Happy 7th Birthday MINI USA
Seven years ago on March 22nd 2002 the first MINI dealers in the US opened their doors. While this may be US specific I think the enthusiasm of that time translates well to any market and any language. Personally I vividly remember showing up at the local MINI dealer that morning in an effort to get to know the Cooper and Cooper S demos fresh off the truck. Naturally I was totally floored by how the car felt and I immediately put the wheels in motion for my initial MINI purchase. You can get a sense of that excitement in my first short review of the car as posted on March 22nd 2002 on the web:
>First off I was surprised at how capable and flat out fun the base Cooper is. It’s almost fun enough to forget about the S entirely. Especially considering the short lead-time (ordering an S will set the purchase back to June). The Cooper’s main weakness in my mind is the 45-70 acceleration. You must be “involved” with the transmission to get to 70 quickly. But that’s part of the fun as well. The Cooper I drove had the 16s and was definitely more harsh than my BMW 325ci with 17s. But keep in mind it wasn’t rough. It also didn’t have the sport seats causing me to have to literally hang onto the wheel while cornering.
>The S was quite a nice package. However it didn’t “feel” as quick as I had expected off the line. Because of the smoothness of the power it felt a bit laid back where I would have expected otherwise. The immediacy steering in both cars put my 325ci to shame however. When I got back into it after both drives it felt too isolated and numb in comparison. Overall I was really surprised at the lack of difference between the MC and the MCS below 30 mph.
>The thing that hits you when you see the MINI for the first time on the road is it’s presence. It’s such a strange thing for such a small car to have so much presence.
We want to hear your stories of the those first MINI drives and sightings. Were you on hand for the launch seven years ago? If not what was your first MINI experience like? Sound off below but please – no bashing.
<p>I had the 2005MCs and loved it. Although I clearly appreciate the improved engine and transmission on my07 MCs it took me some time to warm up to the changes in the interior</p>
<p>I think for those of us who owned the 1st generation its true love between mankind and car :)</p>
<p>It is amazing how great the customer loyalty is with this car.</p>
<p>“Five years ago on March 22nd 2002”</p>
<p>Seven.</p>
<p>Happy birthday MINI USA!!!</p>
<p>Having friends with MGs in the 1960s, I was infatuated with the ride and handling of a sports car. But years of paying bills meant years of middle-of-the-road economy cars.</p>
<p>I first saw a MINI at a used car lot here in Southeast Iowa in I think 2004. It was an unknown around here — no dealerships then or now. But so pretty. I first drove one in Schaumburg in 2006, and I was blown away.</p>
<p>I ordered a 2007 MCSm and the love affair — obsession — grew. My 2009 Clubman is on the ocean as I write this, and I am on the web every day tracking its progress.</p>
<p>Happy Birthday MINI of Fairfield County (Stamford, CT.)! We are Seven as well! Happy Birthday MINI USA as well!</p>
<p>Fantastic I can hardly believe its been 7 years! Great job to MiniUSA and a happy 7th to each and every person at Miniusa.</p>
<p>I started watching for news on the Mini development right after learning BMW had purchased them. The first time I saw an image of the R50 I was floored, here finally was a car that spoke directly to me in some primal way. My father in-law was the first person I knew that got a R50 and he sent me many pictures. I decided that this would likely be our next car, however was setting in a place that adding another car to the mix wasn’t possible.</p>
<p>Years went by with me seeing the odd few Mini here and there, like everybody else on the road I rubber necked watching them pass. Our first Mini was purchased in 05, a 04 BRG Cooper with a black roof. The first time I accelerated I could tell that this little car was something truly special. I can say that I truly fell in love with the car as the miles passed. After driving this little beast for a while we upgraded to a 06 Cooper S to take advantage of both a short run color and the 06 upgrades.</p>
<p>We have since become a two Mini household with the PurpleHaze/Black 06 Cooper S and GP0509. I know my voice is often harsh about some of the choices made by Mini, I can assure everybody that this is just related to the massive impact the Mini brand has made in my world.</p>
<p>Well, first time I set foot on a MINI dealership was May 2002 (Was not the most pleasant experience I might add).</p>
<p>They only had a MCS (I remember it was Dark Silver) in the showroom and no cars to test drive. If you wanted to test drive a MINI, you had to commit to purchase one first to the tune of a $1K deposit…..Arrogant bastards.</p>
