Ditto, I love the puppy analogy.

The giant speedometer, the key fob, the rattle, the silly openometer. We drove 200+ miles on curvy country roads in the sunshine yesterday. What a blast. It wouldn't have been the same in a CR-V.

 

Maybe it's because mine is new but I like all of the things you list. The giant speedometer is cool because it is giant. If it were normal size nobody would say anything about it. When people get in my car they always comment about the giant speedometer, the key fob and the start button. These things are what make the MINI a MINI. They are different and thats what most of us want, to be different and unique. Just my thoughts.

Larry

 

If you didn't drive a MINI, what else would you drive that's of similar cost?

What else provides the same performance bang for the buck, along with all the other intangilbes?

There really isn't any other choice currently - to me.

Once bitten...........

 

The JCW I would want (with NAV, Cloth/Leather, Xenons, Bluetooth, HK, JCW Aero Kit, CWP and a couple small things) is more than a fully loaded 135i with European Delivery! (M-Sport, Value Pack, Heated Seats, HK Audio, NAV, Bluetooth, DCT)

 

This seems like a ridiculous question to ask a MINI enthusiast, no offense intended. We love our cars and deal with the little problems. Like others have mentioned before, the internet is a haven for people to ***** about their bad experiences. I'm sure there are an equal amount of people, may more, that have had little issues with their MINI, drive it hard, and love it to death. I'm one!

 

i agree, why do we have this loyalty? mine has been in 5 times for a "wheel click" (look it up on the thread i posted...) but it's still so charming on a lot of different levels!

i'm thinking 1 series, tt, a3, gti/r32, maybe the illusive new c coupe, or another mini next. but yea, bang for the buck, the only car in that line up that is similar is the gti. regardless of mini love/arrogance, the gti is AMAZING. i still think i like the mini more but the gti is not to be dissmissed at all..

 

But if you had those two cars side by side, most people would walk right by the BMW to check out the MINI. Dont get me wrong, I think the BMW is a fine automobile but they are totally different.

Let me give you another example. My wife who is not much of a car person at all was apathetic with my choice of a MINI. She listened to me rant and rave for the two months that my car was on order and the 1.5 years before that when I was saving and planning the purchase. The MINI arrives and she drives it twice and then tells me that if anything ever happens to me she is keeping my car. The MINI gets under your skin and into your heart. I could have chosen lots of other cars but I was interested in none except the MINI.

 

I agree with this...for me it wasn't about needing to make a choice about what I could afford..for me it was about what I wanted to drive...

 

I'm sure they'd notice the bright red seats in the 135i I'm planning on getting and think about how obnoxious they are Of course something else interesting may come out in the next year. Focus RS pleassseee?

Of course they're totally different, but I'm just posted that in reply to MINIdave's comment about a similar bang for the buck car. MINI has it's perks as does the BMW.

I had a bit of an emotional attachment with the MINI... Until stuff started going wrong with it all the time and getting crap service from my local dealer! I'm pretty sure I'd get better service with the BMW... My local dealer apparently has 5 MINI loaners and 50 BMW loaners (same owner), so you typically get stuck with a rental which is awfully inconvenient. And no, driving way out of the way to another dealer when I have work and a life isn't really an option

 

I like them because the have no social class. I could be worth $100.00 or a $1000000.00 and still feel completely happy in my car. My other car is an Audi RS4 cab and I dislike the attention it attracts.

 

What a pleasure to read the different reasons, it confirms that I am not the one and only Miniac swept by its magical powers (!). To me, it is an adult "go-cart" absolutely fun to drive that matches non other. I have a stable full of very expensive toys that as a teenager I only used to dream about. This is my 2nd Mini, and I attempt to get in it at every opportunity.

At times, the rebel in me acts out i.e. - we recently had a fundraiser gala for the latest fine arts museum project at a very swank hotel, where the local politicians, business leaders, whos of whos, and "wannabes-to-be-seen" come out in the limos, MB, BMW, Bentleys, etc with their finest jewelry and furs. I told my wife that we are going in the Mini, she did complain that it is very difficult to ingress & egress in an evening gown. Anyways, when we pulled in, you should have seen the looks on the peoples' faces including the valets.

I loved it, LOL we made the local TV news.

 

To some, it isn't even about loyalty. It's about the character of the car. I really detested the BMW sourced MINI before it even came out. I was interested, however because I was the owner of a classic Mini at the time. One day in 2003 I saw what appeared to be the ugliest color I had ever seen on a car besides those puke green mustangs of yesteryear. It was a 2003 Solid Gold MINI Cooper and I just went and bought it. No ifs, ands, or buts about itAsThenosphere I traded that one in 3 years later for my current R53. As of right now, I was going to be one of those people that ran my R53 until the wheels fell off and keep it forever. Now, after having owned 2 BMW sourced MINIs I'm really starting to pull away from them. It's a combination of what BMW is doing to the cars and how so many newer owners have just took what owning a MINI is about down a notch. So I wouldn't call this loyalty. I've owned my Suzuki Sidekick since I bought her off the showroom floor, but I wouldn't say I was loyal to the brand. It's a good vehicle that has killed my MINI in the reliability department. Unless my wife convinces me to keep my current R53, once the new Buick Regal Gran Sport comes out, I'm trading her in.

