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As we celebrate 25 years of the modern MINI, we're continuing to share the personal stories behind the cars.
For Joanne, her connection with MINI goes back much further than her current car. Some of her earliest memories of the brand are tied to family adventures, packed cars and happy times together.
"For me, when I think of the MINI, I just remember all the happy times with family."
Joanne's first MINI memory takes her all the way back to when she was just four or five years old.
Her family of four had travelled to Ireland, with her 6'4" dad somehow fitting himself, the rest of the family and all their luggage into a MINI hire car.
"I remember my mum and dad telling us a story that we'd gone to Ireland, family of four, my dad was 6'4", and our hire car was a MINI. It was quite an adventure."
It's a memory that has stayed with Joanne ever since, becoming part of the many happy family moments she associates with MINI.
Years later, Joanne found herself looking for a MINI of her own.
One Sunday morning, she spotted the MINI that would eventually become hers online. After booking a test drive, she didn't need much convincing.
She knew straight away.
"It was the Cooper that I liked. To me it was eye-catching. I loved the chunkiness of it - it was love at first sight."
From a childhood family adventure in a MINI hire car to finding one that was unmistakably hers, Joanne's story shows how a MINI can become part of your memories long before it becomes part of your driveway.