So sad like a little wildcat domesticated for a circus, or a caged animal in a zoo, longing to be back in the Sarengeti. I need some tissue
+1 for HPDE
Check this out
http://www.minidriving.com/

 

Hey, I am getting a little tired of mine as well. Then I realize it is because I am forced to spend most of my time driving on the highway, which although it does it well is obviously pretty boring. Then I look a how much AutoX I plan to do this year and I think to myself, "what other car would I rather be doing that in?", I have yet to come up with a real good answer and that is why I like the car so much.

On the Ferrari, one of the few instances I am actually going to use Top Gear as a source to back up an argument... But one only needs to look at the budget supercar challenge they did and then just extend it up the price ladder a little.

 

My oldest brother had a couple of Fiat 850s in college, and he said the *exact* same thing (that he was drag racing other cars at every stoplight - they just never knew it).

 

If you're trying to emulate the Ferrari with your MINI, you got the wrong MINI. If you don't like the ride of your cushy justacooper, you might as well skip the compromise and go straight to a JCW with full JCW suspension, an ELSD (eliminates torque steer) and enough power to make any driving environment (including freeway) exciting. You'll be so occupied with driving, that you won't notice your sore butt.

 

I recently picked up a E34 BMW 535i that will be given to my daughter on her 16th. That car is wonderful....and cheap!

Get $3k together and buy yourself a fun, smooth sexy daily driver, and keep the MINI for a toy. If it isn't enough fun, either hop it up or sell it and get an "S" or a GP.........

 

Lencap, I really enjoyed your story about the Ferrari. I love Ferraris and all other sports cars and luxury cars. But, being just a regular guy, most of those cars are out of my price range. I still keep looking though, maybe someday I'll be able to get one of those exotic cars... used, of course.

 

No wonder today's kids are so spoiled with rides like that at age 16.


Let them get started with a beater and work their way up the ladder so they gain appreciation for how difficult is to buy toys in life.

 

My '06 Cooper has fortunately been rattle-free. I can say that Koni FSD shocks are very nice, but I installed mine at same time as JCW springs, and while the combo is wonderful, I wouldn't say that it was appreciably "softer" riding than my previous, stock Justacooper susp. I agree with the previous post that the kind of driving you mostly do is a big factor. I'm trapped 90% of the miles on my Cooper going in a straight line fwy commute. When I occasionally manage to get the mini on a country road with a few curves, life is much better. I've noticed that lots of the "road roar" you hear in a mini is a function of tire type and road surface. Take minehune's advice about quiet tires - if you do a search you'll find tons of info on that. 195/60/15 in a high-quality, quiet tire should help, but nothing will make the Cooper a caddy or BMW. Finally, if you keep after your rattles, perhaps with help of a really good car entertainment techie who knows how to use dynamat, you could probably track em down and kill them . . . you will spend a few $$$$, but not nearly as much as selling a car that you only recently bought. Good luck.

 

He makes no note of the actual model year, but given that the e34 series ended in '96 it isnt exactly what I would call spoiling. Come to my town and look at all the kids driving Merc E-classes, new ones at that, when you want to talk about spoiled. Their was a girl at my High School who drove a Porsche Cayenne S, that is spoiled. Sure the BMW is a nice car, but I wouldnt want my kid driving around a total POS, and that appears to be a healthy compromise.

/rant off.

 

Yup. You should see the student car park at my university. It's filled with X5s, M-Classes, G35s, G37s, C-Classes, RX450s, and the list goes on...

My scholarship gave provision for me to afford something like a Honda Fit or Civic (at about $20,000). However, my parents decided that since they wouldn't be paying for my post-secondary education at all, they would allow the extra $10,000 for the MINI. I'm a very fortunate guy.

 

On the other hand. Many years ago I was asked to give a lecture on my medical field for a high school science class. I took my car and parked it in what looked like an open spot in the general parking lot. I gave my lecture and when I went out to get my car I found it was towed away and replaced by a construction crew tearing up the pavement just on my one space.

