Looking at a Well-Earned Retirement

No, not me. That's not for several years yet.

I'm talking about my faithful Anderson, the MINI that's been at my side for the last thirteen years. He's reaching the age where the expensive repairs are starting to pop up, and while it can be argued that it's probably more cost effective to drop $1200 for a new power steering pump and $1800 for a new clutch (both of which I'm staring down the barrel of this year) rather than shelling out $400 a month for the next five years, the long-term sustainability of a car of Anderson's vintage really comes into question.

I've looked at new MINIs. As I've gotten older, I'm realizing I need something a little higher off the ground than my current vehicle. I do like the MINI Countryman (which does ride higher than the standard MINI), but it's at the high end of my budget for a basic build, and I discovered while looking last night that it's now apparently impossible to get a MINI with a manual transmission.*

I'm sorry, but having to shift is half the fun of driving these cars. I grew up driving sticks, and with only one exception (the New Beetle I owned prior to Anderson) they've all been manual.

I didn't hate the Beetle's automatic. It got me from point A to point B, but the moment I got behind the wheel of a manual MINI, I'd forgotten how much fun it was to drive.

So I'm looking at a Jeep Renegade. The Renegade caught my eyes years ago (especially in the neon colors I saw them), and I thought I'd check them out.

They too, are only available with automatic transmissions, but they fit nicely in my budget, and repairs down the line (something I definitely need to keep in mind as I face retirement) are bound to be less than the BMW-manufactured MINI.

I can get a Jeep Wrangler new with a 6-speed manual, but I really don't see myself as a Wrangler kind of guy.  Maybe when I was a buff 25-year old, but those days are long gone…

Yeah, I could look at gently-used MINIs that have sticks, but then we're back to the down-the-road maintenance costs.

I'm not saying any of this is going to happen immediately, but I know it's going to happen sooner rather than later.

*My friend Marc just pointed me to this article. So now I'm thinking that if I get a new MINI with a stick and can get thirteen years out of it like I've done with Anderson before the major repairs start, I can live with that. Chances are I won't even be driving in another thirteen years, truth me told. (Getting old SUCKS.)