For the Love of R53's
Here at Crooked River Garage we aren't just a Euro Shop that works on BMW's that claims to also work on MINIs. We are the premium destination for all things MINI and Mini. We are one of the only shops in the country dedicated 100% to Servicing MINIs from 1959-Present. We perform all maintenance and repairs, a full line of performance upgrades, and feature an Indoor Automotive Studio filled with MINI's that we have gone through boot to bonnet to ensure they are the healthiest MINIs one can buy. What does that mean? Check out the Top 5 Reasons why there is NO place better in the country to Adopt YOUR next MINI!
1. There are Ton of MINIs on the market, but there is a serious shortage of shops qualified to perform repairs and upgrades on MINIs. Each year, make, and model has its own set of quirks and it's own set of service items that need to be attended to. Most dealers will buy a MINI and either shine it up and sell it as is, or put it through a generic service department that doesn't know how to properly evaluate the overall health of the car. It is very common that we see MINIs that were just purchased on the brink of engine failure, or cobbled together by technicians that had no clue how to properly assemble something, or used the wrong parts. We can't begin to tell you how many MINIs are bought and within the first couple weeks of ownership need upwards of $3k in repairs.
2. We search the country EVERYDAY to bring you the best of the best. We do NOT sell any MINI, we have a very specific list of cars that we look for because NOT all MINIs are the best to own. There are MINIs such as base model first generation cars with the CVT auto transmission, or the early first gen base models with the Midlands 5 speeds that are prone to failure. Then there are the 07-11 MINI COOPER S cars with the N14. Again they are beautiful MINIs and a blast to drive, but they will NOT last, and will cause you nothing but headaches and high repair bills. We are in the business of selling you a FOREVER car. Something that with proper care and maintenance you could have for the rest of your life. To this day they never made a MINI better than the 05-06 R53. They last the longest, are the cheapest to maintain over the life of the car. We DO NOT SELL CARS that we DONT BELIEVE IN or would not own ourselves. A lot of places even dealerships, will sell you any MINI which can be very dangerous for your wallet.
3. NO Shop or Dealership goes to the extent we do to make our MINIs the best of the best. It is our goal and mission to keep as many MINIs on the road as we can. R53's are continuing to become more and more collectable, and due to the lack of proper service there are a lot of dangerous cars out there on the market for people to buy. Prices range all over because condition ranges all over. We go the extra mile with EVERY car, as it is our goal to get our cars as close to when they were brand new sitting on the lot. Of course this is an impossible task as NO MINI will ever be perfect. Our cars in fact are NOT perfect, but we can say they are the best of the best, and do Not require any service AT ALL. Of course we are selling 15 year old cars, and sometimes things happen that we do our best to take care of, but heres a glimpse into what we do everyday to make sure our cars are the best R53's that money can buy in the country. We are currently putting a beautiful British Racing Green R53 through our service department. We first sent the car out to paint to take care of normal scratches, road rash on the hood, scratches on the boot, and a small dent on the rear quarter panel. We paint almost EVERY single car we sell to ensure that your buying a STUNNING vehicle. Then after a week or so in paint the car moves into our service department. Here's a list of everything we've done to the car.
-New Clutch Disk, Flywheel, Pressure plate and throwout bearing
-Supercharger Replacement
-Rear Main Seal Replacement
-Oil Pan Gasket
-Crank Sensor O-ring
-Oil filter housing Gasket
-Belt Tensioner Assembly and Belt
-Door handle
-Harmon Kardon Head Unit
-Tires
-Rotors and Pads
-Rear Brake Lines
-Headliner
-Both Axles
-Front Stabilizer Links
-Redline MTL Transmission Fluid
-5 Quarts of Royal Purple 5w-30 and Factory Filter
Then after the car is through service we send it to our Detail and Cleanup Department. For a final clean and pictures. There is not a single dealership/shop in the country that focuses on Rehabbing R53's to such a high standard. What you get when you Adopt a MINI through us is peace of mind, your Adopting a MINI from a MINI Specialist. It just makes sense!
4. We search high and low to offer you some of the best and most collectable MINI's we can offer. Our motto is Rescue, Rehab, and Rehome! We find our cars from coast to coast which means most of the cars we have have never seen an Ohio winter, we also ship our cars to homes all over the country. Our cars are incredibly clean and we try to adopt some really great MINIs and Minis. We have sold 30k mile R53's, Super low mile Checkmate Special editions, Sidewalk Special Editions, Bayswater, a TON of JCW and Aero Kit cars, and we are searching everyday to find that diamond in the rough out there. After reading all of this, you would think our cars are priced CRAZY high. NO. Most of our R53's sell for $6k-$10k and we offer some incredible low interest financing options. Let's face it folks, its hard to find a nice Honda Accord for $6-10k.
5. Here's the cool part. If we don't have your dream MINI in stock, WE WILL BUILD IT FOR YOU. There IS NO extra cost for this service. Come in, have a cup of coffee and lets talk MINI (or Mini). We will have a design meeting with you and come up with what your looking for in your DREAM MINI. We will go though options like interior type, dash color and design, exterior color, roof color, mirror color, type of wheels, type of tires, type of brakes, full list of performance upgrades. We have customized cars from everything from Cute and colorful, to a WILD weekend Track toy and everything in between. We set a budget, finalize the design, and then deliver you the car of your dreams. This is Crooked River, and this is what we do!
There is a HUGE PROBLEM in the MINI Community, the problem is that it's very easy to get burned on a MINI that you pick up just anywhere. Without the proper knowledge, and the proper service, it is VERY possible to have a REALLY bad experience owning a MINI. Unfortunately people buy ticking time bombs unknowingly, the car fails, and they are left with a sour taste in their mouth about owning a MINI. They tell all of their friends and family to never own a MINI, and that has created a culture of FEAR when it comes to buying a Pre-loved MINI. We are here to take that fear away, and provide incredible cars, that people can drive, modify, and create memories with for years to come.
So why would you buy a MINI anywhere else? Come in for a cup of coffee and fall in love with your next MINI!
Happy Motoring!
-Jon
