For me, the BMW name was a turn-off. I do not like BMW's, as they tend to be very space inefficient, uncomfortable, and overpriced. I too would have bought a Mini made by Rover, or a ressurected MG, Triumph or Austin. I would have loved a Lotus built Mini. I even think VW could have made a pretty good Mini. The BMW name was no lure for me.

 

I'm a little bit of c), I have to admit, but generally I just like small, nimble cars.

Daewoo or Dodge, Holden or Hyundai, I wouldn't really care who built it so long as it satisfied my criteria for a compact, sweet handling car. Those qualities would easily overcome my general fondness for the BMW badge.

-CW

 

I'm a true blue (indi) MINI fan. I saw the first Mini at the 2001 NY auto show and told the family to get ready, I was buying one. A friend in high school had one (and an Isetta) and we had Sooooo much fun in it! I had no idea BMW was involved in the project. Mini's history is what sold me. I would never opt to replace the MINI logo with a BMW one. Sir Alec Issigonis is who sold me 40 years ago.

I am very glad BMW has respected the heritage. I can't believe Hyundai, or Ford, Chevy or Chrysler would have done the same.

 

[QUOTE=gr8britwjh]......the MINI marque had been resurrected by someone other than BMW;...

Many MINI owners seem to fall into 3 main camps (I love to make sweeping generalizations, so please forgive me):

(a) Prior/current owners of classic Minis (or at least old enough to fondly remember them).
(b) Perceive it simply as a fun, affordable means of transport (maybe not even aware of its heritage)
(c) Existing owners of Teutonic machinery (particularly of the BMW persuasion). "It's really a BMW you know" they tell their neighbour's over the garden fence .

...QUOTE]

I am more the B and some what the A kind of MINI owner. If the car handled as good as it does now I would have got it no mater who made it.

I think I remember reading that Rover had the car mostly done (design, production bits and ideas) by the time BMW got into the mix. The car is unquestionably better because BMW got to put its thumb print on it. But I think it was well down the road to being a fun car before the sale went through.

 

If Ford could make this car at the same quality of what I've seen, then I'd get it. But one must wonder if Ford can do it....

 

I guess it's time I came clean I think we (wife and I collectively) fall into categories "a" and "g".

My wife owned a 1979 Mini City (her first ever car) and I've always spent more money than was wise on "performance" cars (including a brace of Triumph Spitfires and a couple of rally-inspired Euro Fords in my youth; a 1979 Escort RS2000 and 1990 Sapphire Cosworth AWD, a 1994 Subaru Impreza Turbo-before they became cool - a TVR V8S and several Porsches. Have always lusted after a Lotus Europa John Player Special and a Ferrari Dino, but they're destined to remain a pipe dream).
I was half-expecting some flames, in case my post came over a thinly-veiled attack on BMW products or a denigration of BMW owners/drivers. However, I do actually fall into the same camp as "Rick-Anderson" & "Joe Dentist"; I don't like BMW-badged cars, nor the people who purchase them simply as a symbol of status and perceived wealth (of which there are many in my homeland of England). I think it was also English BMW drivers who popularised the use of fog lights in broad daylight and changing lanes without signaling .

Anyway, just returned from another blast round the uncrowded backroads of Upstate New York in our new MCS.....what a great car

 

i dont seem to fall into any category perfectly.. im partly A (although never owned one, LOVED it since i was born), defenitely B (well.. more enthusiastic owner and has full awareness of it's heritage), and defenitely NOT C! i hate bmw, never liked them and never much cared for it... but i love mini, not bmw... everytime someone tells me it's really a bmw.. i say i dont care about it's bmw...

now... if bmw didnt get the mini brand instead say mercedes got it... i think the supercharge engine would've been sourced from the C... merc has been masters at supercharging and i'd love to see what they could've done.. maybe even an AMG S!

if a japanese company took the mini brand say toyota... i cant really tell what's going to happen.. toyota may see it as an oppertunity to push the great vvti drivetrain down the mini's body... shape'd look radically different! , and more likely toyota'd push their rally program with mini...

i cant tell what's going to happen if an american company took over mini..

 

i am very into branding and name brands. with a good name brand you usually are insured a certain level of quality. as with BMW. so NO i would not have bought a mini if it was not made by BMW. i quess there are a select FEW other car makers i would be ok with making the mini. and i'll tell you one thing for sure.....NONE OF THEM ARE AMERICAN COMPANIES.

 

I fall mostly into the present and former British car owner group. BMW showed that it was serious about its investment in Rover when it resurrected the MG brand with the MGF in 1995. Still, even without BMW's backing, the new MINI would have been a winner (Why else did BMW keep MINI when it broke up Rover/MG/Land Rover). As we have seen with Jaguar, Aston Martin and now Land Rover, Ford is a capable player in this merge and acquire atmosphere. I think Ford would have done an excellent job had they purchased MINI, rather than BMW. Remember too, that the MINI engine is a joint-venture between Daimler-Chrysler and BMW. I don't see this as having been an issue, but just imagine if our cars had been powered by Cosworth-Ford engines, like the Lotus cars of yore.

 

I loved the classic mini. But I own a TR6. So when I heard they were remaking the Mini ala the new beetle. I was interested but when I heard BMW I was excited.

There was only one company, make that 2 companies I didn't want doing it: Leyland and Fiat. (Friends owned x 1/9 and the spyder)

I wanted reliability for my first NEW car. So that ruled out british manufacturers.

Paul

 

I suppose I'd be in category A, though I'm more of a general Car Nut. My enthusiasm for automobiles didn't start with Mini, and doesn't stop with MINI, but right now it's the best overall package for my set of goals (good value, and outright handling).

 

I've got a 2000 F-150 with the 5.4 that has 155,000 miles on it. I think it has faulty sensor lights since I've never seen one come on. It has also never seen the inside of an auto shop except for its first scheduled service at 100,000 miles. So I'd probably buy a Ford MINI, although I don't know where they'd fit the supercharged 5.4.

Mike