Hi All -

I'm a "JustaCooper" owner for just over a week, putting almost 600 miles on the car. When I arrived at work a co-worker asked me if I felt "ridiculous" in "that car". I'm just shy of 60 years old, and the Cooper is Red/White with the white stripes.

At first I was taken back, but quickly replied that I'm long past the age of feeling ridiculous about anything, and that I don't buy a car for what other people think, but for my own enjoyment.

Observations: I bought the "base" car because the run flat tires and more aggressive suspension wore me out on the test ride - now after a week of driving I'm convinced I made the right decision, at least for me. I thought about ordering the "S" version, but given the city traffic that I commute in, it would have been wasted. Yes, I could have used it on the weekends, but I've got my motorcycle for the adrenalin rush - hard to beat 0-60 under 3 seconds and 0-100 in 7 seconds on two wheels.

I do have some small rattles and squeaks, but I'm hoping that they are remain minor and don't interfere too much. The radio is OK at getting stations, but the speakers are pretty poor - I'll probably upgrade.

Averaging a bit under 34 MPG, but my miles are tilted to highway, so that's about what I expected. So far, lots of fun, but a "busy" ride. Not a problem for me now, but we'll see as I get a bit older.

In the meantime I'd like to keep it at least until my co-worker quits - I'd like to remain ridiculous a bit longer.

Thanks to all on this forum for advice and comments, they were all useful as I went through the ordering and waiting process until the car arrived.

 

Welcome lencap! Who cares what your co-worker thinks? He (she?) is very wrong, and you can drive away satisfied and happy, so...!?! Hope you stick around NAM for more.

 

Congrats on your purchase lencap, I know you posted a thread earlier asking about the Cooper, glad to see you join the ranks of ownership.

As for feeling ridiculous in a Mini -- the person who said that obviously isn't into cars and driving like Mini owners are, i.e., he/she just doesn't "get it". A quick ride in or a test drive of the Mini usually straightens that out.

 

Welcome and Happy Motoring!!

My observation: Your co-worker has a problem of the personal variety.

 

Feeling ridiculous beats feeling nothing, as you would in a Commuter Appliancebox.

 

Welcome and have allot of ridiculous fun in your new car. Most people don't understand what it is like to have a fun car.

 

Hi lencap and congrats on getting your MC

And who cares what someone says about your Mini they are the ones who don't understand the appeal.

Happy Motoring!!

 

I'll be 46 in a couple of months and last week I sold my H2 and my supercharged convertible Corvette before that. Point is, quite a few of my friends thought how "unmanly" my mini was compared to what I normally drive.

Personally, if your coworker has a problem with you driving a mini and thinks it's ridiculous, they are obviously the one with the problem.

You're being practical, the car is fun, economical and is a quality piece of machinery.

I wouldn't worry about what they think, it's a great car and I'm glad I finally found out about them.

Mark

 

So . . . . ."Don't you feel ridiculous in that car?"

Translation: "I'm envious of your cool MINI and I wish I had the money/gumption to get one myself."

Enjoy your ridiculously wonderful exhilaration while motoring!!!
Cheers!

 

Small on the outside, big on the inside!

When someone at the office said dumb thigs about my Mini, I replied with, "Over 30 mpg! How's your Suburban's mileage?" Soon they want to drive my Mini.

 

You know I never thought about it in terms of ridiculous. You're right!

Let's see, the parent company is BMW ... built in state-of-the-art plant by skilled British craftsmen ... will do better than 140 mph if you want it to ... at legal highway speeds, it gets better than 38 mpg ... all at around $30,000 ... it is a ridiculous value, notwithstanding the silly grin when you drive one.

 

Thanks to all for the comments - I didn't expect either the rapid comments or the number of them. This forum has very dedicated and informed members - it's a great resource, thanks.

I've owned many cars, and many of them were, as one of you wrote, "appliances". I've also had fun cars, most of which required more frequent servicing and putting up with some "personality". My most memorable cars were always on the fun side of the coin, and the Cooper is clearly one of them.

I don't mind the "busy" ride, the minor squeaks, or anything else about the car - that's what the test ride is for. What amazed me is the handling on the "JustaCooper" - far better than I expected (I hadn't been able to drive a base Cooper with 15" tires at the dealership). The ride is controlled, but remains firm and sporty.

The power is adequate, at least for me - especially since I've been driving for over 40 years and back than 100+ HP was in the "rocketship" category. My old Fiat 850 had far less HP, but always put a smile on my face. Learning how to handle limited power and torque made me a better driver all those years ago, and make me really appreciate how well the base Cooper engine performs. Combined with the standard suspension and more forgiving seats, my current "JustaCooper" would have left several of my old favorites in the dust - Alfa Romeo Spider, Fiat 850. It would have given my 1987 Porsche a fight in the corners as well - and that car cost far more than the Cooper.

