Josh Wardell’s MINI Cooper S

One year ago today, I received my MINI. It seems almost unbelievable that it’s been that long, as it often still feels like I just got it; the excitement is still as strong as ever. Looking at the accomplishments, in one year my MINI has had more experiences than most cars have a lifetime; MINI events, competitive motoring events, an accident, and a ton of new friends made.

Let’s rewind the clock a bit. I previously owned a Ford Focus. I was not much into cars when I bought it, but a combination of its great suspension for the price, along with a great online community quickly got be interested and modding things in ways to improve it. I created a web site with guides for others to follow which quickly became popular. After paying off the car, I by no means needed a new car but the desire grew to move things up a few notches. I really enjoyed autocrossing and loved the styling of the MINI, and frequent visits to miniusa.com‘s excellent build-your own site I constantly had my favorite MINI specced out and growing on me.

I didn’t seriously consider buying a new car till the beginning of 2004, and honestly a big reason was simply because almost everyone I knew was buying great new cars. Still without much intention to buy, I made the mistake of taking a test drive just for fun. We all know at that point it’s all over. Within one week, my order was placed! In addition to my impatience, impending exterior changes to 2005 models drove me to place the order immediately to avoid them. I followed what seemed like an infinite number of recommendations and went to MINI of Peabody.

I was so tired of having a silver car, which in my eyes never stood out, never looked dirty but never looked clean either. My next car was going to be black no matter what it was, after already knowing the power of Zaino I knew it would look its best as often as possible. The MINI works great with the black-and-white theme and that is what I went with. I’m a big fan of a ton of power out of a small engine (having your cake and eating it too), and after reading the first review of the JCW kit I knew all along it was exactly what I wanted. Being a gadgetholic I naturally ordered the comfort and premium packages. I did not get the sport pack only because I wanted 16-inch rims to deal with the Boston potholes, and DSC was added separately.

While friends had blindly ordered their cars and waited months with nothing but vague statements from their salesman, I went through MINI’s industry-leading ordering process. Calling every day for the nine days of production, tracking the MINI for nine days across the ocean, then a quick trip to the dealership where it spent a few days with installs…as we know it is one of the most suspenseful times there is! But 41 days after ordering, on June 15, 2004, I was finally driving away in my own MINI!

Just in time, too–three days later was the biggest event of the year: MINIsOnTop. What a way to introduce a MINI to the world, among 161 of its fellow family members. Although not exactly what is recommended in the MINI Owner’s Guide, apparently ascending a 5,000-foot mountain is perfect for break-in, that tank mysteriously remains the best milage I’ve ever had. Ironically, here I am a year later, again looking forward to MINIsOnTop 2005 in three more days.

A significant part of my MINI experience is the wonderful community. I joined MINI2 well before ordering to do research. In addition to great info I found my local New England members to be the closest-knit community I’ve every seen on an online car forum. They’ve formed several local MINI events, and I’ve made a number of great friends. I’ve attended as many MINI events as possible, yet there were so many there were plenty that I had to miss. Large or small, they make a great day of fun driving, discovering new areas, and meeting new people. I would encourage everyone to introduce themselves, if nothing else the online community is a priceless resource.

As you know this website is an important part of my experience. Like my Focus page, its main purpose is to document the specs and mods of my MINI. Most of the time I try to also write up how-to guides so others can do things on their own as well. Just a few months ago I switched to the blog format and I think it has been going well; it allows me to not only document modifications but the many more experiences of MINI ownership.

It’s great to be at the one-year point, and at the beginning of the summer, where activity picks up again. My weekends are very busy now that MINI events are being planned. Once a month, I also join with the Boston BMWCCA chapter and autocross. It’s an extremely fun and safe way to take your car to its limits and beyond, and hone your driving skills in the process. The MINI is just made for it, you’d be surprised to see the cars it embarrasses out there!

In one year I have had almost no problems with the car at all. It was my own fault back in November when I fell asleep and hit a guardrail. Because of it I learned first hand just how cheap BMW parts are compared to other brands, and made sure I did some of the repairs myself. The rest was expertly taken care of by Julian at Sublime who returned the car to me in better than new shape. The only warranty issue I’ve had with the MINI was my HK amp failing in extremely cold temperatures, and easily solved with a replacement. I can’t even complain about quirks, I still love everything about it. It sure helps to know that when making the car payment each month!

So here I am, a year down the line from a very exciting day, and I can honestly say that excitement has not worn off one bit! I even still look forward to my daily commutes to and from work…how can you put a price on that? My MINI mods and adventures have no end in sight, either. So stay tuned for Year 2!