A Mini Addition
Yesterday I posted about our 6 carless months, and how I convinced Chris to agree to a toad.
We’ve been pondering for a while what might make an ideal toad for us. We knew we wanted something that could be flat towed with all four wheels down, as we didn’t want to deal with a trailer too.
When flat towing, the transmission of the vehicle has to be compatible, as expensive damage can be done. Some vehicles are certified by their manafucter to be flat towed. Others are not officially supported. And others you simply can not tow ‘four down’ no matter what you do. Obviously, if a Prius could be flat towed – there would be absolutely no question. But, sadly they can not be.
Further resources on towing considerations:
- Motorhome Magazine publishes an annual guide to Dinghy Towing that lists the current officially supported vehicles and equipment.
- The great folks over at Wheeling It did a great article on this topic a few months ago that goes over a lot of the considerations.
- Lynne at Minnie Views made a comprehensive post about setting up her vehicle to be towed. She connects & disconnects solo!
Some of the vehicles we had considered were:
Jeep Wrangler – we loved driving our little island car around St. John when we lived there this past winter. As fun as they are for off road driving, their gas mileage isn’t much better than our bus.
Smart Car – These little cars seemed ideal to tow behind a RV and give very efficient mileage around town. However, we drove a friend’s and weren’t too impressed. The drive was rough, and gave no option for passengers.
Miata – Before owning a Prius, I briefly owned a Miata. It was a super fun car to drive, and flat towable. However, it too had no option for passengers and hardly any carry capacity for groceries.
Mini Cooper – A super cute small vehicle with great mileage that seemed a little more practical. But as our great friend’s Ben & Karen tow one, and they too are working on a vintage bus – it just seemed too weird. So we initially dismissed this idea.
We like Weird – a Mini it is!
The past fews months we’ve spent a lot of time rendezvousing with Ben & Karen. And we’ve been incredibly impressed with how comfortable their Mini was for transporting the four of us around.
St. George, UT Rendezvous
And then we noticed – their 2009 Mini Cooper matches our bus!
Almost two years ago, Karen moved aboard Ben’s bus. But she had one condition – she either got to bring along her beloved dog .. or her Mini. She let Ben pick. He opted for the Mini, and ditched his Jeep Liberty. (Her dog now lives with her parents.)
It turns out her Mini was soon coming to the end of its lease, and Ben & Karen had already decided they would be ordering a new one in red to match their someday-to-be-completed vintage bus – the Creative Cruiser. Ben also wanted one of the new larger models, as they’re frequently taking their vehicle out on photography expeditions and needed more room for their gear.
While BMW doesn’t officially support the Mini being flat towed (doing so actually voids the warranty), the manual transmission edition falls into the middle grey area of being possible with modification. They had already done those modifications – and had been successfully towing it for nearly two years.
Karen was sad that she’d be turning in her Mini, as she had planned to buy it out of lease before meeting Ben and his vintage bus plans. She simply loves it.
Thus the idea came together. We’d buy it out of her lease.
Not only would we copy them by having a vintage bus towing a Mini Cooper – we’d just go for full on out weird, and buy their Mini. But hey, what are good friends for if you can’t be totally weird with them? This also means Karen will get to see her Mini all across the country as we continue to rendezvous.
My Mini Adventure
The logistical challenge to this plan was that after we parted ways in Albuquerque, we were headed in opposite directions. Us to the east coast and them to Las Vegas to catch a flight to South Africa for a photo safari they’re leading.
So after posting about having just completed a way too rapid cross country repositioning, what did I suggest?
My first cross country solo road trip!
Why yes.. of course. I would fly out to Vegas and drive the Mini back.
Alone.
Now, let me reveal a couple facts about myself.
- I have not driven much at all in the past 4+ years. Chris loves to drive, and I got spooked after our jack-knife spin out. I maybe do 10-15% of the driving in our household.
- Aside from a few hours in total driving a manual transmission about 10 years ago, I’m a total noob with a stick.
But in light of reminiscing recently about my planned cross country road trip in my Prius before I met Chris, it just seemed like a fitting challenge. And what cooler way to bond with the Mini and bring it home to complete our new household?
On Friday I flew out to Vegas and helped Ben & Karen with their last minute preparations for their Africa trip. And as serendipity would have it, our nomadic friends Sam & Tracy also arrived in Vegas that night and we had a fabulous kick-off party for our adventures.
After they were off to the airport, I started a 1700 mile solo road trip back to the bus in St. Louis (after figuring out I had to put the clutch in to turn the engine on).
I took 4 days, driving between 400-460 miles a day. It was a good pace, and allowed me to drive a lot of back roads while not stressing myself out too much.
I learned the difference between driving.. and motoring!
