Dood, your sister's a hoe.

 

Is that like a dude being a rake?

 

Also apply to the kid driving the chevy cav, wtih a monster spoiler and the Kia with cut springs and coffee can exhaust as well as the *gasp* MINI drivers with cross drilled brake lines Just a word thrown out there to describe those who no nothing about cars but try to look the part. I know a few eclipse, Evo, S2000 driver who acctually know cars.

 

Show your sister and her dually drivin posers this picture



and ask her what she'd rather have an accident in!

See the full report here.

 

Consumer Reports is the most independent and unbiased publication that exists. They take no advertising and will even sue any company that attempts to benefit from their ratings.

CR in their most recent issue (April 2006) reported the MINI to be one of the most satisfying cars as reported by their owners with 85% satisfaction. (pg 8)

CR found the MINI to be one of the best vehicles under $25,000. (pg 10)

CR selected the MINI as a Quick Pick for a Small Car: "If you are looking for a fun-to-drive car with agile handling." and also for Sporty Cars. (Certainly it should be understood that these priorities should be expected priorities for a person your age.)

CR check rated it with a 77 Overall road-test score and the highest rating in customer satisfaction. (pg 27)

CR says that the standard Cooper lacks power but the S is strong. (pg 64)

CR shows that the MINI has improved year after year with this year being a good year (pg 90)

Historically, MINI owners would bag on CR due to the fact that CR was not giving the MINI good ratings but in hindsight, most honest MINI owners would have to agree that there were weaknesses that have been fixed. Most MINI owners were willing to overlook the deficiencies due to the fun of driving the MINI. CR doesn't take into account the fun of a car when rating it though and thus their previous less than positive words were not easy to take.

There is most often nothing better than someone else ringing your bell when you want to make an impression. If your parents are not up to accepting Consumer Reports opinions, then you are not dealing with a fair deck.

Good luck.

 

Haha. To clarify in an attempt to not offend people of asian race:

When i say "ricer", I am referring to typically teenage male idiots who drive economy cars (not always Japaese) with huge wings and folger can exhausts and no actual mods...

 

After you buy the MINI, give them all a ride on a nice, winding road. They should change their tunes. But then refuse to let any of them actually drive it.

 

When I say ricer I mean the car like a rice rocket only not.

 

After reading this thread there are 2 things I don't understand:

1. Why we're even having this argument: It's his money.

2. Why people think that, at 20, just because your parents are being parents and helping you out while you go to school, you are totally subservient to them.

Actually, make it 3 things I don't understand because

3. Why any parent of a 20 year old, who has agreed (presumably willingly) to help out a child would WANT to maintain control over their car purchase.

He could move out, go to school or not, get a job and pay his own way, but his parents have volunteered to give him a hand while he finishes college. I presume they did that because they had his best interests in mind. Why, then, would they expect him to live by their rules? It isn't as if he's just hanging out at home, freeloading. He's going to college and his parents were fantastic to help him out with it.

Dude... just get whatever car you want and if they start bitchin', MOTOR!

 

I think its more about keeping peace and saving face, and possibly a slot in the garage, though that hasn't been mentioned, yet.
Seriously where are you, we'll take for a ride and hook you up with a club let the owners show your parents why we got the car and that there is no truth to the rumors.

 

I agree with paulr in post #54...shows a MINI and an F150 pick up hitting a barrier and which one fares better

also, I did a search for a thread entitled ' MINI totalled in a roll over' https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...highlight=roll

in which post #11 shows a MINI after it rolled over...looks unbelievably good...a friend of my daughter rolled her Buick at less than 5 mph (nobody, not even the police can figure out for sure how she did it) gently just one time down an embankment...the passenger compartment of the Buick was crushed, but somehow the girl was unharmed)

 

I went to my first driving school this past weekend. That's a whole other post!!!
My instructor, Chuck, was an awesome guy who races a 1974 Porsche 911. He took me out in the Porshe on the first day and it was beyond thrilling. On the second day I asked him if he minded driving my MINI with me in the passenger seat, since I wanted to get a feel for the track at higher speeds in my MINI. He'd never driven a MINI, but said he'd love to give it a go.
He got a feel for the car on the first two laps then asked me if it was ok to open up. I said sure (with a bit of a wince) and off we went. It was great! When all was said and done Chuck had nothing but high praise for the MINI. He said it was a phenomonally designed car and was made for the "Sss" at Road Atlanta! He just wished I had real track tires and then I would have really seen what a MINI could do! I was kind of ok that we didn't since 115-120mph was plenty for me! He said I made a great choice and that I should enjoy El Kabong (yes he even referred to him by name!) for years to come!
So from a "real" racer I'll take that over some friends of your sister's any day.
Annette

 

Some of the cars I have had:
Audi B5 S4
BMW E46 M3
Porsche 996 Carrera 4S
(scads of others I won't mention, the 2nd and 3rd above were driven on track at least one weekend per month, primarily VIR, also Roebling and Road Atlanta).

