I have wanted a Mini Cooper for what seems like a lifetime. Started looking at the Mini back in the day when a mini-van was more logical. Then a more serious look when I was back up in Vermont and test drove a couple.  Then another look three years ago and almost pulled it off, but a strong dose of “less than” and “settling for less” set in and I got a Honda Fit.

Which sucked.

I had buyers remorse the moment I was given the keys and pulled out from the dealership. Not because anything was wrong with the Fit, but because I was feeling unworthy and the Fit was practical. It was average. It was not fun to drive, but inexpensive to drive.  It was not flashy, but boring blue like every other fit in the parking lot.  There were times that I would walk up to a car that looked like mine, a blue Honda Fit and suddenly realize that it was someone else’s car.

What changed is that I began to dig deep at the New Year.  I applied for a plum of a job back in VT., got an invitation to interview by phone but after the interview got the letter that they (the committee who didn’t know how fabulous I would be for the position) said they were moving in another direction- without me- but thanks for playing and if you are ever in the area, please come on by.   I had a mini-pity party and the next morning woke up hearing “ if you don’t like it, change it” .

Hearing that said, not by anyone nearby, nor on the tv, nor part of a dream, put that directive into the Divine realm.  It is the 4th time that I have “heard” something from a source that is unidentifiable.  But I heard it clearly and took it to mean that I need to change what it is I don’t like.

To be clear, I don’t think the Divine was telling me to get a new car.  I think that my attitude of being less than, not good enough, not acceptable, needed to change. And to that end I followed up on a lead concerning the Honda Fit.

I started a few weeks back getting”offers” from Honda to buy back my Fit in the hopes I would get a new Fit.  Those offers were saying how popular my model was, how much I would get, how low financing would be….blah blah blah.  So I called Honda and asked if I could get the trade in deal but get a Toyota.  They didn’t like that idea, even though the dealerships are next to each other, share the same parking lot and are owned by the same guy.  I went over to Toyota to look at cars thinking more practical (old habits)  and looking for something Vermontish, but saying to myself, well I will look at Toyotas but maybe tomorrow I will go look at Mini Coopers.

Walking into the dealership there was a Mini parked just outside the door. I took that as a sign.  Red, black racing stripe, 2 door, black top.  Took it for a spin and then thought, this could be it, now could be the time.   But I was at a non-Mini dealer, a big franchise that was there to do business for Toyota.  They were there to make their cake, one emotional sale at a time.  Line up the perspective customer, hold them hostage with trade in numbers below the blue book value and added costs on the new vehicle. There was a 1200.00 charge listed as service, but for what I could get no explanation.   When asked about options, they pressure you to declaring your intent before they bring you to the back room to see the finance guy.  It felt like emotional manipulation.  They were more concerned with selling the car then finding out what my needs were.   “what can we do to get you to commit to this sale tonight.”

Nothing.   I walked and in spite, I left a few crumbs of “maybe tomorrow”, “I have to sleep on it”, “I really like the car”.  Predictably I got up the next morning I felt incredibly sad. I felt pretty close to what I felt when I left the Honda dealer when I bought the Fit a couple of years ago.   Not because of my pushback.  Not because I didn’t get the car, but because I wanted a Mini and refused to play the game with the dealers. Claiming my authentic self is sometimes hard work.

But this time I decided that I was not going to settle for less.   Predictably, the salesman called around 9 am.   He asked if there was something that would help me to make the decision to buy the car.   I told him what my issues were with the sales tactics, asked him if he could change that, and when he said that it was the system in place because they sell in volume,  I thanked him and then said that I was headed to  South Shore Mini 

I had already done my research, found a similar car, a 2014 with low mileage, a great price,  and this one has two moon roofs… that sounds so fun instead of sunroof. ( If you wanted a sunroof with a Mini, you would probably get a mini convertible. )  I called Luigi Lembo and told him what I was looking at on-line and that I would be down to in a short while.

When I got there, the car was turned on, warmed up and ready for the test drive.  Boom. Luigi was my car buying experience therapist and was able to give me a realistic view of the Mini process.  He did not over promise, but set a realistic set of parameters for the deal.  Straight talk.  Ivo Petrov helped me with all the paperwork.  The boys ( maybe some women too, I didn’t go back there) got the car all spiffed up and topped off with fuel and I was home by 2 pm with my Mini.

More importantly, the folks at Mini kept saying “Welcome to the family”.

I am an outlier. I stranger in my own clan. The odd one out.  Most of the time I am ok with it, sometimes I feel good that I am that way and would not like to be normal.  Sometimes I feel less than because of it.  What I drive, what vehicle I sit in to move in the world, matters to me.  Not because it is fancy, but because it is an extension of who I am.

I am a two door, cardinal red Mini Cooper. zipping around the universe with tinted windows and moon roofs.