I believe that! I am 51 (but I am a young 51)...I have seen a lot of greybeards in Minis. Like me, they probably remember fondly their initial reaction to the original. I have also seen a lot of younger folk im Minis as well, though the majority of the younger drivers seem to be in non-S versions. This car crosses over so well from one generation to the next! I see a lot of "older" folks looking and smiling when they see my MCS. Probably recalling their college days when a Mini made sense financially. Today's Mini is a bit more exclusive, pricewise, than a Hyundai or a Kia, etc. so the younger generation has a harder time justifying the expense. Now, let's talk about the environmental impact of ELF...

 

>>
>>>>No wonder the typical Toyota buyer today is over 47 years old!.

Toyota has been trying to change their image for half a decade or more. In Japan NO ONE under the age of 30-40 will touch em' They've got an image worse than Oldsmobile (had).

Frankly, I respect the engineers for Toyota and even more so the engineers for Honda, they really can build anything, and build it well. But ya know, I kind of liken' those companies to McDondalds. Yeah, you can live on it, but why would you when there is Cajun, Thai, Sushi and better flavors to be had.

But to each his/her own. You can have McDonalds, I'm going for some Crawfish Etoufee....

hmmmm, anyone else getting hungry, it must be lunch time!

 

>>Interesting but I haven't seen that statistic in any automotive industry journal yet.

I have no idea if this has been published or not...I would think more likely not, because, as I think we all know, BMW wants the MC's image to be nothing but youthful, because both kids and the *<ahem>* mature crowd will buy a youthful car, but kids won't go anywhere near a "grandpa" mobile. The same way women will buy a "masculine" car (see Corvette), but men won't go anywhere near a "Chick Car" (see VW Cabrio).

Incidentally, I believe the average age of a BMW driver is 42. Funny, huh?!

 

Sorry, but this whole thread is boring, irrelevant and needs to be moved to Off-topic, or a Prius board, which is where it really belongs! There's nothing "Mini Talk" about it.

I totally agree with whoever said the original question was a stupid item to post on here to begin with. As I said earlier, after reading over two pages of wasted band width, 95% of what's been posted is uninformed opinion.... "eeww, I don't like it" or "if it's what you want, get it". Even the one other person who admitted owning a Prius didn't say much about it.

 

>>Maybe if it was lowered, with an aero package and low-profile tires in might be ok

Yeah, a Prius RICER. Ha

 

If this is a stupid thread, why did it take you 3 pages and a reply to realize? I typically stop reading stupid threads after the second or third message.

I know, I know, the MINI is really wonderful. The fact of the matter is that I want to make a statement about excessive fuel consumption that is more than an advertising campaign (face it, the whole anti-SUV thing is marketing--but I like it anyway). By buying a Prius, I know I'll regret not having the joy of driving a MINI, but at least I am promoting technology that is a step in the right direction.

Once again, its not necessarily the impact of me choosing to drive a hybrid on the environment, but the impact on the industry, and the people around me.

Question -- should my political and environmental concerns take precedent over my appreciation for driving a cute and fun car?

It seems to me like I am constantly projecting an internal conflict (whether to continue on and be successful and an excessive consumer or to live a simple life and appreciate life in itself) onto simpler decisions like what type of car to drive.
Why do I have to think so much? I guess I need to go smoke some Al-Qaida Marijuana!!!

_________________

Work like you don't need the money.Love like you've never been hurt.Dance like nobody's watching.

 

THis is not a stupid thread at all. Here is a MINI owner (on topic) that is thinking about switching and wanted opinions from other MINI owners. Keep it rolling....I learned some things about hybrids I didn't previously know.

 

>>If this is a stupid thread, why did it take you 3 pages and a reply to realize? I typically stop reading stupid threads after the second or third message.>>

 

