[jay_tuck]

I placed my order for a Cooper S this weekend. I had to drive (literally) 117 miles in the blowing snow but it was more then worth it just to drive the car I have been lusting after for more the two years. Now that I've ordered one though everyone I tell the "good news" to looks at me like I have lobsters coming out of my ears. My family, and a friend or two, can not seem to grasp why this is such a fabulous car and they are all acting like I've lost my mind. "There's no trunk!" "It's so impractical." "What will you do if you get a flat?" "You have to drive 100 miles for routine service?!" "Why not keep your old car?" "It's a death trap."

Come on people, open your minds up a bit. Every time anyone in my family buys a new car I'm thrilled and want them to tell me all about it. Even if it is some crap Mustang or Pontiac. So why can't they be happy for me? 90% of the time I'm driving, a Mini Cooper S has all the power and storage I could ever need. Don't they believe me when I tell them I'm not hauling livestock or driving over mountains everyday. Is it wrong that I'm confident in my manhood, and that I don't need to advertise a supposed lack of it with a loud V8, red paint and squealing tires.

Why do I need a trunk if, on a weekly basis I never carry more then four bags of groceries? How is a 1.6 engined car carves through traffic and is so easy to park impractical? If I get a flat I suppose I'll drive less the 80 miles on it and get it replaced for free under warranty. Why wouldn't I drive 100 miles for a 20k mile check up... IT'S FREE! Finally, I'd keep my old car if it wasn't so damn uncomfortable, I wasn't bored with it and it was safer then the Mini. Sheesh... will that make them happy?

Yes the Mini is expensive, yes it's small and yes it fly's in the face of all that is American, but my God that's precisely what makes it so brilliant in my eyes. Typically American things have never been my bag and God willing, they never will be. I hate trucks, Nascar, Brittany Spears, Republicans and Cheeseburgers. In spite of being out numbered though, I tolerate the SUV's, stupidity and fat of my countrymen. Can't they tolerate my tiny new car and not give me so much crap about it?

I suppose I shouldn't let it bother me so much. I should be happy to be in the minority if I'm so convinced I'm right. Still, it would be nice to think that people weren't rolling their eyes at me behind my back. "Look at that faggot in his little furin' car!"

This really turned into quite the rant. Thanks for reading. It's nice to know that somewhere in the world there are other people like me who go for something different and that we have a place to band together.

Thanks.

[Ryephile]

Wow man, quite a rant! It sounds like you live in the dark chasm's of Redneck Central; where NASCAR and Duff Beer and a shotgun rack in the rear window of your totally rusted 1985 Ford Pick-em-up is mandatory!

It sounds like your family and friends need to open their eyes to cars beyond their narrow scope of dogmatic acceptance. The MINI doesn't have a trunk because it's a hatchback, however with the rear seats folded it has well over 20 cubic feet of storage! I've fit a set of wheels & tires in the back along with a week's worth of clothes, car washing bucket and detailing supplies with nary a stuff on my front seatbacks

As for being a death trap, this is a sure sign of ignorance. Send them over to the IIHS for a reality check up on how amazingly safe the MINI is.

Practical? It's massively more practical than my winter car a 1st gen Miata! That's a vehicle that can barely hold the cargo from a fast-food drive through, LOL

From your sig you're already used to hot-hatches; not sure why the massive flak from your friends & family since it's a step up but in the same automotive category. It already sounds like you've gotten your head screwed on straight compared to the local wildlife; don't listen to those that don't know what they're talking about!

Motor on!
Ryan

P.S tell us about your spec and when you'll get it!

[popey]

Get a new tyre fitted under warranty????

That cant be right???? Can it????

[Mike Schumacher]

they'll change their minds when you roll up the street in it.

i get that from people in work. "i cant see you in one of them, more a ford or a vw"

a ford? A FORD????????

sorry mate, it's not your cheese burgers an baldy spears that's the worst thing to come from your homeland. it's the ford motor company. my god i hate them!!!

you buy the mini and enjoy it. you aint buying it for anybody else

oh, the worst thing from our country... i'd have to say piggy face victoria beckham. oh and chavs

[Fanis]

jay_tuck....an aboslutely brilliant post!!! Do not get bothered of what people say....just drive the car you like. Now it happens to be a MINI so even better!!

[DDon670]

I can completely understand most of your post. A lot of people have said similar things to me about my MCS, but I have gotten more compliments. I sum it up to the fact that if your not a car/driving enthusiast you just don't get it. Heck my wife hates my MCS and has only driven in it the day I took delivery of it in July 2006. Also the Mini is very safe if you check crash tests, testimonials on this site, and the many safety features on it.

[mark-o]

I got the same reaction from my sister whose long line of sweet rides (over 12 years) includes
* a $3000 Ford Tempo
* a $4000 4cyl Ford Rustang
* and a beatup Honday Civic that she bought used and has been driving for 8 years with the same rusty dent in the fender that was there since she got it.

Whew, I'm not going to convince that one.

-Mark

[Volte]

Why not move to the UK?

And don't tell me you still don't like Britney now she's shaved her head - how could anyone possibly resist her now?

[Olly.]

Once you get it take them out for a decent drive in the twisties, that normally cures any doubters

[frylock]

>>>it fly's in the face of all that is American

It absolutely does not. MINI's sell very well here--all without traditional TV advertisements. America is about freedom of choice. As a country, we used to have a little more tolerance for people who exercised that freedom. Just because MINI isn't a V8 powered Ford/GM product, does not mean it's not American.

Personally, in any realistic driving situation I'd rather be driving my MINI. I'd rather drive through snow with my MINI (with snow tires). I'd rather drive in the rain with my MINI. I'd rather drive down a dirt/gravel road with my MINI. If some idiot crashes into me, I could take comfort in the fact that my MINI would protect me.

