Mini Clubman
Ive sold my Jeep Liberty yesterday- it was a great car and LOVED the sky slider feature -- but the gas was getting too costly for us. we pay an average of 450-500 a month on gas alone.. heard it'll be $5 per gallon this summer.. Also, Jeff and I can neverrr find a decent parking nearby our apartment - we live in the bay area where the parking is horrendous. It's becoming a pain having to walk 4-5 blocks up and down the hills to our apartment with 5 bags of groceries. I have a gym membership but I never use it because i'm always pooped from hiking up the hill everyday  and finally, our dogs, the Jeep is too high for Tony--the poor guy looks depressed every time he cant get on - he's only 4. but anyway after looking and test driving the Jetta VW TDI, Scion xb and the Mini Cooper Clubman- I've decided to get the Clubman -- I love the appeal and the Clubman seems low enough for the dogs . Curious, does anyone on this forum has one? if so, how many Sheepies were you able to fit? Im not able to find anything online about its reliability -- it's still new so was wondering if anyone ever had any bad experience with one? So far people seem to like it and the warranty is good for 3 years. I really want to keep this car indefinitely so im hoping that the clubbie wont die the day after my warranty expires. reliability? roominess? My eyes are larger than what it is-- i'm thinking they'll be comfortable in there but every time I get home- I start to second guess myself. I already placed my deposit on the ice blue one but it's refundable.  |
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| Hi, Great choice, I love the MINI! We didn't have a clubman, so I can't say about roominess specifically. We owned a MINI S, and it had much more room than I would have imagined. Especially when the seats were folded forward to make a long "station wagon" type arrangement. I especially liked that it didn't "feel" like a small car. I know for certain that one sheepie fits  Our MINI was six years old when we traded it, and no issues. Mileage was low, but still...no problems. Good luck with your new car....ice blue sounds nice. |
| I loved my Mini and I'd get another one in a second. In fact, the Clubman will definitely be the next car I get if I do end up getting a car and not another dog hauling machine. I had my Cooper S for three years and sold it for $2200 less than what I bought it for. I bought it new (actually custom ordered it and watched the progress as it was built and sent to the U.S.) and I couldn't have better things to say about the warranty and service. They cover everything-- oil changes, brake pads, all of it. My warranty was a 4 year warranty but I never got to the end since I sold the car. Full size Clyde had no problems sitting in the back of the Cooper S and from just crawling around the Clubman, I feel pretty confident that I could get two OES (but nothing else) in there. Not one Komondor, though. I just remembered: I brought Lucy to the dealership with us and she went for the test ride. I totally forgot. Did you ask if you could bring your dogs in? They were happy to let her ride along and test out the roominess. A lot of people buy cars to fit their dogs so it isn't an outrageous request. |
Quote: I just remembered: I brought Lucy to the dealership with us and she went for the test ride. I totally forgot. Did you ask if you could bring your dogs in? They were happy to let her ride along and test out the roominess. A lot of people buy cars to fit their dogs so it isn't an outrageous request. That's just what I was going to recommend. If your guys are clean, it won't be a problem and may even end up with pictures taken by the dealership for promotional stuff. For sure take a camera and send up pixs! DH took his truck in for a new rear window today and was talking to saleman, for them (Nissan) the car sales are sky rocketing! Drove by the Honda dealership and their stock was way down too........people are in car buying moods? |
| Not sure what is going on, but I'd bet that some of it has to do with people who were on the verge of or on the edge of buying are moving now out of fear of availability issues due to the earthquake/tsunami in Japan. |
I have had 3 OES in my mini. But I suppose it doesn't count as it's an "original" mini  |
sixpence wrote: I have had 3 OES in my mini. But I suppose it doesn't count as it's an "original" mini LOVE it!!! |
Ron wrote: Not sure what is going on, but I'd bet that some of it has to do with people who were on the verge of or on the edge of buying are moving now out of fear of availability issues due to the earthquake/tsunami in Japan. That or the world will end in 2012. I did think about taking the dogs for a test drive but their butts are out of control - they will literally sit on everyone. Only a sheepie owner will understand. Great photos everyone!!! I love sixpence's vintage mini - gorgeous. I'm excited!!!!  will post pictures for suree! |