I drove parts of Route 66 in Arizona, most notably through the twisty windy roads of the Black Mountains.
I drove through the twisty roads in Sante Fe National Forest, just east of Taos, NM.
And I dodged tumbleweeds through rural Kansas, finding abandoned towns.
I had an incredible solo journey that was soul nourishing. And on Tuesday evening I pulled into St. Louis, and parked the Mini face to face with the bus.
What a cute pair they make!
A Word about Fuel Economy
Since selling our Oliver and getting our bus, we’ve gotten a bit of reaction about how we seemed to have abandoned our previously ‘green’ ways for a fuel-hogging bus, and now adding a toad.
So, we’ll publicly address that.
First of all, we’ve never really considered ourselves identified as eco-green folks, and nor have we made much of a point to present ourselves as such. Sure, we love the environment, and try to make smart choices. Being greener is an important consideration for us, but certainly not the only. Our choices for things like solar and small living were more for flexibility in the places we can go, cool technology and just seeing if we could – than being necessarily eco.
And our decisions now are based on living and working comfortably as we concentrate on our business and evolve our travel style.
And generally we agree with Sean of Our Odyssey‘s assessment that anyone living in a RV is likely more green than most living in a stationary house and commuting to work, just simply by the nature of the lifestyles.
Our bus has been getting about 7.5 mpg (there are far bigger fuel hogs out there, and better than the 5-6 mpg we were expecting) and we do expect slightly less fuel economy when we’re towing the 2500 lbs Mini. Whereas our truck towing the trailer was getting 12 mpg. So it is a fuel economy hit for our traveling miles. No doubt.
But this isn’t about traveling miles alone. It’s about balance.
Our intentions with this switch had been to slow down the pace of travel and stay places longer. This is a transition from having a comfortable living pod while traveling, to having a comfortable apartment that can move. In theory, we want to be traveling less miles per year than before. And we were already traveling less miles than Chris was when he was commuting to work daily in the Bay Area.
We anticipate that more of our miles will be local transit miles while the bus is parked for weeks to months at a time. The Mini is rated to get 32 mpg averaged out between city & highway. On my cross country trip, I was averaging an amazing 42 mpg. Whereas the Tundra only got 16-18 mpg when not towing.
We were always paying a fuel economy hit for local transportation because our vehicle had to be sized to pull our house.
Overall, we’re aiming for a measurable improvement in the balanced fuel economy of the bus & Mini.
28 Responses to A Mini Addition
Got a comment? Question? Something to add? Love to hear from you!
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We're Cherie & Chris - two technomads. We've been traveling full time since 2006, exploring the intersection of travel, technology, career, community and nomadic serendipity.
Current Adventure: Roaming the USA in a vintage bus conversion.
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The bus and the mini look to be a match made in heaven! Mimicry is the highest form of flattery, right? I bet your friends are THRILLED to know the mini is in your TLC!
I’m sure there are people that can afford the kind of travel that would make costs (financial and environmental)close to equal. but seriously, who would want to if you didn’t have to????
Cyndi & Stumpy @ RVly Ever After
Check out Cyndi´s recent awesome post ..Goin’ Mobile!
Yeah, Karen was thrilled that her beloved Mini stays in the technomad family.
I think our first year on the road (2007) in the 16′ Tab towed by a biodiesel burning Jeep Liberty could be argued as being a pretty darn environmental way to travel. We were solar powered and highly optimized for energy usage.
It was a great adventure to adapt to that level of simplicity and minimalism, and certainly has positively impacted every decision we’ve made since. We had no internal plumbing (no bathroom), no refrigeration and no air conditioning. We primarily lived off grid, and were getting close to 18 mpg towing (and 26 when not).
But that level of minimalism was not sustainable for us beyond that first year. 45 sq ft of living & working space is not enough for two technomads with varying sleep schedules.
I love reading and living vicariously through your blog. I have enjoyed following your travels over the last year or so. My opinion is that 7.5 MPG is great, and that with the weight of the Mini, you probably won’t notice any change in mileage.
Continued good fortune to you and Chris.
John
Thanks John! It would be awesome if we don’t see much of a difference in fuel economy with towing the Mini. We hope you’re right
I appreciate the balance in you philosophy, and the depth of your thinking as you evolve your lifestyle. You have developed and tested several styles of traveling life, and documented what you have done. Great work! Thanks for sharing!
Check out Michael Robert Lockridge´s recent awesome post ..Connected-ness-
Thanks for the reflection, and for continuing to virtually follow along.
Great choice of Toad. I agree with John. You probably will not notice any mileage hit pulling the Mini.
Another benefit you may discover is the opportunity to park at a much better location, either cost better or scenic better, and drive a little more locally in the Mini.
Good luck.
