u/dreaminginteal

Ahh, if you’re picky enough, none of them are “real” Minis. Who cares? Drive something that makes you smile!!

Can’t think of anything more Ozzie.

Great line from Jenny Tian, an Ozzie comic:
“The cab driver asked if I was really Australian—so I called her a cunt.”

I dunno, Shadow McShadowface has a certain ring to it....

I enjoyed mine. Might go if there is a 50 year one as well....

In the US, at least, I think that it will take longer than 20 years for EVs to become the majority of cars on the road. Might be the majority of new-car registrations by then, but I think there will be enough older ICE cars to keep them in the majority for a while longer after that.

Have you put it on a dyno? Had it tuned at all?

I'm probably an outlier, but the total cost for me for refueling my EV so far (3 weeks) has been: Zero.

Projected cost for the rest of the year: Zero. For future years: Zero.

We have solar and batteries, so we basically don't have an electric bill. 😄

And there's also the time to drive.

Nope. We were in a university town out in the cornfields, and all of us were university-adjacent. (Faculty kids, etc.) I think nobody really wanted to look like they were associated with the farms...

Books and friends. Mom didn't know how to do much DIY kind of stuff, so what I learned I picked up on my own. Things like the VW "Idiot Book" and its Honda cousin were EXCEEDINGLY useful to me for trying to keep my various cars running over the years.

Hmm. Link does not work for me.

I was just going to suggest this.

I've recently picked up a 2024 F56 Cooper SE Hardtop. I would not describe the steering as light. In fact, it feels slightly heavier than my R56 2012 Cooper Hardtop.

Have you had the alignment checked on the car? A reduction of caster angle can make the steering feel lighter and reduce its tendency to return to center.

He will figure it out. Trust me, if that's a set that he really likes he will find some way to display it.

And even if he never does display it, he will get the pleasure of building it and looking at it himself.

There are a number of aviation museum libraries around the country that have some of what you're looking for, if you're only interested in the information. I wouldn't be surprised if those would be considered too rare to allow off premises, so you might have to do your research/reading there in the library. But might be worth looking around at museums in your area.

If you look at it from the perspective of the previous-generation electric MINI, it's a massive improvement in range. My F56 SE has a 110-ish mile range. Still worth it, because it's a MINI and I don't drive that far anyway.

Performance being "mid" is a matter of perspective as well. If you only look at 0-60 times, then yeah--get a new Tesla Roadster if that's all you care about. (Well, assuming you have infinite money. 😜 ) The MINI, being a MINI, should deal with curves soooooo much better than the Mach E, and the response from the chassis should be similarly better.

But if you only want to drive by the numbers, the Mach E may be a better choice. Up to you!

Can you get in and out of the car OK? Do you think you'll be able to do so for a few years yet?

If so, then go for it! I bought my first MINI at 45, and my second one at 60. My wife complains a bit about "how low it is" and "how hard to get into and out of", but she still enjoys driving it. I also just point at her vintage 911 when she starts complaining, because it's immensely lower than either MINI... 😜

Cue the dozens of stories that end with "Cool, someone 3D printed a save icon!"

I yield to anyone with first-hand knowledge. My knowledge of bras is second-hand... So to speak... 😉

Our girls have places that they hide we still haven't found.

They'll come out when they get bored of where they are.

It's generally best to have the same tires front and rear. (Different sizes if called for by the automaker, obvs.) This gives you more predictable and even handling.

Isn't "Final Girl" basically a slasher-movie-as-boardgame?

I went to a zoo once that only had one small dog.

It really was a Shih Tzu.

It's also possible that the original one would have crapped out after a month, like the replacement did. It didn't sound like the OOP was wearing the bra for a month before the shithead threw it away...

There were downsides to the old machines. New cars have a *lot* more power, are *immensely* more efficient, and basically don't pollute at all when compared to 70s and 80s cars. In general, they also corner faster and brake better. They're even quieter! Not to mention several order of magnitudes safer if you do wind up in a collision.

And one piece of modern tech that I *really* appreciate having is the back-up camera! Not that I can't turn my head, but being able to see what is below my window is absolutely wonderful.

It is very rare to find a modern car that is as involving to drive, though. They do tend to come off somewhat sanitized and even a bit soulless in comparison with a lot of older vehicles.