I'm just gonna come right out & say it: I have an unhealthy attachment to my car. Just so you're not surprised, I refer to my car as "her", "she", and by her name: Ruffian. Yes, I named my car. Hey, I warned you about this two sentences ago.
I brought her home on Sept. 25, 2010. She, Ruffian, is a 2006 MINI Cooper S. 6-speed manual transmission. British Racing Green with white mirrors & roof. She is as almost as decked-out as you can order a MINI, she is special, and she is mine. Here she is:
The above photo is Ruffian's current state. Below is a photo taken by Boca Ciega Bay on the day I brought her home.
The only real difference is that I removed the factory bonnet stripes, and had some custom stripes installed on the bonnet & boot. That's hood and trunk, respectively, for the uninitiated. Speaking of which...the MINI (for those who don't know) is a hybrid of German & British engineering. The interior & exterior style belie the English roots of the original MINI, and the current cars (or at least mine) are assembled in Oxford, England. But as MINI is now owned by BMW, some of the mechanical workings & inner components are German. A word of advice: don't ever try to convince a MINI owner that their car is German, you'll be causing offense (or "offence").
Anyway, this car is my dream car (or one of 'em), and that somewhat fuels my attachment. See, like many other people, I daydream about winning the lottery. Ever since I saw MINI Coopers reappear stateside back in '02 or so, I wanted one. So I thought, as I sometimes do, if I hit the big money, what would I do, what would I buy? Yeah, Ferrari is at the top of the list, but I thought "my family would think I'm way over-the-top" if I ever bought an F-car, even if I could afford one. And shit, as a daily driver? Fun, but not wholly practical, and I'd be so worried about dings & getting keyed I think some of the thrill would actually be paranoia. And let's be real, the odds of winning the lottery are like the odds of finding a reasonable, sane , Republican. So, figuring what kinda income I'll have & what my expenses & priorities are, I figured that a MINI Cooper would be a realistic dream car, something I'd have a decent shot at actually owning some day.
My car is used, which means that someone else took the hit of depreciation. My baby had <30,000 miles when I brought her home, so with an average of 7500 miles/year, she's been gently owned. I had initial plans to buy new, and get a long-term loan (5 yrs), and spec out a modest new car.
A family member suggested I think about a used car, which did - and does - make a lot of sense in so many ways. So I started looking, and voila, found this beauty over in Brandon. On the surface, from what I learned via the online add, this car was all I was looking for, and then some. She's an S, which means this baby has a supercharged engine. She has the MINI sport package (better suspension, fog lights) and the premium package (sunroof & some other goodies), and a convenience package (integrated universal garage door opener, rain-sensing wipers, auto-on headlights), and special order wheels. She also has a two-tone leather interior, Xenon headlights, and an iPod adapter (factory). Ordering my own car, I could never have afforded leather, the third package, nor the iPod adapter. But buying used, I got all I had hoped for, and much much more. My first thoughts were to get a black car, but BRG (Brit. Racing Grn) was in my top 3 of favorite colors. The BRG is just a perfect color for a MINI, given the nationality & racing heritage, a properly spec'd car inside & out. So you can see why I think this car is my dream car.
In addition, Ruffian is an R53: the "first gen" build of the S, which ran from '02 - '06. This being said, I have a supercharger instead of a turbo charger, and I have a lovely burbling, rumbling exhaust note when I decelerate. I also hear the fantastic whine of the SC when it spools up around 3000 RPMs. This car is an auditory and visual delight. And then you drive the fucking thing.
See, the common first reaction to a MINI is "gee, isn't that a cute car?!", or some use the adjective "adorable". While the styling is unique, and very pleasing to my eye, I'll cede that it does have elements of the other two descriptors. But don't be fooled, this car is a beast. Auto reviewers say it has go-kart handling, and it sure does. This car corners as if it rides on rails. And the take-off of this car is impressive. I don't condone reckless driving, and excessive speeds should really be limited to a track or closed course, but I'll admit I have hit triple digit speeds in my MINI, just to see how it would feel, how she'd handle it. Well, the results were 1) rock solid and 2) famously well. This car is just stuck to the road (hence its popularity in autocross). But it also has plenty of giddyup.
