Why We Love the MINI (a MINI Manifesto)
Ok we’ve had it. We need a break from our regular programing to say a few things. We all critique MINI and wish it had this and that but the truth is we are MotoringFile and we love this damn car. There’s nothing else like it and frankly we’d be really pissed if it ever went away. It’s fast, it’s stylish and it’s (relatively) affordable for how incredibly good it is.
Because of all of this we’re creating a top ten reasons that the MINI is simply the best car in the world. Yeah we’re not pulling punches here, we said in the world. (drum roll please)…
1. It will eat E46 M3s alive at track days if driven properly.
2. It’s fun at low speeds in a way that almost no car (other than something vintage) can be.
3. There is no pretense of having an aggressive face that’s meant to scare pedestrians. It’s a happy, fun yet fast car when hustled.
4. It can be a personal expression of how awesome you are.
5. You can make friends with it by simply driving (try doing that with a Mazda)
6. It doesn’t look like anything else on the road. In fact it’s weird (and that’s good).
7. It exudes style in a British way that is totally unique in the current automotive market.
8. …
9. …
10. …
But here’s the thing, we’re only going to give you seven reasons. The last three we need you to give us in the comment section.
…So let’s hear it. Why do you love the MINI? R53, R57, it doesn’t matter what you own. We want to hear why you smile every time you turn the key.
<p>hmm number 5 – my mk 1 MX-5 (Miata) was my first true motoring friend and has just as much personality, it also introduced me to many friends through a huge and thirving forum and owners club scene. I love my MINI, but I still love that old Mazda ;)</p>
<ol>
<li>Makes you feel young, hip, and energized.</li>
<li>for a small car, it’s actually quite comfortable.</li>
<li>Reminds me of my dog….and English Bulldog of course.</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>Every time you see one or drive one it leaves an un-erasable grin on your face (especially a JCW).</li>
<li>It is one of the most surprisingly luxurious and comfortable compact cars in the world.</li>
<li>Demands attention from anyone who sees it (good or bad)</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>Because of the friendships I have gained by owning this car.</li>
<li>makes me feel old and hip.</li>
<li>brings back the exhilaration of the 1st car.</li>
</ol>
<p>Because it made my miserable hour commute to work… FUN and dare I say too short.</p>
<ol>
<li>It has made more driving enthusiast out of previous appliance drivers.</li>
<li>It has created the single most diverse and wonderful motoring community.</li>
<li>Widely responsible for bringing “fun” back to the mainstream automotive buyers lexicon.</li>
</ol>
<p>Great article Gabe, and I echo every word!</p>
<p>“It will eat E46 M3s alive at track days if driven properly.”</p>
<p>Which planet are you on!?</p>
<p>There is no way a Mini of the above description will be faster than an E46 M3 round any track!</p>
<ol>
<li>It can safely transport my family of four.</li>
<li>It can easily be converted to carry items too large to fit in the trunk of almost any sedan.</li>
<li>It can turn a single, unremarkable corner into a fun adventure.</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><p>Parking Spaces tend to materialize when you have a MINI (very important in major cities!)</p></li>
<li><p>You can drive like Steve McQueen in “Le Mans” and still pull in damn near 40 MPG</p></li>
<li><p>It is a “new-old” car. It has the style, charm, and motoring appeal of a classic sports car with none of the reliability issues, rust issues, or Lucas wiring.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>It’s surprisingly easy to work on and modify (or YOUify).</p>
<p>Gives me a legitimate sports car driving experience that no hotted-up hatchback can match, with the utility of an occasional back seat.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>What other car acts like a matchmaker for love interests and tons of best friends (and can bring a family closer together)? :)</p></li>
<li><p>Because you can get 800 KM per tank with over 200HP (JCW Clubman).</p></li>
<li>Makes me feel proud to own it, motor around in it, and say I work for such a passionate car!</li>
</ol>
<p>It’s a car that’ll pull 40 mpg with your foot out, and 4 Gs with your foot down.</p>
<p>It makes me feel that I’m part of a legacy that has been forged over time by exceptional people such as engineers, racing drivers, designers, artists, etc. Moreover, this legacy leaves on thanks to a special community that is standing out in the car industry because to its enthusiasts (us).</p>
<p>Its Priceless!!!</p>
<p><b>MIIN is different.</b> It drives differently than other brands. It looks different than anything else on the road (despite the best efforts of the pretenders). Ownership is different than anything else I’ve experienced.</p>
<p><b>MINI is fun.</b> Fun to look at, fun to drive, fun to talk about, fun to tinker with. Fun, fun, fun.</p>
<p><b>MINI makes sense.</b> It makes sense to carry forward ideas and designs that have changed the world. It just makes sense that fun and practicality are not mutually exclusive. It feels more luxurious than its price tag would suggest (read value). It economical to own. If you’re going to spend time in a car, it only makes sense that it should fun to drive. It’s more car than meets the eye. It’s easier on the environment than many other cars on the road.</p>