 

Great thread... the main reason I was drawn to my MINI is that I'm a nonconformist at heart, particularly when it comes to cars. As mentioned in my sig, I own an MG - a '78 Midget - and have had it for fifteen years now. When I take it out for a run, I see no other MGs. I guess this reinforces my sense of being a unique person. Couple that with the fact that I do all my own mechanical work on the car, and it adds the feeling that I'm driving my own handiwork. That's a cool feeling...

I drive past new and used car dealerships and see their offerings out on the lot - NONE of it appeals, save for a precious few exceptions, like the MINIs. On any drive, I'm surrounded by mainstream cars that I find dead boring, cars that were purchased merely as travel appliances, and were designed to be as inoffensive as possible to please the majority of the crowd. In a time when you can't get away from the constant pleas for energy conservation, fuel economy, the advent of hybrid and electric vehicles, etc., we're still surrounded by ubertrucks and full-sized sport utilities. That bugs me... I love mechanical elegance and efficiency, and the MINI has that in spades.

So when it came to purchasing a new car, the MINI was really the only affordable thing out there that fit my mindset. Yeah, the new GTIs are very nice, but I'd had a GTI for 12 years and was ready for something different. Plus, the MG has made me a fan of odd little British cars. So with that quirky mindset, there was really nothing else!

I got my MINI just before Christmas '09, and it's now May of '10. I'm simply nuts about the car. Its handling and acceleration have become addictive, and I have had zero problems to date.

Spridget

 

I sold my wonderful '99 M Roadster a couple years ago, after purchasing my first MINI (a 2004 slightly-modded Cooper S).
Why? Because, while the Bimmer was more fun to OWN, the MINI was more fun to DRIVE!

 

There just isn't anything else out there that comes close to how this car drives and looks. I had problems with my 07 and was ready to get rid of it but only if I could get another Mini and I got an 08. I've had some minor issues with my 08 but I just can't see myself without a Mini.

 

Oh, I'll take it a step further. Anyone that blindly dismisses a GTI is an idiot.

 

Why a particular car becomes more than just a car to its owners is based on many things. I firmly believe that if the next generation MINI takes away some of the quirky things that we all at least talk about in these forums, that the car will lose much of what makes it special. I have owned many cars, the closest to a MINI was a Miata. The MINI beats the Miata hands down in how it makes me feel. There are many great small cars on the market, but there is only one MINI. My wife owns a 335I coupe, an amazing car. After she drove my MINI, she said "I should have bought one of these instead!"
Sure the MINI isnt as fast, doesnt feel as bulletproof, but has a combination of looks, handling, and fun that Im not sure I could have found elsewhere.

 

Agreed!

 

The reason people are loyal to a car like the Mini is the same reason Porsche 911 drivers are loyal to a car that hasn't significantly changed style in over 40 years. You shouldn't try and understand loyalty, it will get you no where.

 

Maybe some people have more money than brains. I've had mine for a month (2010) and had nothing but problem. When I am down to one year worth of warranty left it's "asta la vista baby", never buy one again. I guess I am boring, I prefer reliability and reasonable maintenance costs over fun.

 

I have a 2010 and have had no problems at all, and I just love this car.
It sounds like you got a "bad one" when it comes to reliability. That can happen with any car, but it sounds like your best bet would be a Toyota or Honda if reliability is more important over all other qualities a car possesses .

 

You are right, Honda or Toyota it is, love the piece of mind.
As far as getting a bad one, it seems to me there are hundreds of bad ones out there, at least by reading the forums, and when the good ones are the exception to the rule it's time to move on. Enjoy yours.

 

I've had my MINI for all of 6 months so far. Maybe in time I will become loyal, but right now I wish I could get rid of it. The first few months of car ownership are crucial to the car bonding experience, and mine has been nothing but trouble. Even if it has no problems for the next 3 years, I will always think of it as unreliable and issue prone. So, I drive around with the feeling that something could go horribly wrong at any second, instead of having peace of mind.

Live and learn I guess.

 

My sentiments exactly. For the very first time ever I am not going to "personalize" my car. I am not putting a dime into it to make it my own. Out of warranty this car will break you. Good luck to you and all the others like us out there.

 

You mean it's going to cost me more to get rid of it than it will to keep it?

I've been married for 45 yrs but only had my MINI 2 1/2 months. Don't want to get rid of either...yet.