It would be awesome if we don’t notice much mileage hit towing. I think we’ll in general appreciate the flexibility of having a toad.
Oh the mini is simply GORGEOUS!! What a fabulous addition to the whole retro-cool-look you’ve got going with the bus. Love the combo! And cheers very much indeed for the link-up
Nina
Check out Nina´s recent awesome post ..From The Theatrical To The Spiritual – Lone Pine, CA
Yeah, when we researched the history of the Mini and its place in 1960s history, it was an easy choice
Modern, yet retro.
We had minis when we were first married they are a hoot!
Awesome!
We both had a Prius when we met
Do I get a prize??
Hehehehe. . .
Congrats on a safe trip, especially the opportunity to wander enroute. Far more fun than the super-slab!
Oh, and don’t forget to buy a new windshield washer/squeegee, since you’re towing behind a Detroit Diesel. Dawn brand dishwashing liquid seems to work best. BTDTHTS!!
Cheers!
RJ
Thanks for the recommendation for Dawn! Will get us a bottle for cleaning the Mini and the back of the bus.
So cute!! What a perfect little toad for the bus! I resisted getting a toad for over a year, but now that I’ve had one the last 6 months, I can hardly think of a time I’d not want to bring it along.
Not only will it great to have wheels for local travel and exploring, it will be great peace of mind to know you’ve got some backup trnasportation should the bus throw a fit in the middle of nowhere and need a repair.
Check out Lynne´s recent awesome post ..A Girl’s Guide to Choosing an RV– my story
I think that we too will soon not consider having a toad around. I already feel far more free just having it parked in front of us. We’ll see how we feel after our first trial tow
Love your blog! The Mini will look great flying behind the bus.
-Ish
wanderoke.blogspot.com
Me thinks like poster John…
You probably wont notice any change in MPG.
You’re driving a bus for god sacks…. If the wheels fell off the Mini and your dragging it… would you know. Make sure the rear camera is working so you know it is still there.
It’s all coming together for you guys.
We are still fulltiming after 8 or so years. Just bought a 4 acre winter place high outside Benson, AZ… after boondocking for many winters in Quartzsite.
To each their own… We will be back for the January season in Q. It’s in our blood.
That’s awesome to be towing a Mini! I had no idea that buses only get around 5 MPG. But I think you will definitely get better combined mileage.with the two vehicles.
Check out Scott – Quirky Travel Guy´s recent awesome post ..Quirky Food: Cheese-ology in St. Louis
Hey Cherie
Great choice of car, looks like an awesome match for the bus. Question about the flat-towing modification on the Mini – You state that it voids the warranty, but Karen and Ben were able to do it while under a lease? Did Ben and Karen ever say why they favored the Mini over the Liberty for towing?
Yes, it can void the warranty, and they did the conversion knowing that may face penalties when they turned it in after lease. (Thus another benefit to them of us buying it).
As for the reason they choose the Mini over the Liberty (as stated above), Karen owned the Mini before she joined Ben, and it was a condition of her moving aboard the bus with him. She loved it, and wanting something major in the household that was hers.
ha, I see that in the article now. Makes sense. *Gasp*, what happened to the dog? That must have been tough.
Check out Eric Hansen´s recent awesome post ..Is Physical Media Dead? Part 2
Great blog.
Looking at mini for towing behind our rv.
What mods did your mini get?
Was it a lube pump for trans oiling?
Enjoy the road..
tim
Hi Tim.. thanks for stopping by. As we didn’t do the research or mods ourselves, we specifically didn’t cover these in the post.
That said, I believe the only mod needed was installing a baseplate, and I know the previous owner contacted a professional respected within the MINI community to do the installation.
Best wishes!
Between the new battery system, new bus and now a new toad… you two have made a lot of changes in a short amount of time. Sounds like you are very happy with everything though and that’s a wonderful thing. Thanks for some great reading and some great new ideas.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wes and Kathy Waddell
Check out Kathy and Wes´s recent awesome post ..New FREE Kids Cookbook or Children’s Recipes Page Sets
Any info about towing a mini cooper behind a 2002 rialta,is gas mileage affected greatly? What is needed.to connect to motor home?
Sorry.. I don’t know a thing about towing behind a Rialta (or any other motorhome).
We’ve not noticed much reduction in fuel economy when towing with our bus, but our bus has a 8v71 diesel two stroke engine. I would suspect that a smaller engine would notice it more.
Hey Guys, I’m really envious of your new toad. The wife and I are currently looking to change out our Liberty for a Mini. We have the 892 DD and with a 4600 pound toad don’t hardly feel it back there. I keep an eye on it with the backup camera LOL. We average just over 8MPG with the toad. I plan trips at 5MPG and put the difference toward maintenance. Take care, great site,
Will