<p>Hands down, MINI offers a complete car ownership experience for this owner. Volkswagen comes in second, a make I drove for many years, but a distant second, indeed.</p>
<p>My mini has a personal meaning to me much more than any other car I have owned. I feel free and happy when I drive it. The way I customized it is an expression of my unique personality. My mini makes me smile just thinking of it. Its a cool little pod that transports me to where I need to get to in life!</p>
<p>The incredible thought put into the design and functionality is rare these days.</p>
<p>…oh, and when I hit the peddle it goes fast.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>MINIs have character. The very nice E90 I received as a loaner a few weeks ago felt dead inside next to my Clubman S.</p></li>
<li><p>MINI innovates and takes risks. Love them or hate them, the large speedo, the Clubman’s barn doors, the Countryman’s center rail, the move to 3-cylinder engines, etc, show a willingness to have some fun with design and engineering.</p></li>
<li><p>Unbeatable combination of fun, functional and efficient.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Because people will walk right by Porsches and Ferraris to look at your MINI.</p>
<p>This article comes at a very appropriate time, as I will be getting my first MINI (a 2010 MCS Camden) tonight! 🙂 Hence, I can relate to all the listed reasons, but I am positive my appreciation of the MINI will only increase in time.</p>
<p>To quote New Car Test Drive:</p>
<p>“The eagerly awaited Mini has arrived with: 1. the emotional appeal of a puppy; 2. the high-style gloss of a fashion magazine, and 3. the technological edge of a Los Alamos lab.â€</p>
<p>Cleverly said!</p>
<p>first off…I beg of you to change or remove #4. I can not think of a more lame and narcissistic “reason”. Seriously, it makes MINI owners one of “those” people.</p>
<p>So I will give four reasons.</p>
<p>It’s the right size…..It’s not to small and no bigger than it needs to be.</p>
<p>It is THE definition of clean, simple elegant design……. It does not look like all of those other awful , ugly cars with ridiculously oversized lights that needlessly wrap around the corners and come to ridiculous extreme points. Its body lines are not droopy or edgy, It is simple beauty and it does not try to be something it isn’t….period.</p>
<p>The car makes ordinary people into enthusiasts………..Todd has talked about this on the podcast and my story is the same. The MINI was transformational in how I look at the car I drive everyday. If the MINI did not come along when it did I would have bought an appliance, simply filled fluids and washed it at the spray and wash every couple months. A car was just a car to me…..until I owned a MINI. This car creates passion.</p>
<p>It’s in the special little details (at least in the 1st gen)…..supercharger whine, center exhaust, wraparound glass, round headlights that can be aimed to the sky, functional scoop, panoramic sun roof, tachometer mounted in the right place….It’s these things that made the car unique in the little ways, these things that nobody else do in the market.</p>
<p>3) Economical… at slow and fast speeds
2) Parks in places very few other cars can park
1) For me, it’s like owning a Mac… once you drive one, you never want to drive another car…</p>
<ol>
<li><p>It’s the puppy I never had as a kid.</p></li>
<li><p>After reading all these comments sofar I think I’ll buy another (3rd gen).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Great article Gabe. Even though I currently sitting am at MINI of Birmingham getting a recurring problem looked at, I still love my MINI!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I’m 6’4″ and fit in it with room to spare. Who ever thought that would be possible in a small or mid-size car!</p></li>
<li><p>I never thought something as mundane as going to the grocery store could be fun!</p></li>
<li><p>I get a high MPG car without driving a low power car with 10 in wheels!!</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Keep being mini MINI, we love you!</p>
<p>And BTW, I did enter 8,9,10, some website formating thing is changing them to 1,2,3!!</p>
<blockquote>first off…I beg of you to change or remove #4. I can not think of a more lame and narcissistic “reasonâ€. Seriously, it makes MINI owners one of “those†people.</blockquote>
<p>@dr – I agree wholeheartedly. I winced a little when I read that line myself.</p>
<p>That said, I do think the absurd degree of OEM customization that’s available DOES set MINI apart. Maybe not as a “personal expression of how awesome you are”, but certainly as personal expression to some degree, and the ability to spec your car pretty much however you want.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>As my dad likes to say, it’s a sports car with an ample trunk.</p></li>
<li><p>It’s an “escape hatch” – Saving many drivers from boring cars in the same price point and helping other drivers rediscover their inner enthusiast.</p></li>
<li><p>Burble!!!!</p></li>
</ol>
<p>1) A car so good it spurs thriving sites like motoringfile!</p>
<p>If you honestly think a Mini will out-track an M3 then you are seriously misguided, maybe you have some illusions of grandeur.
