I took delivery of my `07 Chili Red/Black MCS on Saturday and have been entertaining myself with it since then. I turned a little over 200 miles over the weekend and love the car and it's mannerisms. Since it was a base S with little more than the Cold Weather Pack, it's somewhat spartan looking and could really use some help finding an identity (I searched for a base MCS so I could make these decisions on my own and personalize it at my leisure).

It's somehow mid-point between a "chrome" car and a "black" car. I think it's pretty well balanced in the regard that I could choose to take it either way. I've been looking at the fine examples on this website and trying to make some informed decisions from the wealth of experience in the NAM community.

Today I motored down to the Seiko building in the corporate park near my work to drop off a watch for some work and I almost bowled over an elderly woman coming in as I was leaving. She was fixated on my car as she was walking into the building. "Excuse me", I said and got a hard stare in return. "Is that your little red car" she asked. "Yes, it is" I responded. She says: "My that's a cute car". "Yes, I enjoy it very much" I said as I fumbled for an adequete response. In fact, I was devastated as though every bit of testosterone had been sapped from my being. "Cute" is what little boys and girls and puppies are. "Cute" is not something I ever equated with a car...any car.

I left Seiko and made a bee-line for Prestige MINI and puchased black bonnet stripes. I think I'm headed in the "black" direction.

 

Can one not be both cute and tough? If you wanted "macho" you could have found better examples. What do you care if someone thinks your car is cute? Do you like your MINI, or does your like of it depend on the perceptions of others? I think black would look cool, but not because it would fend off someone calling my MINI cute. Not that I think it matters, but just to clarify (as my screen name isn't clear) I am a guy.

 

cute story. And black stripes will look great, very sporty.

"Cute", "little", and "mini" are words I'm not allowed to use within a 50ft radius of my husband and/or his MINI. I thought that was universal man-logic!

 

But it IS a MINI and it IS little (the car, I am referring to. I don't know about your husband). So, you can call it an aardvark, but it is what it is.

 

I dunno, I dont mind driving a 'cute' car, it has gotten me into conversations with cool strangers, and it makes some people smile. I also like the fact that I can kick some serious *** with a 'cute' car, much like a pitbull with a bow in it's hair.

Since my car is all dark silver from top to bottom as well as the wheels, it seems to have a more sinister potential, but not so much that it cant be polite in public.

 

Yes, ALL MINIs are cute.

get used to it.

No need to tie your maculinity to a hunk of metal

 

Which would hurt, especially at extreme tempuratures and/or speed.

 

LMAO!

 

She IS an old lady after all? I'm sure to her it was the highest of compliments she thought she could pay you I'm sure it wasn't meant to poke fun or anything.

 

OK, I think some clarification is in order....I'm a newbie and nobody has a good read on me yet. I'm not into the "machismo" thing, never have been, never will be. I think I'm a pretty humble guy but like most others, I've got a sense of dignity too. I don't have a need to impress anyone at this stage of my life and if I did, I wouldn't spend a bunch of $$ on a MINI to do so.

I found the situation humorous, maybe a bit clumsy and somewhat ironic. I think of it as one of those "I knew it was coming" moments and thought I would share my humility on the forum. It did however, help me form my decision of which trim path to follow. Must be my man-logic working .

I'll post some pics after I do the deed with the bonnett stripes.

 

I know the feeling.

I bought a blue/purple pearlescent car ON PURPOSE. Cool Blue can NEVER look macho... so I have intentionally clowned it out a bit with the Union Jacks. I get LOTS of smiles and laughs. When someone walks up they almost always start by laughing out loud - then ask lots of questions and always comment on how much fun it must be. And it is. They have no idea how much.

It attracts people. Not because it's macho, or sinister, or race-looking, but because it looks like FUN. And I like that.

 

Hey, Romi is about as cute as anyone can get. The Wife unit gets all, "It's a CUTE car!!! Men do not drive CUTE cars!!!!!". Then she gets in and plays with the mood lighting and it's all, "Ohhhh,..sparkly,....ahhhhhh".

Then there is the, "Cute car,...what does it wanna be when it grows up? A Tonka toy? ROFL!". I get that from the guys at the office, along with the smattering of gay jokes.

All I know is, when I am motoring about in Romi, I have a smile on my face which will not go away. And its not from passing gas.

 

Well said, Skuzzy. And I guess that's the guts of my post. This was my "initial" indignation. I'll get used to it. And then I'll find ways to enjoy it. After that, it will just be business as usual.

Did I mention that I really like the car, cuteness and all?

 

I get all the cute car and growing up comments a lot. I don't mind at all. It just means that the MINI has caught there attention.

 

Man, you better get used to it now. I hear "cute" all the time - well not so much anymore as when it was new and there weren't many of them around.

The '07s are maybe a bit more bulked up, but they're still a "cute" car.

 

Well, what did you think would happen...after all it is a MINI!!! I don't care how you dress it up, it's always going to be cute on some level. Better that than pretentious.

 

Hey did you ever get the comment when washing the MINI! "What do you dry that with a napkin!"

I got that from a contractor doing work on my neighbors house.

 

Here, here.

 

Well said.

Of course, this is from a guy with an orange car.

I don't mind if someone calls Gromit cute. It sure beats having a car that no one makes any comments-good or bad-about--at least she didn't call it a "clown car". I have met a bunch of great people because of my MINI, and if they like it and want to call it cute it's fine with me.

Your story reminded me of a similar experience I had just after getting my MINI. I had gone to the pharmacy and as I was going in, I held the door for a very frail elderly lady who was leaving. As I walked out(about 5 minutes later), the lady was slowly walking around my car with the biggest smile on her face. When I got to my car, she started asking questions, commenting about how cute it was and how much she loved it. We talked for 5 or 10 minutes before she left. Out of all the experiences like that, this one is my favorite.

 

Last time I ran inside the Northern Tool (macho heaven) here, I backed Blimey into a space right in front of the doors and left the top down.

When I came out, two of the older employees were walking circles around it, smiling, on their smoke break. When I walked up and hit the unlock button, one of them grinned at me and said "nice gokart you have there!" - and these guys LIKE gokarts, cause they sell'em. I just smilled and said "yep - pretty much what it is!". He said "looks like fun" - I answered "yep, a whole bunch!" and motored away.

Even macho guys smoking Marlboros can't help but wonder what it would be like to drive. That's cool.

 

The proper response, had she not been a senior citizen, is:

"Yes, it is cute - and it can kick your a**!!!!!"

 

 

People who talk about dancin are all talk. If you are gonna dance, then just do it!

 

Granted, but she was and I do respect the elders.

 

Hey, I resemble that remark!!!! Yuk! Yuk! Yuk!