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MINI Swag!

Sherwinville — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:58:50 +0000

Holy crap! That’s a lotta swag!

Thank you MINI USA!!

Mod of the Week: White Turn-Signals

Sherwinville — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 13:52:07 +0000

After a deal fell through on some Sylvania SilverStars, which are apparently only available online these days (no- really- I tried!) I dropped $6 on some replacements for the stock amber bulbs. FYI- swapping out turn signal bulbs on gen2 MINIs are ridiculously simple!

European charm? $6.

Note: Anyone who doesn’t opt for the “white turn signals” on their MINI build at MINIUSA.com, is totally missing the boat. IMO.

Cooper S Roadster In The Wild

Sherwinville — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:20:33 +0000

Took delivery on my Cooper S Roadster last week. Here’s a first look…

SPY CAR II: Son of SPY CAR

Some details (direct from the ordering brochure):

EXTERIOR:

White Silver Body Color • Classic Black Soft-Top • Front/Rear Fog Lamps • 16″ 4-Hole Spoke Runflat Tires • Black Mirror Caps • White Turn Signals

INTERIOR:

Dark Gray Color Line • Black Checkered Dash • Carbon Black Door Panels • Leather Sport Wheel w/Multifunction • Center Arm Rest • Carbon Black Sport Seats (Leatherette) • Standard Floor Mats

INSTRUMENTATION
AC & Air Filter • Openometer • 6-spkr AM/FM/HD Radio w SIRIUS/XM Satellite Radio • CD Player • MINI Connected with Navigation System • On-Board Computer

PACKAGES
Cold Weather Package: Heated Front Seats, Heated Powerfold Mirrors & Washer Jets

PERFORMANCE
6-Speed Getrag Manual Transmission • Start/Stop Button • Turbocharged 16-Valve Alloy Engine • 4 Airbags w/Side-Thorax Protection • Dynamic Stability Control • Sport Button

*Interesting note: everything except for the few highlighted options are Standard on a MINI Cooper! Yup- you get what you pay for!

Intro to “MINI Connected with Nav System”

Sherwinville — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:44:49 +0000

This weekend I battled the rain to make it down to my local MINI dealer for two reasons- The first, to get some “seat time” with the MINI Connected with Navigation, in-car system.

I have to say, it’s actually better than them fancy, scripted videos! Even after years of being retrained to a touch-screen interface, I almost instantly figured out the turn-the-joystick-and-push controller (see- I just taught *you* how to work it!). I scrolled right past the AM/FM channels because who listens to the radio anymore? I went straight to the Bluetooth features and paired up my days-old iPhone within seconds.

Sadly, my iPhone is so new, I have no music on it (I know, right?). I couldn’t control my playlists or any of the other neat music-related stuff; I do however, have a few contacts on it. Getting to the Address Book and recently called numbers was simple enough. It wasn’t until hearing a three week old voicemail from my BFF played through the HK stereo system, and me squealing “I know that person!” like a 12-year old, that the deal is all but sealed on this option. (NB: I swear I saw a “conference call” option at one point, but neither I or my MA could find it again. Just as well- who wants to be on a three-way while tooling down the highway, right?)

"up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, b, a, start", right?

I’m not a big Pandora or MOG Radio fan- yet. I was not able to check out the Pandora or recently announced MOG radio apps within MINI Connected, because neither of these are on my phone; I do however, totally appreciate and *get* how and why MINI (and other auto manufacturers) are setting the pace for in-car “apps” as a reality. I mean, you’ll be able read and reply to tweets and Facebook updates! Why you would want to, I don’t know, but you can. That will be the last thing on my mind while driving this particular vehicle. (For a look at BMW/MINI’s long-term app strategy, follow the link to this in-depth article at MotoringFile.com, “Inside BMW’s ConnectedDrive Program: Past, Present & Future“) Oh- and if you don’t have a smartphone, the car comes equipped with a USB port *and* old-school, AUX input for you analog types.

