Why don't more men drive Minis?

[Tin Pot]

The only problem I have with the modern Mini is that it is not miniature.

 

[EltonFrog]

The thing is with the BMW MINI, its not a MINI, not in anyway, and with the latest incarnation, in my opinion, you could stick any badge on it and it would be that, its still a nice car, most cars today are pretty much the same. As I understand it (I could be wrong) the first versions of the BMW MINI were Fiat Punto chassis and running gear and with the diesel version had a Peugeot engine and all sorts of shared electronics hidden away.

 

[Ron-da-Valli]

You know what they say, big car small knob. Mine's a mini.... and my car's not much bigger either!

 

[roadrash]

I had a mini 30th anniversary model dropped from 12 inch wheels to 10 inch using coopers brake discs ,1.3 mg metro engine rebored to 1380, exhaust was 1 1/4inch bore stainless steel , i used to love going to shows and track days with it , hmm going to have to dig the photos out of the loft.

 

[JtB]

The BMW mini is a mini in its own right, not the same as the classic mini of course. I leant to drive in a classic mini and while at the time it was fun to drive, it's definitely not a car for today's roads. Like the classic mini the BMW mini is a fun car to drive (in its own way), but unlike the classic mini the BMW mini is also comfortable at speed and over long distances.

With the roof down and the wind deflector up my BMW mini convertible carries only 2 people and there's no real boot space so to speak, so it's not a practical car. But I did not buy it for practicality (my wife has the large practical car), I bought it for FUN and it does NOT disappoint.

 

[TVC]

I had a mini 850 van, once ran by the BCF (remember thgem) . I hand painted it brown . Slidey windows and string to open the door. Great fun but on reflection a but if a death trap!

Shaun

That just gave me a smell memory. New cars smell completly different.

 

[earlestownflya]

What are you saying the new ones don't break down? Or just that when they do the 30 ton juggernauts slow down for you. One of the reasons the driving standards are so bad is all this safety equipment, All being it is a good thing, But it makes people feel so secure in there little boxes,They think they are indestructible, It's taken all the fun out of driving. Hence F1 being so boring now, But i would still rather be driving a proper 1275 cooper s than one of the modern so called mini's

that's not at all what i'm saying...i've had both original minis and bmw built minis,the bmw minis are better made,more reliable and safer..that's a fact.....i like the old minis myself,i think everybody should own one at some point...the argument that one is better than the other doesn't really concern me,they're both good fun.and both offer up very different driving experiences.....as for driving standards being bad as a result of safety equipment is just pure bullsh*t

 

[Pale Rider]

My second car was a mini 850 van.

It had slightly wider tyres, but more importantly they were radials.

Driving it was easy - flat out and steer.

 

[vernon]

Driving it was easy - flat out and steer.

Sounds like a Citroen 2CV.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I had a mini 30th anniversary model dropped from 12 inch wheels to 10 inch using coopers brake discs ,1.3 mg metro engine rebored to 1380, exhaust was 1 1/4inch bore stainless steel , i used to love going to shows and track days with it , hmm going to have to dig the photos out of the loft.

A work-collegue had one with a Honda Type-R engine in it, for a while


This company offers some mental conversions..........
http://www.zcarsuk.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=83&product_id=189

 

[roadrash]

at one of the shows i saw an old post office mini van rear wheel drive and a thumping great v8 in the back , getting to move along was no problem .....stopping it however

 

[TVC]

at one of the shows i saw an old post office mini van rear wheel drive and a thumping great v8 in the back , getting to move along was no problem .....stopping it however

A fellow student at Uni back in the 80s had a Moggie traveller that he had shoe-horned a Rover V8 into. He bolstered the suspension to take the power, but made no alterations to the appearance. It would leave anyone at the lights so long as it was dry. In the wet the bog standard tyres objected wildly to the loads they were given.

 

[Jody]

The original Mini was an icon. As someone said earlier, everyone should own one at some point. I used to love mine. Bought from my friend after saying I would never be seen dead driving it. After driving it I changed my mind. It had a 1275 MG engine when I bought it and a fire breathing turbo engine by the time I had finished with it. Lovely car with some great memories attached.

 

[Dan B]

[QUOTE 3959868, member: 45"]This is far more like a proper mini than the fake one. Great car...

[/QUOTE]
If it's anything like its smaller sibling, pray you never get a side window broken. Four weeks wait to import a new one.

 

[mustang1]

I get to drive a lot of hire cars and drove a Cooper S convertible through Zurich and out through the mountains, fab fun indeed! I've just handed-back a Land Rover Discovery Sport, a car I expected to detest which I came to admire, I can see why they are popular. Other cars surprise me, the Renault Clio is a fun drive, the Vauxhaul Meriva is a perky little family wagon, the Jag XF a barge. Volvos are a very good drive. Of the pricey cars I really fell for the Audi A6 Quattro Estate, an awesome piece of engineering. The Juke, Quasquai, Peugoet 2008 are utterly horrible however.
Thing is it's horses for courses at the end of the dayemotians, economics.

What IS a good car? It depends what you want it for. Most are more than competent enough, the rest comes down to a blend of emotional, practical and economic factors. Stuff what others think.

I've just ordered my dream car .... awaiting it's arrival :-)
Stuff anyone else.

Ok ok we get it!