It's on the short list... I love that face!

 

AMEN! Great real-world description of the place (I can't believe) I call my hometown. I was born and raised in Miami, as was my mother, and my father has spent enough of his life there to pretty much be a native as well. So glad to be living in a place where people don't judge you by how much debt you're willing to go into to impress them. And there are so many MINI's down there it's incredible (I think a good number of them are probably just "accessories" ). My parents went into the southernmost Miami dealership to test drive Coopers with manual and CVT after I told them I was ordering mine, and the "MA" (they are probably really just BMW salesmen) told them they didn't have ANY cars available with manual transmissions because no one orders them down there. Not even a demo! Eek!

Anyway, back on topic, I think that MINI advertising, while very creative and wonderful, doesn't really apply in the US market the way it might in other parts of the world. I personally have only seen one or two TV ads (probably back in '02) and a few billboards here and there. The cars are more emotive in appeal, and will instantly appeal to the "target" market regardless of advertising. Advertising is wasted on "the rest" of the market, since I think people know right away whether they will be interested at all in the cars. As we can all see - and seem to agree on - MINI owners are smart, unique, fun-seeking individuals who want something different in their lives.

 

Ive seen 6 different MINI commercials in the past year or two. They tend to come on discovery channel ALOT lately also.

 

Great thread! I've been reading all the posts....general consensus....NOT targeted to just college students/grads. I would agree. However, I wish now that I had seen this car after graduating from college or while I was in college. For those of you getting this car at 18-19 years of age...somebody is smiling on you.

 

Being that I am 22 I'm kinda in the middle, plus I graduated this past May. When I was on campus with my MINI I was one of only two plus a professor had one. I got hooked on Minis many years ago and then the MINI came out and I was instantly hooked again. My parents helped me out on my yellow one but next week when I pick up my '06 its all on me.

On another note it is interesting to see the different types of people who are truly MINI enthusiastes, for the most part I think a MINI is more than just a daily commuter to most MINI owners and those owners are all different kinds of people. Unlike most cars where the true enthusiast of the car is a select type of person and the rest view the car as a mode of transportation. MINI also recognized they had a vast array of people and I think try to suit all sorts in their ads. Thats my .02

 

I have just started college and the car i chose to go with was an 06 MCS (with payment assistance from my parents). I chose to go with the MINI after driving a Land Rover, watching The Italian Job, then test drving one. I love it and have seen about 4 others on campus...mostly MC's though...

 

Thanks! Yea...first saw the MINI when I was 13 (in 02') when they came out...and I said joking-ly "I'm getting that car!" Well...I started working when I was 14 and have worked ever since! All I have been doing is saving my money...because when I hit 15 I started to kind of get into cars...and that is when I really started saving my money. Well, 16 rolled around and it was time to buy a car. By this time I was heavily looking into a Ford Focus, and I couldn't find one. Two deals went through that I was set on buying...then I said, maybe this is a sign.....? So I said to myself, "I'm going to just save for a MINI and get what I want!" Saved a little more, and bought my MINI as my first car (drove a truck for a year...but it was given to me and was used lightly to go to work and back...so I don't consider that my first car) in March and have loved every minute since! I told myself I wanted to mod it...but I couldn't afford it. Well, I couldn't resist...the SC was WAYYYY to much temptation! So, to make things better, I added an intake. OMG, SC whine is sooo loud and awesome, even more addicting! Then I added an M7 16% pulley, and WOW, I'm hooked lol! I can't wait until I get some serious money to buy an M62 or Twincharge....

Oh, and no slacking here! I'm also taking Law-Enforcement right now in school....and I'm in a ROTC program (military), which are VERY strict and disciplined classes.

MINIac in the Making.
Well, I thought I would share my background a little lol.

-Cody

 

Agreed whole (heartedly)!!

 

here in my country (Philippines), having a Mini is like having an exotic. hehehe! which is good for our group because we sort of control the market value of Minis a 2003 MC with about 16,000+ kms here has an asking price of about US$32,000 (PHP 1,600,000). i got my Mini because when we had 2 classic Minis, i was the only one in the family using them regularly. & when the sad time came that i sold my 1977 911s (i was 21 then), i knew the replacement better be good! hehehe. so after a few botched deals of trying to get a E39, EVOs & WRXs & a beetle...my dad finally let me get the Mini.

in our modest-sized group of Mini owners, our youngest member is a 19yo girl who got hers from her parents as an 18th birthday gift. then there are 3 of us in the 22-24 range (i'm the only one left in college, almost there...) & the others are in their early fourties but are nonetheless fun & entertaining to be with during our meets

so having a Mini here makes ya pretty popular...young or old...good looking or not...but it does help to be young & good looking. hahaha!!!

 

well, to answer the kids semi off topic thing:

If you are 18 years of age, you should be a mature person. You dont need experience to not act like a kid, just a clear sense of self. Anything younger than that, eh, it's nice if they are responsible and cool, but its a tall order in America to ask for. How can I begin to explain it. If I need to at all, it cannot be understood.

kind of like harley davidsons, that sign they have "if you have to ask you wouldnt understand". except this is a serious topic that wont be changed probably. SO I will leave it there.