You’d be lucky to outrun a 330d.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>first off…I beg of you to change or remove #4. I can not think of a more lame and narcissistic “reasonâ€. Seriously, it makes MINI owners one of “those†people.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It’s meant to be somewhat tongue and cheek. I believe “fun” is the word :)</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If you honestly think a Mini will out-track an M3 then you are seriously misguided, maybe you have some illusions of grandeur. You’d be lucky to outrun a 330d.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I’ve personally done it several times. You can fast forward to the 11:30 mark of <a href="http://bridger.us/2007/08/28/bmwcca-track-weekend-video/" rel="nofollow">this video</a> if you need to see an example yourself. Of course it depends on the track but from my experience (if driven properly) the R56 MCS or JCW can be a surprisingly effective track weapon. Or you could look <a href="https://www.motoringfile.com/2010/04/28/the-jcw-gp-at-the-ring/" rel="nofollow">here</a> as well.</p>
<ol>
<li>You can rev the engine and drive fast without getting horrible MPG. And it sounds AWESOME.</li>
<li>Cooper, Cooper S, or JCW they all feel faster than their HP says.
3.Spine shattering suspension makes you feel whats going on, and is a feature.</li>
</ol>
<p>Pony cars look at it in their rearview on track days and jokingly say “It’s a Mini”, then see the twin center exhaust and say “It’s a MINI!!!”</p>
<p>I’ve seen M3’s beat Porsche GT3 RS’s on track, doesn’t mean the M3 is the quicker car. Some drivers are just slow.
Given equal drivers, whilst a Cooper S may give an M3 a run for it’s money, it certainly wouldn’t “Eat it alive”.</p>
<p>My ’08 MCS is as much fun to drive as my ’08 M Coupe… gets better mpg, costs half as much, and gives the same smiles per mile satisfaction!</p>
<p>it’s not only a car, it’s a way of life</p>
<p>Some additional reasons why I love driving and owning a MINI:</p>
<p><b>8. It is the ultimate overachieving underdog.
