I see alot of college aged people here posting about what packages for their minis.

What did I do wrong, when I was in college, I ate mac & cheese, drove a 15 yr old Dodge Omni with beer cans and hose clamps for a exhaust system. I worked two part time jobs so I could afford my text books. My wife and I didn't buy our first new car until we had a house fully furnished and 3 years into the mortgage.

How many people here even had a car while in college?

Scarier yet, does this mean my kids think their going to own an expensive new car while going to school?

Honestly what I am missing here?

Am I hanging in the wrong end of the universe? Should I look for a different forum?



Kevin

 

And don't forget the top ramen.

Same here......no car till after school

 

Don't kids just expect what you teach them to expect?

I drove a beater Tercel through college and was grateful. I appreciated what my parents gave me, but knew that in my case, I would have to earn the luxuries in life on my own. If your kids know it is your expectation that they get jobs and learn how to spend money wisely, they probably won't expect you to buy them a Mini during college.

We don't know the circumstances of the young people on this forum. Some probably work(ed) very hard for their Coopers.

 

I had an Alfa Romeo sports car when I was in high school. OK, it was 8 years old and had 80,000 miles on it (a lot for cars in those days). I had a Doge Van outfitted for camping when I went to college. It cost $2,500 new. My parents bought me the Alfa so I wouldn't buy a Honda motorcycle with my own money. My father was a Doctor. He had money, and was very generous. The parking lot of the high school I went to had two areas. One had a Maseratti, a Rolls Royce, a few hotrodded '56 Chevys, some GTOs, a few Porsches, a variety of other nice cars, and a bunch of brand new VW bugs. The other section was filled with old clunkers. That was the teacher's lot.

Whether your kids expect a car for college will depend on how affluent you are now (not when you were in college) and how much support they are expecting from you for college.

 

As for me I have worked since I was 13. In high school always had two jobs and now I work in college. I am in school on a partial scholarship and until my mini I drove a 1979 ford f100 which cost me $500 when I bought it 6 years ago. Prudent planning pays off. But alot kids have parents that buy them cars which if they have the means is nice I guess.

 

I sometimes think the same thing. I went to college 25 years ago in a car that was 13 years old then. Now my daughter on the other hand won National Merit Scholar so I gave her my 03 VW Jetta GLX. But she did earn it, and I bought a 07 MCSM.

I did tell her however if she had been problem kid, it would have been a 15 year old K-car station wagon and a college around the corner. Thank heavens I did not have to find a K-car. Are any still running?

 

Just a point of clarification, my Dad was a Senior Exec in a major New York Bank. Growing up we had everything. In my family if you wanted anything past 16 yrs old, you got a job. That included education. I still don't understand how parents finances mean kids are rich... Granted I may be as or more wealthy than my parents now, but I was taught to earn it.

 

You guys actually buy Minis? I've stolen mines since August. I do feel sorry for the owner though but I did break it in for him properly.

 

When I was 16 I was told the only way I was going to get a car was to buy it myself. I worked part time and bought my first car when I was 17. I worked more and bought a better car when I was 19. After that I decided I wanted a mini and worked 2 full time jobs, pulling 80 hour weeks and going to school full time for a year to save up some money. Now I am 23 and still with the same company that I started at when I was 16 and got a promotion this year allowing me to buy my mini. I take a few classes at a time and work both a full and part time job. Most kids my age get handed everything they want and do not value anything they have. I have worked hard for everything I own and appreciate it. I'm also thankful that my parents taught me to earn what I wanted. When I have children I plan to bestow this same lesson to them as well.

 

I think the motivation behind a parent's actions is more important than the amount of money a child gets. A kid that gets lots of money from their parents instead of attention and love, is going to be an unhappy child. On the other hand a child that gets little money and sees his parents indulging themselves in luxuries is also going to be unhappy if the reason is selfishness on the part of the parents. Children are pretty savvy at discerning their parent's motivation. They pay attention to what you actually do, not what you say.

 

Well said . What I did not say in my earlier post is, my daughter works goes to college and earns everything she recieves. My wife and I are truly blessed.

 

I was given many of the things I wanted as a kid. However, I was also taught to value you them. I was seriously into photography from about age 13 on. I got fairly good cameras and darkroom equipment from my parents. I started out with a $36 Yashika A twin lens reflex, and a broken enlarger donated from a friend who taught photography at the Art Center in Los Angeles. My dad helped me fix up the enlarger. When I wanted better equipment I had to research it and explain what I needed and why. I had to show what it would do for my photography. As a result, my cameras tend to remain in excellent condition, in spite of being hauled wherever I've traveled and used in all sorts of conditions.