<p>Really liked what I saw and for the next month or so I began researching the car even more. My wife’s ’97 Mercury Tracer was getting a little long on the tooth and the MINI fit the bill perfectly for a suitable replacement. So on June 30th, 2002 we placed an order for our very first MINI: Pepper White/Black ’02 R50 with only 2 options….CVT and MFSW. Waited 7 weeks for the car to be built and transported (Wait times for the MCS ran into the months!) and finally took delivery on Set 7th, 2002. We kept that car for the next six years and 45K miles. Never had any serious problems with it and now it happily lives in SoCal carving the nearby canyons….</p>
<p>So our “MINI love affair” began with that R50 CVT and now he have a 2005 R53 S and 2008 R55 Clubman S. I had a 2004 R53 S in between s well.</p>
<p>Oh and happy birthday, Lauderdale MINI, on your 7th year!</p>
<p>i have an ’06 RG MCS and absolutely love this car. thank you MINI for coming to the states :)</p>
<p>The 7 year itch and MINI is still married to BMW. Great going USA. Congrats also to Gabe and the team for all the good work at MF. Behind every good car there is a good person.</p>
<p>Top photo looks like Tuscany or somplace in Italy. Lets see some early USA photos.</p>
<p>Remember those first TV ads – like the guy driving in the desert and he gets stopped by an English Bobby policeman – classic.</p>
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<p>Top photo looks like Tuscany or somplace in Italy. Lets see some early USA photos.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>For the life of me I can’t find any on BMW’s press site. The oldest they had were the set of the 2006 special editions.</p>
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<p>Remember those first TV ads – like the guy driving in the desert and he gets stopped by an English Bobby policeman – classic.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I’d love to post that but the rights ran out on that song and they pulled it from every online channel I can think of (including MF).</p>
<p>Those photos are from 2006.</p>
<p>My first MINI “sighting” was the TV commercial that GregW spoke of (“Bobby in America”). I only saw it once on TV and it was the first and only time that I saw a commercial for anything and knew <em>I had to have one</em>! (Pretty good considering they only show the car for ten seconds!) I spent the next three months on the MINIUSA website and NAM. When I finally went to the dealer I didn’t even test drive one- my only question was “how much?” I bought my first Cooper off the lot and three years later ordered a Cooper S.</p>
<p>While at the time my friends felt the MINI was totally “not my style” (and I kind of agreed), now I can’t imagine driving anything else. In many ways I won’t get into, the MINI has totally changed my life.</p>
<p>Happy Birthday MINI!</p>
<p>PS: that commercial is on YouTube! Shhh… :)</p>
<p>I remember my first MINI test drive like it was yesterday. I had been in the car market for several months, and wasn’t impressed by any of the dozen or so models I had test driven. Coming out of the first turn I took at decent speed, I turned to the salesman and said “You’ve got the easiest job in the world”. I bought my ‘justacooper’ that day, and took delivery on May 31, 2002. I’ve since added an 02 S for the track, and love them both as much as the day I bought them. Happy Birthday, MINI…7 years in the USA, and 50 years on the planet coming up soon.</p>
<p>I remember first reading about the MINI in magazines and desperately wanting one. When I finally went for my first test drive (not in USA mind you) the very week they came out I had to take an older friend to bluff the salesman into believing I could actually afford one haha. It was the Cooper…and I remember being less than impressed by the performance but loving the styling and handling. For the weeks, months and years since I’ve always looked out for MINIs on the road and admired them at every possible opportunity. 7 years later I became the proud owner of my own MCS – finally!</p>
<p>Ahhh, I remember visiting my family in Europe and seeing and loving the classic coopers. Then one day in 2001 Bucharest, I was walking to my favourite pizza place. And in front of it was a cooper. But not really. I thought someone had done something to the bodies of the old ones, so I peered inside of the cockpit of this CR/W thing. And what I saw floored me. It was all new. I couldn’t believe they were making something like this. I was in love. And with that, 6 years later, I knew when the time to trade in my beatup car came, that I would get one, whatever the cost. And the love affair began. Forst a lemmon (yellow color too, weird) cooper S, and the my current space blue R50. No car has ever left such an impression on me. Log live the MINI</p>
<p>P.s: sorry for the spelling errors. Don’t type long notes on a phone haha.
