I live in Boise, but the nearest dealer is in Salt Lake. The Mini is the only car that seems to get my motor running. I am a 52 year old guy who currently drives a full-sized Ford cargo van. I do not drive much. My primary job is that of truck driver, but I also day trade the futures market. So when I am home, I am usually HOME. Nevertheless, I would love to have a fun car to drive even if it's to go out to dinner at night. Oh yeah, I am single and live in a condo, not that it's important.

I don't want any thing fancy. I just want a base model Mini. I also would like to know if it is possible to spend less on the lease payment if I intend to drive less than 5000 miles a year? I mention this because on its web site, Mini said there were different tiers of mileage options available, which is unusual.

Is the Mini expensive to maintain for a lessee? I have read that Mini's are expensive to maintain overall, but I do not know the reason for it. Is it because they are prone to maintenance defects, or is it because regularly scheduled maintenance is considerably more than it would be for a non-BMW car?

Any ideas, suggestions, etc that you can offer based on the infomation I have provided is much appreciated. I assume I will have to go to SLC to lease a Mini. I want a manual transmission, and no bells and whistles. I want to get my payment down to the lowest possible. Thank you.