On the Hunt: Mini Cooper Convertible

Image source:  Wikimedia

My cousin moved to DC a few weeks ago, and I’m helping her look for a car. She wants a convertible. Her original list consisted of a VW Beetle and Mini Cooper convertible, and a budget of $15k.

Last weekend we went test driving. The Beetle wasn’t very impressive (’05 model). The engine was buzzy and it had bizarre ergonomics. Despite its outward appearance, the driver’s seat is actually quite far back in the car. I kept thinking of a Datsun 240Z for some reason. The dash-to-windshield distance is huge too.

The Mini Cooper (also an ’05 model) on the other hand was pretty whimsical, in a good way. My cousin really liked it and wants to get one.

Good thing she doesn’t need a car and has garage parking for it. The dealer is playing hardball (can’t find any private sellers with automatic Mini convertibles for sale in the area at the moment) on price. But both the dealerships we visited were remarkably low/no pressure. I was tempted to ask where the guy in the plaid jacket was.

The weather hasn’t been cooperating. We have another storm of the century this weekend, and I’m going out of town for about 10 days (9 now due to weather delays). So it might be a few weeks before a car is purchased.