What’s meh? Well, quite frankly, I wasn’t overly excited about the GPS system. It doesn’t suck, but is pretty straightforward as far as in-car navigation goes. (Talk to me when it’s voice-activated.) Additionally, as a techie surrounded by 27″ computer screens, iPads, HD TVs and Retina Display iPhones, it took two seconds to know that the MINI in-car visual display, is… well… not HD. That is one thing everyone should consider before adding the option, since there is not an app for that and you can’t swap it out.

Bem-vindo ao Salzburg! (*Not* HD!)

Overall, I was impressed with it enough that if it comes down to it, I’ll probably slap down the extra $1750 for it instead of the awesome five-spoke Black Star Bullet wheels that I’ve drooling over. Which brings me to the other reason I went down to a dealership on a rainy Sunday…

Ah, the ol', "Interest List".

I am officially “on the list”, as they say. And now, we wait…

The 2012 MINI Roadster: Worst Car Ever.

Sherwinville — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 14:49:30 +0000

A few days ago MINI officially unveiled the for-production, two-seater convertible Roadster. After poring over numerous photos and technical data, I’ve concluded that the 2012 MINI Roadster Convertible is the ~~most awesome~~ worst car ever made. Seriously. I can’t even begin to go over all the details MINI managed to ~~exceed all my expectations~~ screw this one up on. Here are just few:

Manual Top? Ludicrous!

A manual top? ~~Genuis!~~ Ludicrous! Sure it lowers the center of gravity, shaves off about 50 pounds and $500 off the MSRP, but what it obviously lacks is the ultimate douchebaggery of activating the automatic top in the Whole Foods parking lot off a keyfob, or while waiting for the light on Sand Hill Road. You know- right when every one is watching. Because, that’s what you a get a convertible for, right? Without an automatic roof, one might have to actually GET OFF THE PHONE for two seconds! Heavens!

Go-kart handling, luxury styling, and great gas mileage too?! Nonsense! While no official EPA MPG numbers are available at the time of this post (the “hard top” Coupe lists at 35hwy/27city), what’s the fun in smoking TTs and leased 3-Series’ at 0-60 MPH in 6.3 seconds if you can’t complain about the price of gas when you’re done? I mean, really!

Sorry- No room for tricycles.

Another ~~win~~ fail for MINI is the entire two-seater concept. Without even the semblance of a back seat found in the previous Cabrios, no one will never be able to cart a menagerie of ~~screaming~~ adorable neighborhood kids to day care, the park, or soccer practice. MINI claims you can fit a set of skis, golf clubs, or 8 bags of luggage, but the nearly 8-1/2 cubic foot storage area is nary enough for the average trip to Home Depot, Costco, or an extended family’s worth of ~~perfunctory~~ inspiring holiday presents as you travel across the country to ~~endure~~ relish a few days of ~~claptrap~~ witty banter and ~~painful~~ wonderful memories.

MINI Roadster Cockpit

With only two seats, a Motorer’s dating pool is quickly reduced to only independently minded folks who couldn’t spec out a bedroom or appliance set if their progeny depended on it. Literally! Sorry kids- no washing machines here.

Personally, I cannot recommend anyone purchasing the 2012 MINI Roadster Convertible. In fact I will go on the record as actively discouraging it. If I had my way, no one will buy one, and MINI will be forced to lower the yet announced price to foster what little margin they can eek out. At least until a poor sap like me can snatch one up.

Note: All images in this post respectfully copied from MotoringFile.com. Because, you know, don’t wanna overload the servers by rudely hotlinking to them, right? Right? You can get all the information you’d ever want to know about the MINI Roadster and all other models at MotoringFile.com. Its where all MINI dealers go for their info, so should you!

The 2012 MINI Coupe Has Arrived!

Sherwinville — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:40:08 +0000

You know what they say- the new model isn’t really real until it shows up on the configurator. Thanks to the heads up from @dbwilldo, I found out that was yesterday at MINIUSA.COM.