If I was going to go off-roading in some swamp, maybe I'd get one of those V8 Ford/GM monsters. That's not a realistic everyday driving situation, though. You made the right choice with a MINI.

[Ryephile]

Flylock; what Jay_Tuck means by that statement is the MINI rebels against dogmatic redneck Americans that are too stupid to get their heads out of their trailer home to get a clue that there is more diversity and choice in the world than they've experienced. You're just not going to find a bustling club of diverse MINI owners in the Bible-Belt like you would in a hip, educated, city culture. I agree it's unfortunate, but we can't turn our heads away from how much of a cultural divide this country has.

[jay_tuck]

Aaa... I love this place.

Ryephile I see you're in Detroit - I am about 3 hours to your southwest in Fort Wayne Indiana. (I think we crossed paths on MotoringFile recently.) And yes, this is about as big of a Bible thumping, Bush loving (not the fun kind, the presidential kind), over weight, do nothing little town as you'll find. If it weren't for the low property prices and access to Indy, Detroit and Chicago there would be no real reason for it to exist. I mean, we're just like those big cities except there is less to do and everything closes at 7:00 p.m.

However, you like to eat, and I mean really pack on the pounds, you're in luck. We have one of the nations highest restaurant to resident ratios in the nation. You don't get to be "Least Fit City" in America with out trying - and I think we all know that takes some doing.

Fortunately there is a small core of hatch enthusiasts in town and the three of us get together from time to time. My friend Dan is the only other person who owns a Mini in Fort Wayne that has taken the tachometer to red line. Sadly, most of the middle aged women who own Coopers don't see the point in wringing them out as they pull away from the McDonald's drive through. Aside from my friends I have Top Gear, EVO and Car and the wonderful, cosseting internet to help me keep my sanity.

One might naturally ask, "If your town is so awful - leave you stupid man!" A fair comment, and to Volte's point, the thought of living in England has crossed my mind more then once. I'm half English anyway and with a last name like Tuck I wouldn't stick out too much. However, life is what it is and various circumstances keep me here. I would love a visit though. I could really see taking my two weeks and traveling all over your country.

In spite of my apparent loathing of Fort Wayne, this town does have a few up sides. It's cheap to live here, I have a job that pays me way too much, and I need to have something to complain about if I am to feel whole. (Kind of like Don Rickles or Clarkson.) If I'm honest, most days it is easy to ignore everyone and go about living, but weeks like this come along and try my patience. It is a good town for being a stand out or a bit different since no one else bothers.

I know buying this car was the right choice for me. I saved for it and I get to drive it so why should anyone else think they can tell me what to get. You all have propped my confidence up. Now I am looking forward to changing minds one ride along at a time. Finding good twisties will be an issue around here though. Sadly farmers like square fields, so all the back roads are literally in one mile squares. I have found a few though, and I look forward to carving them up in a car that was built for it.

In the end I suppose I can live with the fact that most people around me will never understand quiet what the car means. After all, it can only make it that much more fun to drive and that little bit more fun to show my independence.

As far as the new wheel & tire under warranty thing. That is part of an extended warranty plan offered by the dealership in Indy (Dreyer & Reinbold) It's slightly cheaper to buy a new wheel and tire from TireRack, but it is handy.

Oh yes... I should confess that without hair Britney does look slightly hot - then again I have a thing for (true) punk rock chicks... that's another story though.

Thanks for reading.

[Ryephile]

Thanks for the life story Jay! I can relate to your love/hate relationship with your city; I do that with Detroit, but for different reasons. Here I have to sometimes put up with the "Buy Amurikin" folk that can't capacitate that there aren't any Domestic offerings that even come close to whetting my appetite, save the C6 Z06 [which is above my budget, sadly!]

There is a local "underground" car club here that I hang out with on occasion. Most of them are real dyed-in-the-wool car nuts, and the montage of models shows that: STI's, Evo's, Civic hatches with H22 swaps, 240sx's with sr20det swaps, 1000hp Supra's, Scion's, SRT4's, S2k's, and even Mustangs and Camaros for the occasional bully that gets his jollys by picking on middle school kids. [LOL] What's cool is not that everyone brags how their car is better, but the common interest in that everyone loves cars, whether they're good in the drags, corners, bling, or for awesome stereos, it's all good. I must say however groups like that seem to be in the minority, however they are a breath of fresh air [well, maybe a breath of burnt fuel too *wink*]

[gokartride]

I've always thought owning an MCS = insanity. Even moreso an R56 MCS. Why....it's too blasted fast!!!!! I'm partly serious...that car is trouble!!! If you're having fun = you're breaking the law. I'll take a Cooper thanks!!!

And don't get me started on those JCW loonies!!!

[lilcoopr]

Quote: Originally Posted by jay_tuck (original)

This really turned into quite the rant. Thanks for reading. It's nice to know that somewhere in the world there are other people like me who go for something different and that we have a place to band together.

Thanks.

Quite the rant? Yes. A hell of a rant? No doubt! Kudos to you! You're gonna love your MINI, just like the rest of us do. And you're right, there are other people like you who love "different". I guess this difference is what makes us here at MINI2 and NAM all the same .

So, that might have been a sufficiently cheesy reply, but whatever. I work at at MINI dealership in Canada and I just saw a happy customer take delivery of his new Cooper and he had the "bug" too and was super happy that I told him about this site, and well I guess I was just a bit inspired!

[lilcoopr]

PS: Detroit eh? I motor down there once in a while, it's just a couple hours drive for me. We should meet up sometime and you can show me the good roads around there