9. It ensures thrills and owner joy normally reserved for owners of exotic cars, or at least Porsches.
10. The MINI feels and looks “premium”, with a secure and stable feel for both driver and passenger that goes beyond previously unexpected “small car” features (xenon lights with washers, heated seats, great stereo, dimming mirrors, etc.) and generous active+passive safety equipment. </b></p>
<p>And some R53-specific ones…</p>
<ol>
<li><p>It doesn’t sound like ANY other car. The combination of a supercharger shrieking as the revs rise with the burbling and blatting free-flowing exhaust is not only intoxicating, it is truly distinctive and sounds like few other performance cars, and no other hot hatches. (Even at parking lot speeds there is the distinctive rising/falling whir from the steering rack.)</p></li>
<li><p>It has more communicative steering feel than the vast majority of sporting cars, even than most RWD cars.</p></li>
<li><p>Lifting the hood (bonnet if you prefer), integrated headlights and all, and exposing the lovely little 1.6 with top-mounted intercooler never ceases to draw gearheads for a look and chat. In that sense, it feels like lifting the hood to a race car or at least to a hot rod.</p></li>
<li><p>It has an interior that looks “crafted”, differs from nearly every other car, and (mostly) works well ergonomically. Even getting in and taking a look around as you fire it up before a drive feels special and “puts you in the mood” for motoring!</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Outrun a E46 M3 when driven properly??? Not if the M3 is also driven properly you won’t. Yes, a JCW or mapped S is quick… but a it won’t have a M3 driven to the max.</p>
<p>It’s a giant-killer. David to the many Goliaths out there. I love when people underestimate the MINI, then to see the look of surprise as I pass them by!</p>
<p>Well I currently own a 220bhp S and believe it to be an exceptionally quick car but I have also owned an E46 M3 and I am certain the MINI wouldn’t touch it. Let’s be serious about this. A 350bhp car with a chassis tuned by someone as well recognised as the M division! Put the Stig in both and race them around the track and the M3 would be quicker.</p>
p><b>@Tim</b We are being serious. E46 M3 has more like 330hp and weighs nearly 1000lbs more than an R53. It definitely has an edge in a straight line and can put the power down better out of tight corners but that is it. The Mini will reel it in (or spit it out) braking and cornering. 1000 lbs is a lot of mass. Seriously.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Mini will reel it in (or spit it out) braking and cornering. 1000 lbs is a lot of mass. Seriously.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Finally someone figured it out :)</p>
<p>The way it trancends class/social status.And the implied middle finger to any Hummer in the lane next to me :)</p>
<p>As I said. Put a professional at the wheel and the times will do the talking. I don’t wish to disrespect anyone’s opinion. I understand the difference in weight but I can’t see this being enough around a track against a MINI, especially one without a tuned suspension. At the end of the day, without a fair test, statements above will only draw up conversations as we are having now.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>At the end of the day, without a fair test, statements above will only draw up conversations as we are having now.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That’s fair… And that’s why your list may be different than mine.</p>
<p>I’ve read all the comments so far and I have to say that some of them are pretty harsh:( We are all enthusiasts as a consequence we can push the button too far sometimes, but just read the title of this article again and you’ll see it’s about love:) Like one says in French: “les gouts et les couleurs ne se discutent pas”.</p>
<p>Surprisingly Small (on the outside).</p>
<p>Surprisingly Large (on the inside).</p>
<p>Makes me enjoy driving again.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It will eat E46 M3s alive at track days if driven properly.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.fastestlaps.com/comparisons/458da861dbf7c-vs-489db6b511c3d.html" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.fastestlaps.com/comparisons/458da861dbf7c-vs-489db6b511c3d.html</a></p>
<ol>
<li>More front legroom than full-sized sedans: “You fit in that thing?”</li>
<li>The “Tardis” effect: “Holy crap there’s a lot of room in here, I never would have thought!”</li>
<li>Part bulldog, part pit bull. Call it a PitBullDog.</li>
<li>Getaway vehicle for 2 (long trips, with luggage), lunch runner for 4 (short trips).</li>
<li>A 2-seater with more cargo capacity than almost any sedan.</li>
<li>Proper sports car in a friendly and underestimated package.</li>
<li>Bends the rules, rules the bends.</li>
<li>Scaring the crap out of unassuming passengers every day. (i.e. heavy use of the “Oh S*%t handle”)</li>
<li>The ultimate “undercompensation” vehicle.</li>
<li>Friendly puppy by day, rabid bulldog by night.</li>
</ol>
<p>Porque siempre los pequeños detalles,són los más importantantes.
Porque lo MINI,suele ser lo más excitante.
Porque es un juguete pequeño para jugar a lo grande.
Porque que serÃa la vida,sÃn MINI,nada.
Saludos!
SÉ MINI!
BE MINI!</p>
<p>8)Owning a MINI is a great way to lose weight. It was such a nice day I went out for a drive at lunchtime. I had so much fun, I forgot to stop for lunch.</p>
<p>9)Just because there are other MINI drivers out there far more skilled than I at making their MINIs go super fast, everybody thinks my car is super fast 🙂 No need to race.</p>
<p>10)The MINI is one very practical car that doesn’t have to be.</p>
<p>Se me olvidaba..</p>
<p>MINI,es el único coche del mundo con el que sonrien los niños al verlo pasar!!!!!
