Dont get me wrong ...I'm not knocking the new mini but appart from the badge what does the BMW mini really have in common with the real mini????

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go stop...go..stop..go. stop..go...stop...Damn malls are crowded

hey dude,
i don't think anyone has replyed becasue they can't think of anything to reply about. they don't have anything in common except the basic things like wheels and an engine.

JIM

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(60 hp @ 5700 RPM) in my old mini.

if you have a good there a few things that resemble the original mini, like

toggle switches on the dash, for the elec. windows and others
no room in the back seat
chrome bumper pieces
grille
front indicators
head lights
gauges
etc.

you have to remember these things were designed 40years apart, so i think that all things considered they did a pretty good job.

i have had my mums MINI parked next to my dads 850, alot of things are close, but its definatley no original mini!

Rohan

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1964 MORRIS 850 - POST ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE CAFE RACER INSPIRED.

https://spotify.link/D0P4KtIP2yb

1098 +0.40
266 Kent Cam
GR Flat top pistons
HS6
1.3:1 Roller tip rockers
Stupid high CR

Some parts may LOOK similar but thats as far as it goes....The same could be said about a number of new cars out now...like thee Matiz, Mazda 1, etc,etc. Maybe they should have stuk to the ACV30?

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go stop...go..stop..go. stop..go...stop...Damn malls are crowded

seats and a steering wheel

not even the engine is Mini. (i also have a semi-decided doubt with the rover 1.3 injected)

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Inconspicuously Conspicuous
Appreciation without Depreciation
forever chasing clearer skies...

I feel I should join in, the BMW MINI isn't really small enough, is it? Now I keep arguing that it should be called the Maxi, or Allegro, but nobody seems convinced...

The size difference though, it's like calling an iceberg a hailstone...!

what does a 1980 corolla have in common with a 2004 corolla?

kind of a daft question but i will answer anyways

It obviously borrows its styling cue's from the original 40 years is a long time, u'd want it to look somewhat modern. Theres no way it could b the same size as it would never pass modern crash test standards, on top of that the target market is middle aged people who owned or want to own an original.. a compromise had to be made i guess

its the most fun car i've ever driven other than my original mini

I dont see why u'd want a new mini to be exactly the same.. the rover mini's are a dead loss and theres a long list of things about mini's we are miraculously overlook when talking about how great out mini's are

The new Mini is reliable, its doesnt rattle, it isn't noisy (well the hitech catback sorta changed that ) it doesnt leak oil, it doesnt break down in the rain and it doesnt have the steering position of a bus. it doesnt cause me to cramp up on long drives and it goes 0-100 a good 10 seconds faster probably more.. i could probably go on all day, but u'd be in denial if u thought a 40 odd year old mini is the perfect car to drive every day.

I love both the old and new and tire of people blasting the new Mini when most havent driven one and if they have it was for 5 minutes or less around the block... take a new Cooper S up the old pacific hwy... or some other nice deserted twisty roads.. u'll know what the 2 cars have in common then.

arguement accepted, but all those querks make a mini a mini.

without all those things, they lose the indivual character that NO other car posses. And if you lose that "vibe" that makes people smile and wave at you, then you lose me as a mini driver

ohh and about the crampage after long drives, well i drove 15 hours to Melbourne in an 850, sitting on halfback seats, and i never stretched once.

That's not the point, I'm sure it is a great car, but it's not a mini, half the problem people have with BINI over here in blighty is based around BMW's treatment of the aftermarket minispares type places. Trying to make them change their names.

Also we accept that the mini is dated, that's fine. But then how successful was the Metro in replacing the mini? lets remember that's why the metro was built.

It comes down to a love for the character, the oil leaks, the rattles, and the reliability. An old mini can have these fixed, mine has no leaks or rattles and is lovely. However by principle if I was given a new mini I'd sell it.

As for fun to drive what about an MGB or an old alfa. I have driven one of each the Alfa a Duetto Spyder. Both has far more character then a BINI... hmmmm...

Anyway, nobody'll ever degree, but it's fun haveing lighthearted arguments don't u think!

