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Howdy everyone! Some of you may remember several months ago when I posted a poll asking for the best option to pursue in terms of a fuel-efficient vehicle. After much gnashing of teeth and weighing in your opinions, I concluded that a Toyota Corolla was most likely the best fit for my budget and lifestyle---it's basically a more luxurious and prettier version of my current Ford Contour.
However, I can't help but wonder if I shouldn't just splurge and purchase a different vehicle that's been haunting me lately in the local classifieds of a Wilkes-Barre newspaper. It is a 2004 Mini Cooper with a price of around $15,000 (similarly priced to a 2004 Corolla). As if on cue, the color is blue, which would have been my top choice for a car. One of the major drawbacks to it is that it's a stick-shift, and I have no interest in learning to drive a stick due to my constant rush-hour city driving. Are all Mini Coopers stick shifts, and if not, how much of a premium might I expect to pay for the luxury of an automatic transmission?
I think tooling around the streets of Downtown Scranton in the summer in a blue Mini Cooper convertible blasting "Sexy Back" might be a good way to land myself a few glances from prospective dates (being the nerdy white guy that I am), and after a huge pay raise at work I'm finally making enough money to afford a new vehicle. I know the Corolla would be more practical for my commuting needs, but at a time when a lof of my friends are driving around in head-turning vehicles, I can't help but want to jump in on the bandwagon and upstage them with such a cool little car!
Does anybody currently own one of these vehicles? If so, what do you think of the Mini Cooper? How does it handle in inclement weather (Scranton's a very snowy city). How is the fuel efficiency? Do you feel "intimidated" by Hummer drivers? Do people think you're "cool" for driving one, or that you're a "fool?"
I might even consider getting it all bedecked in a fashion similar to that of Austin Powers! "I LOST MY MOJO!" LOL!
Now yes it is a government web site, but that's really the best I can do. Since I don't own one. As for a stick shift, they aren't hard to drive smash the clutch change gears, then release the clutch slowly and give it gas at the same time. I like standards!
They get better gas mileage as well, because autotragics add more weight.(Hence you can get an auto, but it normally adds quite a bit more in the cost and from the ones I see people don't want auto coopers)
I have an auto and I don't want it. I'm looking for a 5 speed but they cost more now with higher gas prices. But since I'm going for my motorcycle endorsement I'll only be stuck for a bit longer in cars.
As for how others look at you in it. Who cares what others think of you while you're driving it. It's how you feel in it. I drive a POS and people look at me like, "Ugh what a piece of crap!" Well good for it. It gets me to point b and back to point a safely.
Seriously, the first time you're out on 81 in the winter time and a truck goes by, you're gonna wind up in the Poconos! Not to mention all the deer down around there.
I didn't vote, because i'm really mixed on those things. I mean, they're cute (which is, i'm sure, exactly what you were looking for!! NOT!!), but they're way too small. I couldn't handle driving something that small.
Now yes it is a government web site, but that's really the best I can do. Since I don't own one.
Thanks for the helpful link! With fuel prices edging closer to $3.00/gallon in my neck of the woods, I simply need to find something that won't bankrupt me at the pumps anymore. The sedan I have right now gets me from Point A to Point B, but I log nearly 300 miles per week on it between my home in the 'burbs and class and work in the city. I spend $35/week on fuel alone, which amounts to nearly $2,000 annually! Driving in heavy traffic much of the time with "stop-and-go" driving doesn't help matters much for me either in terms of fuel-efficiency, which is also why a stick shift doesn't appeal to me I'll be getting carpal-tunnel from jerking my wrist around so much like a maniac (I meant from the shifting. Get your minds out of the gutter! LOL!)
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Originally Posted by Ronzou
As for a stick shift, they aren't hard to drive smash the clutch change gears, then release the clutch slowly and give it gas at the same time. I like standards!
I know they're not too difficult to drive. My friend's ex-boyfriend is a pretty talented auto mechanic, and he taught my friend, who isn't that great of a driver, how to drive a stick in no time! He'd probably be more than happy to teach me as well. I'm just the type who likes to "space out" and "chill out" a bit while driving, since I'm behind the wheel an average of an hour per day. I like to rest my one arm on the armrest while slouching down in the seat a bit, and having to "think" ahead about changing gears in heavy traffic isn't my personal cup of tea.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronzou
They get better gas mileage as well, because autotragics add more weight.(Hence you can get an auto, but it normally adds quite a bit more in the cost and from the ones I see people don't want auto coopers)
The benefit of a stick vs. auto in rush-hour traffic would probably be minimized though. However, if a lot of people "don't want automatic transmissions in their Mini Coopers", then demand for them should be lower and prices on the autos vs. the sticks should be lower as well to entice more people to buy them, right?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronzou
I have an auto and I don't want it. I'm looking for a 5 speed but they cost more now with higher gas prices. But since I'm going for my motorcycle endorsement I'll only be stuck for a bit longer in cars.
You're very brave to want a motorcycle with all of the idiots on the roadways today! More power to you though!
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Originally Posted by Ronzou
As for how others look at you in it. Who cares what others think of you while you're driving it. It's how you feel in it. I drive a POS and people look at me like, "Ugh what a piece of crap!" Well good for it. It gets me to point b and back to point a safely.
I wish I felt the same way you did. I was bullied a lot growing up, and I'm now at a point in life where I feel like I have to keep on "proving myself" and upstaging those who thought I couldn't do anything with my life. I think driving a trendy, hip car might be a good start (especially if I could think of a cool vanity license plate for it!). As much as people like to say that bullying is just a "normal part of growing up," I think it truly does scar some people for a lifetime of feeling as if they need to better themselves in any way they can. For me, this includes upgrading my ride.
Seriously, the first time you're out on 81 in the winter time and a truck goes by, you're gonna wind up in the Poconos! Not to mention all the deer down around there.
I didn't vote, because i'm really mixed on those things. I mean, they're cute (which is, i'm sure, exactly what you were looking for!! NOT!!), but they're way too small. I couldn't handle driving something that small.
The small size doesn't faze me at all. I'm a tried-and-true CAR driver (I hate SUVs), and I think a run-in with a tractor-trailer wouldn't be pretty whether I was driving a Mini-Cooper or my Contour. For example, some hippie in a Jeep Grand Cherokee on a cell phone plowed into my rear-end while I was stopped at a red light at the end of an I-81 offramp last summer, giving me a mild case of whiplash and causing $3,000 in damages to my sedan (nearly totalled it!) I figure if I'm going to die in a car accident, I'll probably die in either a Mini Cooper or a Contour. In this sense, I'd rather die in the "cuter" car.
Even the snow isn't worrying me much. I was out and about during the onset of the Valentine's Day blizzard commuting home from work and weathered the conditions just fine with my Contour (except for the steep hill to get into my driveway). I kept it slow, put on my hazard lights, and prayed to God that there weren't any more Jeep-driving hippies on cell phones looking to rear-end me! Granted I couldn't leave the house then for several days, but neither could my mother, and she drives an SUV!
Mini Coopers aren't my taste but if you like them then follow your heart. I drive a large, imposing, gas-guzzling Yukon Denali and eat Mini Cooper's for brunch (not a breakfast person). But if it's your style, then that's all that matters.
As far as the manual vs auto debate...
I WILL NOT drive my stick-shift Porsche in Phoenix traffic. It's an absolute nightmare and usually I don't mind heavy traffic. But when you need to think of shifting every few minutes, it can get very annoying very fast. I wouldn't advice buying a stick if you'll be driving in heavy traffic often. Then again some of my friends have cars with sticks and they drive them every day to work. Diff. strokes for diff. folks...
Thanks for the helpful link! With fuel prices edging closer to $3.00/gallon in my neck of the woods, I simply need to find something that won't bankrupt me at the pumps anymore. The sedan I have right now gets me from Point A to Point B, but I log nearly 300 miles per week on it between my home in the 'burbs and class and work in the city. I spend $35/week on fuel alone, which amounts to nearly $2,000 annually! Driving in heavy traffic much of the time with "stop-and-go" driving doesn't help matters much for me either in terms of fuel-efficiency, which is also why a stick shift doesn't appeal to me I'll be getting carpal-tunnel from jerking my wrist around so much like a maniac (I meant from the shifting. Get your minds out of the gutter! LOL!)
If you really want fuel efficiency get ones of them Geo Metros. Man those things were AWESOME on gas... Until Sh*tvy bought them out and turned them into garbage. (I'm gonna hear it on that one ) (And if you use your wrist that much in other activities wowzerz! :P)
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I know they're not too difficult to drive. My friend's ex-boyfriend is a pretty talented auto mechanic, and he taught my friend, who isn't that great of a driver, how to drive a stick in no time! He'd probably be more than happy to teach me as well. I'm just the type who likes to "space out" and "chill out" a bit while driving, since I'm behind the wheel an average of an hour per day. I like to rest my one arm on the armrest while slouching down in the seat a bit, and having to "think" ahead about changing gears in heavy traffic isn't my personal cup of tea.
I know what you mean here. That's why I like an auto, I change a cd, look around do something else. Like... Not drive... Because my car has auto-pilot... I mean cruise control... With how people drive here you'd think it's the same thing. Oh it's okay I have cruise control.. Yes... But it doesn't drive you as well! GET YOUR HANDS BACK ON THAT STEERING WHEEL!
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The benefit of a stick vs. auto in rush-hour traffic would probably be minimized though. However, if a lot of people "don't want automatic transmissions in their Mini Coopers", then demand for them should be lower and prices on the autos vs. the sticks should be lower as well to entice more people to buy them, right?
HAHA!!! That's a good one. No, not ever. You want an auto they will charge you more because they cost more to produce, and they weight more so you pay by the pound... (Not really but I think you really do sometimes :P)
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You're very brave to want a motorcycle with all of the idiots on the roadways today! More power to you though!
Why thank you young sir! :P I just have to hope I never get hit, or anyone hits me. That's all I can ever do, even when driving a car.
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I wish I felt the same way you did. I was bullied a lot growing up, and I'm now at a point in life where I feel like I have to keep on "proving myself" and upstaging those who thought I couldn't do anything with my life. I think driving a trendy, hip car might be a good start (especially if I could think of a cool vanity license plate for it!). As much as people like to say that bullying is just a "normal part of growing up," I think it truly does scar some people for a lifetime of feeling as if they need to better themselves in any way they can. For me, this includes upgrading my ride.
So was I. I was 300+ pounds growing up. So I know what it's like to be bullied, didn't help that my skin was bad as well. For a Cooper they are very nice cars, you get that British racing green. Put a nice Jensen stereo in it, with some nice Cliff Design 2000 Watt Subs, besides the fact that you need some new shocks/struts, it would be pretty pimped out. As for your plate, how about a nice one that says "Bite Me" :P
The small size doesn't faze me at all. I'm a tried-and-true CAR driver (I hate SUVs), and I think a run-in with a tractor-trailer wouldn't be pretty whether I was driving a Mini-Cooper or my Contour. For example, some hippie in a Jeep Grand Cherokee on a cell phone plowed into my rear-end while I was stopped at a red light at the end of an I-81 offramp last summer, giving me a mild case of whiplash and causing $3,000 in damages to my sedan (nearly totalled it!) I figure if I'm going to die in a car accident, I'll probably die in either a Mini Cooper or a Contour. In this sense, I'd rather die in the "cuter" car.
Even the snow isn't worrying me much. I was out and about during the onset of the Valentine's Day blizzard commuting home from work and weathered the conditions just fine with my Contour (except for the steep hill to get into my driveway). I kept it slow, put on my hazard lights, and prayed to God that there weren't any more Jeep-driving hippies on cell phones looking to rear-end me! Granted I couldn't leave the house then for several days, but neither could my mother, and she drives an SUV!
I'm one of those country people that need a big-**** pickup truck! Yeah, so what do I drive? A chrysler sebring! But a truck is on my hitlist after I get my motorcycle. Which won't be for a while because Bob's Cycle Shop burned down a couple of days ago.
Well, it sounds like you're pretty comfortable with it, so i'd say go for it!
And going completely off this topic, did you ever get to Bingo to take those pix that you were going to take?
Seriously, the first time you're out on 81 in the winter time and a truck goes by, you're gonna wind up in the Poconos! Not to mention all the deer down around there.
I didn't vote, because i'm really mixed on those things. I mean, they're cute (which is, i'm sure, exactly what you were looking for!! NOT!!), but they're way too small. I couldn't handle driving something that small.
I agree. I'm not big on little cars myself...in fact I don't like cars altogether (for me to drive that is), which is probably the reason I drive a big-a$$ truck....I cringe everytime I pass a tiny car like that on the highways! Especially the very tiny ones, like the min-cooper that come up to about the top of my wheel...ARG!! I'm cringing now!!! They make me nervous! I will admit they are VERY cute looking, but I'm sorry...I'd rather pay the $70 for a tank of gas.... Not to say I've never owned a car...have owned lots...especially loved the little 5 speeds...but after moving to the country...everything changed, not to mention all the MVA's I've seen and attended to involving car vs truck/semi. ARG!! Cringing again!!
Even though I love the Mini Coopers, I'd get a hybrid, like a Prius. I really like those and they get 60/51 mpg. Save the planet instead of looking cool. It's an idea. I think about trading my Lexus for a Prius, just haven't done it yet.
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Are all Mini Coopers stick shifts, and if not, how much of a premium might I expect to pay for the luxury of an automatic transmission? 
LOL! 
Driving in heavy traffic much of the time with "stop-and-go" driving doesn't help matters much for me either in terms of fuel-efficiency, which is also why a stick shift doesn't appeal to me I'll be getting carpal-tunnel from jerking my wrist around so much like a maniac (I meant from the shifting. Get your minds out of the gutter! LOL!) 
Oh gosh, you like making me read don't you!
