Today, while waiting at vehicle registration, I saw a 2006 MCC pull up and park. The owner, a woman, came in and took the seat in front of me.

Before speaking, I briefly wondered what the protocol is around the world, for meeting a fellow Mini owner. Of course they like it -- that's a given and not worth asking. What's the right way to do the comparable butt-sniffing that dogs do when they meet?

I asked her what mods she had made. Turns out she'd just dropped the run flats for some pretty nice rims. I asked her if she'd put anything on her strut towers -- and about 2 minutes later, we had her hood up and her goodies exposed, while I explained it all to her in great detail.

How do you strike up a conversation when meeting a fellow Mini owner?

 

Just ask, "How do you like your MINI Cooper?....or MINI Cooper S?.....or Clubman?" Follow this by "How long have you had it?" or ""Where did you get it?" Going the mods route, unless you know they have some specific mods, can be off-putting as many owners, like me, have none. It's not the common currency, really....having fun driving a MINI is.

I would discourage sniffing, too....mace, you know.

 

Yeah, you might just get something to sniff that doesn't smell so good. Be careful is all I advise..

 

Yeah, about that whole sniffing thing. Really not a good idea out front of Alberto's Taco Stand....

But you got the idea, I see.

 

D@mn, you work fast!

 

Last week, we had the gates open to our driveway, and gal driving a yellow mini ( whom drives down our road often ) came up the drive to my Mini for a second, and then backed up and was ready to leave......I went out to see what was up, and she said that her Mini was just saying hi to my Mini......we had a very pleasant conversation.

Just when I thought I had seen it all.......There's a first time for everything

 

"It's OK, ma'am -- official Police Interceptor business."

Actually, we talked strut tower plates, and how some are just the plates and some have a sway bar as well. Apparently, she likes it curvy (I can say that, right?) and thinks she'd benefit from some additional support, so we also talked USS, too. Scooby03, you'll probably get a call from her next week.

I swear, I think I've pushed strut tower plates on ever Mini owner I've met -- so few have never even heard of them, but they all seem to understand the need for them!

 

If you're a MINI owner and you ask another MINI owner "How do you like your MINI?" isn't that kinda like asking "How's that oxygen working for you?"

 

Well, there are people who breathe oxygen because they have to... and there are people who breathe oxygen because it can create feelings of euphoria in sufficient quantities.

 

How about "Aren't MINI's really fun, great cars? I love mine." It opens the door. If the response is a short "yeah" or somesuch, then they either just own a car or they don't want to talk now. Or the response is going to go towards something like, "Another MINI owner! cool I've had...". The question allows them to make a choice as to how much to open the door or they can close it (hopefully politely).

I remember one guy we tried to strike up a conversation with. Apparently our local club members had left a few too many spotter cards on his window and he just wanted to be left alone. His response was to slam the conversational door.

 

I generally find I can strike up a conversation without resorting to the sh** coming from your brain and out of your mouth...kinusabe

 

Now, that's funny!

 

damn! i wish mini owners were this cool here hah

 

-- and about 2 minutes later, we had her hood up and her goodies exposed, while I explained it all to her in great detail.


im terrible

 

That's something I'd do with my Emma (my Mini). I talk about her and for her as a human being enough I think Ive eventually stooped to that level. Except in my case I don't waste time on my neighbors when they're around because they're REALLY unfriendly. I say hi to all their Mini's when they're not present. And I ALWAYS park Emma next to their Mini's. It's not the Mini's fault that their owners are spawns of satan.

 

Wow. Something's definitely wrong if you have to "explain it all to her in great detail". That must have been a fun 2 minutes though!

In all seriousness - the method I use to talk to other MINI owners is to say something about the color of their car, e.g. "I love that color, Space Blue, right?" It has worked every time for me, and it's quite easy to tell if the person driving the car is into them or not. Most every MINI enthusiast knows the factory name for their car's color.

 

you could say
"I bet you get really good gas milege, eh?"

 

I hope buying my MINI doesnt mean people are going to sniff my ***! Yikes!

 

I love this thread. Although I'm not up for the ***-sniffing thing...

I've noticed that MINIs tend to gravitate towards each other - we end up parking near each other and let them have conversations. I've only "stalked" one person in our work parking lot -- by the third day of one or the other of us parking beside whomever got there first, I finally left the owner a note. Just to make myself feel better about NOT being a stalker, i signed it with my "handle" (xUHOHx) which also happens to be my license plate. The guy just about jumped me the next time he saw me near my car -- thanked me profusely for the note and started in on the conversation.

My opening line is usually something witty and/or sarcastic, like "Wise choice in vehicles" or something like it, situationally dependant. So that "how's that oxygen thing working for ya" is also one I've put in my repository now!!

 

hhhmm..it have not happen to me YET..

 

I had a women in the parking lot at the grocery store as if my car was a "Cooper Works". I knew right away she knows something about MINIs. It turned out she has a classic and an 02! I gave her NAM and local club info, but, sadly I never saw her cars, or her again.

 

Unfortunately, 99.9% of MINI owners aren't quite as, uh, OBSESSED as I am... so after a few words of pleasantries, things quickly turn to MINI talk and within about 90 seconds their ears start to bleed and they run away screaming... I usually lose them somewhere between the One-Ball Mod and the custom Polish leather....

 

Of course you could always strike up the convo with "hey wanna see my mini..."

 

Yeah, but for men, that might lead to some traumatic ego-crushing

 

maybe for some haha