Well, the Mini is a special car. It's looks make you smile and then step on the gas and you smile for another reason (until you get pulled over). I haven't had many 'cool cars' in my life (eg a minivan that I drove through college) and they can definitely affect your personality. For instance...

'94 Olds 88 - great car that I kept for 8 years and 100,000 miles but I always felt very 'stade' and old in it - my father's oldsmobile syndrome?

'86 Saab 9000 - needed a lot of work when it was given (yes gratis) to me but made me feel kinda unique in a good way. It was my favorite car until I got my Mini.

For a while when we first got married I drove my wife's old little Oldsmobile that wasn't in very good shape and I always felt kinda 'blah'.

So what have cars done for you?

 

I've had several Corvettes since the early 70s and I think my present 81 coupe is my favorite and I've had it since 91. When I got my first MC in 2004 it was a whole different type of car which is a blast to drive. Now the vette sits in the garage and is entered in car shows every now and than and now I make excuses to drive my 06MCS.

 

I've had many cars in my day. The one car that truly made me feel like an Old Lady was my 2002 Toyota Camry. Mechanically that car was a gem, typical Toyota. Stratosphere Mica Blue was a beautiful color. But, and I know it was all psychological, I just couldn't get past the feeling that I opted for a staid Old Lady car. Sold her at 45,000 miles and she ended up being a Toyota Certified Used Vehicle.

Now, my 07 Honda Civic Coupe is a fun little daily driver. Nothing staid about it.

 

I'm young so my list is pretty short but luckily, very unique.

I learned to drive on a Saturn SC2 with 5 speed and 110k miles. The clutch was slipping and the throwout bearing was getting sticky. It was still a pretty fun car to drive. We sold it soon after.

During high school, I carpooled with my mom in our 2000 Honda Insight. Lots of fun to drive and really keeps you paying attention to what's going on. My dad still drives it to work and it now has over 90k miles.

My first few years of college were spent with a '97 Chrysler Town and Country minivan that was a hand-me-down from the parents because it only got 25mpg and I only drove on the weekend. At least I didn't have to worry about space when packing.

We finally sold the van and I became the driver of our '02 MCS. Tons of fun and I plan on driving it for a long time to come.

Last summer, I bought a 1970 Lotus Europa from a family friend who's had it sitting in his garage for the better part of the last 25 years. I've been busy getting it back on the road. Even with all the quirks of owning an old Brit, I love this car. When I sit in it, I feel like I'm part of the car. The sound of that Weber opening up is intoxicating. I still have a lot of work to do so it'll keep my busy for years to come.

 

I had a '91, 3-cylinder Geo Metro which made me feel "frugal." A light-weight car, and geared well...it was surprisingly fun. And at 43 mpg it was very good at something at least. I keyed into that at the time and enjoyed the car very much. It wasn't a dream come true, though....and a MINI is!!

 

I've owned about 15 different vehicles and all have made me feel something different. But one stands out in my mind above all others.

When I was stationed in Japan, I picked up an inexpensive "beater" for my short, daily commute. It was a 7-year old Toyota pickup truck with the stick on the column. It had green painted wheels and a matching green painted "rollbar" that was fashioned from a 2 x 4. It made me feel like a poor FARMER.

I bought it for $500. I drove it for 4 years with only one oil change. I loaned it out frequently enough that I only paid for gas about three times a year. After 4 years and about 35,000 miles, I sold it for the same $500 I bought it for. So in the end, it made me feel SMART.

 

MR2 Spyder

In the twisties and on the track (racing driver)
On the freeways (small, invisible, vulnerable, scared)
On Pacific Coast Highway (poseur(roof down))

 

My MCS was bought this reason- feel. I wanted something fun,connected,that made the mundane,entertaining and it delivers in spades!

Past cars/feelings

Ford Explorers-pretty boring
Honda Odyssey-it was my wifes van but when I drove it I felt every cost cutting step they took which made me feel a little taking advantage of for the money I paid.
1981 Datsun 280ZX-very fun, quick, I felt sporty and I learned a lot about driving with that car.
the three Volvo's all made me feel safe, secure the last one a S60 turbo was also quick and very agile.
My wifes current car- a Mercedes E320 wagon is tight,solid and has an amazing ride, I am always impressed by this car and it's engineering.

