Delivery Stories

2022 Mini Cooper SE - Part 1

After about seven months of watching through the windows, I am happy to finally be on the inside of a Mini SE! The purchase yesterday had a couple of small hiccups, but nothing major.

My wife and I arrived, and our salesman handed me the key and said ‘come back whenever’. So we drove the car for a while and pulled into my office parking lot (which was empty) to make sure all of my ordered options were installed. They were. He even threw on some Mini logo tire stem caps, which look good.

We returned to the dealer and processed paperwork. The Mini dealer is going through some changes. They are in the middle of merging the Mini side into the BMW building next door while an Echo Park dealer is moving into the Mini building. The finance office is in the BMW building. My salesman encouraged us to check out the car some more while he went to the other building to finalize all of the loan documents. He was gone for 45 minutes. He said their systems have been up and down recently, causing delays.

So we checked out the car some more, which was a good move. I flipped down the back seats to show my wife the cargo area, and the plastic trim piece around the seat latch hole fell off the side of the seat!

My salesman returned and said “well, after your paperwork printed, our finance person quit and walked out”. Thankfully, the quitting appeared to not be directly related to our purchase! But it was slowing everything down. I showed him the fugitive plastic trim and he was able to get a service guy out to fix it immediately. He then put a dealer tag on the back of the car and said “come back in a few hours and I’ll have your temp tag and all paperwork finalized”.

For the long wait on the sales process (we were there two hours the first round) - they threw in a $1,000 ding protection policy. He said the main thing the policy will cover is the wheels if they get curbed. He has seen that happen a lot. He said I was one of the most patient, involved and enthusiastic customers he has had (in a good way), and that he hoped I would keep him up to date on any breaking news from the forum. He really took care of us and wanted us to have a good experience, which we did. I highly recommend Century Mini.

Several people asked about my Mini as we waited, and my salesman said that most people who came to the dealer the past few days were interested in learning more about my Cooper with the yellow badging and blacked out trim from the factory. Mine is the first 2022 SE in the upstate of SC. So I need to drive it around a lot and show it off!

Here are some glamour shots I took this afternoon.

 

2022 Mini Cooper SE - Part 2

Interior shots will be a future post.

 

I noticed that, as well. I like that it is more readable. Weekend total miles = 176.

 

I really like those photos and am peeved that I won't get my SE for another week, it seems, and I won't get it with the Bonnet Stripes at all. Dealer has basically advised that I get the Bonnet Stripes installed at another place, since his dealership would charge too much to do it. He said that they aren't even being produced yet by MINI since the 2022 bonnet is apparently different than the 2021.

Curious, GvilleGuy... did you dealer say anything about how he sourced those beautiful stripes?

 

Got our baby last Monday and put 384 awesome miles on her so far. It’s been great. We are averaging 3.7 miles/kw.

I have 2 teenage kids, one already driving, and I asked at dinner last night did anyone think we’d own an EV so soon and did anyone think we would love it sooo much? Clearly no on both counts. But wow is the Mini great !!!

As I mentioned in the other chat I am still waiting for the black bonnet stripes. The car came with Black Jack mirrors caps and we wanted the Night Jacks so I bought them from the dealer but after putting them on we swapped back the Black Jacks.



Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs

 

The only way Mini will warranty the stripes is if they are specifically for the model year of the car. Makes zero senses since the hood is literally the same but that is what MiniUSA told me.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs

 

I've been shopping for just the right stripes, and there are lots of options and do-it-yourself options available. I've seen stripes as low as $50 for a pair. At that price I'd be willing to go for it. I've even watched YouTube videos on installing them yourself, even though I know that's not for everyone (including me, probably).

As long as the stripes get put on right with no bubbles, once they dry they're pretty durable. I speak from owning a few MINIs with both factory and 3rd-party stripes.

 

Nope. And I was wondering if the 2022 stripes would be different. But these seem to fit fine.

 

So the Black Jacks are the lighter "grey" version in these photos? They look great.

 

I agree, I love that badge on the front @GvilleGuy Your car looks wonderful! Enjoy driving!

@mikeg0305 the red with the black looks great as well!

I'm shocked to hear about the bonnet being different. I'd love to see them side by side to see if they are different or not. I too would be shocked if that aspect was changed.

 

I’m also curious for a detail shot of the Night Jacks, since that’s what I ordered. I am hoping I’ll know the difference when I go to pick up my car, in case the factory makes the same mistake.

 

This is exactly what bothers me about not having them available at port, and my dealer not working with MINI on the cost to install at a warranted location. He had quoted $150 to add them at port. That’s a no brainer. Now I’m looking at an unwarranted installation or paying some unreasonable amount to have the dealers install them.

 

Today, I will pick up my first electric car, my first Mini.

Funny coincidence: I test drove a Mini Cooper in 2003, but didn’t buy one then.

The car I did buy was an Acura RSX. By 2017, I started to make a list of cars to consider when replacing it. The Acura was sporty and fun, and I wanted to replace it with something not physically longer than that (longer would make our garage too tight, as the two cars are first in, last out).

My list started with PHEVs, but rapidly started to include BEVs. I read every article I could find, tons of lists of “all the electric cars,” and my list grew.

But nothing on the list excited me.

2018, the year I planned to replace my Acura, came and went while I waited for more BEV options. The PHEV options did not expand, but BEVs did. When 2019 arrived, so did news of the MINI SE. I read everything I could about it. I decided I could wait for it.

When March of 2020 arrived, the Mini wasn’t in dealerships' hands. I figured I could test drive a few others on my list. We drove the eGolf and a not-new i3. Then, Shelter-in-place began.

In May, there was some confidence about how to safely do a test drive, and by then, a couple of dealers had an SE for test drives! (I had been quite irked to be told previously to just order one and I could test drive it before I bought it.) After the test drive (loved it), we walked next door to the BMW dealership and re-test drove an i3. That evening, we decided to buy the Mini.

But... why buy? The pandemic had severely curtailed our driving. There was no sign of when life would be back to normal. So I started waiting again.

By December, I was ready to order. I had understood it could take 3-6 months to get one, and I figured I was in no rush anyway, given the state of the pandemic. I negotiated with several dealers and managed a discount. I made my deposit in late December.

The 2022s were announced early! I was in love with the Island Blue, but unwilling to sacrifice the leather seats for it. But we did switch the 2021 for a 2022. Newer tech and an improved front end were enough to delay receiving the car for two more months of pandemic driving habits.

It went into production. Then waited on the dock. Then and in terminable 24 days at sea. Then waited at the port in California. Then up to my dealer a handful of days later. Then prepped. And now, ready.

I will admit that I got a bit crazy the closer we got to this day, but here we go!

 

Drove into the lot... saw it pretty quick!

 

Looks fantastic!

 

YES! Congratulations! It looks fantastic. Love the Union Jack mirror covers. If you think of it later, report back if those covers work with the Mini projector.

 

Can some one tell me why the spreadsheet has been updated with delivery port of PHMPOA - Oxnard, CA for my car and the other one listed for Colorado. Are we that far west that they send them to the west coast and I'm going to have to wait for it to go thru the Panama Canal? Hope not.