I'm grateful that BMW invested in the Cooper and gave all of us a car that is fun and practical while putting a smile on our faces. Yes, I may have more maintenance costs than a Toyota, less reliability than a Honda and some added personality compared to the "appliance" cars I could have bought. But I never felt that an extra few dollars to enjoy the sound and feel of an Alfa Spider at redline in a turn on a beautiful fall day was something that could be measured and compared without taking into account the joy of driving.

The Cooper promises to be all that and more. Thanks again for the help.

And yes, for my coworker that thinks I should feel ridiculous, there is not much I can say that would help her understand. That's why I didn't try. Life's too short - but at least we can enjoy the ride every day.

 

Great attitude, great forum members, great car... you'll be happy for a long time.

Congrats

Mark

 

Well said lencap

And don't forget the free 3 years/36,000 miles factory scheduled maintenance and the 4 year/50,000 miles factory warranty.So right there you are ahead of the game.

 

JCR - You're right - I did forget about the free maintenance and other warranties.

The more I recall my older cars, the one that seems so far to be the closest comparison to the Cooper was my 1986 Alfa Romeo GTV-6. A 156 HP V-6, rear wheel drive with an almost perfectly balanced 50/50 weight distribution.

That car stock was wonderful, and with some minor tweaking it ran even better. The sound of the engine was something special, and the ride always made me smile. Over the few years I owned it the head gasket blew, the locks froze in the winter, the second gear synchro had to be replaced, the radio drifted unless you were 10 miles from the transmitter and the battery tended to die every few months.

Despite all of those "character issues" the car was a great tool and I have been trying to find another for years without success. The Alfa spider had a frame that flexed going down the driveway, still had the worst second gear synchros ever put on a car, and required pre-planning to keep the revs up in tight turns or acceleration was nearly impossible. But each of those cars had personality in spades and flat out made me laugh out loud. The Porsche was a far better car, but not as much fun since running a red line made me too familiar with every local police officer in town.

The Cooper lets me run it through the gears (but I'm still in break-in so I've stayed below 5K RPM) and feel the engine come alive. I can tell where torque builds, and I'm sure that when the break-in is over, I will laugh out loud as I shift at redline in every gear. The fun is knowing that even if I did redline it in every gear, my speed will still be under the legal limit in most areas and the suspension will be fully loaded to keep my face plastered with a ear to ear grin.

Ridiculous indeed.

 

Ummmm, not likely and not possible in 4th and higher.

 

Funny, my co-workers are lining up for rides. I told them the other day that I needed to go pick up some milk for my tea, they asked if I was going to go get it in Newport (45 minute drive to the Oregon coast).

P

 

lencap I have learned so much from NAM after buying my '08 MCSa and continue to learn new things on a daily basis here.

Yeah once the initial break-in period of 1200 miles had past I put my foot to the floor and had a huge grin on my face as it is truly a thrilling ride.

 

RR Caniglia -

You may have a point, but it will be fun to try after the break-in.

 

Hopefully, you'll have a better reaction from other people you know. I was actually surprised at how overwhelmingly positive people were when I got my Cooper last year.

 

Congratulations on your purchase, your true confidence and on staying ridiculous. You are seriously an inspiration. That is also great to hear that you are satisfied with the non-S. I'm still in the decision making process as I'm still on the wait list for ordering. So, thank you for your comments and for keeping it real.

 

Welcome lencap... Life is short, enjoy it the way YOU want to enjoy it!

 

No need to justify getting "justacooper"! I'm a 27 year old guy and still want the MC over the MCS. Cheaper, lighter, better fuel economy, probably better long-term durability, and looks "more British". If that makes any sense.

 

How about a pic of that person, and a pic of HER car. Let us judge the accuracy of her comment.

Want to get a rise out of her? Go up to her and say that you can hardly wait for your personalized plates to arrive. She will, of course, ask what they are.

Tell her "Coffee."

She will comment: "That's ridiculous, why would anyone want license plates that say 'Coffee?'"

Fire back: "Well all the ladies call me 'coffee.'"

She will ask why.

Shoot back in a sexually pimped up tone: "Because when I grind it is so fine."

That will fix her wagon.

Bonus Tip: When HR calls you into the office about sexual harassment charges simply say you make a damn fine cup of coffee because you grind the beans so fine. It's not your problem that your co-worker got a sexual meaning out of an innocent statement. Accuse her of being the perv.

All is well that ends well [with her getting canned or denied a raise.]

 

***double post**