What I want is to be is a happy driver.
I have a better than 50/50 chance of being wrong here, but I have the feeling that you aren't a parent.
This is what I have figured out -
If your child is uncomfortable, the child is cranky.
If the child is cranky, it really takes the gloss off what would otherwise be a nice drive.

Therefore: child comfort = enjoyable driving = happy driver.

 

Kidless parents don't understand. Why would I not want my childrens' input? I love them. I love them way more than some stupid car.

That being said, unless they are deathly allergic to MINIs, I wouldn't not get one. Even then, I would probably just buy a lot of Epi pens.

 

Kids love the MINI - the only thing you might run into (something we do regularly w/our 3 and 6yr old) is that if there are wandering hands between 2 kids the MINI is great at facilitating this. I spend quite a bit of time w/my rear-view mirror in night-time mode so that I can monitor my 2 after the "keep your hands to yourselves" admonition has been given.

 

I grew up with a Suburban. Size of ride does not matter. If we wanted to bug each other we would.

 

Agreed.
When my brother and I were growing up, it was a constant battle in the back seat. We loved it when good old dad bought that '66 Mercury Monterey 4D.

No matter how he tried, he couldn't reach us from the driver's seat. When the time came, we would just squeeze into our respective backseat corners and he would come up short. It was another story if we actually made him stop the car!

 

The comment was directed to the starter of the thread. I'm not angry. I just feel that there are alot of parents that are catering to their kids & they are raising a bunch of spoiled kids that expect the world to revolve around them.

 

 

Our kids aren't spoiled. They're supposed to smell that way!
(Rodney Dangerfield, RIP)

 

That's a provocative position but to an extent I agree w/you.

Also we should remember how adaptable our kids really are. The clubman environs are pretty luxurious compared to the Mini Vans that I grew up with.

My brother and I would fight over who got to sit on the wheel arch that wasn't missing the bump stop rubber cover. Any spirited cornering would result in heaps of kids in van corners and you know what - I'm getting nostalgic just remembering it all.

My family had a slew of these ex-GPO (UK Post Office) vehicles - a couple of Mini Vans and 2-3 Morris Minor vans. They were all pretty much the same in the back except the Moggie had more headroom so in later years we wouldn't have to duck.

More nostalgia from that era - I remember one memorable race where my uncle Des in his Moggie Minor van was racing my Grandfather in his Mini Cooper. It was a single unpaved lane w/grass growing down the middle of it but it had about a 30º grassy verge on the one side. My uncle successfully used the grassy verge to overtake the Mini that my grandfather my brother and I were riding in much to everyone's delight except my grandfather who was cursing loudly

Here's what the Mini van looked like - except the GPO vans were invariably grey or fatigue green once they were "decommissioned".

 

I appreciate all the comments to thread...I'm encouraged by the fact that it seems like kids enjoy the "fun" aspects of this car (i.e. driving characteristics and cool factor). I hope my toddler will go "wheeeeee" and say "drive REAL fast, Daddy!" and that our car will be the object of a "pinch game" at our kid's preschool = P As for the infant, if he's not appreciating the ride, he'll only stay an infant until the end of the year and then he'll learn to appreciate the cool car his Daddy got = ) Thanks everyone, I feel a lot better.

 

So how does taking into consideration the comfort of your passengers rise to the level of spoiling children? In my book it is simple human compassion, modeling that the world doesn't revolve around self.

Just getting what YOU want without consideration of others is the very essence of self-centeredness.

 

We have an almost 2 & 4 y.o., used to drive a Sienna mini-van. The kids LOVE the MINI and our youngest goes into borderline hysterics if we try to get him into the van while the MINI is still in the garage, he screams "toot-toot" x 100, toot-toot = car in his language - borderline comedy. He giggles when he hears the engine and says "more, more".

His other limited vocabulary includes "door" (for his club door), "lights" to request a change of the mood lighting and "numbers", an already healthy fascination with the jumbo speedometer.

The 4 y.o. takes every opportunity to happily point out every other MINI out there moving or parked and also digs her personal cup holder which is easily reached (impossible to reach in the van). Rides in the MINI are frequently made by request, often at bed time - "can we ride in the MINI tomorrow".

Even our dog loves hopping into the boot, matches the size of good dog bed. Needed bribes to get the dog into the mini-van (yes, the word is out, even dogs know the mini-van is not cool).

The car is flat out fun for kids, dogs and adults - I agree w/the previous poster - it does bring the family much closer together. Half the time we forget about the radio and just enjoy the ride + talking with the kids in back.

The car is less than 3 weeks old, so the honeymoon may not last past the first payment, but I think it will go well beyond that - at least from my perspective, each week gets better and better.

 

Would you let your kids pick a car that was unsafe just because it was cool(not the mini)? Would you buy a car that was uncomfortable for you just because the kids liked it?

Simple human compassion? I'm pretty sure EVERY car made within the last 10 years would satisify that need.

As far as your last comment goes think about what you are saying. When I buy a car I look at lots of things such as Safety, reliabilibity, resale value, fuel economy, performance & so on. I really doubt that the average 8 year old has any of these concerns on his/her mind. That's why you are the PARENT. Keep them safe & they will be happy.

