Happy to the max in my well cared for Mini Cooper
I knew exactly what I wanted and in order to get that I was willing to buy privately as opposed to go through a garage.
Two months later I’ve had nothing but happy motoring. The boxes that I wanted ticked before I parted with my hard-earned cash were the usual: low mileage, one careful lady owner, and a lengthy NCT certificate.
The goal car was a Mini Cooper, and if at all possible, the preferred colour was cream.
For years I had driven a hardy Volkswagen Polo. I had put approximately 60,000 miles on the clock of a car that had set me back the grand sum of €720 at the time of purchase in 2011. She’s a 1997 vehicle.
For five years she was the most reliable of servants — never giving me a second’s trouble; and so it was with much regret that I decided she’d done her time and to put her into retirement this year.
And so I began my search for a worthy replacement.
I had always lusted after a Mini, watching them pass me and the Polo by on the M50, but when it came to buying one, sense took over and I was a little less eager.
After five years of uninterrupted driving did I really want to take on a car that might look gorgeous but had reportedly suffered with electrical faults?
I had the Polo down with my mechanic, and was explaining my heart versus head dilemma to him. He informed me that his daughter had just purchased a second-hand Mini with his approval and once I bought an ’06 or newer I’d be fine.
With his word and blessing I began my search for the cream Mini Cooper I coveted for years.
I went on to the usual car sites like Auto Trader and Car Zone and inputted my preferences as above.
One hit of the search button and a text message later I had a test-drive booked down in Wexford.
One thing led to another and word got around that I was very interested in this particular model.
My fiancé hails from the same town as the seller and so connections were quickly established.
The Mini’s owner knew I was good for the money and I knew that she was the real deal.
The fiancé’s father, who’s a dab hand at all things mechanical and known for his attention to detail, was drafted in for the test-drive. He said she was a good clean drive. The deal was ready to be struck and the cash handed over but there was one more step necessary in order to consummate this marriage.
A friend of my fiancé’s runs a garage in Wexford and he offered to give the Mini the once-over before the final commitment was made.
He too gave his seal of approval and so on a wet Saturday morning in February, I parted with €6,000 of my hard-earned cash for a cream Mini Cooper with just 40,000 miles on the clock, a two-year NCT certificate, and previously owned by one very careful lady driver.
