This thread is not for all you Porsche and Mercedes owners!
OK, my theory is that one really appreciates the MINI if their last car was low quality or high miles or generally mediocre. When you made the switch, what were you driving?
I love my daily driver, but he is a 1950 Chevy pickup, and when I test-drove the MINI my grin was ear to ear. I can't wait to pick up my MINI, but not because of all the small details... heck, I can't wait to get power steering!
I also sometimes drive my husband's '95 Honda wagon with 200,000 miles, so that's a big gap too.
What about you?

 

My previous car was a 91 Plymouth Laser with 190K+ miles that I bought for $100, there's really no comparison except that the Laser was probably about the same weight.

 

My previous car was a 72 Chevrolet El Camino, big block V8.

The gap was pretty large let's see, the windshield leaked, if you locked the driver door while inside you needed to reach out the window and use the key to unlock it from the outside, leaked oil, went through about 1 gallon of antifreeze every few weeks. The choke didn't work so you had to use both feet to drive (automatic) one to brake and the other to keep the revs up so it wouldn't stall until it got warmed up. Oh and the brakes stopped working on two occasions, pedal on the floor. And it really only did a good job going in a straight line.

The ONLY thing I miss is the sound of that motor when you fired it up in the morning or stood on the gas pedal.

I had 700 miles on my MCS and didn't even think twice about running from Anaheim up to Reno for a few days.

 

I drove a '94 Jeep Wrangler, rased 3" with 33" tires... it was my baby and i loved her with all my heart... but 12 mpg was getting kinda ridiculas ...

sold the jeep saved some money and put a down payment on my Winnie

although i can't go 4wheeling in her, she sure keeps me happy

 

94' Jetta, 130k miles (i think) the speedometer, odometer, fuel gage, heat gague, and radio didnt work in it

 

92 camry, can't complain about that one, but before that i had an 89 hyundai excel with 2 tone interior (custom by a previous owner, don't ask) and an 89 vw jetta wolfsburg edition. loved the jetta, don't miss the other two at all. but the mini is a new kind of car for me!

 

Now, this sounds like my crowd. Last one was my wife's cast-off 2000 Honda CRV ( not a bad car as small suvs go, but not a bit exciting either). Before that was a 1990 toyota extended cab pick-up, which I bought new and put 252,000 miles on before transmission diied.

 

Traded a 2000 Olds mini-van for the MC.
Lawdy! Talk about a night and day difference!
Driving the Olds was like piloting a water bed.

 

Great beaters, guys! I knew I wasn't the only one.

 

Wasn't as bad for us. Car that we sold to buy the MINI was a 2003 Mazda Protege5 with 87,000 miles on it, so from a sports wagan to a sports hatch, though the MINI has a much higher FUN factor. Our other car is a 2006 Honda Accord, so while it drives fine and is totally reliable it is a little boring, especially when compaired to the MINI. It is getting upgraded in stages to imporve it's small boat-like handling characteristics. before that we traded a 2002 Izusu Rodeo S in for the Accord. Now that was slow, 2.2 l 4-banger in a 2-ton vehicle, but it fit two adults, two kids and both their stollers and stuff. We went in to those cars from a 94 Mazda MX-6 LS for me and a 97 Acura Integra GSR for the wife. Both were great fun but not really practical for a married couple with young children. This is what the MINI is for, getting back to having the fun we used to have with driving.

 

Exactly!
When I first started thinking about a MINI I felt really guilty, because I knew that "fun" was going to be part of my driving life again (had an Alfa Spider a long time ago) and I thought I was over that.

 

Hrmmm, before I got my MINI I briefly drove my uncle's truck, which was a 97' Dodge Dakota pickup truck with 114k miles on it. It was a free car, so I was driving that and saving for my MINI, and since it was my uncles, I don't claim it as my first car, that title belongs to the MINI.

The truck was the ugliest tan you can think of, and that was pretty much it, just a standard truck. Going to the MINI was a HUGE jump. Mainly because it was my first car, so basically going from nothing to a very nice car, supercharged, leather, power everything, sunroof, and a MANUAL trans! , etc.

It's oh so nice.
-Cody

And on a side note* I demand pictures of your truck...because I have always wanted a 50's truck.

