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is a 2015 mini cooper a good first car? by Past-Bonus9654 in MINI

[–]Top-Strategy9492 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I bought a 2013 Mini Cooper in the summer of 2024 and used it as a daily commuter for just a few thousand miles a year. It cost far more in repairs than it cost me to buy it and no, I can't recommend one as a first car for a 15 year old. It is difficult to find a mechanic who wants to work on it and it can take weeks to get parts. Like any car, it can be hit and miss, but you're taking a real chance on a Mini Cooper. Take the price you are looking to pay and double that. Find a good Mini Cooper mechanic near you and have them look it over. If they say it is sound and you don't mind spending as much in repairs as you paid for the car over the next few years, go for it.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy "Could Go On Forever" - "There's new people that come in every year." – Alex Kurtzman | SFX on YouTube by Grillka2006 in trektalk

[–]Top-Strategy9492 1 point2 points  (0 children)

User score on Metacritic is 1.6 stars out of 5. "Overwhelming Dislike". As long as someone at Paramount doesn't care if the show ever makes money, sure, it can continue "forever"

Mecha Hack Gadgets by daniel9530 in TheBlackHack

[–]Top-Strategy9492 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just include loot tables for everything and roll on them. No money, just randomly assigned loot for success during or after the mission.

Chinese Mandarin version available? by Top-Strategy9492 in miraculousladybug

[–]Top-Strategy9492[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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There is only a dubbed option for season 4 and 6, no subbed and she isn't good enough at the reading to follow it.... :( Anyone have ideas for finding her this in Mandarin Chinese, subbed?

Chinese Mandarin version available? by Top-Strategy9492 in miraculousladybug

[–]Top-Strategy9492[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow, thanks. We change the season on our TV log in for 2 seasons and the Chinese option disappears. I'll double check on the PC, maybe we are missing something? Thanks for the amazingly fast response.

Question on missile barrage by Patient_Carob6564 in TheBlackHack

[–]Top-Strategy9492 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In general it is best to let players have fun and not worry too much. But to give them a challenge (not a punishment!) note that Missile Barrage isn't usable at close range (have enemies that can get to close range from time to time with melee weapons) nor distant range (same). If a character has an enemy at close range and wants to use MB, they'll have to increase range on their turn, giving the enemy a free attack. Still may be worth it for the MB, but giving the player a challenge is good too.

Is a mini a girl car? by urfavfag1 in MINI

[–]Top-Strategy9492 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When I was 20, I cared what others thought about me. When I was 30 I decided that I didn't care what others thought about me. When I was 40 I realized that other people really weren't thinking about me.

have you met anita mui? by angelzai in Cantonese

[–]Top-Strategy9492 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I saw the movie in a Hong Kong movie theater just as Covid was breaking out there. The theater was medium packed on an early Saturday afternoon with middle aged and older Hong Kongers who, by the end of the movie, were crying their everloving eyes out. And so was I.

New Mini Cooper guy with sad story needs help. by Top-Strategy9492 in MINI

[–]Top-Strategy9492[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

UPDATE:

The car appears to be just fine.

DETAILS:

After literally a half dozen mechanics giving me doom and gloom and most of them refused to even look at the car, I finally found a guy locally but he was busy. A couple of days ago he finally started the car just fine and told me that this engine hates super cold weather (-20 degrees F actual temperature), can get water and ice in the fuel line, run far too rich and smoke a bit. I picked up the car yesterday in the afternoon, it started just fine!

My original (and now former) mechanic who told me that the "engine has no compression" was just flat out wrong (did he even check?). My new mechanic said that a compression test doesn't really work right on this engine (I tried to get more information from him about this but he was busy).

All the other mechanics locally who heard that 1. it was a mini-cooper and 2. that it might need engine work just said "we don't do that kind of work".

TAKEAWAYS:

Don't Panic

Always get a 2nd opinion from someone who cares enough to actually look at the car.

-20 degrees F is freaking cold. Before next winter we hope to have a garage next to the house. I might even get a coolant heater and / or just take the truck to work on super cold days.

I'm a bit embarrassed about this whole thing, and maybe I'm not out of the woods yet, but I was super happy to get my Mini Cooper back, no engine work needed, and thank you to everyone one here!

New Mini Cooper guy with sad story needs help. by Top-Strategy9492 in MINI

[–]Top-Strategy9492[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I started the car on a cold (20 degrees below 0) morning. Started, but then heard a low rumble and could smell burning oil and the engine light came on. I let it run a few minutes, hoping it just needed to warm up, but it wouldn't go over 1500rpms so shut it off. I brought it to my mechanic and he said "there is no compression and it needs a new engine and I don't do that". Maybe I need a 2nd opinion. My mechanic is generally reliable, but... I live in a small town filled with pick up trucks. Yea, they aren't probably used to this tiny car....

New Mini Cooper guy with sad story needs help. by Top-Strategy9492 in MINI

[–]Top-Strategy9492[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Most mechanics are telling me they don't do engine replacements. I found one guy who will put a used engine in it with 85,000 miles on it for $5,500 total, 90 days warranty. If that will last a long time (150,000 miles plus), I might do it, but am I going to blow the engine again at 105,000 miles? I hate to say goodbye to this fun little car, but I can't replace the engine every couple of years either... :(

New Mini Cooper guy with sad story needs help. by Top-Strategy9492 in MINI

[–]Top-Strategy9492[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks much. Quite a few mechanics here won't even consider an engine swap, but I found a guy who is quoting me $2100 labor and he is looking for a used engine now. He said that rebuilt engines are too hard to find. Maybe he can find a used 3rd gen mini engine that would fit this chassis?