I didn't end up in photography as a career, but this is where I am with it now: http://www.robincasady.com/Photo/index.html

 

Robin Cassady amazing pictures!

 

I'm 26 and had a new VW GTI in college but I bought that myself with my hard earned greenbacks. Started working in high school and managed to get myself a pretty sweet part time job with a major fortune 500 pharmaceutical company starting my sophmore year of college.

I do know quite a few kids that have not only had their parents buy them brand new 30k+ cars while in high school and college but have also given them 100k+ to put down payments on condos/townhouses/houses.

My parents aren't rich although we've always lived very comfortably but if you wanted something you worked for it and you paid for it. There weren't hand outs and one day I plan to have the same motto with my kids.
Mike

 

Nothing! My family struggled to make ends meet when I was in high school and college but I still knew kids that had really nice cars. But back then there was no internet so the only exposure I had to the kids driving nice cars was the people I knew personally. Today NAM is a great example of how we can be exposed to a lot more people then just people we know personally. Certainly there are many high school and college kids today who own crappy first cars and many who own really nice cars. Your time spent on NAM will expose you to more of the kids owning nice MINI's simply because of the focus of NAM. But it is impossible to know if the percentage of kids owning crappy vs. nice cars is significantly different now compared to when we were younger. There are simply too many factors to consider and you wouldnt be comparing apples to apples. Today's society is different. More cars available, on average better build quality resulting in cars lasting longer in better condition, higher average family income, higher starting salaries, better educated youth receiving higher first time salaries, etc. While kids today on average probably end up with cars in better condition than we did as kids my time spent on this site has exposed me to many more high school and college kids driving MINIs than what I encounter in my normal life outside this web site. In fact, I dont know of any kids in high school or college who own a MINI in person but I have heard about quite a few on this site. Then again, the vast majority of people I read about on the site own MINIs but I only know of a few personally. I just think that everyone's perception is being skewed by the focus of this site.

 

I think it depends on the kid and the parents. My parents raised me to value education. I agreed to focus on my studies, and they, in turn, helped pay for a reliable car (a basic toyota) and a modest apartment. I know most parents aren't so generous, but I appreciated what they did for me.

 

ACEkraut11: You may be correct, but I think it is this forum, or this particular car. I also live on Ductai, BMW motorcycle, VW, and Honda forums, because I own all of them as well. I have never seen the skew in young ownership on those sites that I see here. That is kinda why I posted this.

 

As a college student, I think that it may be with all the new tech around us and the fact that we as whole know a ton more about it than anyone it creates new jobs for us where we can make more money faster. Just my take. Also just so everyone knows I pay for this car all on my own.

 

I understand, and I dont disagree with you. It would be interesting to see the demographics of MINI ownership. Does the car statistically appeal to an average younger crowd then the other forums you frequent? If so then that might help to explain why you are seeing a greater number of the younger crowd owning MINIs. Regardless, it is nice to hear posts from younger people who respect hard work and are willing to work for what they want and want to accomplish.

 

My parents also valued education and preferred me to focus on my studies rather than work multiple jobs to make ends meet. They bought me a used mustang when I turned 16 and that was just b/c we lucked into a good deal where the dealer had the car mismarked and honored the wrong number on the car. (2k less than it should have been) and when I graduated high school, I wanted to keep the mustang but my dad forced me into a large SUV. I asked to keep the mustang but he said if I kept it he'd buy me a bus ticket so I took the SUV. After I graduated college they got me a new car after I got my first car and I think part of that was b/c i got such a good job and the new job covered the moving expenses so this was a kind of equivalent to the cost of moving across the country. With that car I had enough equity built up that now I'm able to get my mini for very reasonable payments. If I didn't have the equity in the old car I totally couldn't afford the Mini. That being said, this is the first car I've been completely responsible for financially and I'm pretty dang proud of it.

 

I think it's definitely the car. It attracts a wide demographic. On Facebook I see a lot of high school/college-age people posting in MINI Cooper-related groups.

 

Robin, those are some stunning photos. Great stuff!!!!!

 

I completely agree it is very refreshing, and comforting to see the responses from everyone who actually worked hard for what they have.

Certainly changes my perspective.

I will have to see if I can find Mini's ownership stats somewhere. I wonder if it is densely populated by younger demographics. If it is it would explain some things. I know Ducati is largely owned by us 45+ crowd.


Robin: Incredible photos, impressive wooden working.
Very impressive astronomy gear as well.

 

Possibly the only demographic that can afford the bike AND the insurance?

 

Thanks for the compliments everyone.

My impression is that the MINI has a very mixed demographic. It appeals to 16 through college age, young adults, and older folk who remember the original Minis from their youth. That's why there is such high demand for the car.