I want to stir up a hornets nest here if I might. I have a delima. I own a DS/DS 07 MCS and want to add stripes. But I don't want to add stripes, but maybe want to add stripe, but really don't want to add stripes. Sometimes, I feel like stripes would be the best thing for this car but don't really want to add them.

Do you think I'm depressed? Should I seek council? Prozac? Heeeeeeeellllllllllpppppppppp!

 

Funny, I opted to have the 'bonnet' stripes removed on the car I purchased (it was brand new, so no problem getting them taken off). I guess I prefer the 'clean/conservative' look.

You can always add stripes later -- they're just decals, so probably better to add them later vs. having them removed a year or so down the road (when they're set in and might cause damage to the finish/paint).

 

If a Mini Cooper doesn't make you happy you are depressed.

 

I'd add them, if I were you. But I am 12, and went with the sport stripes myself.

 

How do you decide between a Mounds Bar and an Almond Joy? Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. Just put a stripe on one side of the hood , maybe that will help.
chuck

 

If you don't mind spending a few dollars, get a set of stripes, install them and if you don't like the look, take them off. They come off a whole lot easier than they go on. I had black stripes on my DS/B, and replaced them with B/W checkered stripes. I really like the look.

 

Maybe you just haven't found the right stripe, yet. There are a lot of possibilities out there. Once you find one where the I want thats won't stop, then go for it.

 

how about a shadow stripe (bottom DS car)?

 

Nooooooooooooot so fast there, buddy ! Some people would argue that vehemently with you.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Put on the damn stripes already !!! A MINI without Stripes is like Laurel without Hardy. Fred without Ginger. Peanut Butter without Jelly. Liz Taylor without.... husband.

Anyway, you get the point. Stripes, my friend !!

 

cereal without milk?

 

Depends, if it's Captain Crunch, YES !!

 

What PGT said. I LOVE the look of shadow stripes, which look like another shade of the body color, or the frost, which seems to kind of "matte" the body color.

 

How about magnetic stripes? ....wouldn't be my first choice, but they would remove and reinstall easy.

 

^^That's a risk, they can wreak havoc on the paint underneath.

To the OP, like everyone else has said, do the damn stripes!!! It's a MINI thing... And be sure to check out Aesthetic Creations. Pretty extensive collection and they do custom jobs if you want to be unique or don't find anything to your liking.

 

How many cars come with a "factory" option for bonnet stripes? Come on, bonnet stripes are part of what makes a MINI a MINI!

 

TBall,

I once had a 35th ann. Camaro, pewter and added a set of the 35th stripes. After a year or so baking on my car, I got tired of them. There wasn't a chance of attempting to remove them, at least from my estimation. I also had an 04 Jeep Wrangler that had some graphic designs on it. The heat from the sun caused them to melt and wrinkle and you could see a difference in the paint where the graphics had been.

 

Come on Super Dave, how many other cars have you owned with a hood named a "bonnet"? Not to mention it has a "boot" WTF!

 

If you go to England, all cars have bonnets and boots.

I'd say examine your feelings pro and con. I had mixed feeling, but the pro won. I didn't want the car to look too "boy racer." On the other hand I don't want it to look like an econobox. My solution was to try and find a stripe color that was somewhat subtle and dignified.

My first thought was to get a Dark Silver stripe for my Pure Silver car. It seemed like that would look fairly elegant. I worked out all the details through many emails to MightyStipes before the ar arrived, but they raised the price $100 when I went to order. So, went with black instead. I figured I'd switch to something else later.

As it turned out, the black went very well with the PS and black trim on the car. So, I haven't changed it.

One advantage of having a bonnet stripe is that when someone sees you in their rear view mirror they are more likely to move over than if they thought an econobox was following them. I notice that people are quicker to get out of the way for my striped MCS than they were for my plain Integra.

 

Yunno Robin, I hear you. These cars really scream for stripes, but I still kind of like the "conservative" look without. I just wish I could find that right graphic for my car that makes a statement while being different from the pack. While my significant other says that she likes it without stipes.

BTW, I still have a problem with a car and a bonnet. It's a freaking hood for crying out loud! :(

 

Hey, Charlie... if you're looking for a car with no stripes and a HOOD, I can locate the nearest Buick dealer for you.

 

I also was unsure about the stripes. I ordered mine with out the m and went back and forth on if I should get them. I ended up getting them and am so glad I did. Just take the plunge and put them on. It adds a lot to the car.

Devon

 

+1!

It's funny because I was actually in a totally different boat. Knew without a doubt I wanted to order my MINI with stripes, but found a perfect one on the lot. Only issue, no damn stripes! I point blank told my MA, put the stripes on (for free) or I walk. Obviously he put the stripes on. They're that necessary to me.

Stripes, different color hood/mirrors for the body... It's all an essential part of the MINI experience IMO.

 

I think you can do "conservative" stripes by making them subtle with dignified color combinations.

It depends on whether you think of it as little red ridding hood, or little bo peep. They both refer to headgear. In England, a hood refers to cloth top for a convertible.

The English take the naming of car parts after human parts all the way the "boot." Americans use trunk as a carry-over from when there actually was a trunk fastened to the back of a car.

 

So they still make those?

 

Wonder what they call the tail pipe?