So many people have been inspired by me and my MINI. When I drove an electric car in high school, people I spoke to felt optimistic about our society cleaning up its act. I feel that I have a responsibility as a natural leader, and a person who questions everything I do and everything around me to set an example. In the wake of this conversation, I've started to accelerate slower and predict deceleration in order to coast a bit. I don't use my A/C very often (only during rush hour traffic) and I buy gas from Sunoco, the only gasonline company that doesn't purchase Middle Eastern oil to the best of my knowledge. I have called a local Toyota dealership, and apparently I know more about the new Prius than the dealership does. I am might test drive an '04 Prius when they arrive in mid November. I am sure that this car is too big for me, since it is classified at a midsize automobile. The largest car I've owned is a 4-door Ford Escort, and I couldn't stand having that kind of extra space. The wheelbase of the Prius is 106 inches, and the length of the car is 175 inches. As for the Escort, the whellbase is 94 inches, and the length of the car is 169 inches. Once again, another wonderful car is a 4 door. Well, our MINIs are an exception. We have the Lexus IS300, Subaru WRX, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, Toyota Corolla (there's a 2 door hatch in Europe I believe), and now this gargantuan Prius. :evil:

Well, unless the Prius is remarkable, I'm keeping my MINI.

_________________

Work like you don't need the money.Love like you've never been hurt.Dance like nobody's watching.

 

>>> If this is a stupid thread, why did it take you 3 pages and a reply to realize? I typically stop reading stupid threads after the second or third message.<<<

I was the 7th post to answer this thread. I nicely referred you to find a Prius board if you really wanted to find the answers you were looking for. When I read your response a few hours later about not knowing of such a board, I did a long, and extremely hard, 45 second search, and found 6 or 7 sites that would be better to go on for this information. I replied again posting these links for you (did you bother to check any of them out?). There, I figured this thread would die the death it so richly deserved, since I felt then, as I do now, that at the very least it needed to be under Off Topic. While I admit, a few of the reponses actually have the word MINI in them, I still fail to see where this falls under Mini Talk!

By the way, I didn't read the whole thread until shortly before posting the "stupid thread" comment. I read all 3 pages then just to verify that, as I surmised in my first reply to you, you'd gleen very little in the way of information here.

 

Electric?

I still don't get your "middle eastern oil" phobia. The middle east is filled with a dozen countries and millions of people. You're making a very unfair connection that every one of them who benefits from the sale of oil is a terrorist. Or, at the very least, that some significant amount of their oil sold to U.S. companies goes to fund terrorists. I must say that I don't KNOW the validity of this statement, but I highly doubt it.

Moorlokx,

What's the problem... you don't likey, you no read-ey ya?

Seriously, you're objection seems to be that this thread doesn't contain ENOUGH Mini talk and that it contains too many opinions? Am I reading you correctly. Well crap man, the world revolves on opinions (information and mis-information) probably more than it does facts (now that's just an opinion, not a fact, but I wager there's more truth to it than not).

 

I didn't realize that you'd previously posted, Moorlokx. I saw the mention that this is a stupid thread, and responded. In all due respect, why did you look back at a stupid thread after you already claimed that it is stupid? Well, no more discussion about stupidness for me thank you.

I did check out the forums, and all I found was people talking about aesthetic qualities of the Prius, and reiterating information I already knew. There isn't an active forum (like MCO) for Priuses. There is for Honda Insights, but they aren't too fond of talking about cars other than their own (sound familiar?)

As for the Middle Eastern phobia I have.

I do not like the fact of the matter that in the Arab world, our way of life is considered immoral. There are many radical Islamic groups that feel they could scare us into isolation. If oil were ultimately crucial to our society, I would not care that we are involved with this region. Burning Fossil Fuels is bad for the environment, radical Islamic groups are funded by rich Muslims, therefore I would prefer to avoid using oil particularly in the Middle East.

So, Radical Islams funded by oil (moreso than pot I guarantee you!) are causing us problems.
Oil causes problems.

Russians, South Americans, and Texans do not cause us problems.

Well, Russians used to cause us problems, and I know of a certain Texan that is getting on my nerves, but I won't hold it against them. (until the next election for GWB)

Personally, I don't understand why you don't understand that Middle Eastern oil is trouble! Realize that I am against the use of Middle Eastern oil because of the radical Islamic groups, not all Muslims. I like Muslims, they are very pleasant people (just not the radical ones who blow up buildings).

Oh, and to avoid this post to be off topic, I realize that MINIs were built for me, and there should be a MINI in the future that suits my needs perfectly You can see it here.

 

Mini, Mini, Mini ... ohhh and Mini's will burn petrol from Middle East, Offshore US, Alaska or Russian reserves ... ok with that out of the way.

