It's always the same, isn't it? At the start things can't go quickly enough. You nervously shift your weight from one foot to the other, waiting impatiently until the bothersome formalities have been taken care of just so the dealer can finally do it - give you that coveted and long-awaited key. Then you only hear "drive carefully" way in the back of your head, because it's finally time. There it is, our MINI. Now it's time to unlock the car, open the door, get in, adjust the seat position, briefly pause, experience joy, buckle up, check briefly the mirrors you've just adjusted, insert the key in the ignition, start the engine, engage the gear and roll off. The "mile-eating" can begin, because regardless of whether it's a new or a used MINI, for the first time it's all your own, and now the identity of your very mobile self. It's part of your life—part of a car life.
But wait. How long does a car life actually last? 30,000 miles, 60,000 miles or even 120,000 miles? And in what amount of time can these distances be covered? In three, seven, or even 10 or more years? These are questions that some MINI owners might not have ask themselves when buying their Hatch, Clubman, Convertible, Countryman, Coupé or Roadster. And why would they? After all, it's ultimately a matter of collecting as many miles of entertainment as possible in order to experience as much as possible with your MINI.
And that's also how our friend Michi saw it. When he picked up his brand new MINI Cooper S at the dealer in the summer of 2002, the young man from Switzerland would have hardly believed it possible that it would be just under 10 years and no less than 162,263 miles before he would pass on his dream car to a new MINI enthusiast. Of course, the MINI fan from Winterthur experienced a lot in this time with his Electric Blue Cooper S—far too much in fact to describe all the details here. But fortunately, our Michi is a true Swiss citizen and they are, of course, said to possess a certain degree of meticulousness. It therefore came as no surprise that our Michi was able to present very special statistics on his mile-eater, which both amazed us and on more than one occasion elicited a grin. But read for yourself.
- Countries traveled: Switzerland, Italy, France, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands.
- Pit stops for fuel: 469
- Tire wear: 12 sets
- Changed to winter tires: 8x
- Changed to summer tires: 7x
- Trips to the bakery for weekend breakfasts: 632
- Parking in front of the supermarket: 567
- Police inspections: 4
- Speed limit exceeded unpunished: countless
- Speed limit exceeded punished: 3
- Killed insects: 6,201,557
- Times slept in the MINI: 3
- Scraped ice from the windows: 125 frosty mornings
- Waved to another MINI: 5,641
- Moved with the MINI: twice
Of course, it was painful for Michi when he sold his MINI to another pair of good hands at the beginning of 2010, but he remained true to his favorite brand and has already clocked over 50,000 miles on the odometer of his new companion. However, what's left of his beloved mile-eater are the many memories he collected together with the miles in the MINI. Whether they are good or bad memories, only Michi knows. But one thing is clear: For most of us, a MINI is not just a car, but much, much more. And that's why you should tell us your story. We're looking forward to hearing it. What kind of miles have you eaten with your MINI?
*Source: MINI Space
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