Ian McMini wrote:
I also appreciate saturn's comments about factors to consider. In my jones to return to a topless vehicle (though I'm not too sure about taking the doors off my MINI...) I forgot about the first model year flaws. Shelling out those kind of bucks for a car that "has some bugs that need to be worked out" would really hack me off. But, wait a whole nother year? I'm an open air motoring junkie and I need a fix! I'm guessing ragtopday knows what I'm saying....
I would hate to think that I'm trying to talk someone out of something that they really want, perhaps a more in-depth explanation would be a bit more helpful in weighing your decision: When the R53's first came to the US, I along with mostly everyone fell immediately in love, but, as with most cars, waited because it was the first model year. I was soooo glad that I did because for the most part they were plagued with problems, not all, but too many for me to like. That along with the way they were being handled at many dealerships literally turned me away from the car altogether. People were having to fight tooth and nail to get "design flaws" covered under warranty. There were cars with under 20,000 miles on them needing a new transmission, or clutches going out with under 8,000 miles on the odometer and dealerships were blaming the owners saying "Oh, it must be the way that you drive." Forums such as this one and "other mini forums" were bringing fanatics in droves to help share in their experiences. In my opinion, that helped kick Mini in the pants and stand-up and pay attention. They really did have a good product, but it could be that much better. When to 2007 R56 model came out, my jaw dropped. To me, that was the better I had been waiting for. (I am not knocking any R53's or their owners) They had for the most part, improved on the things that most owners were dissatisfied with on the R53's. Especially the center console! Mini had made me start to pay attention once again, but as I mentioned before, it was a "first year" model and so I waited. I gathered up all information about the "new problems and issues" that people were experiencing with the R56's and, to me, there were no major ones. The opportunity came in January of 2008 for me to own one of my very own and I had already done over 9 months of research and planning to get one in my driveway. Baron was having a clearance of sorts to move out the remaining 07 models that they had and had even lowered the financing interest rate. The rest was history.
I am paying a little over $30,000 for this car, and it's well worth every penny. I HAVE had some minor issues, but, they have all been covered under warranty, without question. I have ALWAYS been treated with kindness, and respect with every visit that I have had at Baron. One of the best dealerships I have ever done business with.
The new convertible will basically be a drop-top version of the current R56 body, while it is a "new" bodystyle, the main portion of it will be R56 which will be on it's third year of production. Sorry for being a little long, but if you look back in history, there are always cars famous for some kind of issue that took years for car-makers to change. Just out of the cars my family had owned whether it was the mid 90's GM S10 truck or blazer with the bad heater core, or the mid 90's Taurus with the trannys giving out at 90,000 miles, or the Dodge products with bad motors/trannies. Part of what makes the owning a car better, is how the dealership treats you when you DO have a problem, and how it's handled.
Hope this helps.
. Mine is an automatic and I use the F1 paddles all of the time and I am very glad I went this route. There are days that having an automatic is very nice and hassle free, but I do love running through the gears when it suits me. 
Gotta run...the sun is shining!!! 
