The Goodbye Grandma and Hello Maxi

The eagle has landed and Maximilian J. Cooper has entered the fleet.
2011 Kona Blue Ford Flex SEL.










The genesis of the name Maximilan J. Cooper is simple. This is a big car that has similar styling language of the current Mini Cooper, so badged for the eponymous John Cooper, principal of the John Cooper Motor Works. Maxi Cooper... get it? The 'J' is for John as a tribute to Mr. Cooper and his pen.







Note the supple Corinthian... uh, cloth, since leather was not in the budget. But the cloth has a nice hounds tooth pattern and looks like it will wear well. The seats are still heated, which at the end of the day is very important to me.
The stereo is only acceptable, (again the good one was out of budget), but it still has SYNC, (which Ford has done a brilliant job marketing since it is so highly desired but barely works). Overall, there are many good features. Certainly it is no beer can or stripper.



The first car I remember in my youth was my mom's '76 LTD station wagon; banana yellow and as big as the whole outdoors. She must have looked funny with the tweed bench seat cranked all the way up to the dash, clinging to the large diameter but still pencil thin steering wheel. My job was to sit in the "way back" and intercept any cigarette butts that flew back in through the open tailgate window before they burned the whole works down.
I appreciated that car in retrospect. Later she had a mini van and some of the best things that ever happened to me happened in that van (we'll just leave it at that, shall we?). Now I have this cross between the two. I think it is clean, cohesive, fresh and funky. It sure is comfortable, quiet and utile.


Welcome to the family, Maxi. May your 24 months with us be happy! Ha! I'm kidding, that was for my wife who shook her fist at me and said... "That car better still be in the driveway in 4 years!"

Let's be honest, that's a bit of a stretch, but I can almost see it happening.