It was a nice fall day (October 7) in 2011. I was in St. Louis for some reason with a little time to kill so I stopped in at the MINI Cooper dealership. Just window shopping. I was handed off to a “Motoring Advisor” (see below) and the next thing I knew I was writing a check for a new car.

I sold the MINI today to my friend George. It was a good car and fun to drive. But anything more than an oil change meant a trip to the nearest dealer…in St. Louis. And I don’t think I ever got away spending less than a thousand bucks. But the big reason is there simply isn’t room in my life for two vehicles so it was time to say goodbye to the MINI.

Got a taste of California freeway traffic on the way from Ojai to LAX. Took 50 minutes to go ten miles. The driver said a 90 minute commute (morning and afternoon) is common. But it was sunny.