Well, after years of seeing the Mini on the road, and test driving one of the originals in 2003 at the dealership in Sterling, VA, I decided to take the plunge and purchase a pre-owned version. Got a 2013 baseline with a pano roof, since my last vehicle had one of the original panoramas. My "new" car was a lease out of New Jersey, but I won't hold that against it! Just under 35k miles and about 10 months left on the warranty. Seems to have been gently used, with the requisite scratches, but the interior seems to have fared well. Looking forward to at least 2-3 years of ownership and new contacts on the forum.