Credibility.

Mark

 

Very much, thanks.

Mark

 

Not sure what "the right" GP is - but I know of one that is for sale in New Hampshire (this one)

 

Thanks... ideally I would like to find a southern car. I also suffer from a server case of OCD when it comes to automobiles, so it must be factory clean, never modified, never smoked or eaten in, and within 100 miles of Research Triangle Park, NC (closer the better). I know of one in Raleigh.. with under 1000 miles, that may be available soon... it will be mine if the price is right

 

So let's see.... A Graphic designer has one of the most popular MINI sites (Motoringfile) and a wedding photographer makes aftermarket parts for MINIs (M7).

How does that pan for credibility?

I do not need a degree in automotive engineering or aerospace to talk about cars and make comments.

So it is OK for a guy that has ZERO background in automotive engineering and journalism to have a popular MINI website, but it is totally wrong for another to come in and issue valid critiques on the brand and the current product they sell?

If the shoe fits...

 

Getting a GP eh Slag? Splendid choice!

(I taught you were getting a Porsche?)

 

I had the perfect Porsche picked out! 1987 Turbo... 46k miles and clean... and I mean CLEAN as a whistle... and the guy sold it out from under me

Now I'm getting the itch for a MINI again... and I always lusted after the GP... so I have set my sights on one in Raleigh... just waiting...

 

There is a GP with 10K, mint, being sold in Orlando.... Let me get you the details...

 

Slag, here is the thread and details....

http://sunshineminis.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15843

The car will be sold in Downtown MINI in Orlando, FL.

Great excuse for a nice roadtrip and a visit to Disneyworld!

(Hey come to Miami and a cold one is on me!)

 

This one has been tempting me: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=122084

The guy selling it sounds **** about how he kept it up... and the miles are low... if only it was Southern Virginia instead on Northern Virginia... I also like the number: 944

 

I bow to you both, may I please be forgiven for defending the brand. Seeing as how I'm not a college grad of any kind, but just a swinger of hammers I will move on and let you 2 alone with the masses.

Mark

 

Haha, no problem Lotsie. It just that I have the BS filter turned on 24/7.

 

Excuse me cluBmaNs Not sure what BS came from me, I just posted links to news releases about numbers.

Slag9111 came clean

lotsie with a small l

 

This is getting to be more fun that one of those DSC threads.

Carry on......

 

For me it's not credentials that primarily lend credibility. Said guy with popular website has established his credibility over time. And if said guy were to offer any sort of spin on any of the news items he posts, I would certainly scrutinize his conclusions the same way I would scrutinize others.

I personally do not agree with what I perceive to be slag1911's hasty conclusions regarding MINI sales; like Ian, I want to see more numbers before I decide for myself if he's right in his assessment or not. For what it's worth, I don't think that anything I've seen warrants the sort of extreme spin he's posted.

 

If your referring to motoringfile, then you should understand that "said guy" with popular website selectively filters both facts and opinions on the R56... to carefully kraft a point of view and market message. I would not use the word credibility to describe what us in the industry refer to as grassroots marketing.

 

Tongue in cheek! Relax!

 

Amen!

 

In relation to someone walking into a showroom and not relating to R56, I will recommend giving the car the benefit of the doubt even if it is not of interest to you. Do it as merely a MINI-enthusiast. There are a literal myriad of tweaks to the car that have yielded substantial gains in aerodynamics...so, even though some adjustments were made for pedestrian safety laws, the whole thing has been turned to actually achieve additional benefits. The stance has an aggressive quality that does appeal to many MINI enthusiasts. Interior quiet and finishes are great. Even the center stack proves highly useful for daily motoring as does the display in the larger speedo. My point here is only this....it takes some effort to understand this car and the more I've understood the more appreciative I've become. MINI has not made a lot of these little things, but when you drive one every day they do impress. So when one sees an R56....even though it isn't the MINI you love...I would at least hope the achievements would not be totally ignored and lost. It may help to soften that initial reaction should it not be entirely positive. Driving one...interacting with one...every day is very good!!!

Another tale...I saw an R56 from my 11th floor office window the other day. I thought it was an Electric Blue R53. No...it was an Oxygen Blue R56 Cooper. The car looked really nice. I would suggest that the hyper-analysis of R56 appearance is, or has become, nit-picking. That doesn't mean folks shouldn't have their preferences....but again, a sense of unabated shock and horror is comical and childish...the realm of MINI-nerds. We can and should be a bit more savy about this by now and I suggest an open-minded approach. Same goes for those who might be tempted to pan the Clubman outright. If one can't find something positive to key into, then I suggest that they are the one's missing something...because it is there. Oh, and by the way, this also goes for anybody crazy enough to dismiss the first gen car as "old-school." That's just crazy talk.

Finally, did you notice the headlights on Frank Stevenson's new Fiat 500?? Very R56 looking....so again, benefit of the doubt.

 

I can't really say why... but the Clubman seems much more appealing to me than the R56... something about the proportions seem to work. It will be interesting to see if the Clubman turns the sales around for MINI.

Even the 4wd stance seems to be gone:

 

Can't wait to get mine!

 

Bah - All my posts get reviewed so the odds of this getting by may be slim to none:

Speaking of credibility - you're losing yours. Who cares if he has a Mini? Who cares if he has a degree? This is a forum, and he has an opinion. His opinion is valid and he has stated his sources and answered your questions.

You can either (a) respond in kind and keep the debate going, (b) get someone to lock the thread or (c) continue to derail the debate by attacking the debater. Looks like you're choosing option (c) - pity.

Last week I was looking at the new STi and stopped by the Mini/BMW dealership to talk to a friend of mine who is a tech there. The front lot had about 7 R56s on it. The back had a line of them parked head to tail. Regardless of what the corporate shills at BMW are saying, the R56 is doing something the R53 never did - collect dust on a dealer's lot.

 

I didn't know Mini's sales were in trouble...

 

Perhaps not. But it does, to an extent, describe the quantity "How much faith do I put in what this person says?" I understand what his motivations are and am able to filter the information appropriately. Much the same way that I can read your opinions, try to understand your own motivations, and decide for myself how much trust I will put in your posts. To address your point on marketing, it is tied to credibility because its success depends on how much credibility the recipient places in the messenger--and the message.

In any case, that was a comment on what ClubmanS pointed out that I felt was interesting because I think the earlier discussion was regarding how much stock we (the general readership) should place in your interpretations. (Sales numbers are facts; anything beyond that is just opinion--unless you're a covert BMW exec.) You've stated your case and your reasoning; right now, it's not enough to convince me to agree with you. So, like I said in my previous post, I will just wait for more data.

 

Have been following this thread with jaw-dropping awe. It seems you can complicate an anvil if you work at it. Way to go guys!
Some simple facts: I saw pics of the Mini on the interweb before it got to the New World and fell flat-on-my-face in love. Got an R50 the first month they went up for sale and still have it.
When I see another Mini, the first thing I do is smile and wave; then I wonder if they are having as much fun with theirs as I have with mine. Then, maybe, maybe, I try to figure out what series it is. Not always. It's not that important. It's a MINI! Anything after that is extraneous noise.
I like mine the best. I think red with a white roof is the finest color combination on earth. I think green M & M's taste better than the other colors.
What's the point? The car will sell as well as it sells. BMW will make adjustments to increase their market share and profitablity.
Buy the car you like the best and rejoice in it. I did.

-skip-