 

'77 Civic CVCC: *yawn*
'87 Civic Si: blast to drive, nobody cared.
'48 Chevy pickup: when I want to feel like a redneck on a budget. Unrestored wreck that it is, I get comments like "when you going to paint it?"
'57 Chevy 4 door station wagon: Lots of cool comments, attitude. Not fun to drive. Not fun hearing "is that a Nomad?" all the freakin' time.
Buick: no no no.
Lexus: way sterile.

MINI: still a great ice breaker. Makes me feel like motoring!

 

since 98 i owned more than one car...

90 civic DX HB: cool, i like...my first car.
94 civic EX coupe: cool, i like better. but a parking lot accident magnet.

95 nissan altima: present from the in-laws to the wife.. so couldn't complain.
i hated the car so much i even used paper towels to QD it. lol!

98 prelude: very cool, modded, i liked very much cornered like
on rails, quicker than a vette coupe off the line. woohoo~

00 civic DX HB: hummm... the 90' was better. i need to get a WRX.
01 G20: good looking car, modded but still boggin' slow. oh well, have to save up for a house.

02 WRX: fugly as hell in stock form, modded and super fast. good looking.

03 Protege5: Im not sure if it came with an engine, but it worked well for a
family wagon. 5MT and all... i should've kept this pos for my beater.

03 MCS: super fun comical car. modded, this is wat fun
is all about.

04 G35C: modded, she is definitely a keeper. good sound, good
stereo (lightly modded). one of the best looking cars on the road.

04 Civic VP: wata boring car... AT is smooth as butter... sell it sell it!
06 LegacyWgn: AWD is awesome in snow! good looking wagon. super smooth ride.

06 CivicEX: nice~ best civic generation so far. very comfy seats and
suspension. super nice mpg for a regular gasoline powered car.

 

I have a huge fondness for my parent's '93 Ford Aerostar -- it was the van that my parents always lent to me since I didn't have a car all through college. It was a great experience. I learned to check and double check my blind spots (there are MANY in that van). I learned how a rear-drive van handles in rain and snow. I learned to parallel park in that thing. I learned to look well ahead and safely "plan" my driving, as a tall minivan is not exactly the quickest handling thing ever.

But for all the quirks, horrid handling, and discomfort, it did haul me and my college friends around quite a lot on long trips!

So if I had to answer the topic: the Aerostar is a car that makes me feel like a good, well mannered, safe driver.

Alas, it's on its last legs now... my Dad told me the mechanic told him that only 4 of the 6 cylinders are functioning! Still a great van though

 

I bought the MINI because I wanted something fun to drive. But my favorite car from my youth was a 71 Chrysler Newport Classic. Car was huge everyone fit in it and the truck was bigger than most refigerators. I loved that car.

 

Had over 40 cars & 6 motorcycles so far. 70 Datsun 240Z racing head, triple Mikuni carbs, fun fun fun. 90 Nissan 300zx TT amazing power 2nd gear unbelievable! 91 Toyota puckup 4x4 38" superswampers and 10" lift kit mud raced it scary fun, but my 02 MCS makes me feel like this:
For the price of a Mini Cooper S, you could buy an Acura RSX Type-S or a Subaru WRX, and either of those cars would be a more reasonable, practical choice. But since when did car nuts become reasonable or practical? How many people have purchased a motorcycle for its excellent fuel economy? The Cooper S is a good value because it is two barrels full of monkeys. It's not unlike a ride on a quick go-kart. It's a rousing game of air hockey. It's a trampoline. It's the infectious laugh after hearing someone fart in church. If we didn't value that highly, we wouldn’t be driving a car like this!

 

Well im still young, but Ive owned my fair share of cars.

My first car that I learned to drive in was a 1997 Pontiac Grand Am. I remember I put a nice stereo system in. It was a salvaged car. I ended up selling the stereo system for more than the car. haha. Wasn't a bad car I liked it. (had it less than 4 months)

Second car was a 1996 GMC Safari Van. IT was handed down to me from my dad. This thing was in Mint condition with only 26k miles. I drove it rarely. and I was ashamed of it. I felt like a family man driving it. I ended up selling it for 5k. (Had it for about a year.)