sixpence wrote: I have had 3 OES in my mini. But I suppose it doesn't count as it's an "original" mini No, I think it counts more somehow! About 8 years ago, I almost bought an old Austin Mini converted to a truck. It was like a little clown car! It was going to be my daily driver, though and I realized it wasn't a wise choice for Michigan winters so I didn't get it. Boy, I wanted it though. |
| I don't drive mine in winter either It's a summer weather car and the mutts like to go in it with the roof open We put the min to bed for winter as she is a bit old (1967) to cope with the weather conditions and Mk1 minis are prone to leaking |
sixpence wrote: I don't drive mine in winter either It's a summer weather car and the mutts like to go in it with the roof open We put the min to bed for winter as she is a bit old (1967) to cope with the weather conditions and Mk1 minis are prone to leaking That reminds me of a joke that some of our car friends used to like to tell me when I got my Mini (they thought it was sooo funny): Why don't the British manufacture computers? Because they couldn't figure out how to make them leak oil. Whaaaa whaaaaaa.  |
 I can honestly say my min doesn't leak oil .I think that might be because I put the engine together and used a lot of gasket sealent though |
| Interesting. Didn't I read that the Toyota and Nissan factories in Japan are closed? And that Toyota is closing the US plants due to lack of parts? I would be concerned about parts for repairs in about 3 months as the available stock here gets used up. When the factories in Japan start up, those parts will be used for new cars until they have a stockpile. Only then are parts released for repairs. I think it is unfair to not support your current customers, but the money is in selling new cars and that is what they will do. I got a new small/midsize SUV yesterday. We only have to pay for one vehicle (husband has a company car that we are allowed to use for personal use and they pay everthing, we just pay taxes on it at the end of the year), so that opened up lots of options for me. I'm only halfway through the manual. My car has a separate phone number  , with its own minutes, in addition to bluetooth for my cellphone. I got a ramp for the dogs, successful for one of three dogs so far. Serious ramp training begins today. But I really miss my Mustang. We are taking bets on how long before I step on the clutch.... that isn't there. |
| I'm planning to get a Mini this year, too, except I'm going to get the Mini Countryman. It's got 4 doors and is available with all-wheel drive. People call it the maxi-Mini because it's much bigger and a "justa" Mini. It's not as cute as the Mini, but it still looks and (more importantly) drives like a Mini. I'm waiting until the 2012s come out because Mini will offer a bench seat option in the US for the new model year. Right now it only comes with 4 bucket seats here and has an obnoxious center rail system that just won't do for my OES. (The bench seat is available everywhere except North America!) My dogs are older so I need 4 doors for easier access. Plus my dogs like to sniff the breeze from the open windows and I don't think any of the rear windows open in the Clubman. 2012 production will probably (hopefully?!!) begin in July. FWIW, the colors on the Clubman are much nicer than for the Countryman. The Countryman is made at a BMW factory in Germany. The Clubman is made in England. If my dogs were younger, I'd probably think more seriously about the Clubman (and a set of really good snow tires!), but I've got one that's almost 14 yo and two that are 11+ yo, so it's a non-starter. I took my 11 yo girl to the dealer to test the Mini and the Clubman, and it was too difficult for her to squeeze out the front door of either. You might want to check out www.northamericanmotoring.com. It's a forum of Mini fanatics and there's a whole section for Clubman owners, including a thread on photos of dogs in Clubmans -- or is it Clubmen? (Hint -- lots of dog fits in the back of a Clubbie!) There's tons of info about the pros and cons of various options and also links to vendors who specialize in Mini-stuff. Check out Poochstyle seat covers! Sharon |
| Forgot to add that the northamericanmotoring forum has some interesting stuff on reliability for Minis, too. Some of it is disheartening...you might want the extended service warranty if you plan to keep the vehicle indefinitely. I'm not planning to keep my Countryman past the warranty. We just got burned on our Audi A4 -- a couple of things went wrong after the warranty expired and each repair (relatively minor things) cost about $1000 to fix. It's a shame because we took very good care of the car and really liked everything about it. Sharon PS Love the Ice Blue! |
