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For me it's just one word.....Minicooper. "Is that your minicooper?" "Where did you get that minicooper?" Even if I say "It's a MINI Cooper" people will say "what brand is it?" or "who makes it?" People seem to get confused if I say just Mini or just Cooper S.
Usually, it's "The MINI" or just plain 'Earl'. . .
Which is odd, because I don't say "The Honda" - it's always "The Pilot". . .but I do say "The Jeep" and never "The Wrangler."
See, that's the benefit of naming your cars! Cuz cars, like people, usually have a first and a last name. "Mini Cooper," "Honda Pilot," "Jeep Wrangler," "Chevrolet Corvette," even "Yugo GV". . .so instead of having to choose the familiarity of a first name (MINI) or the formality of a last name (Cooper,) you can just call 'em by name. "Let's take Earl for a spirited motor today" sounds better than "Let's take the Mini Cooper (S) for a spirited motor."
I call both on them Mini, if I have to differentiate I'll call the new one a Beemer and the real one a Mini. But if I say to my wife to take the Mini she KNOWS that she is not to touch the 67 Cooper 1275 S!
I think for me and the wife, "minicooper" is the choice of phrases (as mentioned above). As sandtoast says, I usually call it the Mini, but would prefer to get used to the Cooper.
Our dog's name is Minnie, so occasionally the name gets confused in our household. :D
i just say "it's a MINI." unless, of course, i'm in my Mini. then i say, "it's a Mini."
a lot of times people will ask me if my classic is a mini cooper and unless i can really see that they are interested in a long story, i'll just say "yes."
"lets go for a drive in Lucy"
or
"Lets go get in Lucy for a night on the town!"
^^ this one gets me in trouble because I usually say it on accident when I am at work... which there is a Lucy (not a Mini) I work with.