Questions about MIni Cooper?

I am considering a 2011 Mini Cooper Countryman as my first car and I have some questions:





1. Does it run on premium only?


2. How long does it take from the time you place your order to the time it is ready to be picked up at the dealership?


3. Should the extended care plan be purchased later on?


4. How does it compare to other cars you've driven?


5. Is it worth the price?





Thanks for taking the time to answer :)|||To answer your questions:





1. It doesn’t run on premium only but premium is the recommended fuel by the manufacturer and will get you the best MPG figure. In my opinion it’s not worth buying cheaper fuel since you’ll use more plus risk to damage the engine.


2. If you order a custom MINI it can take anywhere from four to six weeks to be built, shipped over the ocean, delivered to the dealer and prepared for pick-up. If you buy a car that the dealer has on the lot you can take it home a day or two after.


3. You can purchase the extended care plan at any time as long you are covered under the standard 3 year/36k miles maintenance plan. You don’t have to buy it right away and most people are tempted once they realized how nice it is to take your MINI to get it serviced and don’t have to pay anything. Since the dealer is reimbursed by MINI USA they tend to throw in a lot of stuff. At least my dealer treats my car better than I would if I had to pay for it every time (I do realize that I’m paying for it upfront though :-))


4. The MINI Cooper Countryman drives and looks like a MINI (interior + exterior) but it’s honestly not the quickest, most sporty MINI out there… which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I own a Cooper S Hardtop which I love. I’ve driven the Countryman Cooper, Countryman Cooper S and Countryman Cooper S ALL4 and would personally buy either the Cooper S or the Cooper S ALL4… but that’s probably because I have a sporty driving style. Every time I get to drive a different car and come back to my MINI I realize how spoiled I am. It’s the only car I’ve driven that makes it fun to go from A to B … or take an extra detour just for the fun of it.


5. MINI’s are small premium cars and hard to compare against other cars out there. They are loaded with technology inside and out, which you can’t find on other small cars. In my mind it’s worth the money since MINI’s have very low operating costs and high resale value. You can compare total cost to own a car on Edmunds.com, which they call “True Cost to Own”. While the MINI is more expensive up front, it’s cheaper in the long run due to good gas mileage, zero maintenance costs and high resale value… and the fun you’ll have with the car can’t be quantified.





From the above you probably realized that I’m a MINI fan. However, let me be clear that a MINI is not a perfect car for everyone but an amazing car for a few of us. It will still be too small, too expensive, too stylish/different for most, which just makes it more unique in my mind.