Since then I’ve configured 4-5 variations of the new two-seater, from a conservative sub-$30 version, all the way up to $47,000, without really trying very hard. Alas they don’t seem to have my favorite color available, Hot Chocolate. But whatever.

While many of my friends are building their dream car to “lottery spec” as the folks call it, On the model below, I went equally unrealistic here, but did not spec out anything I wouldn’t actually want. For example, why spring $1500 on leather seats, when I hate leather seats?

I went for a pimped out black on black Cooper S with the $2000 JCW visual package plus around $6-grand on functional engine and suspension upgrades. Considering that the JCW Challenge spoked wheels are $2600 by themselves, that’ a pretty good deal, right? Also included in the my-startup-company-went-IPO model, is the basically useless $500 alarm system. Since all MINIs are virtually unstealable without the keys or a flatbed, frankly the alarm feature is only good for making the car go “chirp chirp” as you’re walking up to it in the parking lot like a douche. Oh, and the factory alarm brings your insurance down a tad, which justifies the addition. Right?

Onto the interior: Stock leatherette seats, because that’s how I roll. Flashy JCW bits including light up door sills and carbon fiber shift knob. Practical additions of sport gauges and shift indicator lights inch this little bugger toward a daily driver that is also track ready*. The one interior feature I’ve been waiting for, well, since it was announced- is MINI Connected w/ NAV. This $1800 tech package puts you a good five years ahead of the competition as far as tech swag and connectivity go- sure any Joe can have on-board turn by turn directions and bluetooth connectivity to your phone. But downloading new features into your car like you add apps from an app store? Controlling your phone from your car? Sign me up! (even if I hate the armrest).

Why stop now? Hell- throw in the Chrome exhaust tips!

The complete spec list of this build after the jump!

Looks like trouble...

Do these stripes make my ass look fat?

Can you say pimp?! (If you do, you never know what the voice-activated radio will play)

This build: 2012 Cooper S Coupe

Base MSRP $25,300.00

Midnight Black Body Color

Anthracite Headliner

Dark Gray Color Line

Dash/Door Ring in Black Checkered

Door Panel in Carbon Black

Leather Sport Wheel w/Multifunction

Black Headlamps

White Turn Signals

Body Color Roof/Mirrors

Center Arm Rest

Carbon Black Sport Seats

PACKAGES:

John Cooper Works Package ($2,000.00):

17″ Challenge Spoke Wheels

Dynamic Traction Control

John Cooper Works Aero Kit

John Cooper Works Door Sills

John Cooper Works Interior Accents

PERFORMANCE

6-Speed Getrag Manual

Start/Stop Button

Turbocharged 16-Valve Alloy Engine

4-Airbags w/Side-Thorax Protection

Dynamic Stability Control

Sport Button

Front Fog Lamps

Xenon Headlamps

All Season Runflat Tires

INSTRUMENTS

AC & Air Filter

6-spkr AM/FM CD Player

Alarm System $500.00

HD Radio

SIRIUS/XM Satellite Radio

MINI Connected with Nav System $1,750.00

On-Board Computer

MINI MOTORING ACCESSORIES**

Rubber Floor Mats

JOHN COOPER WORKS**

JCW Gear Shift Indicator

JCW Sport Gauge

17″ Sport Brake Kit

JCW Sport Suspension

JCW Strut Brace

JCW Tuning Kit

Total As Configured? $37,566.00

*Of course who’s really about to take a $40,000 prized possession on a real track? ;)

I Hate Shell Oil, And Its Not About The Money.

Sherwinville — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 21:25:38 +0000

It’s no secret that I hate Shell gasoline and gas stations. And not because of the price. Partly because of the 10% Ethanol that will someday kill my motor, but mostly- especially about those damn TVs at the pump! Blaring commercials for TV shows I don’t want to watch and products I don’t want to buy, it’s an obnoxious reminder of why I haven’t had a TV since 2004. The worst part about them is that I can’t do a thing about it! I can’t hit the mute button or change the volume. I can’t change the channel, and I especially can’t turn it off! Every time I’m forced to fill at a Shell station I can’t help but think of how easy it is to set a gas station on fire. So I avoid Shell stations as much as humanly possible.

