well firstly thanks for posting something so balanced. Unlike some people you have obviously composed your post with some thought. I'll try to do the same.
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i think in the most part the camaraderie amongst old mini owners comes from the fact that they dont work well without some serious TLC and knowhow...
you may be right. I'd never really considered that. its true also that these days the New Mini out number the old greatly, so the old mini is a far more exclusinve club. you really can't be part of the old mini thing unless you love them, (with and because of all their little faults) whereas with the new one you can own and drive one without ever really being part of any community. That used to happen once of course with old minis. I can remember hospital car parks being full of them. nurses woud never wave though.
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the clubman v roundnose debate is just a wank...arguing for arguments sake...but i think with the new mini there is a fair bit of resistence to them coz:
a) they JUST work (as do most modern cars)
b) they are in more than one way (mostly not bad) not really in the spirit of the old mini...
well the spirit thing is debateable but i see where you're coming from.
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personally i dislike the new mini (bini) coz:
a) its too expensive for what it is
b) its a beamer with a chrysler engine
c) due to modern technology and crumple zones etc its a fair bit bigger than the original
d) as with most modern cars its not as tactile an experience as driving an older car
alot of these things are personal preference...i am not asking all people to follow these...but they are the reasons i wouldnt buy one
and there's is nothing wrong with not liking them. what a boring world it would be. what I have the problem with here is unintelligent responses like " mate, you're car sux. your car is an imposter. BINI crap" that sort of rubbish is offensive. Its ok to have an opinion, but its not ok to be offensive about it.
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as for my '66 deluxe (before i started the conversion) i cursed its name more times than i can remember when it just wouldnt work...i have been so pissed off at that car that its managed to worm its way into my heart and now i just love it
i just cant imagine a modern car being that way to anyone...perhaps i am wrong
No I don't think you're wrong. I love my modern car but for different reasons. oddly they are similar to the reasons I loved my first mini (which was 6 years old when i got it) but as the old mini gets older I can accept that love affairs will grow with the the pure obstinance of the little bastard to do the right thing. At the time I thought i hated that about my minis. In hindsight its probably what i loved the most about them.
minis do have a personality, and when they're a bit fickle its easier to get to know them. our cars (MINIS) have personality too, but they're different, and I accept that not everyone will recognise it.
the thing is that most of the people who, like you, don't like the new MINI, have the respect to still accept their owners as part of society. But i have seen people turn their backs on New MINI owners and refuse to talk to them simply because of their choice of car. So me, as an old mini owner and lover for over 20 years, am made to feel unwelcome in a community that i should be very much a part of because of the mindless xenophobic behaviour of a few people. It's dividing the mini community, and whether you like the car or not, the sooner the rest of you realise it and start stamping it out the better off we'll all be.
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anything is possible - if you don't know what you're talking about.
so pretty much every drive is an adventure...i remember every time i went for a drive and nothing broke (and also times when it did break) it was the stuff of legend...told and retold over beers with mates...you hate it when it breaks...but when it doesnt (and sometimes even when it does) you love it all the more...and you feel like you've triumphed over some great adversary...modern cars can be loved (this i will never dispute as it is invariably true) but i argue that its possibly not the same kinda love...
