My wife is learning how to drive it. She feels worse than I do when she stalls, shutters or grinds the gears. I want her to learn in the event something happens.

No ones asked yet but when that happens, I'll give them the keys and say enjoy!

My daughter will learn how to drive on this even before she's taking drivers ed classes at school. I learned how to drive growing up on a farm with much larger vehicles.

 

Haha.. did I scare you... well I wasn't always this way... This mini is my 36th car is about as many years, Last car was a Z06, owned two of them. Talk about a fun ride!
My biggest thrill was giving my son the Z keys and hearing the stories when he got back from a ride with his friend. My son was 30 at the time. He has an M3 and so does his friend. They both race them on a semi-professional level. The Z was a thrill for them and for me too...
I guess my new attitude comes from age and recently having cancer. It kind of opens your eyes and makes you really think of what is important.
I used to be the most **** person on the planet when it came to my cars.... My cars are always immaculate and perfect.. better than from the factory.. You can't imagine all the good times I could have cruised yet left the beast home because I was worried about it. Now I know whats really important... and its not the cars..
I guess I'm just an old grump... I apologize if I offended..

 

There's this guy that works for me and I let him drive Winnie around the block every now and then because he really wants a MINI and I keep giving him more reasons to get one

next i'll let him take it around after i get the CAI and 15% pulley in i think that should do it

 

Angel is my husbands car. Since we moved 2 miles from his work and 45 from mine she is my commuter car. I let most people drive her if they ask, including my best friend's mom when we went on "vacation". He says very littel about it since he did this https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ht=Bumble+Dead to our last MINI.

All in all my husband is an easy going guy who trust my judegment

 

I'm guessing those costs don't include labor...

 

I guess I should answer the question I let my fiance, my dad, and the guy that taught me how to drive the car drive it. No one else has asked me, but I would say yes if I thought the person was a good driver.

 

My wife and I share all three of our cars; '99 Passat 5sp. turbo, '01 Odyssey and '05 Mini Cooper. She is a defensive driver and I am an aggressive driver. I think that I'm a better driver, but she might be a safer one. The Mini is my track/fun toy, my wife and our sons know I love them more than my Mini, most days. No one else drives my Mini.

 

I love this group. So many viewpoints. I wonder if we can buy a Yugo mod kit to make our Minis look so ugly no one would ask to drive them.

 

 

I think the question for the "just a car" people is what would happen if a friend lost control or got in an accident and damaged your mini? would they pay? would the friendship survive the financial situation that would put you in? I think those are the questions that perhaps lead others to saying no to friends.

 

Denying a friend is one thing, denying the spouse is completely another. And some posts in here have advocated denying the spouse.

And concerning payment of damage, isn't that what insurance is all about? Yes there's a deductable, but if one has a really high deductable because one wants lower monthly premiums, then that's the owners poor decision.

 

Do I let others drive my MINI?

Absolutely Yes. Always have.

Prospective MINI buyers.
Current and former MINI owners
Driving instructors- BMW driving school
Autocross drivers
Daughter- learning how to drive a manual
Brother and Father
Family Friends and their grown children
Co-workers
Mere strangers. (ha ha)

But my wife refuses... she won't drive it so it is not my idea. She's afraid something will happen.

Ironically she doesn't let anyone drive her Honda CIVIC- she hides all the keys. It's not really even hers- it our family car but since it is new she put dibs on it and I have my MINI so that was that.

Any if anyone burns out my clutch or transmission I'd just buy a racing clutch and 2005 close spaced 6 speed transmission. Can't wait!

But from an insurance point it isn't good to be so trustful of other people and accidents do happen so be careful out there. Choose your family and friends carefully. No need to spoil a perfectly good MINI.

 

Since when can one choose one's family? I guess I should watch the news more often.

 

First off, "lost control" - what were they doing? Trying to go 10/10ths on the street? My friends (racers, for the most part) have more sense than that. I'd never get into someone else's car and put it anywhere near the limits on the street, and I'd be very surprised if someone else did. Romp on the accelerator on an open stretch and take it up to red-line? Sure. Don't get a ticket, because you WILL pay that. (Because you would be the ticketed driver, hence the ticket would belong to you.)

Otherwise, that's why it's called an accident and that's why it's called insurance. I can't think of anyone amongst my set of friend who isn't responsible and insured. Maybe if I were 19 and had lots of uninsured friends I'd rethink that. Had I a son/daughter just learning to drive (my son is 22 and a certified mechanic at a BMW dealer, s-l-o-w-l-y working his way through college), a brand new car with a brand new clutch and a close-ratio 6 speed gearbox wouldn't be my first choice of a car to teach them in - but it's not bad. Newbies tend to have trouble remembering what gear they are in and where the gears are. The Mini clutch has a great feel and take-up, though.

 

Its called "Insurance". Its that thing you probably pay for every month for your entire life.:impatient Duh.

 

Random people.. no. No one in my family has asked to drive her since none of them are too keen on driving stick. My bf drives her quite a bit but he freely lets me drive his car as well, which is a HIGHLY modded and very unique car. I have let a couple of people I know well drive her around the block just to see how she is and convince them of how much she rocks though.

 

I have let only a few select friends drive it. My wife has full permission to drive it when ever she wants, she only drove it once. She prefers her Tacoma to just about anything on the road.

No one else has driven my car, outside of my wife that one time, in the past year and a half.

 

The more I read this the more silly this thread becomes.

You dont want anyone to touch your car ... don't.

I dont see any need for validation ... support for your position.

If you don't care ... then you dont' care

To each their own.

 

I'm very protective of my baby...so no to other drivers.

 

I've let a lot of people drive it so they can see how much fun it is. Some of these test drivers have included clients. Allowing two clients to drive it paid big dividends.

 

I have a monogomous relationship with my babe. - No one touches her.

 

One of the greatest memories in my MINI was taking an eighteen year old kid from my cycling team to an autocross practice day and letting him rip. We travelled a lot to races last year and I taught him to drive manual transmission in my M3. When I got the MINI and we started taking it on trips, he shared the driving on that. The autocross was a chance for him to learn a bit of performance driving in a safe environment, much better than ending up a street racing statistic. He's off at college now, and I hope I was a good mentor towards him.

 

I just got my Mini two days ago. My girlfriend has the second key. But then she is probably a better driver than I am.

I let all of my friends take the car out for a spin on Day One, with me in the passenger seat saying DO NOT TAKE IT ABOVE 4000! By doing so I truly converted 3 diehard SUV owners.

Will I let them drive again? NOT a chance in hell!

This is my toy!

 

I am considering hiding my two other spare keys.

When I let Hubby drive it...the seat settings are moved , the mirrors are moved , the radio stations are changed ... lol....

I sure love him but I think I am about done with sharing Scarlett.

 

I do let my twin sister drive it. I find it hard to just sit in the passenger seat though. I want to drive! But I figure she drives similar to myself and knows that if anything happed to it, I would be crushed. Other friends have asked me if they can drive, and I told them they could after break in. But I think I am changing my mind about that. I have become completely obsessed with my MINI and if something happened to it dispite whether or not it was my friends fault, I would be very upset and quite frankly would blame them. I've wanted this car for way too many years not to be upset. I've worked hard for it.

Is my MINI just a car? No, its a MINI. My previous Grand Am and Cavaliers were just cars. But that is just my opinion and we all view life differently. If those of us here think our MINI's are more than just cars, then let us have some fun. No need to get upset.