Ok so this might sound dumb but I'm about to get my driver's license and there is already a Honda Civic at home. Honda Civic's are considered to be small cars but I have trouble with the newer ones (ones afte 2007) because it's so much bigger than the 2005 ones.

So I was thinking that the MINI cooper would help me because its smaller. I cant test drive because I dont have my licesne yet. I know what you're thinking. I should wait til I get my license, but if I get the MINI i want to custom order and it will take like 2 months in California because of the mini. I was in two of them while my husband test drove..he liked it, but Im not sure.

Obviously you're all MINI lovers (and i love how the car looks too!) but do you think it will help me get over my fear/inexperience of driving because its a lot smaller?

Thanks!

 

hhhm... have u test drive it yet? it will answer yr qiuestion

 

I can go both ways. It is definately much smaller than most cars, and trucks!, which may get you scared when you stop right next to one! The car handles wonderfully, and it is very fun to drive, which may get your mind off your fears and get your confidence up faster! In any event, drive safe and have fun1

 

Tough question. I'd say it's two-fold:

1) It's important for you to feel comfortable wielding your automobile around on public roads and parking lots, for everyones insurance sanity.

2) Embedding "tiny car" driving habits at the onset of learning to drive means that if you ever do get a larger car, you will indeed have trouble adapting its much larger size.

I would tend to say it's experience that helps build confidence behind the wheel, not so much what you're driving. A MINI is a performance car that has a tendency to instill higher confidence than most. It's better to learn the limits when the limits are low than to get acclimated high up and be dumbfounded when you drive a big SUV that can't turn or stop to save anyones life. I always tell new drivers that their first car should be a relative piece of junk small-ish car, one that they have to take financial and mechanical responsibility for. This makes the burden reasonably high for the young person, as they don't have a steady career usually, but also doesn't make the big-picture financial risk very high if the car end up getting trashed from "learning experiences".

It would be fantastic to be so lucky as to have a MINI as a first car. My advice is if that does happen, buy a 1st gen [2002-2006] Cooper manual transmission. They're less expensive to buy than new and aren't powerful enough to get yourself in trouble before you have some good behind-the-wheel experience, yet it's small [and safe] enough to be easy to wield as a n00b!

 

Minis are big on the inside and small on the outside.
Worry less and think positive thoughts.

 

My answer is simple: yes - it's easy to drive! I personally find it very hard to drive a truck, not necessarily because of it's size, but more because I just find it frustrating to drive something so massive. I'm just not into trucks and really want to have fun when I'm on the road. When you're having fun, then it's easy and adapting is very fast!

 

Consider yourself lucky! Right after I got my license (at 16), before I got my first car (a Honda Accord hatchback), I spent about a month driving around my dad's '77 POWDER BLUE Caddy Seville (with powder blue leather bench seats, no less).

If there's a way to make a teenager feel less excited about getting her driver's license, that would be it. Massive car, lame color, loosey-goosey American car handling... I was thrilled to get my little hb!

That said, there's absolutely nothing wrong with taking a car, any car, to an empty parking lot, or even around your neighborhood for a few hours until you feel comfortable in it.

 

My wife was in the same situation. She is 4'10" and 90 pounds soaking wet and hails from a country that drives on the wrong side of the road (with much smaller cars). The mini is one of the few cars she feels comfortable in.

 

BTW in case it matters, Im not your typical new driver, age 16..Im 30, I just never bothered to learn before (stupid me). Now Im married and really need to learn to drive and Im almost there in terms of getting my license.

 

unfortunately i cant drive manual...bad enough learning automatic. haha

 

I would say wait a little bit. Like you said, obviously everyone here loves how the MINI handles. But if you are inexperienced, then I would wait until you are more familiar with the road to decide on a car. You shouldn't let initial doubts steer you towards buying a car that you may own for years.

