Well, my husband and I went for a drive up to Smicksburg, PA. There we were on the roads with the Amish buggies. It was so cool. Every Amish person we saw or passed would wave at us and take long looks at Otto our Mini and smile. To say the least, they don't see many Minis up there. We had the same thing happen in Erie the day before. There is just something about this car that makes people look and smile. I think that all of the Minis sold could go a long way to bring happiness and peace to the world. The only down side to the trip is that it was raining and the road to a little winery we went to was muddy. I'll have to spend all day tomorrow cleaning Otto up. But you know what, that's fun too.

 

Welcome to NAM, hyperblue1! Nice story! I think people love our MINIs because they have such big eyes (headlights), which give them a friendly "face!"


Clover

 

When I see a MINI out on the street my eye goes right to it...and not just because I own one.:smile: MINIs just look so different from 90% of what's out there. I think that grill and big 'ol round headlights have something to do with it.

I've even been surprised catching a glimpse of a MINI out the corner of my eye thinking, "Man, that's a remarkably small car!!!!" Looking up...yup it's a MINI! Then I think, "Wait...I drive one of those!!!" True...I'm really not very bright, but in my defense it is easy to lose perspective of the visual impact of a MINI when you drive one all the time because it seems so "normal" from the interior. It's easy to forget the car is so small and smile-inducing (cute ).

 

Isn't it great???? I love being in places where the MINI is still pretty much unknown - the looks on peoples faces are priceless....and you will always get a wave or Sounds like you had a fun day even if the weather was a bit icky....Amish country is beautiful...

Donna
02' CR/W MCS (gone to MINI heaven - burned up)
05' Cool Blue MCSC "Ariel"
05' HB/W MCS

 

It's amazing that after three years, these cars still attract the attention that they do. And, EVERY kid in a back seat gives you the "thumbs-up."

 

Even the big kids in the front seat driving give me too!

 

The only thing that would bring MORE smiles would be a standard issue Golden Retriever puppy sitting in the front seat of every MINI sold.

 

Thanks for all the great replies. We are so much enjoying our new MC. We both have motorcycles but lately only want to drive the Mini.

 

It's funny to see these threads still going....if you think this is crazy, you should have seen all the looks you got driving around the summer of 02....it was like i was driving a lambo or something

 

in Oct 02, I drove from Salt Lake City home via Yosemite. I took "Alt route 99" or something across Nevada, and the looks I got there! When I stopped for gas (in a little town with only one intersection with a stop sign where the old men really did sit on a bench in front of the barber shop) I got a lot of people coming up and asking me about the car. One had even heard of it! (Well, the original, not the new one).

but now in the SF Bay Area, I'd say that the Mini is no longer rare, still somewhat noticable, but about half the owners don't wave at other cars, and just look like frustrated commuters.....

Welcome to the pack!

Matt

 

I agree that the "big eyes" help the MINI to look unique. But I still tell everyone that the single most appealing aspect of uniqueness about this little car isn't even realized by those you don't know MINIs like us enthusists, and that is the car's "stance" or "posture". The "Bulldog stance" gives the MINI a very..."this is a serious little car" appearance.

 

Like clock work is I go thru a drive-thru live Wendy or BK everytime i get up to the window it's always. "sweet ride" "nice wheels" "nice car dude" my favorite tho was..."awesome car how fast have you gone in it.?" lol

 

MINIs definitely get plenty of attention-
Sooooooooooooo-

Always keep your MINI clean!

Even the wheels! Especially white wheels!!

Drive with your windows down if the speed limit is 40 or less.
It's more friendly and you can see others and vice versa.

Don't be in a hurry and slow down so

People can enjoy watching YOU!
Be sure to SMILE :smile: and wave back!

 

Kids,folks on the highway,the odd other MINI,truckers,elders,ladies.All,either smile,wave,,or look away,not wanting to stare

Keep it clean,show it off,and have fun

 

I was at a stoplight just last night. It was in the high 80s and I had the windows down and the sunroof open 'cause I don't like running the A/C when I don't have to.

A little Chevy econobox pulls up to me and there is a lovely young lady in it, smiling at me. "I LOVE your car!"

"Thanks - I do, too! It's the most fun I've ever driven!" (I'm just a grey-haired old fart, and this beautiful girl has struck up a conversation with me???)

"That's my dream car! Is yours a stick or an automatic?" I see her eyes glance at the side vents. "Oh, never mind - I see it's an 'S'!"

(Hey, I think to myself, she really is interested in MINIs. How cool!) "Actually," I say, "they just came out with an automatic for the S a few months ago."

