It's a rental! 

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678) 02/11/2016 at 21:12 • Filed to: None

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Yes I have found a unicorn, a manual rental car! I cheated though since I picked out the car and it is through Turo (formerly Relay Rides). Certainly great though to not deal with an automatic econobox or at best ‘vert Camaro/Mustang for an outrageous rate.

It’s a 2012 Mini Cooper S (2 door). This thing has got some decent power and of course the “go kart handling”. The tires are pretty trash since they are run flats and the fronts are rather bald. Or what I like to call “racing slicks”. But overall this car has been quite fun in Angeles Crest Highway and Mulholland Highway. My girlfriend is somewhat sick of the Neverending turns but we are not done yet!

Said “racing slicks”. The rears have quite a bit more tread lol.

Also in typical Mini fashion, we took a visit to a local autozone here in Morro Bay (our stop for the night). Oil was running low and I would rather not get stranded somewhere on the PCH tomorrow. I figure the turbo is burning oil or something. Not really my problem though, so as long as it doesn’t blow up, I’m happy!

Based on the owners manual, I used the right oil I am pretty sure. I guess I could have just thrown cheap oil and let the owner deal with it in the future. But I’m a nice guy so unicorn tear substitute it is!

That speedo really is as dumb as it looks in pictures!

So far I really like this car though. It’s a bit roomier than my Miata. Would be a decent “practical” car for me in the future. Shifter is great and the interior is well appointed. Decent gas mileage so far on 91 and it should be fun for the rest of this trip.

Full review to follow! And of course a trip report as well. And better pictures when the fog clears up.

The World of Vee > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/11/2016 at 21:20

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No turbo on that particular S (supercharger instead) and Mini realized how dumb that speedo is. The new one doesn’t have it there.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > The World of Vee 02/11/2016 at 21:24

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R56 Cooper S has a turbo. Only the R53 has the supercharger.

Boxer_4 > The World of Vee 02/11/2016 at 21:26

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I’m pretty sure the Cooper S has a turbo starting in 2007.

The World of Vee > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback 02/11/2016 at 21:27

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wowsers i stand corrected

Brickman > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/11/2016 at 21:32

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How long is that speedometer needle? You can almost use it as a windshield wiper :P

DrScientist > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/11/2016 at 21:35

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Nice.

I love turo. Am actually in Southern California too and about to return this brute.

check my post from earlier in the afternoon for more photos.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/11/2016 at 21:38

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Next time I visit my parents I’ll have to rent from this sight, there is a guy in the area renting his manual, RX-8, for 27 bucks a day. Thats as deal. And a hell of a lot better than a Versa Note.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback 02/12/2016 at 00:23

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Yeah that is what I had thought. I kind of thought the sound would be a bit different with a supercharger anyways. But I'm not too familiar with forced induction either way.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 02/12/2016 at 00:24

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With fees it adds up a bit but the regular rental places have fees too anyways. And yeah it is basically the same out the door price as doing a economy/compact car but you get something more interesting. Manuals are hard to find but not impossible!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Brickman 02/12/2016 at 00:25

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That's what I was thinking. I just thought it was funny over the whole day of driving, I didn't look at it once. I just used the digital speed readout under the tach. Basically the giant speedo was just for my girlfriend to watch.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/12/2016 at 00:29

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yeah. I just rented a loaded Cruze from Alamo last weekend. It was the first time I rented a car, and it actually was painless. but for a bit more I could have rented a manual, mk6 GTI. Which would have been a lot more fun up in the mountains west of Denver. The Cruze was about 55/day for 3.5 days.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > DrScientist 02/12/2016 at 00:29

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Nice that thing is epic. And having a convertible really is a dream out here. Anytime like now that I'm driving a car with a roof, I feel like I'm wishing for my Miata to throw the top down 24/7!