Like the baby boom era, I think we can start calling this the MINI era. I've not seen this many in years. I just bought mine a couple of months ago but have had a love for the car for years and always had an eye out for them. I rarely saw them on the road.

But, they are starting to spring up everywhere. Everyday now I see several around here in SoCal and not the same ones. Just yesterday on my trip to Home Depot (8 miles round trip) I saw 4. Today, I saw 2 just going to work, a 3 mile trip. I never remember seeing this many, ever!

Sad thing is, I wave at every MINI I see and only 1 of all those waved back.

 

MINIs are becoming more common here. I can still go several days without seeing another one though.

 

You might see MINIs but you never see 2 that are the same

 

We do need to be careful though. . . I had a dream the other day that I came to a 4 way stop and met 3 other identical BRG MINIs. In the confusion of waving and politely suggesting that the other cars go through the intersection first, we all collided with each other. But don't worry, the MINI's stuck together like lego blocks and it was easy to separate them.

 

lol

 

MINIs are the new "cool" car to have for the youngin's and the "sporty car that makes me young" for the middle agers.

I think most people now a-days get a MINI for its status symobol that it provides for the driver.

MINI drivers are MINI drivers and I'll treat them all the same, but you can tell which ones enthusiasts (like us) and which ones just bought it to be "the cool kid on the block" (adults too).

 

I see more and more MINIs around town now, but then we have a dealer right here in Arlington so, frankly, I'm surprised there haven't been more sooner. Some owners seem more into the "MINI-thing" than others but I wave at them all whether they like it or not. Most wave back...gladly, too! As for motivation, it's hard for me personally to imagine MINIs being a status car or even a stylish car (not agruing that they are, though) since I came straight from classic Minis. Driving a MINI was simply a no-brainer from that perspective. I know there are lots of motivations for driving MINIs out there, it's just hard for me to walk in those shoes.

 

They are everywhere here in AZ... although most of them are young girls in their economical no-frillz MC.

 

A surprisingly potent machine!!

 

Oh now see... this is how you go and start a flame war...

Granted I'm a MCS owner... but whoa there... we love our MCs too.

 

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy driving my Mini S as a daily driver, but I'm not getting the 'status symbol' point.

I don't see how a $20 to $25K car, that is not limited in number (many available off the lot, or order one and you'll have it in a few weeks) can be a status symbol. Not that I look around for it while I'm driving, but I haven't once yet caught anyone checking out my car whilst driving. Maybe I picked the wrong color, I dunno.

In my area there are lots of them, perhaps because there are two dealers serving overlapping areas. For a lot of folks they are invisible nonentities, some folks really like and want one, and to others they're curiosities but not something they'd even consider owning, but I'm not getting the status symbol part.

They are flat out fun to drive. On the Elise board, a member started a thread about buying a new Civic or MCS as a daily driver. Several of the Elise owners have Minis as drivers or simply as part of their fleet. Lots of Civic support, but the majority say go with the Mini.

One guy flat out stated that while the Elise easily outhandles the Mini both on the street on exit ramps and on twisty back roads, and walks away from the Mini on the track, his feeling was that his Mini was actually more fun to drive.

A few folks seconded that opinion, and I have to say that in some ways, I have found the Mini more enjoyable. While it does not accelarate as fast as the Elise, it FEELS faster due largely to the better low end torque. Steering is more sensitive, so it feels like it handles better, but the chassis dynamics of the Elise lets it stick just that much better.

Anyway, I chose the Mini 3 months ago because I needed a new daily driver, and in terms of fun factor it provided the closest experience I could find in a 'practical' car to the Lotus.

No looking back, I really enjoy the car.

 

I think it's more along the lines of the fact that the MINI is the 'premium' small car, so "rich" people figure they can retain their status and still drive a small car... Therefore, some "poorer" folks feel it ups their status by driving one... Plus there is the style factor - the MINI is uber stylish. That always gets the hip into purchasing mode...

Personally, I just like the MINI because it's a MINI. It's a huge staple of my childhood, having pretty much spent most of my childhood 'car' days in a classic...

 

Very similar to my choice: I wanted the funnest, fastest, best handling car that could carry two St. Bernards. The Elise can only carry one!

 

I saw two in the parking garage at the subway today, and one was even PW MCS!

I'm going to need to do something to my car to distinguish it!

 

I think the term is ubiquitous. The popularity is one reason why 6 years into a model run, prices are still at MSRP (and some dealers are sticking on a $2,500 premium).

Waving is something that is a hit or miss proposition. Following are rules that have been pretty consistent for me in determining the probability of a return wave: If the driver and passenger are talking to each other - you won't get a wave back. If the other car is populated by just the driver, and the driver is looking your car over, you probably have another enthusiast - wave and you have a high probability of a return wave. If the other car's driver is on a cell phone, see the scenario of driver and passenger talking to each other.

 

DUDE ... You gotta strap that other Dog on top of the roll bar!

MDSBRAINS ... not true anymore. I am seeing lots of identical cars now. Its not like when we meet and ppl in a club are into all kinds of things. Many are just "cars" to get to work. Plain jane all the way.

 

customize to be unique .... BMW got it right, we add to it further

 

Hmm, I think it's official that Cali is the "Unofficial MINI Mecca" of the States. On the contrary, I can tell you that my small corner of Nashville is almost devoid of them - just a bunch of big ol' trucks and SUVs.

On the negative side, my waving muscle is a bit undersized.

On the positive side ... DUDE, I passed a school bus full of fifth graders, and they all gave me the "rock on" fingers!!