Technically I hate the whole filling up the gas tank process to begin with. And by that I mean the whole stop what you’re doing or pre-schedule the time to go to the station, get out of the car, walk up to the cashier, give the money, pump the gas, (smell like gas of the rest of the day) process. Yeah, a lame complaint I know. Which is why I’m not complaining about that. (Don’t even get me started on grocery shopping!) However last night as I consciously risked running out of gas to drive past the Shell station across the street from my house to another station, I took a moment to quantify exactly how much I HATE SHELL:

At the Shell station across the street from my house, gas is $3.55/gallon for the 91 octane which the MINI requires (let’s forget that whole 9/10ths thing for now). I drove a mile away to the next closest (non-Shell) station (meanwhile passing another Shell station where the gas is $3.79! wtf?!). At the alternate station the same 91 octane is $3.49/gallon. I only had $30 on my person so filling up at $3.49 per gallon I acquired 8.57 gallons of fuel (hey math nerd- I said forget the 9/10ths part!). This same $30 would have gotten me 8.45 gallons of the Shell gasoline. This is a difference of .12 gallons of fuel.

Using the liberal average of 24 mpg (“city”), I gained approximately 2.88 miles of additional fuel by driving to the other station. Which is exactly one mile away. There and back, that’s two miles. Which means, I’ve gained a whole .88 miles of fuel! I lost 25-30 minutes of my life in the process, but I’m okay with that.

So you see- Its totally not about the money, and it’s obviously not about convenience. Its not about rich-oil-baron politics, world-economies, or foreign-oil dependency because at the end of the day, all oil companies are essentially the same. It’s not even about saving the earth or anything remotely sensible. Nope- it’s all about those damn TVs at the gas pump! Totally not rational, but neither is blowing up a gas station out of utter annoyance.

So if you’re ever riding shotgun and wondering “why the hell did he just pass three gas stations and we’re on E?!” Well, now you know. It’s because that’s just how much I hate Shell gas stations, and I don’t want to go to jail.

If I’ve totally screwed up the math, feel free to correct me. What senseless acts do you commit, in the name of maintaining sanity? (which, I guess isn’t senseless if you think about it!)

The MINI Got New Shoes Today…

SherwinRocks — Mon, 24 May 2010 14:42:00 +0000

I’ve been driving on Pirelli’s for almost 4 years and never felt unsafe in my H-rated Pirelli P6s, even at V-rated speeds (shhh!). But when it came time to get a new set of tires, Yokohama’s W-rated S-Drive‘s happened to be on sale. Go figure. (actually, they were out of stock on my first choice of Kumho Eksta ASTs, which is probably a good thing). I look forward to putting “the Yoks” to the test, but that- as well as actual photos of them on my car- may not be for awhile.

The S.drive (“Sport drive”) radial is Yokohama’s Ultra High Performance Summer tire developed for the drivers of sports cars, sporty coupes and performance sedans. The S.drive radial is designed to use Yokohama’s technological advancements to deliver extraordinary grip and handling on both wet and dry roads…

NOTE: If you’ve ever wondered how the “Speed Ratings” on tires translate into MPH, kaltires.com has a handy chart or you can geek out with TireRack.com’s more than you ever wanted to know write-up on the history of tire ratings.

Thank you for reading “Bushfinger MINI”, my personal MINI-oriented blog. If you like this content, then you will probably love my favorite online video program, “Behind The Vroom”! www.BehindTheVroom.com

MINI Roadster/Coupé – Only $2,200 a month!*

SherwinRocks — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:02:36 +0000

Today’s MotoringFile article implies that the Roadster and Coupe should be available sometime in 2011. I anticipate one to teeter on the $41k mark the way I would want it equipped. Since I definitely intend to purchase one, if I wanted to pay cash in full, I’ll have to sock away about $2,200 a month starting now!

