Mini's are awesome!

vanpeebles said:
westy if you fancy a mini chat on msn just let me know :) and also i really wish ppl would try and resisit from spoiling mini posts. i dont go jumping in other threads about cars i dont like, i just keep away. you dont like em dolph fair enough. i dont like land rovers but i just keep away, no need to spoil it for everyone else :(
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I do try and stay out of Mini threads for that reason, but when people start on the "mini's are the best handling car...." line, it's simply not true. If everyone wants to sit their and pat each other on the back about how great certain things are, that's fine, but then if no-one puts the negative side across, how does that help potential buyers?
 
Jez said:
And they are all painfully slow too, i cannot see a single thing going for the mini whatsoever i honestly cant. Ive driven them and also driven 205 GTi's and other little old hotish hatchbacks, and i can safely say id never ever choose the mini over any of them.

And people talking about modified ones being fast, thats irrelavent.
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Why are they painfully slow 0-60 in 11 seconds is the cooper , yeah its not supercar teritory , but that isnt painful.
 
that wasnt what this thread was about though, it was westy having some fun. as for gez, how does a 205 gti compare to a 1.3 mini? 205 1.1i 14.5 seconds, found this figure for a 1.4 does it sound right tho? not sure
1.4i Rallye 1360cc 75bhp 107 11.6seconds
 
A diesel xantia can hit 60 in the same time as that. Personally i'd consider that painful, as did my friend who really wanted a mini until we realised how bad they were.

Dont even get me started on them when it comes to higher speeds. Wonder what the 60-120 time on them is....oh yeah they probably dont even go that fast.

I hate slating things, but the mini deserves it. It truely thouroughly disapointed me.
 
cableguy2003 said:
Why are they painfully slow 0-60 in 11 seconds is the cooper , yeah its not supercar teritory , but that isnt painful.
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Exactly, most normal small hatches and runabouts do it in that time, the mini was never marketed as a fast car so I see no reason for the painfuly slow comments.

The mini threads always end up like this, this is just a clone of the last 4 or so :p
 
vanpeebles said:
that wasnt what this thread was about though, it was westy having some fun. as for gez, how does a 205 gti compare to a 1.3 mini? 205 1.1i 14.5 seconds, found this figure for a 1.4 does it sound right tho? not sure
1.4i Rallye 1360cc 75bhp 107 11.6seconds
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Why are you comparing a bottom of the range 205 to the top of the range mini. People say the mini is fun, it just so isnt. try driving a better car and you'll forget all about the mini other than a classic novelty car. I can see their character, but as a serious car to actually drive? please
 
TheDome said:
I agree with most stuff you say Dolph but i deffo disagree here. The mini is a great handling machine. even more so when you take into consideration how old the design is.

The have all the right stuff to make a good handling car so there is no reason why they shouldnt.

Although you are 100% right about being underpowered (as standard) that cannot be argued.....as well as being rust buckets.
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I still disagree, but that's opinion. For me, the Mini is raved about for the same reasons the 306 is raved about, it flatters the driver and makes them feel involved, at low speeds that are road legal and makes things fun (I've never argued they weren't fun). However, handling is more than that. At high speeds, (and we're talking modified cars here as the stock ones don't do high speeds), the very short wheelbase makes reduces stability and so on. The mini does well on tight cornering courses, but there's more to handling than that, the ability to do both high and low speed stuff is important too, as is the way the car feels and whether that suits you as a driver.

The mini is good for what it is, but it is certainly not the be all and end all of handling, which is what some people in this thread seem to be trying to make out, nor will it outhandle modern cars like people claim it will, unless highly modified.

-Dolph
 
its quite sad really, why all these big regulars and mods have to coming flying in kicking and screaming. whats wrong with showing a bit respect and enjoying all kinds of cars. or enjoying seeing people enjoying their car. its just a small 1.3 car with that performance in mind. and ive never said its best handling car ever. but damn good and fun :)
 
Jez said:
People say the mini is fun, it just so isnt. try driving a better car and you'll forget all about the mini other than a classic novelty car. I can see their character, but as a serious car to actually drive? please
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You are a classic "I just don't get it :confused:"

There are millions of people who consider them fun, I have driven cars that are supposedly better. It isn't about how reliable it is, how fast it is, how it looks, how it handles etc :)

You are all just repeating the same thing that is always said, why bother?
 
Its the "damn good" part that i'd argue with. As they are not "damn good". They may be more fun than the run of the mill 1.1 and 1.4 versions of a lot of cars, but that isnt exactly something to be proud of.

I just cant take them seriously, i can see perfectly why people like them as they have huge novelty about them and look very nice, the pictures posted above show a lovely example to be proud of. But as a serious car, to actually drive around, i'd argue that they were pretty awful.
 
Well I could argue that an MR2 is a silly hairdressers car :D and see no reason why people would want to drive around in that all day.

If the mini was that crap people would not be paying top money for them, there is something very special about the car that drives people to this level of insanity! ;) A lot of mini owners just like classics in general, a mini is a good way to get into the classic scene.
 
wonder if you could put a hayabusa engine in one?
maybe when I get me a garage i will try it and find out.

Minis can be great fun, much more thrills for much less speed.
wanna have fun on the roads and keep your license? stick with a sub 100mph car that feels like a go kart.
maybe be a good idea to wear a crash helmet as they are a little fragile
 
part of the charm of the mini is that reason, u get old grannies driving them, young lads, mums etc and then you get extremes of spending too. some people spend 10s of thousands on them. its an important car because it also crossed class divisions. lords, MPs, film stars, pop stars, and ordinary ppl have all enjoyed minis which you cant really say about many other cars.
 
Its the novelty people like, and i can perfectly see why :) i am not in any way arguing the fact thet they have a lot of history and character to them. And that example above is a very nice one indeed.

As i said though, as a proper car to be taken seriously? I just cant see it.....

I am assuming the MR2 comment was a joke, as i am sure you can see why people buy MR2 GTS Turbo's. ;)
 
Was said:
wonder if you could put a hayabusa engine in one?
maybe when I get me a garage i will try it and find out.

Minis can be great fun, much more thrills for much less speed.
wanna have fun on the roads and keep your license? stick with a sub 100mph car that feels like a go kart.
maybe be a good idea to wear a crash helmet as they are a little fragile
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theres quite a few motorbike engines ones around! im sure there was a twin engine bike one too. ill have a look :)
 
vanpeebles said:
its quite sad really, why all these big regulars and mods have to coming flying in kicking and screaming. whats wrong with showing a bit respect and enjoying all kinds of cars. or enjoying seeing people enjoying their car. its just a small 1.3 car with that performance in mind. and ive never said its best handling car ever. but damn good and fun :)
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I actually find this post unnecessary, and bordering on offensive. It seems to be implying that because I'm a don, I'm no longer entitled to an opinion.

My status on the forums has no bearing on my opinions, and I wouldn't use that status to force those opinions onto anyone else.

I've never said they aren't fun. I'll argue that they aren't "damn good", but that's entirely different. And it wasn't you who gave the "Better than anything" impression incidentally.

If you start a thread about a subject, then that subject is open for discussion, especially as this thread was specifically a discussion thread, not a buying recommendations or a "look at my mini" thread. Discussion invites both the good and the bad comments on a subject.

-Dolph
 
Reading my posts back, i am being rather harsh towards the mini here and i can see people getting annoyed. Think i'll duck out now as ive made my feelings about them quite clear already :)
 
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