“Where to?” She said.
“I don’t know. San Diego, maybe.” That’s about 2000 km from Vancouver Canada.
“Would you take the truck?” She asked,
“I could.”
“We couldn’t go in the Miata. Now that Gilbert’s blind and has a sore back, he’d not be able to travel that far on my lap’”
I’d thought about that. The new Ford F-350 truck is for hunting and hauling. It’s for carrying my Honda Pioneer ATV and towing my Fifth Wheel Fuzion toy hauler. lt’s a cowboy Cadillac ride but heavy driving and not the best gas mileage. Okay if it’s doing it’s job but this would be purely for play.
I wanted to go to sunshine. It’s a hard winter in Vancouver with the constant darkness, cold and rain. I’d thought of flying to Mexico but with Gilbert now blind and having a sore back I didn’t think that a good idea. The Miata would be a great road trip ride but I didn’t want to choose between Laura and Gilbert:) Better to consider a different car.
I sure could use a back seat. I’d like more storage room. Laura and I had enough room in the Miata for a carryon flight suitcase each. But if we wanted to buy anything there wasn’t any room. Good for a weekend trip. But not really suitable for much longer. My brother and sister in law had driven the Miata down the California coast, loved the convertible and loved the ride but bemoaned the lack of storage. I’ve got a Harley for the joy of a ride. I don’t really need the convertible.
Everyone I know likes the Mini. Laura had one in her youth. Even carried her St. Bernard in it. My motorcycling friend Dave had had one, said it was a whole lot of fun to drive. I need something for the city. Something for commuting and something I can park. I’d like something I could take more gear, maybe for more than a weekend trip. Maybe camping. Gilbert needs his own seat.
Mini Canada has a great site. I looked at all the machines. Then I emailed Langley and Yaletown , the dealers nearby, saying I needed a sun roof, roof rack, didn’t need all wheel drive but did need blue tooth for my phone. Other than that I wanted to know if it parked as easy as a Miata.
I didn’t hear from Langley but Kevin Smith from Yaletown got right back to me. Said he had a show room full of Mini’s and would be glad to show me around. Kevin was great fun. Obvious he loved the Mini and loved his work. Warm, kind, hard working guy.
Right off he showed me a great selection of Country Mini’s and Coopers, helping me narrow my choices down based on my comments. We zoned right in on exactly what I was looking for. There really is a wide selection, some of the Mini selection being quite a bit bigger than I imagine. I wanted small and maneuverable. That’s the Cooper.
While I looked at Mini’s with Kevin someone else from Yaletown was checking out my Miata for resale potential.
What utterly astonished me was the amount of storage in all of the Mini’s. My Miata is mostly engine. I’m going to miss the convertible but the Mini Panoramic Sun Roof is truly a treat. The Ford Sun Roof was a selling feature on my F350 truck too. Having a dog I need to vent the hot air. Being a motorcyclist I don’t get that caged feeling if a vehicle has a sun roof. The Mini sun roof is amazing.
I loved the interior to, really comfortable bucket seating. Lots of design consideration. BMW. Heavy duty construction. Nothing tinny about it. Solid. I loved the workmanship and little thoughtful design touches everywhere. You just have to swing the door to know that it’s the real deal. There’s a whole lot of visibility too. I liked the mirrors.
I scheduled a test drive. I’d considered the Soul and Fiat. All the other cars except Laura’s Smart car were a bigger class. I liked the Mini. Always thought it was fine looking car. Several friends over the year told me they thought I’d like it. In the modern city bigger cars just are too big getting around and parking. Vancouver has lost all it’s roads to bike lanes and construction too. My truck is simply too big for getting around and for underground parking.
Laura met me at Yaletown Mini. Kevin was there waiting with a Mini parked outside. It was a rare sunny day. Lots of traffic. I’d thought we were going with one of the blue Minis. I’d told Kevin, I thought just in passing, my favourite colour was British Racing Green. They’d not had one out in the show room. He’d taken the time to find one in inventory and brought it out. It didn’t have the roof rack but they could have that installed. The British Racing Green with black top is elegant. I loved the drive, right from the get go. Heated seats. Like my Ford there was a sensor system for backing up. All the electronics with blue tooth were light years ahead of the 2011 Miata. I love the electronic features in new cars and trucks. I”m a Trekkie. I loved the space age touches.
The drive was delightful. I pulled a u turn in the middle of the street, barely legal and a surprise to Kevin and Laura. That’s what I wanted to see. Could I make such a tight turn fast enough because that’s what I’ve been doing in the Miata city driving in Vancouver. Sure enough it did the turn like a charm. Not one honk from behind. It maneuvered perfectly in rush hour traffic then parked on a dime. I was impressed. I was sold.
Back at the dealer Laura was beaming.
“Do you like it?” I asked.
“I love it.” She said.
“Would you consider a road trip in a Mini?”
“Absolutely. Gilbert would have his own seat.It’s so comfortable you could drive for days.”
Kevin showed me the figures with trade in. I’d have like a couple more thousand for the Miata but I was glad to pay for the convenience. I love trading in at dealers, not having the hassle of private sales. After my work day, the last thing I want to do is meet with strangers in the evening. Kevin put together a good, reasonable package and didn’t hustle. I like that. He made the whole experience pleasant.
Bo in finance completed the paper work with us. I had the extra cost in my savings account having put aside money monthly this year just for such an eventuality. Scotia bank at the end of the block cut me a bank draft for the difference.
The long slow part was wading through the ICBC insurance process. The smart young man made that go as quickly as possible. Kevin was kind enough to get me a coffee.
Laura said, “Gilbert’s going to be so happy with his new wheels. He’s just glad to go with you. I’m glad too. The Miata was a whole lot of fun and the Mini is going to be too.”
I really think about my life in terms of the vehicles I’ve had over the years. A whole new chapter was opening.
“We could put his blanket with his smell on it and a couple of his toys . Then he’ll know this new car is his car right away,” she mused.
Next I knew Kevin was taking me out and handing me the keys to the beautiful little machine. I shook hands and thanked him, seriously.
My Mini Cooper S really looked beautiful. I remembered then British Racing Green was the colour of a car we had when I was small. Laura was pleased. I had to drive her across town to where she’d parked her red smart car. It was fun drive. The Mini has a whole lot of great pick up. Spunky little car. Brakes well too.
After I dropped Laura off I got out the book and learned somethings about the Center display. So much information on the car, like a regular computer console. I set up blue tooth with my iphone. The first song that played then in the car was Amy Grant’s “Holy Holy Holy” Good omen.
That night I drove around trying it out on the freeway. The Miata hugged the road better at high speeds. The Mini performed pretty good. Comfortable ride. I know I’m going to miss the convertible top coming down but I loved the Panoramic Sun Roof.
Today I’ve been driving around some more in it and enjoy zipping in and out. It parks so easily. I brought Gilbert along. He climbed inside curious. Then he walked from back to front and sniffed everywhere. At first he settled in in the back seat but not for long. Pretty soon his little tail wagging he climbed into the front and sat down in his front passenger seat to enjoy the ride. Laura did say she liked the back seat too.
The best part is everyone likes my Mini Cooper.
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1 comment:
pretty fancy wheels!!!
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