Qué puede ser más importante entonces?
MINI,claro…
SÉ MINI!
BE MINI!</p>
<p>So Gabe, when are you coming back to the MINI family? ;)</p>
<p>I am sitting in the waiting area of Sandia BMW in Albuquerque waiting for my 535i. We also have a 2010 MCSC.</p>
<p>1) Not one person waiting around me is below 60 and they sure don’t look like they would be “driving enthusiasts”-it is depressing
2) The MINI is so much more visceral than any car besides my dad’s old 72 2002
3) I just sat in an X6 and almost threw up a little, I can sit in ANY MINI model and it still makes me smile</p>
<p>Lease on 535i ends May 2011-hello Countryman!!</p>
<p>Xll. MINI has great resale value(in case you have to sell
your baby to start a successful venture,wink,wink).</p>
<p>Xl. MINIs are sooo unique and rare that most car-jackers
won’t take it(especially if it’s a stick).</p>
<p>X. MINI is the ONLY car to remind
me that a car is to be ENJOYED;as well as,DRIVEN!</p>
<p>OK.. I only have one…</p>
<p>. Because we can Park almost any where!</p>
<p>The MINI is where fun and ecological responsibility intersect.</p>
<p>-MPG/speed ratio is unbeatable
-Fastest car that I can fit my bicycle in that isn’t a wagon
-you can customize the mini(with quality parts) like no other car
and since that last one is close to #4 here’s one more:
-It makes watching the Italian Job even more enjoyable, especially when you’re watching it with non Mini owners.</p>
<p>I would also like to say I love this post! No complainers allowed is what the title should be.</p>
<p>The #1 Best Feature for me are the sport seats in leather/cloth with the lumbar support. I had chronic low back pain for years, and it completely disappeared after I got my MINI.</p>
<p>1.Because people tell me I look good behind the wheel.
2.Because I get a lot of “I like what you did with your car!It’s lookin’ good”
3.Because I know if I get in a tight spot,it has the pickup and speed to get me out of it.</p>
<p>-Always makes me smile. Always.
-Still have random strangers ask me how I like it after six years. Plus my friends ask me how MINI Cooper is just like a member if my family.
-It goes like stink, turns in a dime, and can carry a suprising volume of stuff including 6’3″ me.</p>
<p>I will say that I also have an e90 and it is an extremely competant and enjoyable drive. It reveals itself after days of driving and gentle pushing while the MINI is instantly ready to play!</p>
<p>Great post Motoringfile!</p>
p>@Tim</p
<blockquote>I understand the difference in weight but I can’t see this being enough around a track against a MINI, especially one without a tuned suspension. </blockquote>
<p>Agreed. On nothing other than a tight and twisty track, a tuned suspension on an otherwise factory-stock R56 (or even R53) JCW makes out-lapping a stock e46 M3 very possible; coilovers, camber plates, rear control arms and an aggressive setup. And that’s exactly what allowed me to, lap after lap, reel-in a trained driver in a 997 GT3 in my otherwise stock R53 JCW before he would blow me away on the next straightaway. We were even more surprised when we switched cars and got the same result!</p>
<ol>
<li>It transcends socio-economic levels.</li>
<li>It compensates for the, uh…well-endowed.</li>
<li>Anti-douchebags come equipped as standard.</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>It brings out the latent non-conformist tendencies in every demographic group.</p></li>
<li><p>It’s a great tool for scaring the poop out of your father-in-law on drives to the Home Depot.</p></li>
<li><p>Because Camry’s on the Dragon just isn’t the same.</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>Timeless design. My JCW MCS is now 6 years old, almmost without fail I will still look back at it after parking and walking away. Sometimes especially after hand washing it myself (only me washes and polishes it)I take time out to walk around it an admire it from all angles. If I look at other manufacturers of 2004 vintage, the cars look old, in themselves and especially against newer models, Mini will allways look fresh!</li>
<li>Nice to add new things and everytime end up with a ‘new’ car. Works engine conversion done after 2 years ownership, Sprintbooster added recently, JCW sport brake kit going in next</li>
<li>Emotional attachment factor. Many times after a drive I will sit for a while with a grin on my face and comment aloud to the interior – ‘What a great car!!’ How many cars can you say that – ever – and especially still after 6 years.</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>Similar to 6’4″ Kevin Stephenson, I am 6’7″ and have plenty of room (My plate even reads: 6FEET7).</p></li>
