Hate to say it, but had nothing to do with a small car. Around here in Chicago, 5mph over speed limit would be considered slow. If the sign says 55mph, the flow of traffic is probably 70mph at least and people will get annoyed if you aren't in the right lane to go slow.

 

I haven't experienced any negative behavior towards my car. I've had it ~6months now, and have gotten many compliments from the old and the young. And several times now, I've seen people pull up behind me while driving or at the red light and pull out there camera to take a pic.
Not sure if the pic was cause they like my red roof/black color combo, or my vanity plate (XL GO KRT) or a combo of both.

 

I've gotten used to the "Girls Car" comments seeing as this is my pair...

 

Explains it.

 

You might find this Miata interesting:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53074154@N00/3985843666/

 

Heh, yeah I've seen a few of those in person. Insanity. Yours?

I've entertained the idea of going that route with mine, but dumping $20k into a car I paid $1900 for seems odd, haha.

 

Only had one negative comment in the three plus years I've owned my mini. My response was very respecfully saying THANK YOU. That seemed to catch the person totally off guard and we went on with our seperate daily lives. It would be a dull and boring world if everyone drove the same kind of car. I must admit though that I still love luring someone tailgating into a tight curve/off ramp and watching them in the rear view mirror.

 

 

Just had a fun little experience. Was walking out of a restaurant with a friend and he wanted to show me the damage to his Evo X that was rear ended the other week. I didn't even notice the bmw 335i next to it in the parking lot but apparently the man owning it thought we were trying to jack it.....I personally would've taken it to be a compliment if we were in fact looking at his car. I responded by saying, "Naw man, I have my own Cooper over there!"

He then proceeded to make a point out of stopping by my car on the way out and shout, "Buddy, you truly think that's a REAL car?"

It saddens me first that he went out of his way to try to ruin my mood, and secondly that he has never experienced a MINI before

 

Stereotypical BMW driver douche bag mentality!

 

Hey I own a BMW and am not like that. But yes there are some Douche nozzle BMW owners out there. I was talking to one of the part guys at my dealership(and now thinking about we probably should have not had this conversation while he was at work) about how arrogant BMW and yes some MINI owners can be about their cars.

On another note. For those that have had tailgating experience, there is a reason why I have a concealed weapon in the car. That to me is a very threatening manner on some people to ride so close you can't see headlights.

 

Not fair...That guy would probably have that attitude with whatever car he owned. Could you imagine working for him?

I belong to BMW CCA and we meet up with all sorts of car owers. It all has to with whether they "enjoy" their cars or not. A number of our chapter's members own both (for what reason, I don't know. Isn't a Mini enough? ). I have also run into a few Mini owners who have a *&%# mentality too.

 

While this is inherently true, people like that will always (if their means permit) gravitate towards vehicles that help offset their insecurities. Whether it be a lifted 3/4 ton diesel truck, a Corvette, or German excess (and that list is by no means conclusive). So, at least in my neck of the woods, I observe a high percentage of BMW, MB, etc drivers are tools. Not the cars fault.

 

Remember, the phrase used was "stereotypical", not "typical". The truth is that a lot of people think that BMW drivers are insecure d-bags (though most I've met aren't). And that guy was acting just like that conception.

It's too bad that people can't just like their own cars, without hating on other cars.

Except Mustangs. It's OK to hate Mustangs, right?

 

I don't think it's ok to hate Mustangs, but Slave is right on the money.

FWIW, I've owned two BMWs and one (not classic at the time) Mustang. I've also owned a hybrid, two full size pickups way bigger than I needed, a '70 Malibu (with all the SS454 stuff, badges, hood, etc), two MGBs, a Mercury Bobcat (think Pinto), and other odd or special interest vehicles. I don't hate any car as produced from the factory.

 

I don't make the stereotypes I just see them. There are a lot of BMW drivers out there that are Dbags but there are a lot that are out there. The biggest one that I hear is from some family members that tell me I am not dark enough to be driving a BMW. Which I respond to them and ask where the hell that came from?


Oh I have another way people treat me on the road. This one I noticed this morning on my way to work and it has been trending this way lately. I got behind a slow moving car in the left lane getting onto the freeway and well I don't like getting on that stretch of the freeway at anything less then 60mph because I won't be ablt to merge and will be run down. Well there was an SUV in the right lane right at the corner of my blindspot and he saw that I was going to pass the car in front of me. Instead of maintaining his speed he chose to speed up. I am not advocating excessive speed here but I had to go from 6th to 4th and punch it so I got around him. I know I could have slowed down and pulled in behind him but that would have put me in the wrong lane and in even worse shape then if I had not passed. The bad part was I got on the freeway a little above what I normally do and stayed at the speed limit which is 55 at that stretch of the road and never saw the guy again. I really think people dislike small cars. Not sure why but, I really think they get butthurt because they think small cars are a waste and that if you don't drive something large you are annoyance to them and their rather large cacoon.

I will have to start asking people why they do what they do when they are behind the wheel.

 

Too funny! It doesn't matter what they drive, some people are a waste of human flesh. Its funny to me because my Mini is parked next to my four door, long bed one ton diesel pickup. Granted, many people seem to get out of the way of my big truck, but they also tailgate me too. It doesn't matter which I drive, my 'idiot scan is always working. My mini is most often driven, as diesel is outragously priced, but you can't take the family camping in the RV pulled by the Mini!

 

You have a bench seat in that truck? Most of the miles I'm putting on mine aren't hauling, but trips to the dog park. Everyone rides up front! I don't rightly know why bench seats have gone out of fashion. They do have a place.

 

I too dislike many Mustangs. My father has a '67 289 convertible and my neighbor has a new 5.0 GT. I'm fine with the old and the new, but I don't understand why someone would buy the V6 version of a muscle car. Doesn't that defeat the purpose??

On another note, that experience from last night has definitively made me want to keep my MCS. I was contemplating trading it in on something more reliable but I just love it too much....plus I like to spite people like him

 

Come down to Jersey where EVERY lane is considered the passing lane. It doesn't matter if you're doing 80 in the right hand lane. Some idiot will pull up on your tail and expect you to move to the left so he can keep going.

Sometimes if I get a phone call (bluetooth), I'll move over to the right hand lane. Most Jersey drivers of a certain ilk actually prefer sliding up the right hand lanes, even cutting off oncoming traffic on the highway. I usually do my best to box them in

 

All very interesting but you have not experienced negative attitudes until you drive a Smart car. It's not fast but if you use the paddle shifters and don't drive like grandma it's not slow. Faster than any MG or Triumph ever was. However you would think from people's reaction I was pubic enemy number one.

 

If you bought a Smart car, you deserve it. They are easily the worst vehicle you can buy right now.

 

Hardly. I have a list of cars that are way worse then that.

 

I agree Porthos! If gasoline goes to 6 dollars a gallon, or more, then watch the herd of SUV's and pickup trucks (that are almost always driven as empty trucks) die like the dinosaurs. Go buy gas in Japan or Europe and you will see why they drive small cars. As far as quality goes IMHO there are several cars that should not be on the road and they were or are American cars.

 

They also don't drive big vehicles in Jpan and Europe because they don't fit. Damn roads are barely wide enough for a goat and cart.