Just wondering how many of you guy's and girls are members of a car
club and what you do like and dont like that your club does

I'm with Mini Owners Club of Queensland.

Pros: everyone is helpful and friendly, club mag is excellent, put on shows like the muster and recently the mini only swap at the clem jones centre, heaps of runs and the people - they are the ones who make the club great.

Cons: If I did have to pick at something - if the club was more into track / drag racing / dyno days but I can't complain too much - I think its an excellent club.

What club are you a member of Roundie?

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"In two years time your car will be like a lady's clothes, out of date, my car will still be in fashion when I am dead" - Sir Alec speaking to Pininfarina

Same mini owners club

yep I am a member as well - although not active as I haven't yet got a mini - been looking (and drooling) for 5 years while the kids grow up and I save some moola. However the mag is excellent, shows are well done and runs seem to be fun (although haven't been on one yet). I hope to get on a few runs this year when my car is received and belts put in the back.

It seems there are few people in the organising of events and these probably aren't interested in racing type events which means that these types of events won't get going unless some volunteers get into it.

Pete

You have hit the nail on the head
these sorts of outings have been mentioned at the monthly
meetings but because ther is not enough members present
at the meetings that are interrested in those sort of events
i gets sqaushed and doesn,t go any further them being mentioned

The club has over 500 members
but only about 35-45 people turn up to the meetings
the other thing too is that it is hard to run those sort of things
when members aren't interrested in put their hand up to help out
on the day. The Muster is a perfect example

My 2c

All clubs are the same, ony a limited few will do the work while the others will sit back and say, well i paid my membership, give me more. This is true with almost all volunteer based clubs, not just car clubs. Only way to get a club to do what you want is do it yourself.

Cheers
Aaron

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Unfortunately I have experienced the "Your car isn't a Cooper S? Well then you are scum" attitude all too often.

I would sooner join a modified car club before I joined a "mini centric" club.

My boss is the treasurer of the Caboolture Modified Car Club so I am thinking of joining them when the car is complete.

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But he's thriving and striving and hugging the turns.

I know where you're coming from JC , I was in the QMCC (or was it MCCQ , can't remember now) and then several years later the QMOC , the snobbery from the QMCC over the sports850 was amazing , obviously I had invented it myself to try and be a cooper s .... The QMOC was better (sports850's were a little better known by then) but there was still the snobbery because I wasn't a Brisbane based member , despite towing a member who'd done a headgasket 30 odd k's with the moke to my house and then waiting and towing it onto the truck they bought and then getting a snide comment in the mag about winning a raffle on the day and being "not one of us" even though I was a financial member .

Clubs are a difficult thing to get to run smoothly as you have a core who do all the work and a large membership base who a small proportion seem to live just to complain about what isn't being done but won't do it themselves . I spent several years organising runs and the like with the northern rivers mini group but we were never an organised club , though the factions and arguments were still there ....

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My car is definately not an S, and having been involved with the MOCQ for about 4 or 5 years now, found them all to be friendly and helpful. Occasionally you will get the snobby attitude like; "that bracket came from the factory painted in silver birch metallic, not silver birch mat"

But this is rare and often not from club members, just self appointed experts. You get them everywhere apparantly.

The toowoomba group in particular is always welcoming and most of them just love the cars, whether it is a beaten up deluxe, an 'ordinary' clubman or whatever.

The way to change an attitude like that above, is to ignore it, make it mean nothing to you and those important to you, the power of it will fade.

By not being in a club because of it, it will continue. You need you and more like you to join up, participate and show the snobs (rare but loud) what minis are really about. Thereby change is made.

Me, I think Cooper S's are all too common Everyone I met when I'm out with the mini "used to own a cooper s" when they were younger. No one remembers owning a deluxe so I figure they must be a lot rarer!!

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68 Deluxe.... it's shiny..... I like shiny!!

Its stange that the mini is the most barstardised car in history but if you go and put different brakes, wheels or a different engine in it the MOCQ don't like it. It is a rediculous statement to say its "only a few". The club knows there is that element and if the CLUB is not discouraging it, they in encouraging it!!!!

I don't see how me joining the club to hear "it's not a mini anymore" will change the opinions of a few jackasses. I have no desire to waste my time trying to convince a fool he's ignorant.

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But he's thriving and striving and hugging the turns.

A club is only as good as the sum of it's members. Yes I am aware of a FEW members who are hoity toity about 'originality' (when the mini was made as a blank canvas, and in my opinion never meant to be left bare!)

But if we ignore them, (not try and convince stupid people of their ignorance, that is a waste of time ) their opinions don't matter and they gradually fade away. The more of us there are that ignore them, the easier it is for common sense and a reasonable frame of mind to prevail.

I have found the majority of people I have spoken to in the club share a passion for the mini in all it's forms, roundnose, clubbie, rover, BMW, hybrid, original, and modified.

Those who don't, well, they can get F@%$#^d. Simple.

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68 Deluxe.... it's shiny..... I like shiny!!

I like that kind of diplomacy.

If not for the fact I have isolated myself by doing an engine conversion I would join just to get Shane (Roundie) off my back!

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But he's thriving and striving and hugging the turns.

Hey what is all this crap about this Club. I don't find them prejudice about Minis not being Cooper S. Most of you know that the Mini I drive is no where near a standard car. It is probably the greatest Mongrel in the history of Minis. My wife and I enjoy the club and it's members and all seem to enjoy our company too. The runs and functions and fund raising events organised by this club are always enjoyable . The only thing I hate about it is that I always get a great tan (or sun burn rather) when we go on runs in MINNIE ! I recon every one who owns a Mini of any sort should join I am sure we will over balance the snobs if there are any. Like lleyton Hewitt says...COME ON...

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DID I MENTION THAT I AM THE BEST SUPPLIER FOR MINI ELECTRICAL PARTS AND REPAIRS?
"Let us remove your "SHORTS"

Tony & Viv, never realized who you were (on ausmini) until you mentioned MINNIE!

Congrats on being club persons of the year!

I don't think there is any predjudice in the club - I feel as long as you have the Mini passion (lets face it, if you join a club, of course you have that passion!) you will be accepted. I feel totally accepted by fellow club members even though I'm not the most involved member there is and only get along to a few runs/days a year.

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"In two years time your car will be like a lady's clothes, out of date, my car will still be in fashion when I am dead" - Sir Alec speaking to Pininfarina

I'll give it a shot when mine is going.

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But he's thriving and striving and hugging the turns.