I should restate what I did earlier. That is what happens to me in the MINI. I also own a 93 BMW 525iT. Basically an E34 Wagon. Other then the occasional person who deems it an inconvience to stop at a traffic light or stop sign to turn right I have no problems in that car. I don't know if its the fact that it is a Panzerwagon and people are afraid of what would happen if they were hit buy a German tank. In the MINI I think people just think that I will bounce off of them or maybe that they don't see me at all. Not sure what people think when they are behind the wheel.

Now on the flip side of that I drive my MINI like a crazy person a lot. I find myself driving a little aggressive and I do speed a lot. Maybe that has to do with the fact that it is so easy to do. When I am in the Panzerwagon I drive slow as hell mostly because I am afraid of it disengrating at high speed.

Now when it comes to racing other then a new STI trying to take me on a clover leaf entrance to the freeway and barely pulling on me when we straightened out on the freeway(which he thumbs uped me when I passed him at the speed limit), I never have anyone trying to see how fast I am. Though I have been known to do the Friday night drags and those are the only people who know how slo/fast I am.

There is all the fact that I have been asked why I don't own a truck. Asked why I bought a wagon instead of an SUV. Even why I purchased my MINI. To the first one I have no need for a truck. If I hauled stuff in it as much as once or twice a week I would consider it but, I don't so there is no need to be getting less then 20 mpg on a daily basis as DD. I got the wwagon because it has the same space as a SUV but it is low to the ground. The previous owner lowered it even more to the point it is lower then my MINI. Also it gets a steady 25-28mpg. I purchase my MINI because I fell in love with the minute I test drove it. It handled great and it was quick. The fact that I have made some great firends and have been to some great places is a side effect that I had no idea of when I purchased it. I didn't think that a car would be this much fun.

Oh driving around in a 200hp MINI is pretty fun considering it is just quick enough to suprise the hell out just about everything on the road. Minus the really fast stuff.

 

Watching smoke come off someones tire who was tailgating you as they slide into a corner is pretty rewarding I find it all sort of humorous (other peoples reactions), generally, especially in parking lots, I get a lot of positive responses. My wife and I both drive MINI's, her's=MCa, mine=MCSa.

Engoy your MINI's

S.


http://www.mini4fun.info/2009_MCa/Ph...26_w_MODS.html

http://www.mini4fun.info/2011_MCSa/Photos_%26_MODS.html

http://www.mini4fun.info/My_Rides_Ov...the_Worst.html

 

LOL! You are correct! When I was driving things that looked like it would do more damage to them than myself the response was that they backed off their aggressive driving habits. You should see what happens driving a tank in city streets in crowded Asian cities(Vietnam)! They generally clear a path

Check out this link and you will see where I get my driving skills and attitudes

http://www.mini4fun.info/My_Rides_Ov...the_Worst.html

S.

 

That comment was for that quote


M20 turbos are classic

You definitely took that the wrong way

Fellow track rider with 2 zx 10r's


chillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

 

Ya any large military vehicle will clear the streets. When we rolled down the road in an MTVR Iraqis tended to panic and hide. Also when and if an Abrams could fit down the road people would vanish from that part of town for days.

On another note when my dad was in the Army he also drove the M113. though he was in 71 to 72. Which they still use the M113 in the US and other countries. Saw a few while in Afghanistan this year.

 

Thanks for your Service!

We had an M-48 play chicken with a bus on a bridge to Saigon; the bus lost :-) The M48 was small enough to fit on the streets of Saigon and the smaller villages and it would not collapse the better bridges with its weight. The M1-A1 would be a different story!

I was in Vietnam in 1967 when the M113 was gasoline powered. It lead to some spectacular explosions and fires!!

After that experience I could not resist buying a small bulldozer

http://www.mini4fun.info/Indestructi..._Go_Wrong.html

 

NIIIIIICE LIST!

 

Thanks On the My Ride list I left a couple off because I could not find photos on the web or never took photos of the one I made and had licensed as street legal. All fun stuff.

