Ok...I realize its been said before, but to some the mini seems "girly"... well i could see people saying the new VW Bug is "girly", because every corner is rounded off...but thats neither here nor there, I guarantee when the new Toyota FJ comes out next year, its not goin to be considered girly just because it up off the ground. If the mini had 33 inch tires and a lift it wouldnt be "girly to most"...another thing when i try to talk about the racing past, most morons don't know there was a mini of the past ...

well I just want to say that I love the car and in High School and in life I realize Im gonna run into people that think this way it just sucks because you dont want to have a bad stigma just because some people think its girly

So, I was wondering if any of you have any experiance in dealing with people like this and keep in mind I realize I have searched the threads... I just want more ideas..

Thanks!

 

idk, i odnt really care if its girly or not.

it kicks the crap put of all the honda ricers on the street and just about every girl i talk to when i'm at car shows wants a ride!!! so i'm not complainin!

 

just get a Hyundai and you win.

 

well on my road trip to NH, VT, MA I had 1 guy pass me look back at me, make eye contact put his arm up and proceeded to drop his wrist in the attempt to call me gay. Well it took all my willpower and the lack of wanting to get a ticket but I just waved to him and kept my speed. I would say 90% of the people out there have no idea what a MINI is capable of nor should they be showed on the streets. Every time someone pulls up and tries to race me now I say "save it for the track to prove your car is better than mine" and most of the time they get the point and never show up to the track...Oh well..

-Josh

 

Should have blown him a kiss

 

I know that and I love it, but other than a few of my friends that love the car, some of my friends think its a bad idea for this reason... whats somethin i can do to prove them wrong without outstanding tickets...

and Ive got a 68 mustang orig. 289 ....not anything compared to your mach 1 and mine hardly runs, but just so you know

 

Hon, this topic springs up here on NAM at least every other week, and you know what? The majority of the thread-starters are in high school. I know that peer pressure is intense for you in high school, but make a stand a be different.

Besides, once your "friends" ride in the MINI, they'll stop the teasing. Only insecure individuals, uncertain about their own orientation, would ever even make such comments about cars being "gay." Get your MINI and enjoy it. You'll laugh about the ignorant ones later. :smile:


Clover

 

I'm in highschool, all the chicks love my car lol. I don't care what the guys think, but a few have come up and talked to me about the performance of the Mini. I've never been called gay or anything(maybe because I'm 6'5" with a musclar build). If you have fun driving the car, who cares what anyone thinks.

 

Clo is right on. High school is like living in a fish bowl. Once you get out, life is bigger and brighter, and the crappy stuff that "mattered" in high school won't matter anymore.

So, you can hang with your bros who dig the car, pick up chicks, and just tough out the rest until you graduate, OR...

transfer to jon.k's school.

 

yah im not gonna let them get to me but being 5'6'' its a little different... anyway my mom and i went out to the mini dealership(she was one that was worried about the size and if i would like it later) we looked and i saw one for sale that was almost identical to the one i saved on miniusa....drk silv. w/ blk stripes MCS sport and prem. 6 sp. getrag
and my mom an i got in( didnt get to drive because lack of time ...but she was amazed at the amount of headroom) She went from hating the idea to kind of liking it...were goin back this weekend to testdrive

 

so cliche, but it's really about what *you* want. although, come to think of it, nobody has ever said my car was girly. my mr2 spyder? for sure. my MINI? it's never happened.

 

I think people try to attribute too many "clues" to people being gay. Whether they believe these to be true indicators or not. If you're into the Mini Cooper, then that's an obvious correlation to you being sexually attracted to the same sex! It's just a car (in this instance ), and if it appeals to you, it's not some deep gay-gene attraction, that doesn't make sense now does it?

I like it cuz I'm gay, but that's beside the point (j/k =P). Actually I like it because it's small, darty/nimble, and pretty quick, fairly good gas mileage, and has a good bit of functionality to boot. Don't let other people's judgements, especially the uninformed ones, have any control over what you like, or who you are.

People who put you down for your preferences, are doing so to further justify (in their own mind) that the path they follow is the right one (read: they themselves need reassurance that they're normal/ok). Truth is, there is no "right path", people are just different. Some people like some things, other people despise those same things. Doesn't mean one person is "right" or "wrong" for their preferences, just means they find different things appealing.

 

Hutto: I'm almost embarrassed to look most Hummer drivers in the eye.

