23 replies to this topic

[ads7]

I should have known it would happen.

As Moo sputtered to a halt in front of a huge queue of traffic passing by Sainsburys I knew that dicky fuel guage was the culprit.

I jumped out, held up my index finger to the waiting queue and of course they all understood. This is a classic Mini and it's broken down. Just give the guy a second.

Within moments I'd cranked the wheel hard over, grabbed the B pillar and hauled her over backwards onto a handy wide kerb.

No beeping or abuse, just one call "Do you want a hand mate!?"

I replied with "No I'm fine thank you" before telling my wife I was just off to the garage around the corner for a petrol can and top up.

As I walked away a lady told me it had made her day seeing the car. Last week another passer by in town said exactly the same thing, despite Moo having patchy paintwork with numerous rust spots and imperfections all over.

And I'm sure you're finding that people are giving your own rides even more compliments than usual.

Right now people are desperate to connect with each other and to be cheered up by anything possible. And if we're playing our part by raising those smiles more than ever.. so be it.

People LOVE Minis

Edited by ads7, 22 December 2020 - 09:54 PM.

[JXC Mini GT]

I totally agree, not only do they bring a smile to the drivers face but everyone you pass along the way, also every time you stop people like to tell you about the mini's they owned.

 

I also find that other drivers are more courteous and let you out of roads.

[cooperd70]

Totally!

Drove down to the Italian lakes a few years back and everyone was waving/smiling/came over to chat. The motorway sections of the journey were the best for this...had some very friendly Italians come over, wanted me to take photos of them stood next to the min (their camera obvs) as they had fond memories of being driven around in one by their parents when they were young 😊😊

[Quinlan minor]

Writing for a friend:

Fortunately, Minis can also bring a smile to the faces of policemen who originally stopped the driver for some infraction. They frequently become distracted by nostalgia for a Mini they, or a relative, owned and, after reminiscing about it, leave with a "Now drive carefully, out there."

Great cars, Minis!

Edited by Quinlan minor, 23 December 2020 - 06:19 PM.

[ads7]

Writing for a friend:
Fortunately, Minis can also bring a smile to the faces of policemen who originally stopped the driver for some infraction. They frequently become distracted by nostalgia for a Mini they, or a relative, owned and, after reminiscing about it, leave with a "Now drive carefully, out there."
Great cars, Minis!

:) same thing with traffic wardens

[Ben_O]

I totally agree, not only do they bring a smile to the drivers face but everyone you pass along the way, also every time you stop people like to tell you about the mini's they owned.

 

I also find that other drivers are more courteous and let you out of roads.

I ran out of petrol in your mini on the way to the fuel station due to an over reading gauge.

I was in a vulnerable position on a dodgy road and literally every single person that passed me whilst I was waiting for assistance stopped and asked if I needed help.

One guy in a vintage roadster of some sort even had a can of fuel he was willing to give me.

A man in a motorbike stopped on the Crest of the hill to warn oncoming traffic that I was there too.

It's a great feeling when you get that sort of help from complete strangers.

If I was in my own car, I guarantee that nobody would have stopped.

 

Cheers

Ben

[Cooperman]

I was once stopped on the M3 by a police patrol car when running-in my 1964 Cooper 'S' 1071 rally car.

One of the two officers came up and said that he was sorry if he had caused me any consternation, but he just had to have a look at my car. He was restoring an 850 himself. 

I took him in the 'S' to the next services and his partner drove the police car behind me. He was just a very nice bloke and a real Mini enthusiast.

That 'S' was later taken to California by my best friend. He said that when he went to the container port at LA he got in the car and it started up immediately despite having been in a container for over 5 weeks. He went through US Customs ("Nothing to pay, sir") and set off home up the I405 and the Ventura Highway. He said that many other drivers waved and looked. One apparently slowed down and the passenger took a photo. Of course, it still had its UK registration plates on with GB sticker and some advertising. Even the Yanks love Minis!

[Alice Dooper]

No better car for putting a smile on everyone’s face.

 

Our S Works MPI has a nice burble from the exhaust and is great for scaring pedestrians at a crossing - even most of them have a wee smile afterwards.

 

the North Coast Mini club put on a brilliant show here at the end of August, it finishes with a cavalcade drive on a pedestrian path at the beach.  The crowds with the smiles are amazing.

[ads7]

No better car for putting a smile on everyone’s face.

Our S Works MPI has a nice burble from the exhaust and is great for scaring pedestrians at a crossing - even most of them have a wee smile afterwards.

the North Coast Mini club put on a brilliant show here at the end of August, it finishes with a cavalcade drive on a pedestrian path at the beach. The crowds with the smiles are amazing.

Show sounds great, similar to the Llandudno run we attend. You feel like a z list celeb with all the onlookers as you park on the prom 😏

[MBVitoria]

Minor thread resurrection but my favourite part of mini ownership is seeing smiles and chatting to people who inevitably have their own stories of when they had one, or their parents, partners etc. 

 

Took ours for fuel yesterday and got chatting to an older woman who had lots of questions. She had a huge grin when I fired it up, made my day.

[Shooter63]

I must admit it's one of those things you forget about until it happens, me and the Mrs are usually out crashing through the pot holes in one of the minis most weekends so driving a mini doesn't seem that strange, last weekend we pulled into a garage to fill up just as a young family were coming out of the shop and the 2 little kids just stopped in their tracks with massive smiles on their faces and pointed at the car, once the parents managed to get them going again and as they walked past I could here all the questions being asked etc, the mum said to us, 'they love your car' which was great to here. But the really funny part was that a series 1.5 E type came in at more or less the same time and the kids totally ignored it, there is just something about a mini that seems to appeal to all.

Shooter

[Steam]

I still think I would swap the mini for the e-type.
(Prepares for howls of complaints and derision)

[IronmanG]

I still think I would swap the mini for the e-type.
(Prepares for howls of complaints and derision)

Then sell the E type and buy 5 minis with a heated lock up

[Quinlan minor]

I, once, had a pedestrian run out between two stopped buses in the left lane while I was driving in the right lane.

As soon as he saw me, he smiled, waved an apology and skipped the centreline of the road.

Unfortunately, he tripped himself on the far kerb. He made a cartoonish spinning of legs, like Wile E. Coyote when he overshoots a cliff, and went down on the grass, still smiling.

He gave the Mini a big thumbs up as it passed.

Can't think of another car that would get that reaction.

Edited by Quinlan minor, 16 September 2023 - 02:46 PM.

[Shooter63]

I still think I would swap the mini for the e-type.
(Prepares for howls of complaints and derision)

Not from me, its my all time favourite car, and on top of that it was set up like a lightweight with the vented hard top roof, dunlop alloys etc, pretty much perfection, I did ask if he wanted to swop but he said no, but his grand children might say different.

Shooter