 

I think MINIs are marketed towards those of us with a sense of HUMOUR, a taste for STYLE, a UNIQUE look, a FUN drive, enjoy the CAMARADERIE of owning a MINI and probably have more than just a few Intelligence Quotient points. I think if you drive a MINI (and know you're driving a MINI), then you GET IT.
I would never ever buy a vehicle with a BMW tag on it but I do appreciate a quality car company that is the "parent" company of one legendary little vehicle.

 

I only see like 3 MINIS total at my campus when you see 30+ Golfs.. that includes the new gtis, olds, normal, etc...

MINI is not a college kid car.. I never seen a young driver driving MINI in my area....

 

What irritates me are the 18 year olds who consider us 30-somethings to be "old farts."

 

None taken. My husband and I are looking to move out to Seattle.

But you like Pittsburgh that much more?

Although, we DO have the best MINI dealership/service in the country.

 

WRONG. It is considered a hell of a deal when it's worth more today than what you paid for it... but it'll depreciate eventually. Doesnt matter. You shouldnt look at a MINI that way!

My point was, I'm 24, and a fairly new Industrial Design Graduate and this is what I wanted in my budget! And if you know anything about ID people, we are very hard to please.

 

Not sure I agree with that statement Being 24, as I look back at my teenage years I realize how stupid I was as a new driver. Its a miracle that something bad didn't happen to me, even though I considered myself fairly responsible at the time. When I was 15, there was all this talk going around of introducing graduated licenses and raising driving ages. I thought this was an outrage, but looking back I think its a great idea and I'm glad that a lot of states are forcing younger drivers to gain more experience before they are granted full privileges. I think as a teenage driver you just naturally give in to the temptation to speed and do crazy things, especially when you're with your friends. You may be responsible in your school work, etc, but sometimes the teenage brain turns off behind the wheel.

That being said, I still don't consider myself an adult and I'm just fine with still calling myself a kid. However, I have matured a LOT since I graduated high school. I've had a lot of experiences in the last six years that have really forced me to grow as an individual. I think its ok to still be a kid at heart even if you're "old." For example, my Mom is going to turn 50 next year but we describe her sometimes as just being one of the kids. Having fun, enjoying life, and generally just being a kid is nothing to be ashamed of as long as you take responsibility for your life and take care of your duties as an adult as well.

 

I think you're right. All of my friends thought I was crazy when I turned in my Honda Pilot for my MCSC. My response was, what, you don't want me to have fun day-to-day because of the three times a year you needed me to transport eight kids? (I only have two.) I did, however, find a soccer ball magnet that fits nicely on the magnetic badge holder. I'm still a proud soccer mom!

Now, who's buying the new MINIs, regardless of the marketing? Who are the true enthusiasts? I don't know, but I have to say, that in my area, most of the people who wave back at me, as well belong to the great auto club I belong to, do not fall into the stereotypical "just-out-of-college" age. Most of the non-wavers I encounter are younger. But then, It's easy to be younger than me!

It has been stated that the MINI appeals to those young at heart. I agree.

 

I got my first MINI @ age 19 and was in college and instantly fell in love with the car and community. So yah I could say its a college car. Lots of my friends really like the car but wish they could afford it as they roll around in their hondas and VWs.

 

Are we gonna throw down about Pittsburgh??? Cause I can take you (and Cleveland) anyday...

I bought my MINI (03 MCS) halfway through my senior year of college, having seen no advertisements at all. I was only going on the concept release I'd seen and fallen in love with a few years earlier. So, for me, no advertising was actually necessary and I therefore couldn't tell you if I thought I was being marketed to.

Actually, I've still only seen a few bilboards, some magazine ads, and the shorts that came on the CD they gave me when I picked up the car. The ones I HAVE seen seemed only to market to sort of quirky, fun-loving people who, perhaps, don't take themselves so seriously. I likey.

I was the only MINI on campus for a few months, then a professor and another student started showing up with them. When I left, there were only 3. Now I'm in grad school and I frequently see MINIs with SCAD stickers on them, being driven by people who appear to be students.

 

OmToast-

Are you a SCAD grad? I too am a SCAD grad... wahoo I hadn't met anyone else on here that was!

What is your area of study?

 

I bought myself a MINI Cooper when I graduated from college earlier this year. But I'm 42 years old.

 

Had my first Mini when I was 16, my second when I was 58, and my third at 60. That said, you are only as old as you feel, and it's not rocking chair time for me yet.

 

I am a SCAD grad(uate student) at the moment -- MFA architectural history. You should checkout the southeast forum: there are several SCAD grads round this here forum

 

I agree that the MINI could be a college car. Really, depending on the college kid, ANY car could be. There were a lot of kids at my school that would roll in really expensive cars that I will likely never be able to afford. Yet, some had more modest vehicles. When you consider that the orginal mini was intended for the average people, its not too hard to think that today's MINIs can't appeal to all sorts of groups out there.

 

Heh, I guess I'd have to agree with that, since you just described my situation perfectly.