Well, I have been driving my new Mini S for about a month now. It's a blast to drive and I actually look forward to my daily commute now. But one thing still bothers me. It's the comments that I get from friends and other people who see the Mini. They say things like "good for you" and "you deserve it." What does that even mean "you deserve it?" I hate that comment most of all, although I'm not really sure why. When I hear this, I immediately want to make people regret saying that by saying something like, "Oh look at the time, I'm late for my appointment to go forclose on the local orphanage," or "thanks, yeah, sure was nice to start driving it again after my recent trip to Brazil to clear cut the Amazon rain forest" Don't get me wrong, I love driving Eli the Cooper S, but sometimes I wish it drove exactly the same but apeared to other people to be a Toyota Corolla or some other undesirable car. (As a former Corolla owner with 150k plus miles, no one ever was mean enough to tell me that I deserved that car.) That way I still have fun, but don't have to have those uncomfortable conversations where I feel like a tool with a new car. I know this is crazy, but maybe this is what people who all of the sudden become famous feel like (although admittedly on a much smaller scale in my case). Maybe I'm not ready for all of this unwanted attention. At any rate, I will just have to keep driving Eli the Cooper S until it becomes a classic and I find the cure to my self-loathing.

 

Hon, when folks say things like that, just say "Thank you."

 

That's what I've been saying. Still makes me feel like a tool with a new car.

 

Don't feel guilty because you have a cool little car! Enjoy it!! We know how you feel.

 

That's funny! The people I love most in the world have been saying exactly the same thing to me. . ."You deserve it!" I feel a bit humble when they do, but they just love the car and know I've wanted one for years! FINALLY can get her!

I'm sure the people who say that know you love the car, and are just really happy for you. I think when people get something a wee bit different, or kind of exotic, people see it as a reward!

 

Why would buying a car make you a tool? Not sure if your people have noticed, but people buy cars all the time

Cheer up, mate, you deserve it!

 

You're only a tool if you act like one. The car has little to do with it. Enjoy your new wheels! (You deserve it! )

 

Get some counseling .

 

^ + 1

 

Just smile and take the "You deserve it!" comment very positively, even if the line is delivered just dripping with sarcasm. There will always be folks who don't "get it" when it comes to anything that's not mainstream (food, clothing, appearance, sports). Someone drives a Chrysrolet Malibaurus, GiantFordummer SUV, or Dodgaturnda Minivan ? Great - they 'deserve it' too - after all it was their choice - and that's fine, it fulfills some need in their lives.

I'm happy and comfortable that most of my (often excessive) outdoor activities aren't fully supported by Dunham's Sporting Goods, I can't buy my touch-up paint at Wal Mart, and I can't name more than 3 network TV shows that aren't in syndication. Great! Be yourself, smile about it, and don't let other's negativity get you down - you DO deserve to have some fun in your ride.

 

 

Undesirable? Hmm, How many Corollas have been sold, ever in the US and how many MINIs? Somebody must find them desirable.

 

Corollas as a desireable car? Practical, yes. Efficient, yes. Desireable? I don't think so... or at least not to me.

I think that there is a misconception with non MINI informed people that MINIs are very expensive cars... that the base model starts in the upper 20s to lower 30s. I've got a good friend who just got into an '06 MC for 18k and everyone marvels at the price for the perceived value.

Also, for the MINI un-informed, it is pretty difficult for them to tell the difference between a stripped MINI and a loaded MINI. Most would be challenged to point out an S vs. a Cooper without the badging. It isn't like Mercedes where even an uneducated eye can see the low raked shapes and go "ooooooh.... expensive Merc!" and look at the boxier C-class and go "Nice entry-level Merc."

 

I felt a bit guilty about getting my MINI at first...

...nevermind, I'm lying. That car was made for me. It's mine and I love it. I could care less what anyone else says, thinks, drives, etc.

 

I completely understand. In the old days, a new car before getting your plates was so much fun to show off. Now I want my plates immediately and want to distance my self from having a new cool car. Its impossible in the Mini as it is so unique and few of these cars are seen on the road compared to toyotas, Nissan, etc. Its difficult to blend in. But if you get a Mini, do you really want to blend in?. This is the wrong car for that. I remember my neighbor saw me in the car for the first time and she said "look at you". What does that mean?. Just relax and enjoy.

 

Now you see that is what makes a horse race. There are different reason and purposes for different cars and everyone has different opinions on what is desirable.

If you want a car with high gas mileage, very practical, very reliable, decent room, then a Corolla is very desirable and that is totally clear from its sales. How long have they been around, since the 1950s?

If your not interested in those attributes, then its not desirable for you.

 

Yeah... I see the point, but I think of desire with a strong emotional context. I don't get emotional about dependability or good gas mileage. I get emotional about stunning design or performance. You never see a young college-age woman look at a guy in a bar and say "Man... he looks so solid and dependable... such a nice guy... good to take home to Mom. I really desire him!"

 

+ 1 million

 

Insipid.

How many Camrys and Accords have been sold compared to Jaguars and BMWs?
Most of those owners desired a better car, but "sesible" choices instead. Nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't exactly make them desirable, just practical.

 

You speak for all those millions of Corrola owners? You know this for a fact? Where is your data to support this?

 

I dont know if there is a better car those things go for decades !

 

Sometimes practical IS desirable... to most folks a car is transportation, and if it runs like a refrigerator (does what it's supposed to, doessn't break often, requires minimal attention) that's "desirable".

It's not an object of lust, but it certainly IS desirable.

"Desire refers to an unconscious driving force. In psychanalytic theory, the process of socialization is characterized by lack of fulfilment in various respects. This lack produces desire." What's the lack of fulfillment we're talking about? If it's "reliable transportation", a Camry is "desirable".

- Worth having or seeking or achieving; "a desirable job"; "computer with many desirable features"; "a desirable outcome"
- Worthy of being chosen especially as a spouse; "the parents found the girl suitable for their son" (Princeton)

 

Exactly. Maybe some ppl do not desire to own a practical car designed to last several hundred thousand miles running on regular gas with minimal or no visits to the dealer. Thats cool, you can be impractical but I'm guessing many of the millions of Corolla owners over the years desired to own one very much. If you don't desire one doesn't mean others don't. I'm guessing far more people do not desire to own a MINI vice a Corolla. Sales talk.

Helll, I lust after one. I wish I could run out and buy one right now. Woot ... Toyotas rock. Unfortunately, my wife won't let me get one right now

 

My 07 Honda Civic Coupe is very DESIRABLE to me. I didn't buy her because I "really wanted a MINI." I wanted rock solid reliable, and yep, fun to drive transportation, that I could depend on. Just like a Corolla I love her.

And, another DESIRABLE car is my Tawanda. Hopefully she will be reliable (she sure is so far), but reliability and desire are sometimes two different things.

I find it fascinating that so many posters make the assumption that people who DESIRE Corollas/Hondas somehow wish they could drive something else. As chows asked, where is the data? Maybe someone could do a disseratation on this and find out the answer.

However, I doubt that many people lust after our MINIs. They may admire them, but I have yet to find any of my friends say, "I DESIRE your car."

 

I definitely desired my old Sentra. (But to be completely fair, I desired a car. Didn't matter what it was.) But I didn't desire it in the way that I desired the MINI I now own. The concept is too personal.

But on the concept of lusting after MINIs, I once was at the drive-through of a local fast food stop when the guy just said with no prompting, "I want your car." I...wasn't sure what to say to that.