So what makes us think you will come to us over the competition? It’s easy: we bring both to you.

With MINI’s Test Drive Takedown event, we give you the keys to your future…literally! Not only do you get to visit a MINI Cooper dealership to test drive the MINI vehicle you’ve been researching, but you also get to test drive a competitor for ease of comparison.

It’s a race to the finish line, and your choices gets the prize (well…and a title belt). We invite you to this no-holds-barred competition, but better mark your calendars soon! The MINI Test Drive Takedown event will be hitting Nick Alexander MINI very soon! We welcome you to visit our dealership Sunday, May 20, to test drive on of the vehicles that we’re incredibly proud to carry as well as a competitor vehicle.

MINI doesn’t fear competition – in fact, we thrive on it. That’s why we put the focus of the MINI Test Drive Takedown event on you, our customers. We want our MINI vehicles to speak to you on their own, and we know that the best way to do that is to let them stand out from the competition before your very eyes and beneath your right foot.

Visit our website today to RSVP for the test drive event that we really think you can’t miss out on.

Going once. Going twice. Sold!

The 1959 Austin MINI Se7en De Luxe Saloon that we told you about a little over a week ago has sold for more than double its expected bidding price at auction with Bonham’s. The eighth MINI to come out of production in the automaker’s 41-year history sold for $65,000 to an undisclosed buyer, after estimates had the vehicle selling for between $19,000 and $24,000. It is unknown whether the car has restoration in its future or a continued life of leisure.

At Nick Alexander MINI, we were excited to learn about how well the car performed at auction. We know that the value of MINI cars lasts throughout their lifetime, whether that includes extensive restoration or next to none. A majority of this MINI’s parts remain untouched, and just a handful of parts – which have all been included with the sale – have been extracted for safety and transportation reasons.

Otherwise, this MINI remains impressively intact, from the classic early-MINI glass washer bottle and Bluemels numberplates to the panels, transmission, engine, registration and factory Farina Grey paint job. The driver’s door and interior carpets are some of the only replacements made on the vehicle. While this MINI has suffered some corrosion throughout its life, the trademark shell remains mostly whole.

We know that no two MINIs are alike, that it’s hard to compare a new MINI Countryman with a used Cooper S, but Los Angeles drivers know an exceptional car when they see one. That’s why we had to share our knowledge of this beautifully unrestored MINI Cooper.

It’s easy to go online and start shopping immediately for a used MINI Countryman, but imagine bidding for something like a 1959 Austin MINI Se7en De Luxe Saloon, which is going up for auction with Bonham’s on Monday. This special car is the eighth MINI ever produced in the automaker’s 41 years in the business, according to the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust. Estimates have the vehicle selling for between $19,000 and $24,000. While three such models of the original seven are still around today, all have been restored with the exception of this rusted beauty headed for auction.

The vehicle retains all of the features that attest to its age and position as one of the earliest MINIs ever released. While a few of its parts have been extracted for safety and transportation reasons, they will all be included with the sale, which welcomes the participation of drivers from throughout the world. The highest bidder will also walk away with a Swansea V5 registration document.

Our dealership is always happy to unite our drivers with the newest models from MINI Cooper, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share this gem with all of the people who love MINI vehicles as much as we do.

When it comes to loving MINI Coopers, we know that drivers who live near Nick Alexander MINI, or anywhere throughout the United States, need a lot of patience. After all, we know that our brand begins overseas, and we welcome it here with open arms, and keys in hand.

This time MINI news is coming to us from Geneva, where the MINI Clubvan concept debuted in the Geneva Auto Show earlier this year, and the news is big. The Clubvan, which is based on the MINI Clubman, is slated for production and will be released in the United States very soon!

Not sure what a Clubvan is capable of? That’s the beauty of this new MINI format – the possibilities are just waiting to be discovered! Built to haul but crafted with style in mind, the MINI Clubvan is ready be everything that you need it to be.

The best news yet is that fans of the Clubvan don’t have to wait long before coming into their local MINI dealer to check it out. Sources anticipate that the MINI Clubvan will go on sale in the United States in the second half of this year.

This MINI is set to make a big splash, and it’ll be here before you know it. Are you ready for a Clubvan? We hope so!

It appears that a few more people have caught onto the secret, and we at Nick Alexander MINI couldn’t be happier about it. This year has been promising from the get-go, with 32,421 MINI vehicles delivered in March alone, representing a 5.6-percent increase over that month last year.

In total, the first quarter of 2012 meant 68,210 vehicles sold for MINI, which calculates to a 12.1-percent increase over last year as well as record high for the brand’s lifetime first-quarter sales.

One explanation for MINI’s success is the increased popularity of the MINI Countryman, which certainly factored into MINI Cooper’s strong first-quarter performance in 2012. Sales rose 36.8 percent (22,001) in the first three months, which is promising for the model, and the brand, moving forward.

So, no matter when you purchased your vehicle or what model you own, we want to know what your favorite time to drive is. Are you an early-morning driver? Do you like to hit the streets at dusk? Maybe you take a spin on your lunch break? Now that you own a MINI Cooper, it’s time to take your favorite drive, and we’d love to go along with you!

MINI Cooper may have been around since before 2002, but that’s when we drivers in America welcomed the one-of-a-kind brand to our side of the big pond. That year, the first American MINI dealer opened in San Francisco with just one model on the lot: the Hardtop that we still love today.