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Hybrid
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Iceberg - White Mini City

oh dont get me wrong i think a little light hearted ribbing either way isnt a bad thing.. if we cant laugh we're lost

I know some people will never agree.. but its how i see it as an owner of both cars.. i love them both and there arent many other cars i could aford in the forseeable future i'd want to own

The BMW nonsense with the name rights and stuff i agree could have been handled better and didnt help relations between the two "groups" but i think they did learn the errors of thier ways.

The bmw mini club i am involved in, in australia is the first in the world to get wordmark aproval from BMW germany so we can use the word "MINI" the logo and all that stuff and it not be an issue.. so i think it proves they have come around somewhat.. we approached it in the proper manner talked to the right people and had it all aproved.. we could have ignored the issue as most amateur organisations do, and just prayed the BMW laywers never bothered to try and enforced the usage of the name because at the end of the day they do rightfully own it... wether or not u agree with thier right to uphold and enforce it

Course they dont mind, ur driving their 'mini', i wonder if they'd approve classic mini clubs using the word mini in their names...

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Hybrid
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Iceberg - White Mini City

Again, I wasn't knocking the BMW mini, in fact I dont mind them as a bmw, I just dont think it should have been called the Mini....It would appear to have created a riff between the owners of new and old, a class distinction if you will. The newer, state of the art, up to date, classy mini and its owners on one hand and the old fashioned, out of date, obsolite, broken down wrecks of yesteryear minis and their owners....No offence to ANYONE intended....just an observation.

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go stop...go..stop..go. stop..go...stop...Damn malls are crowded

not agreed

what about the rover mini?
passed modern crash standards, they made them until 2000, and from 59-2000 they kept the same shape. So BMW had to make their own, more "city" style mini, which is bigger and basically not mini at all. I'm sure it's a great car to drive but at the end of the day it's an oxymoron being called a mini when it's bigger than a freakin barina..

G'day all,

There's nothing new to add to the debate, but here's my 2 cents worth. I currently own 4 classic Minis (2 Aus Clubman GT's, 1 Aus Clubman 1100, 1 UK Roundnose) and 1 BMW MINI Cooper. Why did I buy the Cooper? I simply fell in love wit hthem when they were released in 02. Thought the shape was fantastic, the finish excellent, the drive marvellous, but the performance seemed to be somewhat lacking (from taking a 15 min test drive whilst living in UK). Someone said that if the classic shape had been allowed to evolve naturally with updates every 7 or so years, the shape would be very close to what BMW have produced anyway. Must agree with that. We tend to forget that although some parts are from 'odd places'. it is still a British car from the drawings up, with I'm sure a lot of the old BL/Rover workforce. I do not know what the actual BMW involvement is apart from the name, but the car is a delight. Sooper mentioned earlier about the 'heritage' of other marques and their development. Look at a mid 70's Honda Civic (if you can find one!) and compare to today's Civic. It is much bigger! The way of the world.

Having owned my Cooper now for 9 months, my initial disappointment with the performance has gone - to be replaced by a mile wide grin. The secret - keep the revs up to and over 4000rpm and it is as lively as you want. The first time I floored it going round a 180ª motorway on ramp I couldn't believe it. It stuck like glue and went faster and faster - all the while keeping right where I was pointing it. No hint of wandering off to one side. They must give off a decent engine/exhaust note too (can't hear anything on the inside!) as people will turn and look when they hear you coming. They are very easy to take to 7000rpm without realising!

I am a Mini fan (my wife says fan-atic) and I appreciate both the classic and the new. It is difficult to compare them with the 40 odd year age gap, but IMHO, both are worthy of the name. If you need to be convinced, hire one for a weekend and drive, drive, drive. You will not be disappointed.

im gonna add my 2 cents back

and say that yes the civic is notably larger than the old civic. but it's not called a MINI! something called a mini should be.. mini. i mean seriously, they didnt make massive monster trucks before and now make small one's. the name is MINI so it should be mini, not the same size as a freakin corolla

anyway. im done