For the sake of math, I spec’d out a topped out 2010 JCW Clubman at $42,595. To get a payment in a reasonable amount of around $600, I’m looking at a $10,000 down payment! That’s only around $500 a month I’ll need to shove under the mattress, post haste! EEK!!

My 2010 MINI John Cooper Works Clubman

SherwinRocks — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:01:33 +0000

This morning I was speculating an estimated payment for my next dream car. The best way to get a reasonable idea? Spec out my *other* dream car!


My 2010 MINI John Cooper Works Clubman
Base MSRP*		$31,000
Destination & Handling		$700

PAINT IT
	Black Roof/Mirrors	$0
	Black Rear C-Pillar Trim	INC
	Black Bonnet Stripes	$100
	White Turn Signals	$100
	Hot Chocolate Body Color	$500

PACKAGES
	Cold Weather Package	$500
	Heated Front Seats
	Heated Powerfold Mirrors & Washer Jets
	Premium Package	$1,750
	harman/kardon Sound System
	Dual Pane Panoramic Sunroof
	Automatic AC
	Convenience Package	$1,500
	Rain Sensor and Auto Headlamps
	Comfort Access System
	Universal Garage Door Opener
	Auto Dimming Rear View Mirror
	Comfort Bluetooth w/USB/iPod Adapter

PERFORMANCE
	Dynamic Stability Control	STD
	Front Fog Lamps	STD
	6-Speed Getrag Manual	STD
	Rear Fog Lamp	$100
	Dynamic Traction Control	STD
	17″ Challenge Spoke (Performance)	STD

COCKPIT
	Sport Seats	STD
	On-Board Computer	STD
	Anthracite Headliner	STD
	Cloth: Checkered Carbon Black/Black	STD
	Interior Surface Piano Black	STD
	Computer Nav. System	$2,000
	Leather Sport Wheel w/Multifunction	STD
	Interior Color: Carbon Black	STD

TOTAL MSRP AS CONFIGURED*		$38,250

JOHN COOPER WORKS ACCESSORIES**
	JCW Gear Shift Indicator (installation not incl.)	$313
	JCW Aero Kit Cooper S (installation not incl.)	$1,895
	JCW Sport Gauge (installation not incl.)	$510

GENUINE MOTORING ACCESSORIES**
	Illuminated Split Door Sill – Checkered Flag (installation not incl.)	$379
	Driving Lamps Black (installation not incl.)	$534
	Alarm System (installation not incl.)	$228
	Mud Flaps front and rear axle (installation not incl.)	$114
	Invisishield: Bonnet Kit (installation not incl.)	$142
	Invisishield: Bumper Kit (installation not incl.)	$135
	Black Rubber Floor Mat (front) (installation not incl.)	$60
	Black Rubber Floor Mat (back) (installation not incl.)	$35

TOTAL ACCESSORIES **		$4,345
TOTAL MSRP AS CONFIGURED*		$38,250

TOTAL COMBINED		$42,595

The Build Your Own MINI experience is in ongoing development and expansion. Actual prices and available options are subject to change and may vary from the Summary listing. Please contact us with any questions. We welcome your comments. Total MSRP excludes all taxes, title/documentary fees, registration, tags, MINI preparation charges, MINI Dealer installed options, insurance, certificate of compliance or non-compliance fees, and finance charges. Prices may vary by MINI Dealership. All prices are suggested retail prices and are subject to change. Actual prices may vary and depend upon MINI Dealer. Prices do not include installation or painting, if required. Prices exclude taxes and/or shipping and handling charges.* Check with your authorized MINI Dealer for complete accuracy of information and availability. All the illustrations and specifications contained in this web site are based on the latest product information available at the time of posting. MINI, a division of BMW of North America, LLC. reserves the right to make changes at any time, without notice, in colors, materials, and equipment.

That’s only $615 a month, with a $10,000 down payment! (As if!)