 

I was a long-time VW owner, conceived in a bus and raised in Beetles. I had an 87 Golf GTI for over 10 years and 300K miles. I loved that car, as all of my friends are sick of hearing. After that, I ended up with an 83 Wabbit GTI. That car was a pisser, but quite crude and loud and smelly. 70 mph is over 4000 rpm in 5th. Philosophically, the Mini is the closest to either of these, current VW hype notwithstanding. Then I got Li'l Pepper. My first drive after picking her up I thought, "Oh no, this car is gutless." I had the A/C on and I was babying her and it's just so quiet and smooth. Ok, so, she's not gutless. But, I still think the Wabbit would beat her off the line, but that's about it.

 

Went from an '03 toyota Matrix (POS) to '06 MCS (BMW nice)... huge difference...

 

Back home in India, I had a Fiat Uno, the father of the current Fiat Punto and a Suzuki Gypsy (sold in the US as Suzuki Jimmy, a small SUV).

In the US, we had a 93 Mitsubishi Mirage S sedan. Used to guzzle a quart of oil every 1500 miles, but never had any issues. Sure, acceleration was non-existent and the air conditioning was like an additional brake.....but the mileage was great (about 35 mpg). Put 50,000 miles in 2 years and then got the MINI...so off it was to donation for the Mirage.

Gap between all my other cars and the MINI - Too big to be measured!!!

 

My last car was '96 Ford Escort, 130k km in it. Visible rust spots all around, dented in the sides. My very last trip with it, to the MINI dealer no less (I was too frustrated with it to sell it privately), ended up being in a tow truck after the alternator gave out leaving my car stranded. It will not be missed.

 

I went from an '02 MCS to an '06 MCS. Before that I drove a '95 Acura Integra GSR which was a great car.....and a '90 Integra before that. But I started out with a '69 VW Beetle......my first long term relationship. I once owned a Subaru station wagon which qualifies me for understanding what it's like to drive a lousy car.

 

How about an 89 Chevy Caprice with 390K miles

An 80 Volvo with 550K miles (still runs great, just can't part with it)

A 91 Honda Accord with 360K miles, ready to kick it over the next hillside I can find.

As you can see, I sort of keep them as long as possible. Hope the MINI becomes one of these someday.

The above is why I laugh (to myself) when I read about people who don't change their oil except when the computer tells them to.

YD

 

Well this thread seems to be going into an all-encompassing what was your past vehicle.

For me i was driving around a 1996 toyota tacoma 4 banger, as basic as you could get it. (NO a/c) So when i got into my cooper it was a huge bump up in interior civility as well as smile factor!

Before i've gone through:
1991 mazda miata
Infiniti J30
1982 Chevy "kidnapping" van
1996 toyota avalon
1985 toyota mr2 (gosh i miss that car)

 

I solved the problem of NOT trading in my other baby (2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee with good gas mileage for a V8 but lousy gas mileage for around town) on the Mini by trading in my husband's car instead - a 2000 328is.

Now I have two cars and he has one. Once upon a time we had 9 cars, but we both ran out of time to keep the stable of cute but older cars running and moved on to cars built in the same century and decade as the one we were living in.

 

I was driving a 1990 VW Passat Wagon with 155,000 miles. The timing belt went and bent some valve in the middle of Rt. 30, so that was the end of that. Not a bad car, really, just underpowered. Part of me still misses it. But only a small part.

 

My previous ride is/was a Buell XB9S. I needed 4 wheels and AC because I opened my new office for my law practice and no longer had a Gov't job. It was the closest thing to a motorcycle that I could find that was moderately priced. So far it/they have exceeded my expectations, but I do miss the 45 to 50mpg of the bike day in and day out, but I should get a little more life out of the tires.

 

2001 Pontiac Grand Prix sedan:

 

I'm selling my 2002 Chevy Cavalier (which, while very mechanically sound and still pretty decent-looking, is nothing compared to a MINI) with about 80k miles. In fact, she's going on craigslist tomorrow I will be sad when she goes though - she was good to me.

 

Nigel (2006 CVT) replaces a 1990 Corolla!