I had a very interesting conversation with my better half tonight that involved my MINI and MINI owners in general.

She loves the car and just started noticing that every so often that a random car would honk or wave. Then she noticed that their other MINIs. She's starting to get hooked on them too, but she asked a very interesting question. Are some of us TOO into our MINIs?

Personally, I don't look at it as an obsession

What are your thoughts on it? I own a new R56 and have had MANY new experiences with her. I just look at her and immediately get a smirk on my face. I love the bulldog stance, the way she looks ready to hit the road.

When I'm driving I don't worry about much. I just take it all in. Even my 10 minute drive to work leaves me with a grin. I haven't had the chance to take a road trip yet or join a local club (SCMM FTW ) but I can't wait!

I never thought that I'd be so happy (and geeky) with a car. MINI's are an entirely different breed altogether!

Anywho! Your turn!

 

How much is too much? If you have to ask you aren't even close.

I think if you search you can find some threads about how to tell if you are MINI obsessed.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=66903

It's not unlike many other car or motorcycle clubs or groups.

Now if you sleep in your MINI and take meals there then that might be a bit too far- on the other hand if you are a police officer with a MINI that might be the case.

Hey, wake up dude.

Pretty much some of us are NUTS about our MINIs.

I can easily say that my life has not been the same since I bought my MINI in early 2003.

 

My Ex fealt that owning a MINI was too much. Thus MIB went bye bye in the divorce. Sad but true!

 

So let me get this straight...

You're sitting in the bleachers at Fenway Park and the Yanks are in town for an August series. You turn around and ask the body-painted and beer-marinated gentlemen all around you, "Do you think...you might possibly like your team just a little too much?"



Perhaps you should ask your barber if you should just pass on a haircut today.

Or ask your teenage daughter if she thinks she spends too much time texting/chatting online.

 

I don't even OWN a MINI yet and I'm obsessed. The MINI is an amazing little vehicle. I don't even like to call it a car, because it's so unique. BMW has done a tremendous job drumming up the culture of small, and I think it's absolutely awesome!

I think it's perfectly fine to love your MINI and the experiences you have with it. It's supposed to be an extension of you, from the youification of the colors, interior, and options, to the bulldog stance giving you that feeling that the MINI is reading your thoughts and knows exactly where you want it to go.

And the MINI attracts attention. Even in our R50 CR/B, we tend to lose count of how many people look at it as they pass, or more frequently, as we pass.

If you're "TOO into" your MINI, then I'd say it's time to find another vehicle, because your MINI is the best, deserves to be treated like the best, and will settle for nothing but the best. And by saying that you're going overboard, you're saying that there are some things that your MINI isn't worth. And that's just not cool yo.

 

I look at is as something of a hobby. It's nice having a car you actually look forward to driving...why not dote on it a bit?

 

Take her to AMVIV next year.

Shock treatment can do wonders!

 

Hmmm well, when my MINI went into servicing, I fully detailed my MINI loaner car (there's a thread on NAM here)...and in the early days of my garage clinics, I used to enjoy having 25 MINIs coming to my how each month to learn about car care...that was some fun stuff!!

 

"Too much" is too harsh
Let's just call it "just enough"
Obsession possible -- over-obsession impossible
Situation normal in the MINIverse

CROC 411

 

I talk to my MINI. Is that a bad thing?

 

My MINI talks back and I think it's just fine!

 

I think a shrink is in order for this one...

 

Or a nice twisty road!!!

 

But that would get the Mini talking even more, soon it will talk the owner into taking longer drives to work and alternate routes to destinations.

 

I remember listening to WWR's interviews with Rauno Aaltonen at MINI United and founding his description of this dialogue between driver and Mini quite fascinating because, in real-world terms I understood something of what he was describing from driving a MINI.

 

I don't understand the question. What is this "Too Much" you speak of?