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The third generation Mini goes on sale this weekend, with most cars available in 2006 already sold.

Mini has already taken 4,000 UK orders before launch, so new customers will now have to wait until January for delivery. Prices for the new generation are £12,995 for the Cooper and £15,995 for the Cooper S (the Mini One and diesel versions go on sale in 2007).

The new model will also be available with the "TLC" service pack for £150. 95% of owners currently take this option, but the other 5% apparently think there must be some catch with the offer. In fact there is no catch - the TLC package really is an offer worth taking.