And again, happy birthday mini usa</p>
<p>Looking around for a commuter/gear hauler in August 03, I found a slightly used IB/W R50 on a Honda dealership lot. It had me at the first corner. Totally different feel from any four-seater on the market at the time. Sold it a year later for more than I paid for it and ordered an 04 JCW MCS (for ~$25k). Now approaching 100k miles. Hauls my kids, my windsurfing gear, and some serious a$$ on the track. Yet to find a better car for me, including R56.</p>
<p>Spring Break 2002, dragging my wife from MINI dealership to MINI dealership (most hadn’t opened yet) as we drove south in hopes that I might catch a glimpse of a MINI. The website says there’s one in Cincinnati lets stop there. My wife’s first reaction- “You can’t fit golf clubs in one, I don’t want it. ” Months later I finally ended up at Patrick MINI and test drove a Cooper. It would be years later before I test drove an S and put my order in, but the wait was worth it. Now a three MINI family (my wife has an 08 S)- Happy Birthday MINIUSA!</p>
<p>I was intrigued after seeing the photos and hooked after my first test drive in April 2002. I ordered a car 2 weeks later, took delivery in August, and have been crazy about MINIs ever since (and bought my second MC this past summer).</p>
<p>More important, I hooked up with some guy named Gabe and a few others for a group drive up to Milwaukee a couple weeks after getting my car, and got caught up in the local MINI community. I think that has had at least the same impact as owning the car, possibly more. I still hang out and keep in contact with many of the people I met at that first group drive.</p>
<p>I remember driving past the dealership and seeing this little car with retro 911 type headlights. I pulled in and saw the interior and was floored by it’s singular uniqueness. Then came the test drive in an S. The acceleration and bizarrely great handling. I HAD to have one. Now on my fourth Mini I can only say that no other brand (and I’ve had many) comes close in the pride and joy department.</p>
<p>Congrats MINI North America as that’s the same day for MINI Canada too :)</p>
<p>I bet they cant believe its 7 years already. Congrats</p>
<p>Having had a number of classic Mini’s, I was totally intriqued when I read that BMW had bought the name from Rover and was going to produce a “new” Mini. I filled out some info cards in a car mag, that went along the lines” if you’re interested in the new MINI, give us your name,address, etc..” and we’ll get back to you. Time passed and one day a card arrived in the mail saying,”Look who’s back!!” with just a side shot of the hood and headlight of an R50. I was hooked. I finally drove an ’03 S. I knew I would buy it the second I heard the whine of the supercharger and the way the steering and gearbox felt. It was THE most fun you could have in a car and I loved every mile I drove in that car. I’ve a ’07 S with JCW now and it’s a blast to drive (the MINI will roll) and I have no regrets for it’s purchase. Happy B-Day to MINI!!</p>
<p>I put my initial deposit in on December 2000 at a dealership that was slated to open in March 2002. Unfortunately they never got their franchise and sadly never opened I struggled to get my deposit back but was fortunate to find a dealership will to sell one of their pre-spec deliveries arriving in May 2002.</p>
<p>I have never anticipated a car so eagerly and in my enthusiasm almost bought a MINI Cooper – thankfully I kept my impatience at bay and ended up buying a MINI Cooper S(Electric Blue with White) and the sport package.</p>
<p>I’ve turned into a bit of a MINI freak having now owned eight of the cars (almost all MINI Cooper S with one MINI Cooper in the mix for a company car).</p>
<p>I now work for a MINI dealership – I honestly wish I’d had the courage to take the plunge and work for a dealership 7 years ago – best career choice I could ever have done – to think – doing something that you actually love!</p>
<p>Thank you MINI.</p>
<p>HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY MINI Copper…..!!!!
