107 replies to this topic

[SA MINI]

I own a mini , landrover , focus and live in the Cambridgeshire area.

I never have any issues driving the landrover or focus but in the mini ......

My god it's awful & getting worse!

Constant tailgating whilst going the correct speed limit,

Even had a few cars swaying whilst tailgating

Some drivers, usually the in a hurry to get home to watch neighbours and home & away people. (Normally drive bmw or audi's)
Are so desperate to actually overtake you just to continue on in front at the same speed you were doing anyway ?...

I've seen a rapid growth of women drivers doing this as well now .

Drives me so mad I've not touched the mini for months now

[1340RT]

I always find people assume you are alot slower than normal cars when driving a mini. My pet hate with this is people who pull out on you in crossroads thinking they have time until your on top of them, could always count on this happening atleast once a day

[Cooperman]

A rather strange thread this. I can't say I have noticed any aggression towards the Mini or any other classic car I drive. Most drivers seem to accept that the Mini is an old car with reduced performance and that it is also an icon to English enthusiasts. If you are driving a slower classic, then just be sure that you obstruct quicker modern traffic as little as possible.

If driving, say, an 850 Mini at c.50 mph on a main road, then why not pull over every so often to give those following a chance to overtake. In general, however, most traffic flows at no more than 55 to 60 on main roads these days anyway, and any Mini will keep up with this.

The normal reaction to classic cars from drivers of moderns is a 'thumbs up'.

I recently followed a 1959 Standard Vanguard for several miles in my modern BMW and was delighted to see one on the road. But then, I do love old cars. 

Edited by Cooperman, 15 September 2014 - 04:23 PM.

[lordyoung1980]

Sadly we live in a world where it's a me first attitude. No one considers other people. And people have forgotten that it's nice to be nice. Cars are status symbols,even if you don't consider your car to be one others do. You could be a millionaire in an old banger or not have a pot to pee in and have a Range Rover on the drip. I do find BMW drivers tend to drive like they own the place and that includes the ones that drive a 15 year old example. I have owned 2,3 series and have never got what all the fuss was about. Our family car is a VW Bora TDi in a nice shade of champagne gold,it's almost invisible in a way. It's the kind of car that does not draw attention either positive or negative and I love it for that. My daily drive is a beat up Vauxhall frontera and is the most stress free car I've owned. It has different coloured panels and the front and rear bumpers have seen "action". People stay away and if they don't they learn very quickly. One recent incident on a very small but not mini roundabout I had a chap pull out in front of me,I didn't beep I just held my ground and he got out of the way. Driving today is not just a means to get around its a pi55ing contest. My wife is from Latvia and when I visited Latvia for the first time we had a rental car. I was shocked at the standard of driving,so much as the bigger the car the more rights you have to bully your way to the front. Overtake at the most dangerous places and use the accelerator as an on/off switch. In Latvia they say that not all BMW drivers are idiots but all idiots drive BMWs. They also believe that owning a BMW should be listed as a mental illness.

[HarrysMini]

Maybe tailgaters are just trying to have a closer look at your car? Probably more likely with cars like Minis, and other classics. 

[Paulwhitt20]

An interesting insight to today's driving standards, or lack off, and one I have noticed more whilst in the mini. However my wife says it is the same in her jazz. It seems to be widespread throughout the country. Having read some of the petrol station quotes from another thread I thought perhaps as mini drivers we would get some respect but it seems not. How sad.

[Cooperman]

I cannot understand the apparent animosity towards Audi and, especially, BMW owners on here.

It is jealousy, stupidity or hypocracy?

I must have owned and driven more different makes & models than almost anyone on here ('cause I'm old  ) and have never driven one make more or less aggressively than another. Yes, and I currently drive a BMW 730D. My son has an Audi 2.5 TDi Estate and my Grandson has a Mondeo Titanium TDCi. So I suppose you will be looking down on me and my son as a poor drivers. I tend to find drivers of the smaller quick hatchbacks to be the more aggressive drivers these days.

Back in the '60's it was common to hear "b****y Mini-Cooper drivers, should all be kicked off the roads". Now it's Mini drivers complaining about one or 2 other makes. How times change, now that Minis are the slow cars compared to everything else, except other slow classic cars.

[1984mini25]

I cannot understand the apparent animosity towards Audi and, especially, BMW owners on here.

 

Try driving round mk for the day and you'll get bored of seeing them.

 

 

Just this evening coming back from the local ish pool, I've had 2 tailgaters right up the rear bumper to the point they would have been in the boot if I had even toughed the brakes. One being a **** box Renault Clio, and the other a vw bora. Now I know admittedly the roads are pretty quiet at this time of the evening, but even so I will still only drive at the speed limit.

I did also have one oncoming car repeatedly flash a few times, but soon stopped when I flashed back, but admittedly my headlamps (completely legal) are a tad brighter than some cars.