My third car was a 2002 Mini Cooper. Originally purchased by my dad from Long Beach Mini back in '02. He ended up not liking it so I bought it off him for 20k. Ive had it ever since! IM planning on selling it soon though. I love this car. So many great memories together.

Then in 2004 I bought a Honda Civic Ex. I drove it half the time and my Mini the other half. About 8 months into ownership it was stolen! IT was a great car, good gas mileage, sporty, super fun to drive, and I loved the Blue Color!

Then the last car I bought was a 2004 Infiniti G35 Coupe. Beautiful Red Color, Brembo's, Navi, and Custom Exhaust. I had it for probably 3 months before I realized I was paying way to much to insure it and I wasnt driving it enough. I ended up selling it for more than I paid for it!

So thats my car feelings. I hope to add a new one in the next few months.

 

1979 VW Dasher Station Wagon Seafoam green - definately not the pretiest car anyone ever saw, but it always started, had no payments, got decent gas milages, went through the snow like a tank, and got me through high school. As far as I know, the guy I sold it to still drives it around.

1985 Ford F150 I6 4 speed - I still own this one, and it gets used to haul stuff around town. Great vehicle, and yes, Ford probably did intend for this truck to be dead 10 years ago.

1987 Mercedes 300D - Probably one of my favorite cars, fun to drive, comfortable and great fuel economy.

1998 Volvo V70R Stage II - Almost as fun to drive as the Mini, but not nearly as good looking, and if I would have gotten along with the local Volvo Dealer, I might still have this car.

1999 Land Rover Range Rover HSE - This was a great vehicle, and excellent off road vehicle that was somewhat fun to drive. That all went away after I had the pleasure of driving 70 miles at 35mph at 2am with no suspension due to a dead air compressor. Fixed the suspension and traded this in on the Mini, haven't looked back since.

2004 MCS - What can I say, I would consider best parts of my average day to be from 7:30-8:00am and 5:00-5:30pm.

 

Back in March 2003, I got an '03 Saturn Ion for my 16th b-day..decent car to learn on, reliable (brand new), automatic....but it made me feel poor, and I hated driving it.

In March 2005 I got a 2005 Saab 9-3 (early high school grad present I guess)..it was bright red, black leather, heated seats, sunroof, turbo, manual..I loved it at the time..but got sick of it pretty quick. Still a great car, my brother now drives it (when he turned 16 he got the Saab and I got the MCS).

In April 2006 (I was 19), I got my '06 Cooper S..best car ever..ya'll know how I feel driving it since you have the same car..I'll prob get another one in the near future.

 

i just realized i forgot to include 2 cars... so updated. i think im still
missing another car or so... i lost count.

 

In New Zealand
'67 VW First car, Free
'76 Corrolla Wagon, Boring
'83 Bluebird, Grown-up
'69 Valiant, Divorced

In the States
'70 VW Bus, really free ( My house on wheels for 2 years )
'75 Buick Station Wagon, Worker
'76 Ford F150, Prepared Worker
'92 Saturn, Burned
'94 Mustang, forfilled a dream
'95 Explorer, Dad
'96 GMC 1500, Boss
'96 Buick Riviera, Successful
'98 Durango, Dad
*'00 GMC 2500 4x4, Boss
'02 Durango, still a Dad
*'03 Cooper S, A Driver again
*'05 Escalade, Successful
*'05 Factory Five Roadster Cobra replica, scared,addicted

* Present vehicles

 

I included a lot but I was thinking about it and thought I'd include my favortive and my least favorite.

Favorite- My 05 MCSCa of course. It's rare to have a car that makes not only you smile but just about everyone else you see smile. Plus, it's the convertible I've always wanted. Plus, Plus, it's just plane fun to drive just for the sake of driving.

Least favorite - 03 Mercedes c320 sedan. Had always wanted a Mercedes since my uncle had gotten an early 60's model out of long time storage and restored it. When my parents died in 02, used the inheritance to get it. Had justified the expense to myself based on the quality of the car and planning to keep in years and years and years. The reality - beautiful car inside and out however - in the shop 8 times in 8 months, service promises that were never delivered, and a DSC unit that Stephen King programmed that tried to kill me every time it rained. My last Mercedes.

I could go into my first car (a red on red '66 mustang) but I think I've already done that somewhere on this forum :smile:

 

I used to own a stripped Toyota Tercel, complete with plastic floors I loved that car