Maybe I'm imagining things, but since I've had my Mini, I've noticed people driving VERY anti-socially. The first day I drove her already someone almost plowed into me. My little old BOC can still scoot pretty quickly down the motorway (I can easily go 120kph if not faster) but people have been riding on my a$$, flashing at me and cutting me off like crazy. Do you guys experience this as well or am I just noticing for the first time that it's just like this on the road?
It is quite normal to be driving around a roundabout or even a straight road and have some crazy fool try to pull out directly in front and almost crash into you, it seems that people treat mini drivers like learner drivers most the time!
My advice is get a loud horn and bright spotlights and get used to it as it never goes away!
It could be that everyone else can't enjoy their car or their journey unless their foot is to the floor.
It could be that they only feel big and powerful when they're behind the wheel of their car. It almost assures their anonimity, so they can do and say anything they like as there's no comeback; except for perhaps a single finger salute, by which time they're quickly off on their way heading for the next person to intimidate.
If I'm in an urban area, and someone is acting like that behind me, I like to slow down and wave them past just before a turnoff (if it's safe to do so). Then I turn off and they're left looking like prats in the middle of the road.
I have to say, fewer people try to intimidate you when you're driving a 20 year old Volvo. Scratches don't matter and it bounces off most things. But in a Mini, the best you can do is get out of their way and unless it's turbo-equipped or bored out, there's little point in accelerating.
If you're somewhere with corners, use them. No-one looks more of a prat than when they're tailgating a Mini then gets left for dead when a roundabout comes up.
Mixed bag. You'll get more smiles and waves in a Mini than anything else, particularly from attractive women and small children. Some men, on the other hand, just can't stand having a Mini in front of them, particularly if they drive what some people might categorise as 'prestige marques' - Audi, BMW and the like. I think a lot of it is that they can't stand the fact that we are so obviously having much more fun than them for far less money. Plus general driving standards are getting lower anyway.
Main thing is to drive defensively and leave yourself plenty of room. That way, it doesn't matter what the other idiots do.
Regards, David Betts snipped-for-privacy@minilist.org The Mini Gallery:
i disagree. the driving test has become far more rigorous, with the theory and hazard perception before the practical. How many people who passed say
25 years ago could confidently say they could pass todays test. what you are talking about and experiencing is the same percentage of idiot drivers compared to considerate drivers, just with high numbers on the roads today meaning a higher number of idiots.
in closing, there will always be minis and always be idiots
Okay what about someone like me that has a Moke, a Ford Expedition to carry the tribe, a 40 foot Diesel Pusher motorhome and an A4 on my fleet. Am I only compensating for something when I am driving the SUV but okay when I am driving the Moke?
That is the most nonsensical sticker I have ever seen. Well right behind the equally stupid "100% free of BMW parts" one.
I have a fleet too but never talk about them, I bet you have more fun in your moke than anyting else including a bini :-) if its not 10 fot long it aint fun!!
- buy a certain car because they want a certain car with which to intimidate other drivers and/or
- appear as the alpha male (or female) and/or
- imply that they have wealth/success due to the size of their appendages
and you happen to be in front of one of those people in your Mini (or indeed your Moke) and they are displaying one or more of the traits above, it isn't nonsensical. It's a bit of fun.
The only people who should feel uncomfortable with it are those who *are* compensating for something by driving a certain car.
If a car is free of parts made by or for a certain manfacturer, and a sticker is displayed detailing that fact, how is it stupid? Granted, if a car has an engine with 16 valves, a manufacturer would typically add a "16v" badge, rather than a "not 24v" badge - but in the case of the "100% free sticker" it's to point out that the car has nothing to do with BMW.
Perhaps. Still only qualifies you to drive on urban roads in daylight at low speed. How many people remember any of the theory anyway, let alone know how to apply it.
Very few, which is why we should all have to take regular tests, and of a much higher standard than the current driving test. Personally, I would like to see a requirement to reach advanced standard within three years or your licence taken away, plus refreshers every 10. A driving licence should be a privilege, not a right.
A higher number of tailgaters, certainly. Almost everyone I see is driving too close to the car in front almost all the time.
Plenty more can be done to get the idiots off the road.
Regards, David Betts snipped-for-privacy@minilist.org The Mini Gallery:
I like to surf on the Minifinity website too and sadly there's been a lot of car crashes involving Mini's lately and in all the cases the Mini was not to blame but although nobody got hurt, the car's are badly damaged and in one case written off. Here it is, if the link works that is:-
fit an oil injector to squirt oil onto the exhaust pipe and smoke the fukkers out..
I own a classic cooper and a seat leon cupra and the wankers still try to ride my tail in the cupra, that is until i get up to 140mph then they bottle it :-)
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.