Two weeks ago, we turned in Sam’s Cooper, at the end of its 3-year lease. Despite it being her car and without the bells and whistles of my MINI, I ended up driving it quite a bit. With my MINI’s milage approaching 100k, in the last year I’ve relegated it to commuting only, and drove Sam’s MINI on weekends and for the many weekend trips we had this summer. Though I missed luxuries like Sirius for the long trips and the power of the JCW, the lighter weight and more gear rowing means the base cooper can be just as much fun.
The lease process was mostly transparent and completely uneventful at the end. Weeks before, MINI sent along a fun booklet with general instructions, and the wonderful Ding-A-Ma-Bob disc pictured below. A brilliant piece of clear plastic that helps you evaluate all your “boo boos” and what will be charged for when the car is turned in. MINI sent out an independent inspector to photograph and look over the car a few days before it was turned in. Perhaps thanks to its low milage, Sam’s mini was nearly good as new-not a single door ding after three years. I wish I could say the same for mine! With a clean bill of health, all we had to do was drop it off at MINI of Peabody with just one signature. They’ve now got a perfect candidate for the MINI Next CPO with only 35,000 mi.
As for its replacement, we ended up picking a BMW 128i. We first considered the Audi A3, but we were just too spoiled with MINI’s handling. Second we went for a Cooper S Clubman, but both agreed we were very disappointed in the new generation’s clutch and engine, not to mention the slab plastic center stack and high price. The 1-series test drive was much like my first MINI test drive: sold at the first corner. This time we were sure to get a few more entertainment options for those long trips, but it still came in at a cheaper price than the A3 or the Clubman! More on the 1 later.