[Spaceibiza]

I think it's because BMW's and especially Audi's are very popular at the moment. I also think the general standard of driving on British roads has got worse. I'm a driving instructor and I come across some frankly shocking driving behaviour on a daily basis. I think because BMW's and Audi's are so popular nowadays, it's more than likely it's one of those that cuts you up! Saying that though, I worked for BMW for 11 years and really like some of them. Batmobile, E30 M3, E46 M3 CSL etc. I wouldn't be cutting anyone up I owned one of those!

[Cooperman]

In 1979 I owned a Jaguar XJ4.2C. I was driving through Chesterfield and at a roundabout, where I kept strictly in my correct lane a young guy in a Min I 'cut me up', so I just kept driving and took off his wheel arch extension and bent his wing. Not a mark on my Jag. He was most disappointed that I didn't just brake and let him in, up the inside lane which was not for the junction I was taking.

Now, back then, a lot of Mini drivers were known as 'Mini Maniacs' because of their aggressive driving and poor manners. Have we all changed our manners or have our now slow cars become mobile obstructions which aggravate other drivers who are in the same sort of hurry as we Mini drivers from the 60's & 70's used to be. Now, what sort of cars do those complaining on here drive as their everyday cars?

I someone is going to drive a slow classic as their everyday car, then they are going to suffer from other cars needing to overtake often. I mean, if you drove a Mini all the time and had to keep coming up against 1920's-built cars slowing you down, then you might get equally frustrated.

[lordyoung1980]

I cannot understand the apparent animosity towards Audi and, especially, BMW owners on here.
It is jealousy, stupidity or hypocracy?
I must have owned and driven more different makes & models than almost anyone on here ('cause I'm old  ) and have never driven one make more or less aggressively than another. Yes, and I currently drive a BMW 730D. My son has an Audi 2.5 TDi Estate and my Grandson has a Mondeo Titanium TDCi. So I suppose you will be looking down on me and my son as a poor drivers. I tend to find drivers of the smaller quick hatchbacks to be the more aggressive drivers these days.
Back in the '60's it was common to hear "b****y Mini-Cooper drivers, should all be kicked off the roads". Now it's Mini drivers complaining about one or 2 other makes. How times change, now that Minis are the slow cars compared to everything else, except other slow classic cars.

I wouldn't be so sensitive to it,not everyone who drives a certain German brand is bad. But if you watch a lot of youtube vids you will notice a trend. I used to have Couple of BMWs,a couple of Audis and one Merc in my car history so you can rule out jealousy, I guess that makes me stupid or hypocritical eh. I drive a lot, I'm conscious of my driving habits and attitude. I make mistakes like most but I see a lot of aggressive driving done by Beemer drivers mostly. I don't notice the good Bmw drivers because they didn't cut me up,pull out in front of me or sit on my back bumper.

[Paulwhitt20]

Ok let's leave it there before this degenerates into a slanging match between owners of different car brands. If we all drive as considerately as possible then perhaps we can be regarded as nice polite drivers and by our actions driving standards may improve.
It's better to be the nice guy that let's someone else in than the bully pushing their way through.

[Tommyboy12]

I always find people assume you are alot slower than normal cars when driving a mini. My pet hate with this is people who pull out on you in crossroads thinking they have time until your on top of them, could always count on this happening atleast once a day

 

I find this in my girlfriends Polo too. I can drive along at the 60 limit in my Mondeo and not be hassled but if my girlfriend does the same she has cars tailgating and overtaking at any opportunity.

 

My guess is its a lot to do with perceived power of the vehicle. Small cars typically have smaller engines and cant go as fast.

 

I drive my Mondeo quite quickly but I dont hassle smaller cars. Whats the point? Theyre doing the speed limit most of the time anyway!

[megamini_jb]

So true. I had an old A4 estate for a little while and the traffic just flowed with me, but in my civic or mini because they're small, people seem to just tailgate and always seem to be in a rush.

[SA MINI]

Ok , I must admit it's not all bmw Audi drivers
But it does seem to be a majority of the time this happens is with these types of cars.


I think cooper mans got the wrong end of the stick a bit.

No wonder people give you a thumbs up driving this  image.jpg   15.51K   3 downloads Lol


When I'm in my mini i never hold anyone up at all. I always stick to the speed limit & speed up when needs be.
It just seems to be these drivers in some kind of a rush , almost desperate to get passed just because your small & what they think are going to be slow.

I must admit my dad doesn't have this issue in his cooper either so maybe it's an age related issue.?

You often see young lads with old 3 series' " so called drift cars" thinking there the dogs b######s

And young lads and girls in financed audi's thinking they own the roads.


It's got to be some status thing, It really frustrates me.
cooper man is right though in the fact some people often wave / thumbs up to the mini
Many people often appreciate what minis are & I can imagine older owners tend to get the best experience with this.