<li><p>MINI draws you to it, invites you in, motors you about, and leaves you with a SMILE (wanting more).</p></li>
<li>Refreshes our personal joy/attentiveness in simple driving.</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>It allows the car and the driver to transcend time – what other car has looked relevant for this long and has a variety of drivers spanning 5 generations</p></li>
<li><p>It brought the coolness and the fun factor back into small engines</p></li>
<li><p>My 2 yr old daughter prefers to ride in my Clubman S over my wife’s CRV! And she can’t even say MINI yet.</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>It is the great equalizer. Go to MINI on the Dragon some year. All genders, walks of life, ages, polictical views, ecomomic levels. All there to celebrate owning a MINI.</p></li>
<li><p>Owning and driving a MINI is really almost a life experience. To half the owners it is ‘just a car’ to the rest it is almost a way of life.</p></li>
<li>After two years of ownership I still ALWAYS look back and get a little smile o my face after I park it and I am walking away. Theat never happened with any of my other cars including my Isuzu Impulse, Ford Ranger Splash, Audi TT convertible, and especially my ’94 Honda Accord. The only time I looked back and smiled at the Accord is when I was leaving it at the towing company yard after I totalled it. and that was because I had an R56 on order because of the wreck!</li>
</ol>
<p>Makes my commute more than tolerable (couldn’t claim that when I drove a Honder); it’s eye-catching like no other car on the road (have had little old ladies tell me how much they like my ‘little car’ … :o)); and it’s the 1st car I’ve ever owned that I’ve EVER really giveen so much ‘attention’!</p>
<p>Argghhh … I meant ‘given’!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>It provides a high level of driving fun while having a low impact on the environment.</p></li>
<li><p>It’s iconic. With it’s signature contrasting roof, and center mounted speedo.</p></li>
<li><p>It will expand your vocabulary. Bonnet and boot, motoring and twisties…</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Reasons 8-10: MINI is like the Apple of cars. Without the Steve Jobs, natch.</p>
<p>It’s original & irreverent!
It does not matter what others think.</p>
<p>You guys need to not drink so much of your own Kool-aid ;)</p>
<p>The whole notion of a Mini <em>eating</em> ‘E46 M3s alive at track days’ is silly and unbeliveable. The same backwards argument could be made for MANY, MANY other cars which can lap an M3 solely because the BMW driver isn’t capable of getting it around the track to it’s full potential.</p>
<p>No other car looks as good (and cool) with Bonnet Stripes!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>No other car makes me glad every time I get behind the wheel, whether it’s a run to the store or a multi-state road trip.</p></li>
<li><p>TWISTY BITS!!</p></li>
<li><p>Most other MINI drivers wave back.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t have envy for other’s rides.</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>Because there is a heated discussion going on right now about how it will or won’t eat a E43 M6 or something like that at the track, and that those people who care and those of us who don’t can still get along at regional MINI club events, car shows and big national events like AMVIV or MTTS.</p></li>
<li><p>It really is a lifestyle. I have a very stock 2002 Just-A-Cooper, no sunroof or stripes or any modifications really, outside of an Aux input jack and a K&N filter. I am also very active in our local club, participating in lots of events and organizing a very popular drive to a private road with lots of twisties, that becomes MINI’s only for three hours! Most of the other members have an “S” but there’s never any friction between the owners of the two types of cars. Take your stock Civic and go hang out with the Boy Racers and their fart can cars. Then tell me how that went.</p></li>
<li><p>I find the spouse of the MINI owner usually wants to get one too after they drive it for a bit. What other car causes that to happen?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>valvashon you are a complete tool, what you go and do with your mini’s is exactly what other kids do with their cars! but they love all cars not just favouritism one type and discriminate again all other makes, you are what makes all this hostility, you and your up tight holier then though attitude. You are the total opposite to what a community needs.</p>
<p>if i had a ferrari i sure my spouse would want one if i let her drive it, your a complete idiot!</p>
