In Part 1 of this 2-part series, I chronicled my ownership of a family-owned 1992 BMW 525i, including it ups and downs. Click here for Part 1. In this part, I’ll be going through the replacement process, from narrowing down the literally hundreds of choices, to finding the car I wanted. Continue reading for Part 2.
Part 2: Replacement
I set about the internet, looking for a used car in the $15,000 price range, with a few requirements that must be met. In order from most important to least, they were; that it be fun to drive, fuel efficient, comfortable. While all of these are subjective, I’ll try to explain my definitions of each. The fun-to-drive quotient of the car means that it handles well, has a manual transmission, and is at least peppy. I like cars that are fun to drive quickly, if even at legal speeds. No need to get above 100mph before having fun! The fuel efficiency requirement would be easy to meet too, considering my current daily driver Ford F-150. It gets about 16mpg average, so I was shooting for upper 20s with the new one. The final “comfort” requirement meant that it needed a back seat for my dog, and be equipped with Bluetooth, a nice stereo, and heated seats. A sunroof would be nice, but not required.
These requirements helped narrow down my search. Six and eight-cylinder engines wouldn’t meet my fuel efficiency goal, so that left 4-cylinder engines. In that arena, though, the first ones to come to mind are the Mazda Mazda3, Ford Focus ST and Fiesta ST, Mini Cooper S. I have test-driven Mazda Miatas and found them cramped, so that was out. I really didn’t want to go too small or too new, since I’d need at least a small back seat for my dog to ride on (he refuses to ride up front – I’ve tried). I had test driven the 2013 Ford Focus ST, and wasn’t really sold on it. While it had plenty of power, and was fairly fun to drive, the shifter was only so-so (a little rubbery), the seats were uncomfortable for me (too narrow for my medium-wide frame), and the seating position was a little off. Meanwhile, I had read great things about the Fiesta ST, but with it just coming on sale and having an MSRP in the low-to-mid $20k range, it was out – although I still want to drive one! (If you have a Fiesta ST, and are willing to let me have a go in it, contact me!) My wife and I also test drove a Mazda3, and liked it, but this being a toy car, I could forego the Mazda’s roomy-for-a-small-car hatch area. I’d rather sacrifice space for more handling prowess. A friend of mine recently commented that he really liked my vehicular setup: My Ford F-150 and the new replacement for the 92 BMW. He remarked that there’s almost no overlap, beyond both vehicles having four wheels, seats, and a steering wheel. They’re both purpose-built, and that’s great.
This brings us back to the Mini. Requiring a back seat and great handling meant I was limiting myself to the Cooper, Clubman, and Cooper Convertible models. I started out test-driving a 2013 Mini Cooper S convertible, after a friend of mine had purchased a Mini Coupe and was raving about it. Put simply, it was a blast to drive. From a suspension that allows the car to punch above its weight class (welterweight, at under 3,000lbs), to a peppy 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine, and the silky-smooth 6-speed manual transmission, the car was well thought-out. Being a BMW, certain things are expected, namely it being a driver’s car. More so than recent BMWs that I’ve driven, I can say that the Mini IS a driver’s car, even being front-wheel drive. A recent report states that BMW will even begin using the updated 2015 Mini chassis to underpin its upcoming 1-Series redesign, so that’s saying something. The only thing I didn’t like at the time, was the price. $35,000 and change for a well-equipped convertible Mini seemed a little steep.
Now I had my sights set on a well-kept used Mini Cooper S. During my search in early 2014, I was perusing Craigslist and the other aforementioned web sites (see Part 1), looking at used Minis. I had seen a few, but shady private sellers tainted the waters for me with regards to what were probably stand-up ones – one Craigslist seller buried the words “branded title” in his ALL CAPS AD, hiding the fact that his car had a salvage title. This narrowed my focus to dealers, and although I was willing to travel hundreds of miles for the perfect deal, I wasn’t finding the cars outside the DC area all that much cheaper. While I was ready to tow a new car home behind my truck, it just wasn’t looking to be worth it. I also know that replacement parts for Minis are expensive, and if you’re not getting a fantastic deal, or you’re not a mechanic yourself, it’s usually a better bet overall to buy a car at a dealership, especially one that sells the particular make and model you’re searching for. The dealership’s technicians are trained by the manufacturer to use their tools and parts, on their cars. So when you’re buying from a dealer, it usually comes with the peace of mind that the guys and gals who serviced it (most recently, at least) work on them all day, so they know what to look for.
