I know this is a weird post but...

Anyone out there who own a MINI and is not umm well off? I am just wondering.

I am not rich or well off. I am fairly young (29) with tons of student loans and an okay paying job plus an okay house. When I am out in my MINI people have made comments about the cost of a MINI and assume I must have money. It really irritates me actually. It also seems that a lot (not all) of MINI owners seem to be people who are "well off". Am I the only one who thinks this? Am I the only working class girl on earth with a MINI?

I just love MINI coopers and decided to buy a used one instead of a new ford or something. I park my MINI in the city in my small driveway. No garage for my MINI

 

I tend to believe that you don't have to be well off to afford something above your means. It all depends on how well you manage finances. And I've said this before- Mini is really a luxury brand(from the fact that you see a ton of other similar performance vehicles for way less).

 

I am certainly not well off. I'm 25 and saved up a lot of money for years just in hopes of having low monthly payments for my dream MINI. Now pretty much all of the money I make goes towards car payments and the insurance (which, thankfully, just got a bit cheaper) for the little bugger. But I still love her and I feel it's all worth it.

So no, you're not the only one out there.

 

I'm 18 and just like you, paying student loans and apartment cost and I get the same comments

 

I agree with Izzy.

And I'm far from well-off. Tons of student loans and debt (my parents paid for nothing because we grew up poor), decent full-time job, still a graduate student...and quite good at living beyond my means. Though barely...things are gonna be tight for a while! But the self-imposed discipline is a good thing. I waste too much money anyway.

Oh, and I'm 30.

 

30 and I have home loan,student loan, medical bills, 2 kids, etc... I make the league average (so to speak)
Cliff's:
Make less than 100k
Lots of bills
Not well off
I live within my means... hell my mini is second hand and a deal to boot.

 

I am so glad I am not alone then!

 

I'm on Disability and don't have a lot of money to waste. I bought the best performing car I could and still get good GAS milage so I can actually drive it. I think the JCW Mini Cooper for 2009 is the absolute best value out there. I test drove and did a whole lot of research on what the best performance and build quality for the buck was and the BMW Mini seemed exactly what I wanted. My only option is the "Sport Suspension" everything else I wanted was standard. I do love "Little Red Monster" (my 2009 JCW)
Ronnie948

 

I probably could afford to buy a new MINI, but I could never justify buying one ... MS MINIVER belonged to somebody else before she became my "other" woman! I'm 61 and still paying off a home mortgage, and although I'm probably doing better than I ever have been (now that my kids are out of college and on their own), I'm far from being "well off." Having said all that, I should close by saying that God has been good to me.

_

 

Very pretty! Here is mine...

 

MINI is a "premium" brand. I wouldn't say that owning one makes you "well off", but it is definitely several steps up from driving a starter car like a Toyota Yaris or a used beater like many young people.

 

Nice!

 

I LOVED beater cars til they remade the MINI. I knew I needed one the first time I saw one. This is the first time I had to finance a car actually.


Before the MINI I would buy them with cash old and cheap

 

Not wealthy but I consider myself well off. No debts of any kind, own everything we have outright, have good savings, etc. All this has been accomplished with years of financial discipline and living practically under the radar. I have not carried a single credit card balance, on any given month, in more than 10 years. We have been able to weather the bad economic times thanks to our money habits. Otherwise we would have been in the same boat as millions of Americans are today (Drowning in debt and living beyond their means).

It is a great feeling to be debt free It takes mostly discipline and the mindset that you don't "deserve anything and everything". In other words, if I don't have $20 bucks in cash to buy a shirt, I simply don't buy it

I am not a cheap bastard by any stretch of the imagination and probably could afford a bigger place to live and fancier cars. But for what? I love our little place and the MINIs. Who could ask for anything more?

There is a good book to read: The Millionaire Next Door. Some of what is written there may be a little extreme to some. But you will be surprised that many millionaires in America drive 10+ year old American cars and so on and so forth. I know one of these people. She drives a rusted out '91 Taurus. This person perhaps can afford a Bentley, but that is not her goal in life.....

 

I agree with you. I start talking with people about my car and I get the feeling they assume I'm well off. To be honest I'm really not. I'm 21 and finishing up my last two years of college. After that I have to start paying those loans off.

For me it was the difference between something cheap like a toyota or a ford and my dream car. Sure my payments are higher but I'm much happier having my MINI over something to "just get around" in. I cut back in other area's for the monthly payment and live on a budget so my finances don't get me in any debt. Having a slightly higher car payment stinks but I'd never look back and I"m glad I'm not driving a Yaris.

 

The MINI is a little more expensive than many other "entry level" cars in its immediate size and class. For a lot of people, especially young folks, spending $20K+ on a MINI gives the impression that you have a little more cash to burn.

This also comes from the American mindset that the more you pay for a car the bigger it should be. Some people can't wrap their heads around the notion of paying top dollar for such "small" car.

And also the MINI looks expensive. It looks the business. This is the part that pisses off the "Look at me" Mercedes, BMW, Porsche at al crowd. That we have very good looking, capable cars and we did not have to mortgage our life savings and retirements like they did to impress others with their metal.

 

Very well said! Having a MINI wasn't to impress people but it's sure nice to get a look here and there. I couldn't imagine more money on a car just to impress others.

 

I totally agree with you Izzy. I'm 24, student loans, apt, etc, and making less than $50,000. I did the Mini Select balloon payment plan, so I am only financing half the car right now!

 

Well thanks but I will never be well off or a millionaire.

I have 40k in student loans and a degree in Anthropology. I am a caseworker and an artist. People like me do not get rich. It is cool though. I like the freedom of being weird

 

That is the beauty of the MINI: It is a status-less car. The Queen of England owned one. Each of the Beetles had one. The common man had one. It is one of the few cars that has appealed to folks in every socio-economic segment in society.

People are flocking to MINI because of this and many more other reasons. A lot of people view the purchase of "Status symbol" cars in this day and age as been utterly tasteless in light of the tough economic times many people around the world are living in.

The MINI is simply a car that turns heads and proves that you don't need to spend obscene amounts of money to do so.

 

Weird is good. I've got much more in student debt, but I've been in for the past decade. Seriously. English Literature BA, Sociology MA, now working on a PhD in Communication/Rhetoric.

Yeah, no millionaire material here, either!

 

Ahhhh Liberal Arts crowd! I love you guys! Your vision of life is really what most people need! The persuit of power, money and success has left one too many by the side of the road.

Carry on my artistic friend!

 

Yup. I agree. I am typing this on my macbook right now .

In reality I should not own a MINI or a macbook based on my salary.

 

 

Hey I am typing this on a first gen 2006 MacBook as well. This laptop is getting a little old, but I am not buying a new one until this one dies and I don't see that happening anytime soon.