 

I think Ralph Nader just stepped into this thread.

America has some of the strictest safety regulations in the world. Its the primary reason we miss out on good cars from other countries. If you have any car sold in America, you passed all the safety regs. So, with that said, safety is the LAST thing I look at in cars. My kids would be safer in a Suburban than a MINI, hate to say it folks, but why would I buy that? Its a huge gas hog. My kids will be happy in whatever car I tell them to get in and be quiet, or I will make them be happy.

 

I cut people out of cars on a regular basis. They are NOT all the same. BTW size is NOT always an indicator of safety. Some cars pose a large rollover risk. Others may do well in a head on impact test but do very poorly in side impact accidents. YOU as a parent owe it to your family to provide them with safety. The goverment regs provide a minimum standard. I'm sure you think that your family is worth more than the minimum. The point is, it is up to you, as the parent to decide, not the 5 year old.

 

while a lot of your point are accurate, you're fighting an uphill battle.

The mini is very safe for it's size, and pretty safe overall, so the implication that choosing a Mini is putting the kids at risk isn't well founded.

Yes, there are many kids that are overly coddeled, but finding out if kids are compatible with the car is just prudent shopping. Yes, one should get what one wants, as long as it fits the requirement for the job. Some who have kids who've never had very small cars can be justifiably concerned if it will all work out. That's not letting the kids govern the purchasing decision, that's just being a prudent shopper. The fact that most kids really, really like the car may just be bonus. But if this happy coincidence occurs, it doesn't mean that the purchase was driven by the kid, just that the kid got lucky!

So it might be prudent to be a little less polarizing in phrasing, if not content.

Just the way I see it.

Matt

 

Right, so in listing your occupation and obvious mental bent on safety, you cannot look at the issue clearly. If every car company went above and beyond the minimum we would have even heavier cars that got even worse gas mileage. Its a catch-22. Its why in these times of oil crises that I would hope we see a little relaxation in the safety regs of this country.

I hear what you are saying about protecting my children, and I wouldn't drive them on the interstate in a cardboard box, but I find myself having trouble planning a car purchase around a horrific car accident that 99% of the time won't happen.

How safe is safe enough? Maybe I should just never take them anywhere.

 

Plexiglas is even better... Then you can still see the cute little buggers!

Matt

 

weight of the vehicle has less to do with safety than you might think. Buying a safe car is not a catch 22, weight does not automatically equal safety. Safest cars out there are Volvos.

BTW I think I see the issue clearer than most. If you take the time to look you will see that this issue is about letting a kid pick your car. Vehicle safety was only one aspect of the discussion.

 

No one said they let their kids pick the car, just that they liked the car after they bought it. You're the one who went off on a spoiled kids tangent. I don't even take my wife's input on cars. (kidding of course) She is allowed to speak her mind, then I buy it anyway.

Do you have kids?

 

What is this other than a request for information that leads to a better buying decision? You seem helll-bent on spinning this into some situation where some soft parent is abrogating all will to become a slave of the whims of toddlers. Isn't the above also consistant (maybe more consistant) with a concious decision to see if a purchase meets all of the purchasers requirement? Isn't it the buyers right to put the idea of kid compatibility where ever they want in the buying decision? And how is that buying decision morphed into letting the kid choose the car?

Really, it's true that one needs to be a good parent, you point is lost in this example, cause it doesn't really apply.

Matt

 

If so then it must be in the thread in a parallel universe.

I read the the OP's comments as being about comfort (plush vs taught ride). Nowhere does the OP empower the child to "pick your car." You inserted that gem:

 

[QUOTE=mini01770;2409351]

(yes, the word is out, even dogs know the mini-van is not cool).

QUOTE]

HILARIOUS!!!

 

Rockhouse, I appreciate all your comments and agree with your sentiment that today's kids are more spoiled than previous generations. However, as the original poster, know that my kids did NOT dictate our purchase decision. I already made up my mind that I wanted a Clubman. It's only after having the car on order that I'm now thinking through specific details, one of which is how my little ones will transition from an SUV to a tight compact.

 

I have 2 kiddos (8 and 11) and I had them ride along on the test drive in both a Cooper Hardtop and the Clubman. They were infinitely more comfortable in the Clubbie and I was happier with them being able to manage the getting in and out with a bit more ease. When all the factors were taken together, the Clubman made more sense for ALL of us, and since would have been happy with either one, it was not hard to go with the Clubman. I listened to their opinions and used that info as one of the many factors that went into making the decision. I would not let them make the decision and I certainly wouldn't get a car I didn't like just so they would be comfy and/or happy. Buying the right vehicle is a complex and expensive decision, so to me it would be irresponsible to not consider the opinions of the people who are impacted by the decision. That is what being a family is about IMO. It is the way we work anyway, and I have two wonderful and very well behaved kids who understand fully that while they are important, the universe does not revolve around them.

Parkerton, I think your kids will make the transition easily and be happy in their new MINI. I know my kids can't wait for ours to arrive!