The first local used Mini I test drove was a convertible, and it was a 2009 Cooper S with only a shade over 18,000 miles on it. On paper, it appeared to be a great deal. The first thing I noticed on the test drive was the clutch – it was worn out, and would need replacement immediately. That explained the lower-than-usual asking price, but the dealer was unwilling to negotiate further or put a clutch in it, so I walked away. Who wants to buy a car – new or used – just to put thousands (a local shop quoted me $1,000 or $2,000, depending on the flywheel in the car) in repairs into it? I mean, the clutch was so bad that at 3-4,000 RPMs, if you punched the throttle, the clutch would slip and whine, definitely signs of needing replacement. The dealership stated that if the car weren’t sold in 10 days, it would be headed to an auction house. Their preference of dealing with the auction house instead of a customer sitting in their showroom, really bodes poorly for a new dealership only blocks from my house.
Back to the drawing board, I re-checked my Mini listings within a 500-mile radius of my house, and came right back to Mini of Montgomery County. They are less than 10 miles away, and have an ever-changing array of Minis to choose from. I picked out two from their online listings, a 2009 Cooper S and a 2010 Cooper S. Both were Pepper White, manual transmissions. The differences were that the 2009 had 38k miles on it and the base stereo, while the 2010 had 27k miles and the Harmon/Kardon stereo.
So, I took the missus to the dealership, since she hadn’t even sat in one, and we took the 2009 for a drive. Its clutch was showing slight wear, nowhere near requiring replacement, and the paint was darned-near perfect. The wheels, however, were another story. The previous owner had scraped them all against curbs at some point, and wheel bearings are expensive and easily damaged by this activity. Having shown my wife the car, I was ready to go, but she insisted we at least sit in the 2010. It was immediately apparent that the Harmon/Kardon sound system was worth the added cost, and we decided to take it for a spin. Half an hour later, we began negotiating.
If you haven’t read up on how I approach car buying, check here. It’s one of the first blog posts I ever made, and should help you out in your own purchases. The quick-and-dirty is that I do my research, come up with an all-inclusive dollar figure I’m happy paying for a specific car, and find a dealer willing to meet that number. The first one to do so, without trying to hard sell me on other stuff, gets my business.
The negotiations were quick, as I already had an out-the-door dollar figure in mind, and they were willing to meet it, so we were off to the races. Not too long after that, we were on the road in our new-to-us 2010 Mini Cooper S. The first inklings that this would be a true replacement for the 1992 BMW 525i occurred on the drive home. The passenger-side headlight was aimed improperly. It being Saturday night, and the dealership closed on Sundays, Monday afternoon would be my first chance to have them take a look at it. So I drove it during the daylight on Sunday and took my truck to work Monday (the weather forecasters were calling for snow – we got a wet wintry mix).
When I went to start the Mini on Monday, it wouldn’t. The battery was dead. Well, that’s Issue #2, and we’re two days into ownership. Uh-oh. I got the car jump-started, and drove it to the dealership, where a diagnosis was made of a broken headlamp assembly. They wanted to keep the car overnight, so as to check the battery. A loaner Mini Countryman was procured, and we were on our way – again. The next day I was called and told that the headlight assembly and battery were both replaced, at zero cost to me – now that’s customer service! Granted, the headlight thing is part of Maryland’s Safety Inspection, and thus should’ve never been a problem, but Mini of Montgomery County took good care of me and my car, and for that their customer service gets high marks.
And there you have it – the old 1992 BMW 525i is gone, and in its place, a 2010 Mini Cooper S. Fun times are ahead, as I’m already enjoying the car’s features and looking forward to upgrading its looks and sound. The hood looks barren with no stripes, and it could sure use satellite radio.
by John Suit