I learned this as I brought the car home. I endured ten minutes of suburban driving to leave the dealership & get outta Brandon, hitting the interstate thereafter. I took I-4 north to 75 west to 275 south to get home - a nice stretch of higher speed driving. As I hit the on ramp I accelerated & shifted through the gears: 3rd, 4th, 5th, just waiting for some indication that the car was happy at a certain speed. But nope, she just kept pulling, and pulling, and pulling. MINIs have a great top end, and the torque exists throughout a wide range of RPMs. Shit, they really start to come alive, and the fun really begins at 4K revs. I was really expecting some sign from the car that we'd hit a happy cruising speed. My old Camry could handle 80+, but was really happy at about 70-75. As I've found out, this car makes 100 feel very comfortable, very manageable, and it's very clear there's more there.
One of the first thoughts I remember was "holy shit, she likes to run, just like a thoroughbred." So immediately I knew the car was a "she", and she seemed like a racehorse charging out of the gates, going faster. Faster. Faster. So after a quick ride home that had me smiling from ear to ear I started searching for famous/legendary thoroughbred fillies. And found about about Ruffian, a racer from the '70s. Ruffian won an ungodly number of races, and lost only her late one (during which she broke her leg), and never raced again. But, according to the knowledgeable fans of the sport, Ruffian is widely considered to be the best, most famous, renowned female racing horse in history. And hence the name was given, and it seems to fit.
My unhealthy attachment to my car, to Ruffian, causes me to say goodnight to her before I go to bed. Yes, I stick my head in the garage & tell my car goodnight, and to sleep well. When I'm at work I walk by the doors just to peek out at the parking lot. Not so uncommonly, I park farther away from store entrances so as to avoid other cars & wide-swinging doors that can so carelessly mar a nearby vehicle. As Ruffian is my baby, my dream car, I certainly have taken more interest in her appearance. In retrospect, I almost feel like I neglected my previous cars, as they never got the amount of attention Ruffian does. It could be the new car honeymoon, but I doubt it. The two hours I spend every other week or so caring for her is so worth it, and I feel bad when she's dirty & I don't have a chance to clean her up. I have an 11 step regimen I go through to clean her inside & out, from washing to spray waxing, from cleaning the wheels to applying tire black & a light coat of spray wax to prevent brake dust from sticking. She gets vacuumed, interior dusted, the whole nine yards. And my girl, she deserves it, and looks great for it. Ruffian has been & will continue to be a daily driver, and yes, being four years old she has some rock chips in her hood. But no dents, no major scratches. And I intend to keep her looking this way, as close to new as I can. And to that end the cleaning is well worth the time, and the money spent on supplies to keep my car looking her best.
I know when I drive Ruffian I have something unique. MINIs are obviously not "belly button cars" (everybody has one), this is no Mustang or Nissan Altima or Acura. The styling, the performance, the driving experience are all different when you drive a MINI. In fact, you don't "drive", you motor. ; ) You have a boot instead of a trunk, and a bonnet instead of a hood. You have a helluva lot of fun driving anywhere & everywhere, and a special feeling you get from few other cars. Many people who truly love cars & really love to drive, and have the money for the really upper end shit (Ferrari, Porsche, Maserati, etc.) have MINIs for daily drivers & as part of their stables. So, if it's good enough for that crowd, it's surely good enough for me, and worthy of anyone & everyone's respect, and my obsession.
So that's it. I've come clean & 'fessed up to being a car freak. Maybe not a total gearhead, but something of a speed freak, and certainly attached at the hip, and in spirit, to my car, my MINI, my girl, Ruffian.
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