I went to the office to complain and the VP told me "Oh, we were wondering whose car that was, we thought it was a student's car so we towed it away". I had a slightly beat up 1982 Honda Civic sedan stock and the year was 1990. They gave me a ride to the towing shop and gave me my car back.
Nowadays when you visit a High school you are supposed to check in with the office and park only in the "visitor's" parking spaces.

Then late last year my son drives our family car, a 2008 Honda Fit to high school and one day he gets hit by an SUV who ran a red light and the Fit is totalled. My son is OK but now he has no car to drive, except when he really needs something I let him drive the MINI. Mostly he gets dropped off.

 

Thanks to all for the help - it is much appreciated. After attending counseling classes my Mini and I have reconciled and we plan to spend part of the upcoming weekend enjoying each other - a big bubble bath for starters (;->).

I am looking into the riding school that was recommended, and I've ordered new H13 light bulbs (Philips X-Treme) to improve the night view.

I also tracked down one particularly annoying rattle to the panel located where the mirror attaches to the roof - thanks for the tip, I would never have looked there. Still have lots of other rattles, but I'll keep at them.

I got a call from a local Ferrari dealer, offered me a near mint 1986 Ferrari Testarossa, and I went weak in the knees for a bit. I followed all of the 12 steps and I'm resisting the pull of the dark side. The kicker was the upcoming service and tires for the "F" car - estimated at $10K+, half of what I paid for the Mini.

Thanks again, I'll keep checking this post daily.

 

No insurance compensation? That sucks... but I'm glad your son was alright. I was quite set on either the Fit or the Vibe (but my mom called both "tin cans") before the MINI entered my stream of consciousness (and, I must say, dominated it completely). Nice everyday cars. Much more practical than the MINI. But they're not MINIs.

Also, sorry if I was ambiguous. I don't mean it's 100% high-end cars. You get a good assortment of Fits, Yarii (?), Civics, and Golfs too. It's just that there's a significant amount of luxury vehicles, which a student clearly could not have afforded.

When I have kids, when it comes time for them to get some independence behind the wheel (given that we're still driving some sort of automobile), I think I'll either do a "match them dollar-for-dollar" and "pay their insurance while they're in school" sort of deal.

 

Yes, the death knell on the older Ferrari's is that they are crazy to repair and maintain. Would be a lot of fun though.

But the MINI is well built and reasonably reliable and not terrible on operating costs. Plus, great on retaining value.

http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/2...eal-value.html

 

They have to yank out the engine to change the oil...Crazy.

I love the old Testarossas (Miami Vice Car) but maintaining those toys is only for those who can comfortably afford the $10K pit stops.

No Thanks.

 

I dunno, for me even a 5 series of the vintage is too much car for a 16 year old. get them started on a Civic, Yaris, older Accord/Camry, etc.

I guess I am from a different generation...

 

Yeah, my car when I was 16 was a '84 Rabbit. Well, at least it was a GTI. But I think I might be from a similar generation as Clubman S...

 

At my university, the Asian students were unbelievably spoiled. One guy owned a Hummer (the original, not the knockoff L2). Because it was a private campus, he had a heck of a tough time finding TWO parking spots to fit it in. I'd be walking to class and I'd see some high end BMWS, an ugly light green Ferrari GTO (I'm not kidding, it was light puke green!), an Acura NSX and, get this: the ONLY Lotus Esprit around for several cities! Oh, and the students were ATROCIOUS drivers. More than two thirds of the vehicles had some body damage, mostly from sideswiping other vehicles or hitting curbs/trash cans/street lights. I almost felt sorry for the poor cars considering their owners were such horrible drivers. (or was it that they were spoiled by their parents' fat wallets that they weren't concerned about taking care of their cars?). I was so worried that they'd damage my beloved Cherokee that I sometimes parked off campus to avoid them. Getting to class on foot wasn't a problem as it was a small college.