Electric, I think you're oversimplifying the relationship and, as such, doing a dis-service to middle-eastern countries and Muslims.

I don't think we are going to resolve our differences with Muslim countries by avoiding contact (financially or culturaly). But, change, other than revolution, happens slowly, so I also doubt we'll resolve our differences in my lifetime. Of course, each step in the right direction is a step closer...

Well, thanks for the discourse. Good luck with your decision.

 

Hey electrc...

First, I'd like to say that I like your thread and I think it's totally relevant as you seem to be searching for opinions about one car (Prius) versus the car that we all know and love (MINI). And since you're soliciting comments about both and comparisons and what have you, I think I'll chime in:

I really like the Prius. In fact, it was right up there when I was trying to decide on a car--probably my second realistic choice, as first choice was divided between MINI and Golf/GTI. I spoke at length with one of the chem profs at school--she and her hubby own a Prius. She said that she was surprised but it really had enough power to deal with every day (insane) driving along the beltway between Alexandria and Fredericksburg, VA. If you aren't familiar with the area, trust me: the drivers tend to be agressive and the traffic is either high speed or gridlocked. Said she felt totally comfortable with the pick-up the car had while merging, and never thought that it was sluggish or boggy.

I actually never ended up purchasing one--YET--simply because I spoke with my uncle about them (he's a mechanic) and he suggested that it would be really difficult obtaining parts for them right now, since they were relatively rare. Additionally, I thought it best, despite the excellent warranty, to wait the lifetime of one normal, all-petrol powered car to see how the technology fared in the long run. Having 2 of everything made me nervous.

Of course, I now come to realize that my MINI is probably going to cost more to keep on the road than a hybrid (as far as maintenance) and, while I ADORE my MCS (please, don't even ask how someone obsessed with fuel consumption wound up with a supercharged vehicle... even I don't understand it ) I experience fairly significant pangs of guilt for buying it when I had "better" options.

To add yet another caveat, I will say that the MCS gets comparitively good fuel economy to support waaaaaaaaaay more performance than most "normal" cars on the road. And, of course, your MC is even better than that. So I think the MINI is a good compromise as we wait to see how hybrid technology is going to hash out. So, perhaps you'd be well suited to hang on to the MC for another year or so and watch the Prius closely for mechanical/wear information. You could drive MUCH worse cars.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
Good luck!

 

KevM, just for the record, I think you're undersimplifying the situation. If there wasn't such a demand for Middle Eastern oil, radical Muslims would be so worried about getting food in their tummies, they wouldn't have the energy, time, or patience to have any concern about our lifestyles yet alone our global interests. If you'd like to continue on this philosophical debate with me, I think it would be decent of us to continue this diaogue somewhere other than an MCO forum (possibly in the form of a (or multiple) PM's.

_________________

Work like you don't need the money.Love like you've never been hurt.Dance like nobody's watching.

 

>>>>No wonder the typical Toyota buyer today is over 47 years old!.
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>>Just a little heads up...do you guys know what the average age is for a MINI owner?
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>>Anyone?
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>>Anyone?
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>>47 years old
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>>Believe it. I got it straight from a guy at MINI Division.

>interesting but I haven't seen that statistic in any automotive industry journal yet.


I believe it..... and I do think I read that somewhere too

 

>>>>Maybe if it was lowered, with an aero package and low-profile tires in might be ok
>>
>>Yeah, a Prius RICER. Ha

 

Concerned with fuel economy? Check this thread out

 

mightyMiniz - okay, you got my attention. I cannot spend $250 on a 2 hp gain, and speculative claims on an increase in mpg. I recognize the increase in spark from this device, yet i feel that BMW is a quite meticulous automaker and would not overlook designing an effective igniton system. I will be looking further into this (as well as posting on the thread you've linked )

 

>>I think you're undersimplifying the situation.>>



So you think I did not make it simple enough??? sorry, couldn't resist.

>> If you'd like to continue on this philosophical debate with me, I think it would be decent of us to continue this diaogue somewhere other than an MCO forum (possibly in the form of a (or multiple) PM's.>>

You have mail...

 

undersimplifying!!!! ROFLMAO! I can't believe I said that. well, you got my point. I wrote that post at 3:55 in the morning. gimme a break man.

Did you email me? I must of accidentally deleted it. If so, I'm sorry. =(