I can hold back no longer. This is directed toward all those who drive Minis desecrated with artsy-fartsy, cutesy-poopsy doodads such as wind-up keys,"inflate me" rings and smiley faces. Have you no shame? The Mini is a legendary performance car. It is now part of the "ultimate driving machine" family. Need I explain to you why you don't see such abominations on other BMWs, WRXs, Evos or Porsches? Have a clue people! The Mini is the king of the small car segment, treat it with the respect it deserves! If you want cute and funky, you should be driving a Beetle. If you are among the guilty, go watch the original and remake of the Italian Job back to back to set your thinking strait, and then hope for forgiveness for your sacrilege from real Mini enthusiasts.

 

Oooops....premise is wrong, pal! Mini is not just a legendary performance car. You'd best get used to that.

 

You came to the wrong forum if you're looking for performance help...

All the help in the world with deciding what color to paint your keyring or to provide moral support while your car floats aimlessly across the atlantic ocean though.

 

true. what the mini grows into is owner dependent whether or not you agree. i just wanted a commuter for the city and now my just-a-cooper has grown comfortably more geek than performance, but that's me.

 

Let me see if I've got this right...your sig has NSX in it...you've posted 42 times...and you want to blast REAL MINI enthusiasts. Take a deep breath, step back, put in your time with the rest of us and then, only then, we will take such an attack in jest.

 

Are you so myopic as to think yours is the only construct for this??? A grave error in judgement. Perhaps you should have held back just a little bit longer!!

 

Dude, if you don't like the funny stuff, stick to the modder threads exclusively and leave the rest of us crazies alone. How do you think the Minis got to be so very popular??? Us crazies helped. Most of us fully acknowledge the power and utility of the Mini -- you're preaching to the choir on that one -- but we also have to have our own ways of bringing the quirk out, and we like to make it our own. I'm personally not enough of a gear-head, nor do I have much spare time for racing like I'd want to....so the best I can do is make my MINI obvious. Welcome to the MINIverse; we're here to stay.

 

Live and and let live dude. You can You-ify your way... Let others You-ify their way.

 

Sorry NSX guy, there's a lot of room out there in the automotive world, no need to pidgeon hole people.........unless you're paying for everyone's car, I'd suggest you learn to live and let live..........

 

Like Honda with Type R stickers and Carbon wings?

 

Poor NSXguy....he really stepped in it this time. Oh well, we all get our ire up now and again. In any case, this could be an interesting discussion.

 

Welcome to the MINI world man. That's MINI's demographic much more than performance drivers, so thats what you're going to see!

However, there are plenty of performance oriented gear heads like us, so all the artsy, cute stuff you are talking about doesn't really bother me. I just stick to my modding and performance oriented stuff and they can buy cute stickers for their car if they want.

 

I agree and disagree with you. If I had my way I would not see all the cutesy stuff you refer to. I think it does add fuel to the concept by many that the MINI is a "clown car".

That said, I also think everyone has the right to present their MINI in any way they wish. I choose to think of mine more as the performance car (even though it is justaMINI). But that's me. Others see the car differently. And I take some comfort in knowing that somewhere, sometime, someone in a "real car" is getting his doors blown off by a clown car.

 

I think the wind-up key is hilarious. I doubt i would put in on mine but I salute thsoe who would. MINI's are more than just a peformance car, A lot of the ownership experience is whimsical. So if you want to mod it up with CF wings and slammed suspension and buzzy exhasut systems like a "Fast and Furious" atrocity [which look more ridiculous than any fun thing like a "Pull to Inflate" or wind-up key IMO], go for it. Enjoy it! But leave the enjoyment and fun for those who do enjoy it. Not all of us are 20 year old street racers.

 

I don't think the OP is either. I guess at his level of racing one might forget the "other" side of Mini culture. Surely the wind-up key was the last straw??

 

i'd have to agree with everyone else...

i dont have anything "cute"...but its THEIR car...they're paying the bill. who is anyone to tell them they should be ashamed?

if it makes them happy, they can do whatever the heck they want. doesnt bother me. its one more person i get to drive by on the street- that has a smile on their face

"crazy" MINI people are some of the nicest people i know

 

come join 'your kind' over at the CAMM forum. No silly stickers please.

 

Good....I can think of a few others I'd love to ship your way!!!

 

My first thought is a comparison to a VW bug, which was my first car. There were racing bugs, hippie bugs, dune buggie bags and just about every permutation in between. I always thought of them as extensions of the individuals who drove them. From owning a MINI I see the same sort of individualism. Better get used to it!

 

I hope you get to race one of those "cutsie" minis with the wind up key and it WHOOPS ur ....butt.... Just because we make them cutsie doesn't mean we neglect the power aspect.

 

so divisive!

 

Yep them old classic Mini's were nothing but serious business.

I enjoy seeing how different folks enjoy their MINI's. Viva la difference.

 

Just for that, I'm going to put a wind up key, pull to inflate tow hook, AND buy a MINI Bulldog for every seat to maximize the cute factor when my MINI is sitting around.

And I'll even get a mod for the horn so it makes a cartoonish "AOOOOOOGAH!" sound.

And I'll follow you around, honking every so often, and making people think that we hang out ALL the time.

You just wait.

 

I thought the OP post was pretty funny, and very tongue-in-cheek. I didn't think it was intended as a serious complaint. Still, it's sometimes hard to discern intent with some posts. It does seem to have raised some hackles, which was certainly the intent.

 

Ditto that. There's nothing wrong with the "actual size" decals and "pull to inflate" gizmo. The windup key idea is going a bit too far though IMO. There are plenty of Minis that are lowered/blacked out/striped/alt. wheeled, etc. To each his own.