Ten years later and a few miles down state, Nick Alexander MINI is taking this opportunity to celebrate the success of the MINI in America over the past decade. We’re excited to see how the MINI brand has grown to be a leader in the premium small-car segment since 2002, and we can’t wait to see where MINI will go next.

Already, MINI has shown impressive growth, now offering drivers five distinct models on top of the original Hardtop: Convertible, Countryman, Coupe, Clubman and Roadster. No matter what lies in the future for MINI, our dedication to providing small but powerful vehicles that meet the needs of all of our drivers will never falter.

In honor of ten years of having MINIs in America, we’re remembering all of our favorite things about driving a MINI Cooper, whether we’re getting back to MINI’s roots in San Francisco or on our own lot in Los Angeles. Used Coopers or new Coopers, Clubman or Countryman – whatever you drive, we want to hear why you love it. We could go on for ten years more about all the things we love, but we invite you to get started first!

Heavier than the original JCW, the Coupe flies from zero to 60 miles per hour in only 6.4 seconds thanks to the fact that it holds most of its weight in its front wheels, giving it a tighter grasp on the road and stronger acceleration power. Revised engineering tactics have also made this Coupe’s drive as neutral as can be so that once you’re behind the wheel, you’ll feel like this car is driving itself! That gives you more time to enjoy the ride, and with a ride this exciting, there’s nothing you won’t be able to enjoy.

As soon as you get behind the wheel of the John Cooper Works Coupe, you’ll be able to tell that this vehicle is made for MINI lovers. When it comes to the JCW Coupe, the performance goes beyond the numbers, which are impressive anyway. This vehicle hits 208 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque between 1,850 and 5,600 rpm.

If you’re in Los Angeles and you want to lease a MINI Cooper, we invite you to visit us at Nick Alexander MINI for a test drive or more information. If it’s the JCW Coupe you’re interested in, we think that one look or one quick test drive may just make up your mind.

That’s a fact.

Drivers in need of MINI Cooper service in Los Angeles and beyond have always known that our service staff is efficient and reliable, but now J.D. Power has listed MINI Cooper as the automaker providing the top service experience on its Repair Service Customer Satisfaction list. And we’re just as consistent with our recognitions as we are with our service – this is the second consecutive year that MINI has topped J.D. Power’s list for repair service.

MINI service ranks especially high in categories like service facility, vehicle pick-up, service advisor and service quality. MINI is also ahead of the game. Our repair service already mirrors three of the main recommendations offered by J.D. Power for the highest possible customer service:

1. Enable and encourage customers to schedule service appointments online
2. Review the technician inspection report with customers
3. Introduce complimentary maintenance offerings

From the expertise of our service advisors to the speed and care of our work to the ease of scheduling and attending a service appointment, we at Nick Alexander MINI hope to make your vehicle maintenance easier to manage than ever before. We know that you and your MINI will experience a lot together once you drive off our lot, and we’re happy to help you keep your car running healthy for years to come.

Spring is approaching, and that means longer days with even more sunshine. What you do with those extra hours is up to you, and certainly the options are close to endless, but why not consider a joy ride? And, while you’re at it, why not consider a 2012 MINI Coupe or Roadster? We at Nick Alexander MINI have plenty of reasons why jumping behind the wheel of one of these MINIs may be the best use of your extra daylight.

But you’ll have to choose wisely when it comes to your joy ride companion, because these MINIs are sporty two-seaters fashioned after the MINI Cooper S and MINI John Cooper Works models.

A twin-scroll turbocharged 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine powers the MINI Cooper S version, and an overboost function accelerates all around, bumping up torque and overall performance on both the Cooper S and John Cooper Works vehicles. John Cooper Works models offer a six-speed manual transmission with self-adjusting clutch to maintain the appropriate pedal feel throughout the life of the vehicle.

Power is hardly a problem with these vehicles as both the MINI Cooper S Coupe and Roadster rocket from zero to about 60 miles an hour in just about seven seconds while the John Cooper Works gaps the same speed in 6.4 seconds in Coupe format and 6.5 in Roadster fashion.

With metrics like these and safety features like anti-skid braking, electronic brake force distribution, dynamic stability control and a complex airbag design, there’s really no better option for a spring evening than quick cruise through your Los Angeles neighborhood in a 2012 MINI Cooper.

For us at Nick Alexander MINI, and for MINI dealers everywhere, though, February 2012 was special for another reason. The delivery of 127,634 BMW, Rolls-Royce and MINI brand vehicles worldwide gave BMW Group its best-ever February sales. Year-to-date, the auto group has delivered 239,800 vehicles, which comprises as 10.5-percent increase over this time last year.

For MINI and MINI Cooper dealers specifically, the news gets even better. In all, 20,020 MINI vehicles were delivered worldwide, which marks a nearly 25-percent increase over February 2011. Year-to-date, 35,788 MINI vehicles have been sold, meaning that 2012 is starting off with more than an 18-percent increase in sales over last year.

More than one-third of those sales can be attributed to the MINI Countryman, which saw 12,388 sales – more than a 61-percent increase over January and February 2011. It may only be a one-year comparison, but that figure deserves a once-in-four-years kind of celebration.

On top of this exciting news, MINI has officially announced that the Clubvan concept displayed at the Geneva Auto Show earlier this will join the automaker’s fleet in the second half of this year. Now, if that won’t be a great end to an already spectacular 2012, we can’t imagine what will.

We’re thrilled to see that this February will be memorable for more than having an extra day, though we have to say we enjoyed that extra time with our MINIs.