I suggested how in my first post.

 

Monk Edsel said it better than me:

I thought of this thread, actually, on my way home from trying to learn guitar... and putting the acoustic guitar case into the back seat through the front door

I know little compromises can add up, and that certain redeeming qualities can also wipe (most of) them (mostly) away... hearing about a couple of mini friends who picked up their folks from the airport... who'd flown in from Europe... with big bags... that's hard core!

 

I don't see knowing how to pack efficently and a little panning be hardcore but then I guess thats just me

 

It is when you consider how many people say they need a the interior space of a giant truck or SUV in order to live when the reality is that many of those people only really utilize that interior capacity on occasion. I think the point is that having a tiny car like a Mini as the only car and doing that extra planning and packing and occasional truck rental or delivery when you need the big stuff instead of just getting another/additional vehicle shows the 'hardcore' spirit of commitment and enthusiasm for the car. You can take almost any car to the track or auto-x, but making compromises to have a Mini (or any tiny car) as your only vehicle does show dedication.

 

When i had my S it was my only mode of transportation and i used to travel for work so i spent many weeks zipping up and down the North East with Luagage and work supplies. When i get one again it will be used for my short comute to work, and my many motoring adventures accross this country.

 

Point taken. I just like to enjoy what the MINI excells at, it's like icing on the cake.

 

But the MINI is hardly tiny !

Not only that but the hatch and the folding rear seats mean that it will haul a fairly large amount of 'stuff'.

My only car for about 2 years was an MR2 Spyder, two seats, no trunk, and about 4cu feet of storage behind the seats.

I managed to use it for several long weekend trips, a 2000 mile road-trips.

During that time I carried a large amount of photography equipment - camera's lights, stands, backgrounds etc on a regular basis too.

In comparrison the MINI is luxury - I can fold the back seat(s) and pack it in seconds....

 

This is an interesting thread, and I think the idea of "hardcore" is completely relative. Everyone I know thinks I'm hardcore for getting Guinness since he's smaller than my old car, and my only car. It's funny though, because my MINI is actually the people mover of my household. My boyfiend has a small regular cab pick-up, so when we have to get people from the airport, we take the MINI!

 

I guess that we're hard-core — 2 of us share 1 MCS as our only vehicle.
We live together, commute together and work a mile away from each other.
Life is easy.

 

Nice

 

In a few days, I have to take my girlfriend and her mom to the cruise ship terminal, here in LA. It is going to imperative that I pack my MCS efficiently. Because if I can't get all of the bags in there, then I have to drive my g/f's ... GASP ... Toyota Echo. BARF!!! That car is the epitome econobox. Did you say you want your body roll with a side of no acceleration, well then here ya go :D

So, as you can see, I will be doing everything in my power to make this MCS work as a cruise-passenger-hauler. I think the mom(almost in-law) will be sitting on the roof...hehehehe...

That should make me hardcore. Oh and also. Going out to lunch everyday @ work, just so I can drive my precious MCS for just 5 minutes. Even though my parking structure is almost a half mile from my office. And on our road trip over turkey day, we did the drive from San Simeon to LA with only short usages of the major highways, most of the time we were on small back roads, going through the little farming communities of the central coast.

 

Haha great thread! I'm totally showing this to my mum. I have a MCS but and she wants one too but we buy a lot of big stuff from Home Depot and she's convinced that she can't make do with a MINI for those trips... Ahh this should change her mind!!

 

change it ... change it ... change it ... change it

 

And thus you are hardcore - in either case you could have gotten a bigger car to be able to load even more and throw in some people too

I hear ya though, my first car was the original iteration of the MR2 which was very little - but it was a whole different situation then vs now as a two people and a dog sharing one Mini and having a house that needs work The Mini is practical in many ways but there is no doubt that at times it would be easier to have a bigger vehicle, nonetheless the benefits of the Mini and our enjoyment of it trumps any drawbacks. If and when we replace it or add a car back on we will no doubt be putting our passion for it ahead of bottom line practicality once again

PS: lilcoopr - you really can stuff quite a bit into a Mini if you are creative and do not have any additional people so you can fold the seats - and for really big or dirty stuff there is always the option of borrowing a large vehicle, having stuff delivered, or renting a truck cheap. At our local Home Depot they rent trucks out for $20 :D

 

Sorry I'm not a hard core ... but I have 2 Minis #1 MCSconv't and mini-van... Just had to throw that in... since I got my MCSc my poor mini-van hasn't been driven by me ..I just loan it out to everybody else who wants to use it... poor Oddysey

 

Newly hardcore... only because I've only had my MINI for just over a month... and already put 4,000 miles on it!!!

 

I guess we're hard core. Both my husband and I have MINIs as our only mode of transport. Probably the main reason Christmas decorations aren't up yet, as they are in storage. But I did carry all my Hurricane Rita supplies in the back of mine: 9 50lbs bags of sand, a big rolling cooler and a trip to Sams! People were astounded by what I fit back there!

 

daily driven.. school, travel, etc....
basic mods done, redlines at least twice a day
18 months and i am about to hit 40k on friday

 

This is my daily driver (62 miles round trip) and doubles as Auto-X car on the weekends.

 

I guess I'm not even remotely close to hard core.

I have a '99 Dakota that I keep around for towing/hauling my atvs/motorcycle and building equipment. Too expensive to fuel up, so I don't use it much. (12-16mpg) It's paid off though, which is why I keep it.

A '94 Jeep Cherokee w/ a 4.5" lift that is used primarily when the snow and ice on the roads is really bad, and for summertime trail rides. Lots of backcountry to explore here in Alaska. Not as bad on gas as the pickup...but still uses more than I'd like (16-18mpg). This was my primary vehicle before the Mini arrived here.

My new-to-me '04 MCS that is my daily driver unless I need to do one of the above activities. It's waaaaaaaaaaaaaay better on gas than either of those vehicles. (24-31mpg) Sometimes I wish it had more ground clearance though, I'd be more likely to drive it when the snow gets deep. It still does amazingly well on snowy/icy roads...more so than I originally imagined!

 

Have the MINI and a XB. The XB can handle most objects and is the hauler in our family. Four or five can be transportated with ease.

The MINI, well that is our joy.

 

I'm a hardcore MINI owner.

My MINI is my only car, I drive it from -40C to +35C, from bone dry twisty mountain roads to unplowed snowy roads. I've packed 8 wheels and tires in the MINI before, also moved a bed, a computer desk, a computer chair, 2 bags of clothing, bedding, pillow, all at once in the MINI. It crawls in city traffic and cruise at 100mph.

It's the only car I need!

 

Definitely a hardcore MINI owner...mainly because I'm a poor college student and can't afford to have a second car, but i have ghetto packed it with boxes and other moving related things in the past. Drove it from Chicago to Birmingham, AL when I moved about 2 years ago and have made several trips to Atlanta for service. Love this car. Couldn't think of another car I could want more.

 

Hardcore here. Do I get extra points since mine's a 'vert?

 

Forgive me for not reading the entire thread befor responding but. . .

if you only need to carry some stuff back from Home Depot / Lowes once or twice a month, they rent trucks by the hour pretty cheap.

If you go on a camping trip and really must have that jeep, you can also rent one. I absolutely thrashed a rental Wrangler in Hawaii for two weeks this past spring.

Now I will admit that I do have a 4x4 off-road vehicle, but it mostly just sits there rusting. My wife and I drive our MINI's at least 95% of the time.