To a certain extent I agree with you, in every way the BINI is the largest car I have owned in 15 years of driving. That said, my very first car was a 1968 KE10 corolla (first corolla made). It was roughly the same dimensions as an original mini. Look at how that car has developed and progressed over 35 years. It is now about the same size as a BINI. Once upon a time, the corolla was the small car in the toyota range. 35 years later the small car in the toyota range is an echo.

Lets ignore the term "mini" and it's dictionary meaning of small and look at the car itself. The car, aside from being small, is a fun car to drive, has go cart handling, is loved by almost everyone and is unique. Most people who own them are fanatical about them and there is a fantastic community based around the car. It is exactly the same with the BINI. Only difference is it is larger in size and it is larger in price. The same basic elements are present with both cars.

Look at the size of the average family car in the 50's, 60's and 70's and compare the size of that to the mini. Today, the average family car that plagues our roads is a behemoth 4wd and compared to that - the BINI IS a small car, even minuature in comparision. Everything in this world has gotten bigger in the last 40 odd years.



Each to their own I guess and despite the shoddy build quality and the totally crap warranty and the BMW priced labour when something goes wrong, I adore my car. I have travelled 50000kms in 13 months in it - so my resale is total and utter crap but I don't care. I am having way too much fun.

There is no denying that some owners have spent the equivalent of a honda jazz restoring their minis and with that money they could have bought a couple of excels or barinas. It is all relative.



Sorry you are very wrong there. Our household has a rover (yeah I know, not a "real" mini either) and a BINI. The reaction from the kids is exactly the same when we are out in either. The reaction is overwhelming when we are out in both of them travelling together. The kids can recognise the greatness in both cars, BINI drivers can too. It is a real pity that mini drivers cannot cope with the concept.



Nope, it is just another modern car that ALSO happens to be fun and cool. I need a car that is reliable as a daily driver. Heck, you lot go for a run and only some of you turn up in your minis. The rest arrive in their daily drivers cause their mini's are off the road.

The time you all spend working on your cars, I spend driving and enjoying mine.

I have the best of both worlds here. An original mini is simply not practical for my job or my lifestyle - I spend too much time in my car to do without creature comforts like air conditioning and being able to drive through a big puddle without stalling. Does anyone else here have 50000kms of trouble free motoring in 13 months in their mini?

I prefer to see the BINI as a natural progression and evolution of what was once a very good idea. Sorry that you feel differently but at the end of the day it is YOU who is missing out by shunning us and taking issue with the fact that the car has taken on a modern face and market

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I agree with alot of that...



Umm..ONCE a good idea..watchit



Size wise park the two together and it is alot bigger than the old, check out the pick in the parliament cruise where the BINI couldn't make it down with the other mini's I believe it was bigger for a reason, people associate little cars as 'cheap' and the MINI is supposed to be a prestige brand. The other factor was that the BINI was also targeted largely for the US population who had enough trouble as it was taking to a car even as big(or small) as the BINI..

I do believe that model ranges have gone up in size, but in the 60's and 70's we also had these:


Go the big val's..

The commodore used to be the size of a camira once, but it's still grown into a large family car, i wouldn't call it huge though..

Now the arguement about kids, well, kids are kids, they don't know what they like

I like the new MINI in fact i would probably own one if i wasn't so in love with mine and i have other passions that take priority..



I like working on mine I love the fact that it teaches me new things and i can fix most things myself and learn from the experience



Agreed, the new MINI is ALMOST as much fun as the old Yes the mini can be unreliable, but it is a ~40 year old car..lets see a BINI in 40years time and check how they're going

On every run we do, there are only mini's when it's a cruise day, apart from those who don't have them finished..makka takes his commy usually those mini's who are broken don't come at all..just like to clear that up.. there is NO substitute



I'm young, so i guess i'm a little more tolerable to the quirkiness, smells, lack of air-con etc...but after a day or two without driving the thing, I can't wait to get back in it..it's that much fun, and i'm sure you feel the same with yours..

Now this puddle with out stalling business..pfft..I can do that anyday



From what you told me, the new one's havn't exactly taken to water like a duck either..something about the air intake being so low and screwing around with the intake sensor?

And I have no doubt that I could manage 50 000k's, i've done close.. 40 000k's in 12

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Starlet Conversion:
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Nice reply Josh



I don't expect my car to last any longer than the finance on it We are seeing less and less old cars on the roads (the average age of a car has dropped from 12 years to 6). That said, I am very pleased that there are some people out there willing to try and preseve history for the rest of us bogans to enjoy.

At the end of the day though, I am really glad that I am lucky enough to have a car that makes me smile just by looking at it. I am glad that your car does the same thing for you, cause that is what it is really all about.

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Thanks

Exactly right, your happy with your purchase and that's all it's about, not what anyone else thinks. Main thing is that we are car enthusiast's, I like all cars, I love driving in all it's forms, of anything, at a last resort i'd even like driving a FORD if i had nothing else (some things are obviously better than others ) I admire alot of car's i see on the road...

Some people don't get that, they drive around in their civic's or their volvo's (don't hate me) oblivious to the world around them..this I don't understand...

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Starlet Conversion:
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I am about to shock some people.

For a daily run about, I would rather have the BINI and keep my Morris for some illegal weekend fun . My only problem is the initial price tag, and the fact that BMW spare parts arent exactly cheap either. If I could trade my Mazda in on a NICE BINI for less than 13 grand, I would do it. (and upgrade heaps too, of course)

I dont like the base model BINI.... it looks far too bland. The BINI Cooper S has much better styling, but it comes at a price..... a price I am not willing to accept.

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[NATHAN] -- Sold everything mini related and am back in big beautiful BMWs

Hey guys, ive just read through this whole thread and found it an interesting read.

For those that dont know im a 15year old boy and get thrills when i see an mini driving around, i love the cars they seem great, so small compact, and like everyone says the go cart like handling looks great, the mini is a very unique car and that apeals to me very much so.

Its the same for me when i see a MINI or BINI driving around, i love that bmw have made a modern mini that to me still as the same great qualities as the originial mini's, the bmw minis are still a small compact and fun car that i would love to own.

I plan to when im older have and restore and old clasic mini that would only get used for special drives and mini club activites, i think i would get a great deal of pleasure out of striping a mini back to bare metal and building it up my self on the weekends.

HOWEVER a 40year old mini in my eyes isnt practical for everyday use, so i plan to get a MINI that i would use for everyday driving to and from work and just around the place.

In short i love both the original mini and the MINI and hope that i end up in such a financial position where i will be able to enjoy both of these terific cars.

Anyway thats just my 5(or50)cents worth

Thanks Topher

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~`Topher`~
15years old...but no mini yet

Ive had my new mini for about a year now and i get this happening all the time, as i work near 2 major schools...........it freaked me out to start with as most people normally gave me the middle finger followed by a heap of 4 letter words when i was driving my Toyota. Now i just get waves and kids smiling.
( Unless im overtaking a behemoth 4WD on the highway tring to break the land speed record, then it just goes back to the middle finger & 4 letter words)