 

Bigprfed22:

What kind of roof rack system do you have on your R-56? Does it make noise in the wind? I notice I get very different reactions from people when I am towing the kayak with my MCa. Always either shock or a big thumbs up!

 

I have the factory mini rack, i leave the base attached due to laziness. It makes a slight noise at above 70mph but not enough to trouble me. I know it is coming from on of the covers but i have not given it a second thought to track it down. I user the snowboard racks regularly and the bike rack during the winter. I may invest in the cargo box but i havent found the need for it yet. Over all its great, you can find them in the market place from time to time as i did, base with 2 bike racks for $250

 

Have you ever measured the distance between the load bars? They look like they are really designed for ski's and bikes, etc. I have seen sea kayaks on them but it would make me nervous! No triangulation on the tie downs for the bow and stern If they had put 2 tow hooks on the front and rear of the MINI then it would work. MINI tends to think small yet fails to realize how BIG the capabilities!!

 

I think I've been treated better in traffic in my MINI than in any other modern car I've owned. People seem to be more courteous. Of course the MINI is my beater, I really live for old and classic cars, to which the reaction is in a completely different league.

Just for comparison, I regularly get cut off when driving my Dodge Ram 2500. It's a quad cab with an 8' bed. It's not lifted, but those things are about as tall as they get stock (it's a 2nd gen). I don't know if it's because they think I'll slow them down (which if that's the case, I'd be in the slow lane), or if it's because they don't want to have that big monstrosity in front of them. I kind of understand, because when I'm in a normal car, I hate being behind mini vans and SUVs.

Edit: I just realized I'm posting in a 2nd gen forum (mine's an R50), but I don't think it matters. The average person can't tell the difference.

 

The bottom line is---many drivers we share the road with really suck when it comes to driving. It makes no difference which car you're driving, they are NOT focused on their driving or anyone around them. I find it the same if I'm driving our SUV, my x-Corvette C5 or my mcs.
Talking on the phone, eating, tuning the radio, looking up an address on the GPS, brushing their hair, putting on makeup, checking teeth for food particles, reading something, txt'ing, those are the REALLY important things to do when "driving". Watching out for you regardless to what you are driving never even enters their mind. Might as well get used to it, I'm afraid it's here to stay!

 

There is no "get used to it" when you have people that are doing stupid stuff that can get you killed. It might be here to stay but that does not mean I have to get in an accident with someone to let them know what they are doing is stupid and irresponsible.

 

I had owned my coupe for exactly 2 hours when I got my first BMW wanting to race me out of a stoplight. I had to turn at the next block, but I at least kept up respectably for that block, lol...

I fully expect to get attitude in this car. It will be worse when I put on my obnoxious personalized plates, I'm sure. Never mind that I typically drive as one of the faster cars on the road at any given time.

Those with the traditional style Minis though? Wow, I really wouldn't have expected so many issues with people being jerks just because of what you're driving. I suppose the testosterone aspect makes sense, but being a chick, obviously I've managed to avoid that for most of my life. Still, Minis are a dime a dozen here in the Twin Cities so if everyone were to act that way towards them here, I'd probably see nothing but endless wrecks.

 

I had to pound on the glass of a SUV that was about to back into my MINI once. The driver stopped in time, but rolled down her glass to make the point that if my car wasn't so tiny, she would have seen it. I quipped back a reply that perhaps if she hadn't chosen such a large vehicle that perhaps she would have seen my street legal car parked (not moving) behind her.

It's always someone else's fault...

 

It's (sadly) inevitable. Lots of people are jealous, not because the car is expensive, but because you're having so much fun. You think MINIs are bad, try driving a New Beetle. I got smug after a while and changed my license plate to "50 MPG" because it was a diesel and that's what my mileage was. I think the Mini's have been out long enough that they aren't so new and noticible.

 

This is a very interesting topic, for a number of reasons. It is interesting to hear about experiences people have had in their different vehicles, and it is also interesting to hear some of their(our) biases about how we see other vehicle types.

