51 replies to this topic

[racingbob]

one guy said we had a 998 put twin carbs on couldn't stop the wheels spinning. I just kept my mouth shut

[M J W J]

"I would finish it and drive that instead of your Honda, if I was you"- easier said that done when its just a rolling shell.

 

One I hear about my daily drive civic (usually from the guys at work), " You earn more than we do Jonesy (what I get called at work), why don't you buy a better car".

 

Unlike most of the lads I work with, I have a mortgage and I have no desire to pour £500 or so a month into a car in the form of payments when my journey to and from work takes less than 30 minutes in total. I bought my civic outright for less than one months payment one guy has to make on his 1 litre ecoboost fiesta and he has to share it with is wife so doesn't get to use it half the week. I've spent less in repair work one my car compared to him as well.

[Ben_O]

Not my car or out and about but at work whilst restoring Mini's in my workshop, I often get customers visiting the main garage for MOT's servicing and repairs and often get older customers standing in the doorway to my workshop smiling until they get my attention.

 

Then I get the usual 'I used to have one of those' Like has been siad, most people that say they had one say it was a Cooper S.

 

I always get questions about how much they are worth now or how much this one is costing the customer to have restored. They are always surprised when I tell them thousands.

 

Yesterday, we had a young lady come into the office with her toddler son to collect her modern eurobox which had been serviced and on their way out of the door, I heard the child say 'what's that car mummy' (I assume pointing at the 69 Cooper S I restored recently) She just replied ' I don't know, a really old car'

She must have been in her mid 20's and I was surprised she didn't recognize it as a mini but then again, I have had various conversations about the classic Mini to people and they tell me that so and so has now bought a Mini with comments about how good they are and why do I restore them as they aren't that old etc.

Obviously talking about BINI...

[Mini-dude]

I normally get:
Can i drive it? That easy, i say hell no most of the time since they ask with bad attitude.

Why so small? I normally answer that with, i like small car, they are more fun to me, why do you like big cars?

Where is the engine? In the rear

How do you find tires so small? I normally buy them online

Why don't you get a real man's car like a truck? I answer with i hate big truck and have no use for them as a normal everyday car.

Can I take photos of it? Sure

what the hell is it? It's a 1992 honda beat

I may have forgotten some questions but that normally what I get when I drive my beat.

[happydude2012]

we have alot of Gypsies in a particular town in worcestershire, i had one ask me, "Thats a nice car - can i borrow it for a week"...ol yeah like id ever see it again.

A 10 year old gypsy kid offered to fight me for it, he lowered his price to a quid after i laughed and said no, bless him......although i half thought, despite being a former British kickboxing champion, that he might knock me out - its the smaller ones you have to look out for.

[M J W J]

One I've been asked before.

"What do you drive?"

Me "a Mini"

"Oh cool. What type? Cooper S, Cooper D, Countryman, One, etc"

Me "... Err, City E"

"I've never heard of that model before"

Another I've often had when people have seen my City E.

"I used to have a Mini Cooper just like yours"

Me "It's not a Cooper"

"What do you mean?" (surprising when someone supposedly had one)

[1984mini25]

Some recent ones.

 

"is it for sale?", Not at the moment.

 

"have you owned it for long?" and then a surprised look with the reply of, "yes getting on for 14 years now".

 

"that's nice, who'd you get the work/servicing etc. done by?", And another surprised look/disbelief of, "no one, I've done/do it all myself".