my new daily driver

[RobM]

as some of you know i was on the quest for a daily driver, i was looking into a 350z but i decided it wasn’t for me.



so i picked up a mini cooper S and I haven’t regretted that choice since! This is one of the most fun cars i have ever driven. and the aftermarket support and performance potential is huge! plus it gets 30 mpg...

[indyjps]

whats the mileage? Is the interior cramped? I always meant to go test drive one but never spent the time to do it.

[dws1216]

well almost. I was 122k short. I thought I should share the pics.

[steemin]

I agree that the Mini's are cool cars.
However I would be scared to drive something that small
I guess its like riding a bike.
One has to rely on reflexes and the nimbleness of the ride..
Scott

[BA.]

...did you just say "the performance potential is huge" when referring to the Mini?????

[Young Gun]

...did you just say "the performance potential is huge" when referring to the Mini?????

they are...they have huge aftermarket support from the factory, and more individual shops are starting to work with them...

they need to make the mini AWD...that thing would wreck in some of those ralley races...my friend has a copperS and i tried as hard as i could but coulding make it spin out...that thing sticks to the ground and is hella fun!

[RobM]

verrrryyy funny BA.

its ok I’m prepared to take some crap for this car.

the interior is actually very spacious for the size of the vehicle. In fact the premise of the original mini was the fact that 80% of its floor pan was useable passenger room hence the pioneering of its front wheel drive layout.

I’m collecting parts to make this thing put out well over 200 hp which equates to 0-60 times in the low 6 second range.

Im hoping to build a daily driver that will do very well with auto cross and some ocassional track days.


the car has a bit too much under steer for my taste from the factory, but a beefier rear sway bar will remedy this. This is just designed into the most FWD cars so average drivers on the street wont get into trouble.

i feel safer in this car with its 6 air bags then i do when i drive my caged camaro with no helmet. If you live life scared then you wont get any thing done

[MrQuick]

yeah them mini's are nothing to scuff at...we had one at a track day and it was keeping up quite well with the vettes...in the turns that is.

As far as leg room its is quite spacious, plenty of room for you and your husband.... LOL ok, just kidding, no more crap from me. 30mpg and fun to drive. I'd take that.

[Smock67]

I'd rock a mini and day of the week. I had a friend that completely redid the entire car, blueprinted balanced and stroked engine with a gt45 turbo he was pushing around 450. That car was a beast granted he didn't get the 30mpg though hmmmm.

[uwntsumrtII]

my dad has the Cooper S. fun little car. and they do surprisingly well in bad weather.

[6'9"Witha69]

Hell, even I fit in one. Not my idea of safe though.

[Damn True]

Cool car. They are quite roomy for passengers at least, not so much for packing anything along with you. The little buggars are an absolute gas to drive. Get great mpg and aren't "chick cars".

Trying to talk my wife into one to replace her pair of Toyota P.O.S's

[trapin]

They're little. A guy my size would look like Shrek in a golf cart trying to drive one of those things.

We have a guy here that has an original one that he compelely restored.

[Damn True]

They're little. A guy my size would look like Shrek in a golf cart trying to drive that thing.

Ever driven one? I thought the same thing too until I piled into a friends one night and he let me drive it from Ashville NC to Knoxville TN with 4 not small adult males in it.

[gmjj13]

my wife just got a new cooper "S" a couple months ago. she loves it. its a blast to drive in the curves, it sticks great to the road. its the first car that my wife really loves to drive. before it was just about getting from here to there. now she takes the long way to get where she's going. she's a lot more understanding now when i want to spend money on my car

what color MINI did you get?

[Tony_SS]

I always liked them. Plus you can't beat 30mpg nowadays.

[trapin]

Ever driven one? I thought the same thing too until I piled into a friends one night and he let me drive it from Ashville NC to Knoxville TN with 4 not small adult males in it.

I was in Adam's once (the guy that owns the original). I think it's a '63 or something. I was pretty cramped in there. Maybe the new ones have better packaging. I used to be able to drive every car on the market once a year at the competitive drive reviews out at the proving grounds, but since I moved from packaging to surface development I don't get to go anymore. Sucks. I'm pretty sure they have these out there too.

[StRacerDuke]

as some of you know i was on the quest for a daily driver, i was looking into a 350z but i decided it wasn’t for me.

so i picked up a mini cooper S and I haven’t regretted that choice since! This is one of the most fun cars i have ever driven. and the aftermarket support and performance potential is huge! plus it gets 30 mpg...

Cool car, good choice. I've always wanted to gut one and put Subi WRZ motor, trans, & suspension unter one. Put it on a little diet + 400hp and all wheel drive and you would have one hellova daily driver. I bet you would still get mid 20MPG too!

[StRacerDuke]

well almost. I was 122k short. I thought I should share the pics.

Ummm, what?

[Damn True]

I was in Adam's once (the guy that owns the original). I think it's a '63 or something. I was pretty cramped in there. Maybe the new ones have better packaging. I used to be able to drive every car on the market once a year at the competitive drive reviews out at the proving grounds, but since I moved from packaging to surface development I don't get to go anymore. Sucks. I'm pretty sure they have these out there too.

The old ones are muuuuuuuuuuuch smaller. Go check one out. They are pretty damn cool. No worries, we wont tell Lutz.