I have only had my Mini for a little over four months. Where I live they are not very common. I have seen a variety of reactions. Those that I would consider knowledgable about cars usually show a genuine interest and respect for the Mini. Those that aren't knowledgable seeem to think it is cute or an econobox in the same class as a Toyota Yaris or something. I have noticed that some people seem genuinely angry when you pass them on the road and will either tailgate or try to get back around.

I have ridden a motorcycle for years and have experienced a wide variety of reactions to it as well. I have experienced everything from curiosity to outright fear.

I also drive an F250 4WD Supercrew truck. It is interesting to hear some of the stereotypes people have about pickup drivers too.

Below is a pic of the three of them together. They all have their place. Each of them contributes to my lifestyle in their own way.

 

I hear ya. I've driven and ridden many cars and bikes over the years and there are haters for everything out there. I never had trouble with the autobahn wannabe BMWs (I've had three), the ricers are just happy if they can pass you on the right without using a turn signal (only to get boxed in), the blue-hairs can kill you without malice -- for sure, but by far the most obnoxious drivers I come across, at least where I live (no offense) are pick-up trucks, and Mac dump trucks working on state subsidized no-work road projects. They just seem to be bitter, angry d*cks impatient to get home to beat the wife.

 

Car guys who haven't driven one always ask about how much fun they are to drive. That's the number one question. After that its mileage, a question that leads back to the first.
Older fellas often have classic mini stories to relate, and I love those. The plumber who fixed my sink's drain line today knows a guy who does Vtec minis and told me about a crazy ride in one....

On the road, the problems are bully pickups, SUVs, etc. Usually easy to lose them though. Tailgaters really burn me up.

 

That album has a lot of wow, but for me it's the Hillman and the Honda 600's. Wow.

 

I used to drive a small pickup and I can honestly say that people are a lot more aggressive toward me in the MINI than they were in the truck. I noticed the difference hands down the first week of having the MINI. If I got right up behind someone in my truck they'd usually get the hint and move over, but in the MINI it seems like people just get pissed off. Well, maybe you shouldn't have pulled out in front of me in the first place!

But seriously, it's almost like some people don't see it on the road. Can't count the number of times people have tried to change lanes into me or cut in front of me. A quick downshift and lane change around them generally gets the attention...it's no econobox thats or sure!

Some moron in a lifted dodge pickup pulled out in front of me one day going 30 UNDER the speed limit on a 2-lane undivided highway. I went to pass in the passing zone and he tried to speed up and block me, I was able to carry some more speed and got by in time though. Makes me wonder about people that pull those stunts, thats how 4 of my dad's friends died in HS. A guy tried to challenge them for a pass...they pulled out to pass, the guy being passed gunned it to speed up and block them...resulted in a head on collision. Killed all 4 instantly. Scary.

 

I went on a road trip a little while back, and you wouldn't believe the disrespect that people payed to me because I had a small car. I had, on several occasions, truck drivers and SUVs getting mad that I was going "only" going 5 or so over the speed limit, and would go in the other lane, pass me, and cut me off within feet of my car. Another semi *this one had some sweet blue flames on the front... fn redneck* was actually blowing his horn for me to get out of the way, when I clearly couldn't because I was surrounded by trucks. He got so close to the back of my car that I could only see the very bottom of his front bumper. If I had literally tapped my brakes, he would have crushed my car. Just imagine if a deer or a car jumped in front of my car and I had to slam on the brakes- there would be nothing left of it (or me) at 75 mph.

The joys of living in KY... if you all go here, be sure to stay in the parts like Louisville, where I live.
I always tell people I'm from Louisville, never from KY. Totally different.

/rant.

 

I know quite a few mini drivers, and none of them are chics. So I dont see how people think that its a chic car.

Im not saying there arent women who drive minis, I just havent met any yet.

Also, Porthos, thanks for your service. I just completed a tour in Afghanistan myself.

 

Thanks! The Hillman and the Honda 600 were both fun, but the real wow was the TR4a-IRS w/289cu.in. Ford V-8 under the hood. A real sleeper :-)