Embarrassed for them, I mean. In my mind I'm thinking WTF are you trying to make up for!?! and I'm afraid it will show in my face and embarrass them. I mean, it's not really any of my business why they really bought that thing, you know what I mean? And for some people even that car looks like a natural (extension of their ego, usually... but I digress) and for others it looks like a gigantic fig leaf. That's when I cringe.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you choose a car because you love driving it or whatever and it feels like the right car for you, other people will pick up on that and react to you and your car positively as a result. If you choose a car out of fear about what others might think about the one you really want, or because you think it might give you more stature, your friends (& especially your enemies) will pick up on that too.

Looking at it another way, if you're small in stature, will that be more evident if you wear right-sized shoes, or oversized shoes?

One of my friends sings the praises of his wife's MINI because she's fairly short, and he says its the first car she's owned that really fits her. I wouldn't know.... every time I see his wife's BRG MINI around, he's driving it!

BTW I think Clo hit the nail on the head... these questions usually come from high school males. We all know that the MINI is a terrific car that you'll love driving and that can probably out-perform any other car you might be getting at your age. And if you're lucky, you'll still be enjoying it long after you leave high school.

 

Hutto,

Although I am no longer "youth", this has been around for a long time. When I lived in Texas I drove a 69 bug and was constantly teased about it. I lived in a small redneck town and everyone drove trucks. So, the teasing continued but I didn't let it bother me because I loved that car. My senior year we moved to Florida and found that everyone loved my car. I had girls wanting rides home everyday. I found it kind of interesting.

Basically as others have stated, drive what you want.

I currently drive a Subaru Forrester (Turbo) that has a lot of power and is a blast to drive.

Personally, I let them think and say what they want. It just proves that they are jealous of my ride.

If you like the car, then drive it and don't let others bother you. Take it in stride and if you don't let it bother you, the others will eventually move on to find something else to focus on. MINI's are cool cars period and I don't find them gender bound at all. There is so much more to life than worrying about what others think.

Enjoy your new wheels, no other car is like it.

 

I'm in high school. Yesterday, (wednesday), one of the kids whose in my U.S. History class says; "Yea you drive one of those BMW Gay MINI Coopers, right?" He then procedes to ask what the 0-60 time is on it because he heard they're quick. I said "If it's so gay than why does it matter?" He didn't say much after that. I would get that response from people before this last summer, because then it didn't look too horsepower inclined. Now that I have huge red calipers, red springs and some sweet wheels, it's more common to have; "Dude you have that sweet red MINI right?", or from the girls; "oh I love those cars!", instead of that gay question. Also I started to work out and went from about 130 pounds to about 175+ and looking like my arms were going to explode out of my sleeves! This definetly helps.

Just do what you want, not what others think.

 

And there you have it! Great post Chili...

 

Hutto,

You're just as bad your buddies and don't even realize it!

 

Me too!

 

NOT THIS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This is definately true! I graduated last year, and I got my car in the last semester, and well, almost everyone loved the car. It was mostly the ricers who hated on it, until I romped some of them on the street (come on, just gotta show them whats up, but save the corners for the track). After killing the ricer out civics while I was stock made them pipe down. No need to talk smack to the ricers, just tell them to put their money where their mouth is if they start hating on it. It also helps if you mod it, my car went from in terms of the general population of the high school from sweet MINI to badass MINI in a matter of a month! I have never had my car touched or damaged by anyone at the school, keyword, respect.

Oh yea, I am neck-in-neck with my brothers 330 (zhp, intake, exhaust), and my friends e36 M3 (exhaust), and I just have a 16% pulley! A lot of people under estimate the MINI. That's what some guy with an e46 M3 thought during a lapping day, that is until I pulled away from him in the corners (on the track that is)

I get a lot of random thumbs up and positive comments, any where from people on foot, other drivers, and even drive-thru windows!

If others ask how you afford it, say you pay for it, because hopefully you have a part time job, and loving parents But seriously, the car is for you not for your friends.

edit: Here is some food for thought
http://www.gbmini.net/mtblog/archive...ini_vs_d.shtml
MINI vs dump truck

 

hutto, that's great that your mom was surprised about the room inside...we all know that feeling! Have fun with the test-drive, sweetie!


Clover

 

At 6'1" I was surprised as well! I figured I wouldn't fit and found that I was extreamly comfortable. However, there is no back seat behind me!

 

I've seen guys 6'7" driving MINIs! Did you lower your seat down all the way, too? I'm about 5'6", but I like my seat cranked down all the way....makes Wanda feel more sled-like to me!


Clover

 

When I test drove it I had lowered the seat all the way down. Once my babay arrives (hopefully in the next two weeks), I'll get a better chance to play with the settings.

The waiting is worse than Christmas!

 

I think you're being girly for even caring/worrying/etc. about such a foolish thing to begin with. Are you from So.Cal.?