I'm 51, have been 'car crazy' (doesn't Barry Meguiar look like a ferret ?) all my life. My Mini Cooper is one of the most fun cars to drive I have ever had. I've not even driven an S so I don't know what I'm missing. Ignore your sister, ignore your parents unless they are helping you finance it. Get the car you want. I like the term someone above used, 'parking lot racers', I get crap from my girlfriend when I use the term 'rice boy' but I do not mean it as a racial comment, just a description of immature idiots with their stoooopid body kits, fart can exhausts and bling wheels. A friend of mine can't understand why I'd buy a base Cooper with a couple packages instead of an Acura RSX. Why ? because the RSX looks like a butt-plug. I don't care for Japanese styling, the Mini is an awesomely capable, fun, stylish, convenient and practical car.

Ignore the idiots, buy what YOU want.

 

 

Why not acquire copies of the many and variours publications that praise the MINI including the prestigious Consumers Reoprt, Car & Driver, Road & Track, MC2, NHTS Report on front and side impact protection, etc. etc. etc. etc.

It is not your opinion that the MINI is a good deal, it is a wide based, across the board opinion that it is a good vehicle.

Others mentioned resale or retained value found in places like the BLue Book of used vehicle values and the latest Forbes Report on vehicle "Retained Value" where the MINI ranked highest in it's class.

Do not try to argue on a personal or emotional level, use facts and figures. Demonstrate to your parents and sister that you did your research and found the the MINI is really a bargin when all of the information is anaylised.

Good luck.

 

Soaky. You do sound like you're about 15 years old and whining though. Personally I'd have opted for the plain Mini. Now what are you ever going to do with all that extra power? Seriously...as a young adult that's the last thing you need.

 

Because they have not ceased seeking best intrests, thier rules are are for his best intrest ...in thier opinion.

Buying a new car and saving money are mutually exclusive options! Even MINI's depretiate and lose value quickly

Honestly, he does not need any "help" from his parents going to college if he car really afford a brand new car. Life is about priorities, apparently living independently from his parents as his own man is not as important to him as a cool new car. He has the money to do one or the other.....Maybe his parents see that they are not subsidizing his education as much as they are his disposable income, and expect him to make a choice....maybe...but then again it doesn't seem like many parents are getting thier children ready for the real world like that

Its not HIS money until he takes control of HIS life. Money given will ALWAYS come with strings, Money earned is yours and yours alone. I was raised that you dont take charity adn you don't need "help" unless you have genuine and dire need. Just as when buisnesses recieve subsidies from taxpayers, taxpayers then have a say-so how that buisness is run. If they don't like it then they can shut up and listen or they can just not take the money and stand on thier own. ....Because the implicit reasoning is that if you are wise egnough to do it alone ....then do it....If not, then I'm going to help you do it, and your'e going to listen to me....But it is YOUR choice

 

 

Since most everyone else has made comments about parent-child relationships, logical arguments, the superiority of the MINI, etc, etc, I'll toss something new into the mix.

Compromise.

Buying a new car and saving money are mutually exclusive. Since the money for the new car is presumably being subsidized by their covering your room and board (no mention has been made of a rent arrangement), they have an arguable right to interfere in your finances, whether or not you are of age. So try a compromise. Give them all the logical reasons to buy a MINI and then tell them that you are going to look for a used Cooper with some warranty left on it. Cede the new, perfect S until you're truly independent. The better fuel economy and the reduced depreciation will show that you at least have a passing interest in saving money and not just living the good life at your parents' expense.

If they still won't "let" you do even that, then you need to concentrate on becoming financially, physically and emotionally independent.

 

He should!!!


(You were asking for that)

 

I wouldn't touch that argument with a 12 foot pole. At some point the MCS comes off of warranty (like mine in 2 months). My wife's Acura has spent no time in the shop over the past 18 months. Spud has spent 75 days in the shop during that time.

 

I've got out my eigth inch drill bit and drilling those lines as I speak! ( )

 

a bunch of people have been talking about the money, but the 1st post didnt say they had a problem with him getting a new car, just the choice of car. He said something about getting the Acura, which would probably cost more.

I would just have them drive the mini and build up the case that it is a wonderful car.

My friend's GF said "when are you gonna let me drive the mini" so I tossed her the keys. when she came back she said that is so much fun... My friend took it next and said the same thing. they are both Honda people but loved the drive in the mini. :-)

Let the car sell itself, we all know it can, they just have to be willing to drive it for 5 mins.

 

So after many of my co-workers called my car a "mini-skirt" and many of my other friends made similar disparaging remarks... one test-drive/ride was all it took for them to say: "Wow! Cool car! I didn't know they were that fast!" Etc, etc.

Anyway, I had a thought that "might" help appease, allay, some of your parents fears about the Mini. I'm not a huge fan of the magazine "Consumer Reports" but I think they try to do their best to give an un-biased, sometimes realistic, apraisel of many vehicles: the Mini is one of their "Recommended" cars. If you can find the article and show it to your parents it "might" help. Just a thought.

Unfortunately, I don't know the date of the issue where the review and road-test were published. But I do hope you get your wish: your very own Mini.

Cheers

 

Consumer Reports:

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/Co...I&model=Cooper