"Really! I didn't know that."

We both notice the light is changing. "Well, nice talking with you - enjoy your car!"

Wow!

And I didn't think I could love my car any more than I already did!

 

You're right, mine even caused an accident/pile-up - it wasn't my fault though!!

I was in the faster of two lanes during rush hour. A woman driving an old civic in the slower lane matched my speed to stare at my MINI but forgot she was in the slower lane when she did....you can probably guess what happened next.... Yup, she was studying my car so intently that she forgot to watch where she was going and rear-ended the car in front of her. This startled her so much (understandably) that she braked and then lost control, swerving into my lane . Fortunately for me she hit the brakes first so she swerved just behind me....unfortunately for the car following me and the next few cars who piled into the two of them.

 

I went to the movies last night and when I came out there was a piece of paper stuck under my windshield wiper. It was in a girls' handwriting and it said: "I love your cute little car, Love (heart) ME!"

That brought a smile to my face and I smugly and proudly motored all the way home.

But it was actually the 3rd time something like that has been placed on my car. This was the sweetest though, the other's just said "sweet ride" or something.

 

One of my daughter's friends told me she thought I had the cutest car she'd ever seen. And then she quickly apologized for calling a guy's car "cute."

"Oh, don't apologize!" I said. "I agree - I think I've got the cutest car I've ever seen, too!"

 

I did a run with the local Philly MINI group yesterday. It was great seeing the people stopped at intersections gawking and the pedestrians waving as the string of us went by.

My friend has a 1972 Mini Clubman. I followed him to a show the other day and did he get the looks puttering down the road. Where the MINIs are head turners, the classics really do get the looks.

 

Our local club - Gold Country MINI - did a run through the California foothills from Auburn to Yuba City a few months ago. One of our members couldn't make it because he had to take his other car in for service. As luck would have it, he came down from his house right at the same time we all got there, and he had to sit there at the intersection and watch all 23 of our MINIs cruising by! Must have been sheer torture!

Our line of cars was long enough that people on the side of the road had time to get their cameras out and take pictures. We saw a lot of cameras that day!

We got a lot of smiles and waves that day!

 

I think people are getting used to seeing MINIs, especially in and around major metropolitan areas. Still, mine gets stares and :thumbsups: when I am driving out in the sticks.

What individual MINIs cant get in the way of attention, a group of them definitely does. On the way to the Dragon, our caravan of 8 cars did cause a stir. Even the truckers made some commentary among them on CB (yes, I have one in my car too): "Check it out. Looks lahk there is some sorta Mini Kewper conventchin goin' on somewhar!" and similar chatter. Almost all of it was quite positive.

I wonder if anyone in such a caravan ever came across an armored car on the road with them. The driver might think they are about to get "Italian Jobbed" and freak!

 

I was at a funeral today and people gathered around my car and talked about it. They were mostly senior architects and engineers so I was surprised they were so curious--usually those people have already researched all the cars. Then when the hearse pulled up two people asked if they could ride in my car (one was impressed by the glass panel over the backseat). When we got to the grave site one of the attendents told me as I was getting out that he knew that mine was "not the 6 cylinder model" but that it was "real cute anyway" and that he was saving up so he "could get the car for his kid" which was only a bit awkward considering that I was trying to appear serious.

Otherwise MINIs have become common in my town and I probably cannot drive for more than 2 minutes without encountering another one. When I see an "older" MINI I respect that that driver has probably had to endure the novelty and hand waving period. So I sense a MINI hierarchy based on age. On my garage level there are 4 MINIs out of 28 cars total (2 PW/B and 2 DS/B), but there are also 6 standard size SUVs.

 

In my travels back and forth across our beautiful country, I have RARELY seen other MINIs on the road, and just about every single time I made pit stops/fuel stops, people have chatted me up about Wanda.:smile:

I feel like I should be on MINIUSA's payroll after all the tours I've given, all the prospective buyers I've reassured, and all the mini-lectures I've given since 2002!

As many MINIs as I see now in West Los Angeles, I still see many, many more Hummers.......


Clover

 

anywhere Red Rodney goes in wonderful Wyoming gets looks and smiles and comments and slack-jawed gawking in general. what a wonderful car! 'quence

 

I just got back from a 1000+ mile trip from the SF Bay Area to Yosemite NP to Joshua Tree NP back to Yosemite and back to the Bay Area. After leaving the Bay Area, I saw one MINI the entire trip. MINIs seem to be concentrated in city areas and then get rare in the rural areas. Lots of people have yet to encounter one which will preserve the novelty for years to come.