Maxing out my Mini

About 7 years ago, I broke up with Volvo after a 20+ year relationship. At the time, I was driving a 12 year old wagon that I loved, but was bored with the driving experience. I remember feeling as if I were driving on autopilot. I needed a change and the Mini Countryman that I saw advertised at Keeler was just what I was seeking – only 3 years old with less than 30k miles and at a price I was willing to pay.

Sold!

The Mini was quite a change for me. It was obviously smaller and sportier, but it also came with maintenance demands that were different than those I had grown accustomed to with my Volvos. As I approached 90k on the odometer, the expenses started to add up, even with 4 years without a car payment. After dropping $4200 into the car within 6 months, and facing the cost of a new clutch and the 100,000 mile service in the near future, I decided to take a look around for a new vehicle.

Thanks to the creepiness wonders of social media algorithms, Mini lease opportunities began to populate my feeds. I started to look more closely to what the offers were and honed in on what models might be of interest, abandoning the idea of a new Countryman because of their even beefier size. After vacillating between 2 and 4 doors for a hot minute, I settled on the 4 door version, primarily for Jeter’s comfort.

I headed up to Keeler.

Having the luxury of shopping for a car when:

• You have a strong idea of what you want.
• You know how much you want to spend.
• You don’t need the car immediately.

makes for a reasonably relaxed experience. I had spent a little time in advance of visiting the Mini showroom educating myself on the different lease programs, vehicle models and trying to assess a value of my Countryman. I had some firm numbers in hand walking into the dealer and had already decided that a lease was the right thing for me at this point in my life. As I approach retirement, I want a fixed expense, not the unpredictability of an aging vehicle.

On Monday, I talked with a salesman, took a four door model out for a spin and for the first time in my life, chose the white version of a car to lease. Generally, I don’t care for white cars, but this one with a black roof and black trim, hit differently. It’s cute!

I met with the sales manager and got the monthly number where I wanted it to be <$350. We discussed my trade in and what they could give me on it. As was my experience when I initially purchased my Countryman, the figure was pretty low. At that time, I recall being offered $1250 for a Volvo I eventually sold for $3500. He suggested I follow through with Carvana, an online auto dealer my OG friend, Mary, had recommended I look into, who had offered me $4800 for my Mini.

Then I drove to my Volvo guys (who have taken care of me and my cars, including the Mini, for 27 years) and discussed the deal I was looking at and expressed my sadness that Volvo no longer makes a car that I want at a price I’m willing to pay. I understand that there are people willing to pay $700 or $800 a month for a car payment, but that simply isn’t me.

They understood.

On Tuesday, I began the Carvana process of submitting photos of my vehicle, including odometer, the title, the lien release, and other required documents. There was a request for additional information, which I provided, then I received a new offer from them. Instead of the $4800 they initially offered, they were now willing to pay me $5200 for my car.

On Wednesday, I completed the online process, scheduled an appointment for Thursday afternoon to drop my car off at the Carvana location in Latham, and arranged for Keeler to pick me and bring me to their showroom to finalize my lease.

In complete honesty, I was nervous about the drop off process. While the glove box contained every single service record and transaction for the duration of my ownership of the car, I was worried they would find something to use as a means of renegotiating to a less desirable number. Twenty minutes later, the direct deposit to my credit union was initiated and I was on my way to Keeler.

Keeler knew that Carvana had offered me $4800, and used that figure to place me in the car with no money out of pocket, so to speak. Yes, I understand that I paid $4800 (which included my first month’s payment) from the sale of my car, but it didn’t feel like I was spending any money.

Speaking of my money, maintenance aside, that Countryman cost me $13,000 to drive for 7 years. This lease will cost me about the same amount of money for 39 months, without any maintenance expenses. I’m ok with all of this.

Thursday evening I parked “my” new car in front of my house, feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the gadgets, but excited. While I’m not hyper attached to many material things, a new car certainly can be fun and I think I’m going to enjoy driving this buggy for the next few years.

A couple of hours later, my credit union informed that I had received a large deposit. Carvana had come through in every way. I definitely recommend taking a look at them if you’re considering selling your own vehicle. My two experiences with Keeler have been equally satisfying and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy or lease from them again.

Looking forward to taking my new car on its first road trip to the Cape next week. I may even have the audio display and functions mastered by then – and I’m not going to miss the clutch when I hit the inevitable traffic along the way.

Drive safely, friends. 🙂