This morning I took my MINI Cooper in for its first service appointment. It logged a little more than 10,000 miles in its first 21 months, which I hear is below the norm. If I didn’t drive to Savannah several times a year (500+ miles round trip) it would be much lower. I saw a recent news report that the average family spends $4,000/year on gas. I would estimate I spend far less than $1,000/year in gas for the MINI. Honestly sometimes when I’m at the gas station I can’t remember the last time I filled up.

I bought the MINI on St. Patrick’s Day, 2010 (3/17 for those of you who don’t recognize this as a national holiday), hence the car’s full name is MINI Finnegan O’Cooper. My love of MINI started with my Dad who always dreamed about having one, only it wasn’t big enough to tow his boat so he typically stuck with SUVs. Even though it’s a British car through & through, I thought it was fitting that our MINI would be given an Irish name, in memory & honor of my Dad’s Irish heritage.

My Dad loved to get his picture taken next to MINIs in his travels, here he is in Roundstone, Ireland in 2006:

I picked up that tradition on a European trip this year. Some new friends who joined us on a couple of tours got into the game too, hey Louise, there’s a red MINI, there’s a blue one! We even stopped for lunch at a restaurant in Rome where, coincidentally, the owner was trying to sell his 60’s vintage MINI. We passed on it, though the owner did a convincing sales job.

Here are some of the pictures. You can’t deny it, a MINI just makes you smile! (click on any photo to start a slide show)

My husband is 6’5” & it’s funny to watch people’s reactions as he gets in & out of the car. He says it’s the most legroom he’s ever had in a car, and doesn’t even have to push the seat all the way back. Though I would advise not sitting behind him when he’s driving unless you enjoy twisting up like a pretzel in a small back seat (I’ve done it, it wasn’t fun).

Here’s MINI Finnegan O’Cooper, MINI Finny for short: