52% intelligent. 9% modest. More monkey than bear.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

gives shitty mileage but come on let's get inside....



I mentioned the other day how I was thinking of buying a Mini. This naturally prompted a little bit of debate about how:

1) The Mini is a girl's car

and

2) Even if it was a man's car, is it really a tall man's car?

Well, I'm still thinking about it.



The Mini Mark II was released in the UK at the weekend, and I took one for a test drive. This time around, I made sure we took the camera, so you can see for yourself whether or not I look absolutely ridiculous.




Now, I know that the Mini is a small car - and anyone sitting behind me has definitely drawn the short straw - but in terms of the driving position itself, this car is at least as roomy as my Ford Focus.

It's a nice little car, and I'm sorely tempted.

What do you reckon? A Mini Cooper in British Racing Green with a white roof and two white bonnet stripes?

I think I just might.....

posted by swisslet @ 20:28  

15 Comments:

  • At 8:50 pm, Blogger swisslet said…

    I should put a reference picture up of me in my current car - I swear I don't look any bigger in the mini.

     

  • At 9:22 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I honestly don't think you look silly in the mini. Me, i love the new mini's and understand the attraction.

    hehe, my word verification starts with 'hug'. Awwwwww!

     

  • At 10:16 pm, Blogger Martin said…

    I almost bought a new mini having been the eleventh owner of my first car, obviously an old mini which is still my most treasured vehicle. Walkers Cheese & Onion crisp packet blue and a mobile coffin, frankly.

    I chose not to buy one because I didn't think it would live up to the memory of 'Max' (blue mini - Max the Blue Meanie out of Yellow Submarine; you had to be there). However, either version's still one of the coolest cars on the planet and I think you should get one. With stripes, and British Racing Green if possible.

    When I get to the age where I think I should buy an old car 'as a project' I think you know where I'm headed.

    (At this point I really should think about posting to my own blog instead of writing essays in comments).

     

  • At 10:24 pm, Blogger Mark said…

    The sold school Mini is in fact, like sitting inside a crisp packet with wheels.

     

  • At 11:00 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I am getting a mini...when I get a paycheck. So you should get one soon if you don't want to be a copycat :)

     

  • At 11:40 pm, Blogger Pynchon said…

    The mini is the car featured in "The Italian Job" and as such is beyond cool. You must buy one with a Union Jack on the roof.

    You know it makes sense.

     

  • At 1:09 am, Blogger Martin said…

    No! No no no!

    Apologies Pynchon, but buying a mini with a Union Jack on the roof says 'Look at me! I've seen The Italian Job and spent several thousands to prove how cool I think owning a mini is!'

    No. Racing Green is the future, but it probably costs shitloads.

     

  • At 4:04 am, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I say go with the Mini as long as you can live with the interior.

    Its a great car that I have considered many times, and the only thing that has stopped me is interior....its not that its 'gilrly' (its not, and I wouldn't care anyway), but its just a bit too 'rounded' and 'bubbly'

    If the budget stretches, then get the Cooper S with the manly air intake in the bonnet and the twin pipes out the middle in the back. YOu are after all getting it in British RACING green right?

    Des

     

  • At 4:52 am, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I'm anti mini, but its strickly from a lot of US aspects.

    When you live in the SUV crazy country, I wouldn't put myself in something that small. In the UK or Europe... not a problem.

    Also, they are known to not be too reliable, and cost a fortune to get fixed. That might not be a problem in the UK though, as sometimes different sources of the cars makes a differance, as does part shipments, etc.

    I'd look into reliability and repair costs though.

     

  • At 5:29 am, Blogger Aravis said…

    In my corner of the US they're really popular and people- men and women- are on waiting lists to get them. I say, go for it.

     

  • At 10:37 am, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    May I suggest a more planet friendly car?

     

  • At 11:02 am, Blogger swisslet said…

    anon - of course. What do you suggest?

     

  • At 11:08 am, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Only problem is it doesn't look fab but compared to the Ford Focus, it's pretty similar, the Toyota Prius?
    Even Larry David has one.

     

  • At 2:09 am, Blogger monogodo said…

    Other than looking strange to me because you're on the right side of the car instead of the left, you look fine in it.

     

  • At 6:34 am, Blogger Stef said…

    Yeah, it don't look 'arf bad mate.

    You've got to go for the Cooper S though. The One is a bit lame.

    "As for genderising machinery and using 'girly' to refer to a second class vehicle unworthy of Proper Male Drivers: words fail me"
    Lizzy, I would totally agree with you if that was the argument people were making. For example when people say something is "gay" when they mean lame or crap.

    Saying a car is girly is in no way an indication that they are judged to be second rate. If anything it's more of an indictment of shallow male egos that practicality and style are often sacrificed for something as nebulous and, frankly, as useless as performance.

    Labelling something as 'girly' can and often is used in the way you describe but not always. I've described cars as 'blokey' before and that rarely had any bearing on whether it was good or not just colour/style/money spent on making it go growl...

    Meh.

     

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