 

yeah all of your posts make sense.

the only thing is that i already have the honda civic in the garage and i can sell it to get the MINI. But its pretty much now or never because if i wait til im more comfortable, then the value of the civic is going to depreciate and I wont be able to afford the MINI.

thats why i was kinda trying to decide now

 

JUST DO IT, you only live once. The MINI is so much fun and easy to drive, you will wish you didn't wait

 

Sell the Honda. Its a good car, but go for the MINI. If it is a now or never...then take the leap.
If you were 16 I wouldn't suggest it, but at 30 you should be mature enough to develop good skills first. A MINI can go faster and turn sharper than you will be willing to push it.
A don't be afraid to learn a stick shift. Takes a few minutes to get the hang of it, thats all. After a week or so you do it without even thinking. It puts you more in tune with the car.
And with MINI, that is what it is all about.

Take the plunge. You only get one go round, might as well enjoy all you want.

 

Sell the Civic and get a MINI Cooper with an automatic.You will be very happy that you did.

The car is a blast to drive and honestly it is only small from the outside where the inside will fit 4 in reasonable comfort.Plus they are very safe cars.

 

Go drive one with your husband. Also, take a look at the Honda Fit. Very easy to drive and the price is right.

Sorry..not trying to sway in either direction, I have a Fit and a Mini on order..and love em both.

 

I have had big cars (well, one big car: a 67 Galaxy 500) and small cars and growing up I learned on big cars and pickup trucks, and now I have 30 years of driving experience - and I have *never* gotten used to large cars. I just got rid of my Accord when I bought my new MCS and I am kicking myself for ever having bought such a big car (the accord)! The MINI is just the perfect car for me, size wise. So much easier to drive, and so much more fun too.

Personally I don't think you need to learn to drive big cars - why bother? And it may not even help (it didn't help me much). Just get the small car and have fun.

But as much as I love my MCS and as much as I think you will love driving a MINI, I really can't advise you to buy one without even having driven one.

My test drives (one in a MC and one in a MCS) were short - maybe a mile each - but I knew immediately that this was the car for me!

Tony

 

I wouldn't call it easy to drive at all. I mean it gives far more road feedback than any other car I've ever driven (and I mean that in a good way), and if your not attentive and in full control a simple bump can throw you off, the great handling can be very unforgiving. I also believe small cars in general are more of a challenge to drive in many ways, as you really have to drive it, unlike an SUV or a large car which you just sort of pilot and let it drive you.

 

I have been afraid to drive for a few years now, after being involved in a bad accident. I was afraid to drive bigger cars and trucks too. I bought my MINI in March and it's the only thing that worked to get me back on the road again. I LOVE driving now! I feel safer in my little MINI than in our Yukon. Good luck. I think you'll feel very comfortable in no time.

 

wow thanks everyone for the great responses. im sticking to my original decision which is to go with the MINI.

Anyone in the SF Bay Area need to buy a fully loaded 07 Honda Civic Sedan with only 7000 miles, built in navigation, Sirius radio, 5 more years of the warranty, sunroof..all for only $19000? Please do it in the next 8 weeks cuz Ive ordered the MINI!!!!!!!!!!

I got Chili Red with a black roof, sports stripes, Sirius radio, front/rear fog lights, multi function steering wheel, the arm rest.checkered mirror.....didnt go too crazy with the options because it gets pricey and I still have a civic to sell!

YAY Im excited about the MINI!

oh yeah, Im week 28!

 

You'll sell that car in a heartbeat around here, especially with people offloading big SUVs right now. Try craigslist - that's how I sold my car.

Congrats on the new MINI! Now you get the play the waiting game

 

yup, i put an ad on craiglist..hopefully they give me more than the dealer was offering!

 

I know it's completely none of my business, and I apologise for the unsolicited advice...

But if you're going to the work and effort involved to learn how to drive, then you really should learn how to drive a manual. It makes a huge difference to really understand and get the feel for how a car works, and to learn how to control your speed and really have control over the car. And it will reap huge rewards if later on you decide you enjoy 'spirited driving' or if you live some place with lots of ice and snow, where having a manual transmission really helps.

I live in the UK now, and over here you can't get a full driving licence in an automatic car. Almost all rental cars are manuals and almost everyone I know drives a manual. And it's a broad generalisation, I know, but people are better drivers overall here.

 

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