My Dream is Now My Nightmare

I've been wanting a Mini Cooper since I first saw The Italian Job in 2003. There was something fascinating about these cars and I just knew I had to have one someday.

After years of searching, I finally found my car. Unfortunately, my glee was short-lived - first due to the finger injury and then followed by the things wrong with the car (you know, the things that weren't showing up when we bought it?). One day in and we had a leak, a brake light out, and a broken glove box. Yesterday I took it to a Mini dealer (more on that later) to be evaluated and then on our way from the dealership to a reasonable mechanic, the transmission went out.

It's been less than a week and I can't even drive my dream car. It sits in the shop waiting for a transmission while I'm left crying and wondering how I screwed everything up just by wanting something fun to drive. Before you start rattling off suggestions, we bought the car used, as-is, no warranty. We are dumb. And we were taken for a ride (and not the kind I need to get to work). We officially have a lemon...having it be a convertible lemon somehow doesn't lessen the blow.