<p>It makes me smile!</p>
<p>In all situations it makes me smile – driving, washing, modding, filling with gas, chatting with those that walk up to talk about it, going to the grocery store, even going to the doctor – it makes me smile. Never had so much passion or fun with any other car – frankly it is not a car, as has been mentioned earlier, it is a lifestyle.</p>
<p>As far as the M3 debate here’s my experience..</p>
<p>Whilst heading up to the 1st MTTS I encountered a M3 and a Ford GT. We were all stuck behind a motorhome just past Hearst Castle on Hiway 1. I saw an opening and passed the motorhome, M3 & GT. I had open road for some 15 miles but finally saw a red dot (GT) catching me. They both finally did catch me and I moved over. The GT played with us for awhile but finally disappeared which left me following the M3.</p>
<p>I can say that he and I had a nice run but on any long straight away he’d pull away but I’d always catch back up, though I had to push my MSC harder than I wanted, and we’d have another round of twisties. Near Carmel he pulled over to get gas and as I drove by he gave me a thumbs up.</p>
<p>I love my MCS but truthfully the M3 was the better car. I have no idea of the talent of the M3 driver, mine is mid level, I’m a better off road driver. But I will say he did all the correct stuff leading into turns and exiting.</p>
<p>It has style, class and a soul.</p>
<p>Plus kick butt mileage.</p>
<p>Have your cake and eat it too!</p>
<p>‘Life is not measured by the number of breath’s you take but by the number of moments that take your breath away…’
Buy a Mini and experience the quote !</p>
<p>Few other topics would find me reading all the comments, smiling all the while.</p>
<p>I love the MINI for it’s kick-in-rump performance and handling!</p>
<p>I love the MINI for it’s eye-catching design!</p>
<p>I love the MINI for all the friendships it’s helped bring about!</p>
<p>[quote=Timmsy]valvashon you are a complete tool, what you go and do with your mini’s is exactly what other kids do with their cars! but they love all cars not just favouritism one type and discriminate again all other makes, you are what makes all this hostility, you and your up tight holier then though attitude. You are the total opposite to what a community needs.</p>
<p>if i had a ferrari i sure my spouse would want one if i let her drive it, your a complete idiot![/quote]</p>
<p>Timmsy-</p>
<p>What exactly do you and your numerous spelling and grammatical errors mean? I believe that all three of my reasons are inclusive in nature and not discriminatory at all.</p>
1- Lots of people care about this discussion. Lots don’t. We all still love MINI’s and have much in common.
2- I believe I was describing how friendly and inclusive our local club is. Next Saturday I will have around 40 other MINI’s (most of them “S” models) following my Just-A-Cooper all day on a drive with twisties, photo opportunities and a group dinner and trivia quiz. Next Sunday they will enjoy the drive I set up on the private, rental only road with nothing but 3.5 miles of horseshoe curves. Group drives and group bonding are what a community needs. Ask the people participating next weekend if I have an uptight, holier than thou attitude.
3- My wife wants a MINI after helping me do the driving to AMVIV in 2009. How is that not inclusive?
<p>My response is more than your incoherent post deserves.</p>
<p>Val</p>
<p>I love my MINI S because I am now driving one and for as long as I have loved cars have always wanted one.
I love my MINI S because it is emotive and a talking point.
I love my MINI S because it makes bald rich old men in very expensive sports cars put their foot down.
I love my MINI S because of the jealous, pouty looks I get from the X5 and Q7 cashed up Bella Dona’s…
I love my MINI S because I feel I have nothing to prove, although everyone wants to see what it can do.
I love my MINI S because it loves me back, it never complains and is always ready for more fun.
I love my MINI S because a couple of weeks ago when I was turning through town another funky young guy stuck his tounge out at me…there is just something about this car..</p>
<p>8) The kids LOVE it
9) Actually leaves a positive impression about you
10) Costs a fortune without looking like it</p>
<p>8) Because kids point at it.
9) Because adults in faster cars give you dirty looks when you drive by.
10) Because everyone smiles when you rev it at a light.</p>
<p>Its built in Britain…….. currently !!</p>
<p>Yes…. MINI it`s the best invention on the world…thanks Mr. Issigonis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>How could I forget to the mention the Sport Button?!</p>