honda CR-V and BMW 328i. Oh yea, and the MINI.
The Mini makes this list because it gets very good fuel economy (28/37), has a huge following (Mini dealers have pretty much failed to create a sustainable certified-used program because Mini owners are so reluctant to sell their cars), and Kelley Blue Book rates the residual value of the Mini the highest on its list for the past five years.
[ Recession Proof Cars ] finance.yahoo.com
Dec 23rd, 2008
When Hot Chocolate first debuted in the R55 Clubman there were scores of people asking about it’s availability on the coupe. It seem as if MINI may have heard the calls for more chocolate. We know for a fact that the new MINI Convertible will be getting the color starting this Spring. However we’ve also learned from a well placed source that the R56 coupe will also get the brown treatment sometime later in 2009.
Advertisement
Dec 22nd, 2008
Final show for 2008. We manage a full crew and everything. And, of course, we end up with a crappy connection. So, apologies around for that extra hiss in this shows recording.
We covered news of the week from Motoringfile.com as usual. It was nice to have Gabe with us tonight and he added quite a bit, as he usually does.
Then a bit of recap of the year that was WRR/MF. We did some really cool stuff this year! If you missed any of it, you can go back and check the MTTS and AMVIV. It doesn’t seem like much, but remember MTTS did stretch over a combined time span of almost 2 weeks!
continued →
Dec 22nd, 2008
This is a question we get asked quite a bit around these parts. It’s also a question that we have covered in a few older episodes of White Roof Radio.
MF Reader Chris writes.
I know nobody trusts Consumer Reports, but they appear to say that Mini Cooper reliability improved greatly from 2005 on. Would it be safe to purchase a 2005 - 2006 Mini Cooper, or should I save up enough money for a 2007 (new model)? Is reliability in the earlier models really that bad?
Keeping in mind that I have a 2003 R50 MINI Cooper with 200+ miles, I would say (and Gabe agrees) to stay away from the earlier MINIs (’02 - ‘03) if you can. There are quite a few build issues with these older cars and if you find one that wasn’t properly tended to you might end up with more headaches that you could handle.
However, moving into the newer model years, it becomes more a matter of what you want and how you want it to look. You didn’t say if you were looking for a Cooper or an MCS, but this should cover you either way.
continued →
Advertisement
Dec 19th, 2008
The IIHS has been crashing cars again. We all know the MINI scores well front and rear, but so not hot for side impact.
Mini Cooper results: This minicar was redesigned for the 2007 model year, and it earned a good rating for frontal crash protection in a previous test. New side and rear tests were conducted to assess further design changes made for the most recent models. This minicar earns a good rating for rear protection and an acceptable rating for side protection. Measures recorded on the driver dummy indicate that a fractured pelvis would be possible in a side crash of the same severity, but there’s low risk that other significant injuries would occur to the driver. For the rear passenger, rib fractures and/or internal organ injuries would be possible. ESC is newly standard for the 2009 model year.
continued →
Dec 19th, 2008
This is a new one on me, so hopefully a little bit of crowd-sourcing from the faithful MF readers will be able to help out. This from reader Mark M.
I currently own a 2007 Mini Cooper S, and I have been having a problem with it that no one seems to be able, or willing, to help me with. I have owned it now through two winters including the current one and my car will not start when the temperature falls below freezing.
This is different in that his car won’t start when it’s cold. I’ve heard of the stumble when cold, the dieseling (for lack of a better term) when cold, but not this.
Has this happened to you? What was the fix?
Dec 18th, 2008
We know there’s always some confusion as to what colors MINI is offering (or not) on each model. So we thought we’d help where we could and give you the full list of exterior colors that will be offered in the US market for the new R57 convertible. This is hot off the presses and somewhat preliminary but we don’t expect any changes. The UK and European markets should be similar if not the same.
continued →
Dec 18th, 2008
As we’ve previously reported MINI’s Lightning Blue will discontinued with March production for R55 and R56 models. In it’s place will be Horizon Blue as seen in the ad to the right. Look for Horizon Blue to be available on all models and all trim levels for 2009.
Also look for Laser Blue (that other Blue currently available) to continue through 2009.
On the other end of the color spectrum, Midnight Black will be replacing Astro Black on all models starting with 12/08 production. Midnight Black is a darker version of Astro Black. Gone is the blue tint and in it’s place a darker deeper metallic black look.
Dec 18th, 2008
That’s right gang. Last Woofcast of the year with myself, Todd and Micheal and we will be live! Check back at 7p PST (do the math for the rest). We will be doing news of the week plus a recap of everything cool that happened this year.
We will be using Ustream again. That means that if you want to participate in the chat room with your own name/handle, you will have to go over and create a free account.
See you tonight!
Dec 17th, 2008
Today we’re releasing the first in a series of new MotoringBadges for 2009 and it’s all about MINI’s 50th Anniversary. These will be limited edition badges only available through the end of 2009.
Look for new designs and color variations on what you see above. And if you order by Friday, Dec. 19, 2008, your order will ship out by Dec. 20th and arrive at most USA destinations by Christmas. No guarantees, of course as delivery is at the mercy of the USPS but in general, most all orders will arrive by 12/24.
continued →
Dec 17th, 2008
Park Distance Control (PDC) which was standard on the previous generation MINI convertible will no longer be a no cost option. Because the roll hoops are so much lower than the previous convertible (and rear visibility so much better) MINI has deemed it no longer a requirement for all cars. Rear PDC (front is not available) will move to a $500 option starting with the R57.
Browse Pages:
Next Page »