Soon-to-be Mini Owner wrote: I'm waiting until the 2012s come out because Mini will offer a bench seat option in the US for the new model year. Right now it only comes with 4 bucket seats here and has an obnoxious center rail system that just won't do for my OES. (The bench seat is available everywhere except North America!) My dogs are older so I need 4 doors for easier access. Plus my dogs like to sniff the breeze from the open windows and I don't think any of the rear windows open in the Clubman. my husband loved the countryman but I didnt like it because of the center rail thingy - gosh that was annoying and dont see any purpose/function of it.. Smart of you to wait until 2012. If we get a second car- it'd be a countryman. Right now we live in SF, there's only two of us and the sheeps... I've always wanted a wagon- so this was my excuse to own one without looking like a soccer mom when I dont have any kids yet. Soon-to-be Mini Owner wrote: The Countryman is made at a BMW factory in Germany. The Clubman is made in England. If my dogs were younger, I'd probably think more seriously about the Clubman (and a set of really good snow tires!), but I've got one that's almost 14 yo and two that are 11+ yo, so it's a non-starter. I took my 11 yo girl to the dealer to test the Mini and the Clubman, and it was too difficult for her to squeeze out the front door of either. Interesting - ill have to tell jeff this. And your kids probably would have hijacked your clubman. Soon-to-be Mini Owner wrote: You might want to check out http://www.northamericanmotoring.com. It's a forum of Mini fanatics and there's a whole section for Clubman owners, including a thread on photos of dogs in Clubmans -- or is it Clubmen? (Hint -- lots of dog fits in the back of a Clubbie!) There's tons of info about the pros and cons of various options and also links to vendors who specialize in Mini-stuff. Check out Poochstyle seat covers! Sharon Ill have to check it out.. thankks and will post a picture of the sheepies in ours!! |
Soon-to-be Mini Owner wrote: I'm waiting until the 2012s come out because Mini will offer a bench seat option in the US for the new model year. Right now it only comes with 4 bucket seats here and has an obnoxious center rail system that just won't do for my OES. (The bench seat is available everywhere except North America!) My dogs are older so I need 4 doors for easier access. Plus my dogs like to sniff the breeze from the open windows and I don't think any of the rear windows open in the Clubman. my husband loved the countryman but I didnt like it because of the center rail thingy - gosh that was annoying and dont see any purpose/function of it.. Smart of you to wait until 2012. If we get a second car- it'd be a countryman. Right now we live in SF, there's only two of us and the sheeps... I've always wanted a wagon- so this was my excuse to own one without looking like a soccer mom when I dont have any kids yet. Soon-to-be Mini Owner wrote: The Countryman is made at a BMW factory in Germany. The Clubman is made in England. If my dogs were younger, I'd probably think more seriously about the Clubman (and a set of really good snow tires!), but I've got one that's almost 14 yo and two that are 11+ yo, so it's a non-starter. I took my 11 yo girl to the dealer to test the Mini and the Clubman, and it was too difficult for her to squeeze out the front door of either. Interesting - ill have to tell jeff this. And your kids probably would have hijacked your clubman. Soon-to-be Mini Owner wrote: You might want to check out http://www.northamericanmotoring.com. It's a forum of Mini fanatics and there's a whole section for Clubman owners, including a thread on photos of dogs in Clubmans -- or is it Clubmen? (Hint -- lots of dog fits in the back of a Clubbie!) There's tons of info about the pros and cons of various options and also links to vendors who specialize in Mini-stuff. Check out Poochstyle seat covers! Sharon Ill have to check it out.. thankks and will post a picture of the sheepies in ours!! |
| I can't wait to see your kids in the Clubbie! You've got me thinking....I'm so tempted to get a Clubbie. It's cuter and has better fuel efficiency. I really love a few of the colors on the Clubman but don't like any of the ones offered for the Countryman. Ice Blue, White Silver and British Racing Green would be my short-list for a Clubbie. I'm leaning towards Pure Red with a black or red top for the Countryman. I think you'll love your Mini! |
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