<a href="https://www.motoringfile.com/2009/03/23/happy-7th-birthday-mini-usa/#comments" rel="ugc">https://www.motoringfile.com/2009/03/23/happy-7th-birthday-mini-usa/#comments</a></p>
<p>I took my family to New York City for Spring Break 2002 and we stumbled across a MINI on the street . I recall that it was being driven around Manhatten and Times Square to generate buzz…and buzz it got. When it pulled up to the curb near me, there must have been 25 folks (myself included) pushing to see it up close. I had seen it on a morning show earlier that week and recall being intrigued by the center speedo. I was hooked when I saw it in person. It took 4 more years to be in a position to pull the trigger but… WOW.</p>
<p>Here is the link for the MINI + Bobbie commercial:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chL0q_RAoFg" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chL0q_RAoFg</a></p>
<p>Here is the link for the MINI + Bobbie commercial:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chL0q_RAoFg" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chL0q_RAoFg</a></p>
<p>That commercial was the key to my wanting a MINI. However it took until the summer of ’08 before I could afford to order/buy one.</p>
<p>I was in London in July of 2001 when the new MINI officially went on sale in Europe and the UK. I had seen a couple on the road and was very impressed. When I returned home that summer, I immediately began researching what MINI dealers were in the Philadelphia area. It turned out, Otto’s MINI in West Chester, PA was opening a dealer soon at their BMW showroom and they started taking names for the initial list of cars that fall. I was on the list and got a call that they had a Euro-Spec car from Portugal they brought over for customers in the US, so I had a chance to drive one several months before it was due out here in the States. I remember thinking how amazing a ride it was, and how it had that true European feel to it. I finally ordered one from Princeton (NJ) MINI on the opening day in March and received my MC in June of 2002. I still have that same MINI and it has trested me pretty well to this day!</p>
<p>I followed the Mini when it was still a concept. Then in 2001 my wife and I travelled to BMW headquarters in Munich for her 325xi as part of the foreign pick-up program (no shipping charges). In the parking lot were several of the Mini’s that were already for sale in Europe. I was smitten!</p>
<p>In March 2002 I walked into my local Mini dealership. They were just setting up and had no cars, but I immediately gave them a $500 deposit.I had to wait six months for my ds/w Cooper S, but it was worth the wait. It was so much fun to have people approach me with a smile every day to ask what kind of car it was that I was driving and tell me how much they loved it. What a trip!</p>
<p>Now I’m mostly retired and a laser blue/white S is my 3rd Mini in seven years. I’m very much looking forward the 4th in 2012 because they just keep getting better and better. Thanks, MINI USA!</p>
<p>Time flies when you’re having fun!
I never thought I’d be in the MINI business for 7 years, but it’s been a fun ride. So glad to see that things are still going strong.
Happy Motoring!</p>
<p>Mark O’Neill
M.A. since March 22, 2002
<a href="mailto:moneill@minimainline.com">moneill@minimainline.com</a></p>
<p>I think I screamed out loud like a teenage girl when I saw an MC on top of a Suburban driving around the Financial District in NYC. I stopped and stared at it with a big grin until it dissapeared somewhere in the skyscraper canyon. I was very annoying to everyone I knew until I was able to buy my MC in 03.</p>
<p>Happy Birthday . I have been there since day one myself. The Launch the first truck load My First CS .I have been excited for years ! still am .. $ cooper”s” later still excited driving every comute .. Stay real my friends stay real ~</p>
<p>Happy Birthday, MINIUSA. You’ve been keeping me smiling since 2002.</p>
<p>I was there at Knauz the opening Saturday taking test drives in the Cooper and Cooper S. Soon placed my order for the DS/W MCS.
That Saturday was the first time I think I ever ran into Arnie and Lena as they were there in their classic woodie.
Next thing you know I’m hanging out with Gabe, Steve, Matt, etc. doing CMMC events!</p>
<p>Happy Motoring Birthday to MINI!</p>
<p>Jim</p>
<p>Just have to say that its great reading everybody’s stories about the beginning of their addiction. heh</p>
<p>My biggest addiction was the “MINI CONFIGURATOR” from 2002 until I finally ordered my MINI last year. I had pages and pages of different combinations. I also spent hours searching the internet for the “perfect” used MINI, and test drove a few, but since the resale prices were so high, I decided I had to get a new one.</p>
<p>I even rented a MINI at Zipcar so I could get a decent amount of time to test drive one. In the process I discovered there were a few things I really couldn’t live with on the R53: the sport suspension with the run-flats was just too jolting for the rough streets of San Francisco, the CVT automatic was horrible on hills and it didn’t have decent accelleration to get on the freeway, and the deal breaker was the very uncomfortable seats.</p>
<p>In 2007 I discovered MINI had fixed all these “problems” in the R56, so I was ready to buy my MINI, then the transmission went out on my Honda del sol, so another year delay. By then the Clubman was on my radar, and I spent another year trying to decide between it and a coupe. I finally got my Clubman last June and besides loving most everything about it, I haven’t had low back pain since. Those Honda seats were really the pits.</p>
<p>I was the first Mini, liquid yellow, black roof. Delivered March 22, 2002 Knauz Mini Lake Bluff, IL. I loved that car, sadly I had to sell a few years ago. But thinking back on it now I think I need to track it down and buy it back. What can I say, it was my first car.</p>