Somewhat related (unintended backhanded insult), but not really:

I was walking into work this morning and spoke with someone for a sec. I don't really know him (don't know his name) but I've seen him many times before. The conversation went like this:
Him: "Why'd you get rid of the Mazda?!?!" (I previously had a Mazda RX-8.)
Me: "It eventually had a lot of problems, but I loved that car." (I had over 220k miles on a fragile sports car!)
Him: "Oh, really? I can't believe you got rid of the Mazda... and for a MINI."

So I'll just take it as he really liked my RX-8 (which I did too) and MINIs aren't seen in the same vein. But to bring it back to the OP, it wouldn't have surprised me if he went on about the MINI being a girly car...

 

What I have noticed is I don’t see many Minis, at all, here in Northern CA. When I do, about 50/50 male to female ratio. I chose it because it is unique in its style, just plain cool, and very much fun to drive. My other car is a newer Honda CRV. I don’t consider my Mini a chick’s car. Also, I gave him a masculine name: Sir Nigel.

 

Where in northern CA @Katgirl ? I'm in the East Bay and see Mini Coopers everywhere.

 

I think his head is jammed somewhere else!

I love my MINI and I get more smiles from women (of all ages) when I'm driving it than I do with my Porsche. The MINI isn't a "chick car" it's just a cool car!

 

Around here, I don't see many women in MINIs at all. But it's also that way with Miatas and other sporty cars. It's mostly men. I always make the assumption that men buy these because they are either single and young-ish, or they are 2nd cars and the spouse drives the SUV. Either way, I'm always happy to see anyone driving anything that they clearly love (and you have to love these to choose to buy one, IMO).

 

I've owned four and I'm just finding this out?!

 

north Bay Area, near Santa Rosa.

 

👆This guy drives the crap out of 👇 this car

 

I want those mirror covers for my 2015 black MC

 

They came with it. I’m the third owner, so who knows when it was done. All that chrome needs to die this summer 😉

 

I don't know man.... nice car, but that cap the dude is wearing is a little on the girly side

 

I can’t help running cold, only fix is to move to Florida, and yes there still is a full head of hair under it.

 

My wife wants to meet you. Is it your car? Is it the cap? Or do girls just like guys who are man enough to drive MINIs???

 

it’s the beard 😉 they all want to stroke it. It’s probably the fact that we are man enough to drive a mini.

 

When i talked to the MINIUSA corp people last time a while back they stated just as many Men % are owners as BMW and other brands based off their research (they had the numbers). Back in the day it was actually much higher then BMW by Male drivers % 2002-2006 Model Years due to so many manual transmissions for MINI.


The biggest things I get asked are... how many miles per gallon...is it fast... who makes those.... are those expensive
One time someone said my JCW Coupe was the new Porsche, I thought they were joking and they were asking for real.

 

Well.... ever since I bought and installed my Dinan Sport from ECS, I figured now I was driving a man's MINI..... but wait, my wife likes the car's performance with the Dinan Sport tuner, so maybe that makes it a woman's car????
Or maybe I have a transgender MINI???
As long as attractive women at gas stations keep saying, "That's such a cute car," I'm fine. Problem is, our MINI gets such good mileage I rarely visit gas stations. MINI ownership is getting complicated.

 

I think that driving a MINI Cooper is contradictory in so many ways:

• It is small but maximizes the ability to use its space.
• It uses gas like an economy car but drives like a sports car.
• It is iconic in being able to be recognized but has more customizations available than most vehicles.
• It is thought of as a chick's or LGBT car but also as a car for anyone who loves driving fun!

I love my MINI because I see it as a wonderful balance of these contradictions.

• Do I wish it was bigger? Sometimes. Most of the time it is bigger than what I really need.
• Is it as efficient as an electric car? No, but it is ready to go fast for a long time while getting great gas mileage, and refuel in a few minutes instead of more than a hour.
• By simply adding mirror caps, keyfobs, floormats, and more every MINI can be unique while remaining within factory specifications.
• Do I care if women or LGBT might like my car? No! Straight men trashing me while not understanding what the ride is about don't bother me either.

Most men that have ridden in my MINIs are usually surprised, not expecting the spaciousness and performance in such a little package.
I could go on... I'm on my second MINI, I am a SoCal MINI Maniac, who loves the brand, and don't care what people think about me because of the car that I drive.

 

I don’t have the problem at work with the men trashing me. Between the golf gti’s , focus rs, a 2019 golf r, Audi TT, a fiesta st and my mini, we pretty much have a lock on hatches or small turbo cars for daily drivers.

 

Oh crap, I'm a man and I have a MINI, and I even drive it sometimes. Does this mean I have to give it back?!?!

 

You sir made my morning. Time to give mine a bath.

 

I live in Northern Maine, land of the large truck and fragile male egos. I'm 6'5" and currently own a 2017 F56S and a 2014 R55S. I have driven all sorts of cars, bikes, trucks in my life. I can tell you nothing, and I mean nothing, has given me as much joy on a daily basis as driving my MINIs. I don't care what people think or say, until you drive one it will remain a mystery. Once you have driven one you won't give a rats *** what people say or think. Let's Motor and remember to wave!

 

a co-worker(female) commented about by my 2014 f56 base being a chick car.
I just laughed at her and asked if I could ever be mistaken for a female... She told me, definitely not.

I could care what others say....

But hey... I'm a 51 year old man who is an RN (female dominated profession), married to the same woman for 25 years (she's also a nurse), have 2 daughters, and I drive a "chick car".... NO WORRIES... I'm comfortable with my masculinity.

 

OK, I did a little research of current and former MINI drivers. There are a lot of discussions on this subject, and while it is true that Madonna, Brittany Spears and Twiggy are some of the famous females, here is a partial list of the males that are not '*******" (not my description).
Here's are partial list:

Enzo Ferrari (daily drive)
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
John Cooper (obvious)
Steve McQueen
Paul McCartney
John Lennon
George Harrison
James Garner
Tony Hawk
Peter Sellers
Jimmy Fallon
Andrew Garfield.

 

I drive a MINI because of the way it drives. I don’t really care what others think. I actually don’t care what the car looks like, Just the way it drives.

I do wave to other MINIs. When you have the top down and wave outside the car, few decline your wave and wave back. Its hard to see waves inside a closed car so I suspect many don’t see an interior wave.

I have also found that on weekend drives, other MINI drivers often wave first but never on a weekday commute.

 

"Overcompensation cuts both ways", said with a wink, should be the standard response...