One thing you will hear me say over and over and over again, is how I love the Mini. It is just about the most fun you can have on 4 wheels. I don’t want to grow up, I want to be a Toys-R-Us kid. There’s a million Minis at the Mini Dealership that I can play with….. ok, a little paraphrase.
But, as we know, the store is now on the fritz. Closing down all over the country, headed for the end. Time to do things a new way. Unfortunately, I found myself in the same position.
After 8 years and 100,000 miles, my time with my Mini reached an end. My CCDDGG (Commuter Car, Daily Driver, Grocery Getter), my fast little beast, my highly capable road warrior, my 11 foot INSIDE the car ladder transporter, my “IT CAN DO ANYTHING, IT IS A MINI!!!”, it hit that evil line where repairs equal the value of the car. Door dings on every panel, bonnet stripes starting to peel, nicks everywhere from its incessant picking of fights with 100,000lb concrete-hauling dump trucks on the precarious Florida Turnpike, it has been like Scrappy Doo if you fed him human growth hormones and steroids and then 3 pots of highly steeped coffee.
Exotic cars or better, classic/antique cars, or if your car is under full warranty, these are the ONLY three times that when the mechanic says “You gotta drop the tranny”, you let him. Otherwise, dropping the tranny means dropping the vehicle, it becomes the “Mechanic’s Special”. I hit that line harder than a 5 year old hitting candy at 10pm on Halloween. Between the tranny and the A/C, the repair cost matched the current value of the vehicle.
I dropped off the car on a Thursday. Friday, I was hunting for a new car, Saturday, I made the deal. What did I get? Well, let me tell you.
I love Mini…. Did I mention that already? Oops, sorry. Ok, back to moving on. I have been eyeing the Countryman for a while now. Every time I drive it, I like it. Roomy, zippy, enough power for my CCDDGG, I always love having one as a loaner when my car was at its doctor’s office. It was tough getting out of it, but once I got back in my car, gave it a lollipop for being good at the doctor’s office, I felt back to normal. In fact, one of the last times I was at the dealer, I received a brand new turbo! FOR FREE! Ask for a recall check, get a free turbo, and if you buy now, you get free shipping…. Oh, wait, that is for my Sham-Wow chamois’s. Bumped up the car 10hp, I certainly didn’t mind that. I was blazing like a bat outta hell!
However, I was in a bit of a bind. I needed a car now….. as in…. I was actually saying yes to the salesman question “Do you want to buy today?”. Ugh, to say yes to possibly the worst question ever asked of a human being, that stung a bit. However, I persevered, swallowed hard, put on my big boy underwear, and said “Yes”. After the salesman danced a little jig and talked about his now-planned trip to Fiji, we talked cars.
I noticed that the dealer had very few Countryman vehicles on the lot, and most were not the color scheme I wanted. Countryman’s are very popular. If you want one, better special order it. Well, talk about being in a jam. I need a fuel efficient, 4 door vehicle that can handle hauling stuff. I want German for me. BUT WAIT! Here’s a thought. For my repair, the loaner I had just happened to be a BMW X2. Brand new for 2018, BMW’s submission for a rally car. It’s same as the Countryman/X1, but lower, wider, and longer. Driving it, I instantly liked it. Also, just to mention, as I have endured the 2 ½ year “Help My Wife Pick Out A Flipping Car To Buy” torture, one of the cars she test drove was an X2, and out of the 1,492.765 cars she has reviewed, the X2 is #4 (more on that in other articles). So, high marks for sure.
Another point to the X2……for some odd reason, that no one is quite sure of….. “It’s not selling well”. It’s definitely not a bad car, it has great reviews, it has a great stance being low and wide, looks very aggressive. It looks like the rally car it is supposed to be. Now, one could say that because there is the line of BMW utility vehicles of the X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, X10, X15, X234, and X456,723, that the X2 gets lost in the crowd. Maybe so, but this works to my benefit. Extra days on the lot, and end of August time period…… ok, my problem is starting to lighten up a little. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel for me?
Ok, time to pick one out. I had picked two from the online inventory, and as we were looking for them, just so happens that the one with a fiery “Magma Red Rich Corinthian Leather” interior was at the showroom. Let’s see that one…..open the door….HOLY SCHNIKES THAT IS RED!!!! Wow, that is a red interior. Red red red! Thank God the outside is white to wash out some of that. However, red leather is not just seats, but door panels, door handles, center console, and half of the dashboard, with nice stitching. PLUS, power seats, power lumbar with power bolsters that hug me in a way that makes my wife jealous, plus seat memory. Oh yes, leather steering wheel. Mmmmm…..rich Corinthian Leather, R.I.P Ricardo Montalban. It has Ass Warmers…..my wife’s term for it. Most of us just call it “Heated Seats”. What the heck do I need that in South Florida? Oh well, it does get into the 70’s in winter, that is pretty darn cold for us.
Just like Mini, everything inside the car glows. There are LED strips on the dash and all over the doors. Feels like being in a Tron movie, or maybe in a nuclear sub and the Captain just yelled “Chief of the Watch, rig for red”. I’m driving a nuclear sub….. where is my missile key? Sean Connery is in the back seat.
Most things one wants in a car come standard. All the power this and power that items one needs, comes with 6.6” screen that controls all the technology in the vehicle. I even get current event news stories on the screen, and that was before I hooked up my phone. Not sure if I want to read how Trump and Kim Jong Un are having a secret love baby while driving on I95, but if I so choose, I can do it. I do appreciate the newly common feature of power liftgate. Power up and down, and with a little lock button in back, just press with your hands full of groceries and the door comes down and the car locks. Fun!
Mine comes with just one package, the “Convenience Package”. The main piece of this is the touchy feeling door handles. Never touch your key. Just grab the door handle, it unlocks. Then when exiting, just lightly touch the top of the handle, it locks. I didn’t like this feature at first, but now that I have it, by golly it’s neato! Then garage door openers and stuff like that.
So, 488 miles into the car, I am happy. Weathertech floor liners installed, Liquid Glass wax on the body, protective bumper film to be installed in a couple weeks, I am rolling along. Going from my happy little two door pocket rocket to a longer, wider, taller, 4 door, more mature vehicle, I am feeling adulthood slap me in the face. Am I growing up? Perish the thought, oh ruination of the day. However, being built for rally cross, it does have a very nice zig to it. Handles well, suspension is firm but not harsh. Rides on 18” tires with attractive tuner-fork designed rims. LED lights and adaptive foglights, I have great vision and great handling through my wide sloping windshield.
I am adjusting to growing up. Well, until I talk to my neighbors. Once they had kids, they traded in the Corvette and CTS-V for SUV’s. I called them “Adults” and laughed at their maturity, I mocked their maturity. Well, payback is a bitch, and I am due a lot of it. However, being an X2, I don’t have to be THAT old. So, let’s see what happens. Further “Long Term Driving” stories to come.