Had a guy call to me from a SUV alongside at a red light... "Hey buddy! That's my car!" with a big smile on his face. I was a bit confused by what he said but he and his wife were grinning ear to ear.

He said it looked great and I thanked him. Then he told me he'd been designed a MINI on the MINI site several times for about a year and my car looked just like what he had configured. He was thrilled to see his config in 'real life'.

I used to get a lot of folks whose first question was what kind of mileage does it get? Hoping to educate them that it's not meant to be a 'economy' car I often 'misunderstand' the question and tell them it tops out at about 135, but that I've never had it up quite that fast. Oh did you say mileage? Sorry, about 28...

 

It's awesome that even now, after being out for 4-5 years, people still comment at how cool the new version is! I can't wait to get mine!

 

The other day in a parking lot this guy comes over and says "is that there one of them there MINIs".
Then his wife came over to pull him away.
Reminded me of someone dragging their kid away buy the ear.

 

My wife and I went out to dinner the other night. I try to park so I can keep an eye on my MCSC from inside. This night, it is just a little past the window where I can't see it. I notice a lady walking around and she keeps walking out of sight, back in sight and so on. Then I see her taking pictures. I walk out and she is taking pictures of my car and she has a daughter about 10 years old oogling the car. The mother says they love the Coopers and had never seen a convertible before (the top was down). I ask the little girl if she would like to sit in it and then I take her picture sitting in the drivers' seat. When she wasn't grinning ear to ear, her mouth was just draped open in awe! Made her day, and made my day that I could give a little joy with so simple an act.

 

Just today, going through the drive through at McDonalds, the girl working inside at the first window says "I love your car! That is a nice car!". At the second window, another girl tells me "The girl at the first window just told me that you're driving her car!". Having had the car for 2 and a half years now and still getting comments, that is the amazing part.

 

Second week of ownership of my MCS I go into a local Shell to pay for gas and there's a sorta gangsta looking guy hanging out at the counter spitting game to the cashier I guess. When I get to the counter I mentioned something about how they had pretty good price on the V-Power (was like .15 less/gal than the station a bit closer to my house) and out of the blue the guy asks "That your Jag out there?" nodding toward an XKE at another pump.

I say "No, mine's the MINI."

"Why you driving a MINI?"

"Because it's incredibly fun, looks really good, and gets better mileage than my last car." to which he rolls his eyes incredulously and says "Yeah, right."

I go ahead and try to tune out the rest of the standard MINI-bashing remarks ("How the hell do you fit in it?" "That's a chick car", etc.) while I'm paying for my gas, then head back out to the pump to fill the car up, somewhat annoyed.

The guy who was behind me in line walks up to the other side of the pump to start filling his semi-pimped out '06 Mustang GT and says:
"My friend's got a turbo'd MINI Cooper and it will hang with my Mustang in a straight line. I just gave up trying to keep up with him in the turns. They're too small for me, but those are really nice cars."

I told him thanks and that I had been having alot of fun with it so far and returned the compliment.

Nice that some non-owners out there have a clue about the power of the MINI and particularly nice that this complete stranger kinda went out of the way to boost up my lightly bruised ego.

 

lets just say i met some officers in a very bad mood on the second day i got my my mini..haha

 

So I used to own a 2002 BMW M Coupe. It's the fixed roof M version of the M roadster for those who don't know. I had multiple people ask if that's the new 'Bmw Mini' It was also called in no particular order "Baseball Cap" "M Shoe" "Batmobile" "Honda Civic" etc... People always talked to me about that car. What is that? How much did it cost? Like 80k? Is that a Z8? (it was 45) I would park it such that I could see it from a restaurant and people would always gather around it and talk about it. I was so lucky once that someone urinated on the rear driver's side wheel one night out in downtown san jose. Nice...

So I guess I'll be ready when my '06 Checkmate Space Blue Cooper S shows up

 

A few months after I bought my 03, my wife and I were taking a break from shopping. We found an empty parking lot and stood around to enjoy the nice weather and relax a bit when a new 03 Kia, Hyundai or some type of car approached us. A lady with her mother spotted us in the parking lot and wanted to look at the MINI. We talked a little and gave her information on where to buy a MINI but unfortunately she said she had just purchased her car. It would be a while before she could think about getting a MINI.

Time goes on then several months ago, late 05, a new person shows up at one of our monthly meets with a new MINI. She looked familiar but I wasn't sure until we talked some and realized we had met in a parking lot back in 03. She finally got her MINI and was loving it.

 

I will be ordering my MINI today!!!!!! I think thats the best story ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

if only boarder would get a little more excited these days... sheesh!

 

NO, the best story will be when you post saying, "I picked up my MINI and I love it, made it home without a ticket!!!"

Earl