MINIs at Work - well duh! :P
Saturday 31 March 2007 - ore 3:12 | Tag:
So today I took Stella in to work to get her summer shoes put back on. I stopped for gas on they way and the lady next to me said "See, I could never drive a MINI. I'm on my way to get my summer tires put back on and I need an SUV to fit stuff like that...!" I opened my trunk and gave her a smirk. Not only were 4 summer tires neatly tucked in there, but I also had a view out the rear window AND I could have fit 2 more tires in my MINI with no problems - well no space problems, I'm not sure if there's a weight limit and if I would have reached it. Anyways, the point is, I love MINIs. They're the perfect size because this is the most I usually ever have to carry and she pulls it off with no problems!
While I popped by work, my manager sent me on a little job to drop something off. I got to drive a Black Eyed Purple 2005 Cooper S with an auto tranny. I really liked the auto. That was the most I've driven one. It was about 35-40 minutes to the place and a bit more on the way back since I hit rush hour traffic, but I had no problems. I was surprised at it's "go" and eagerness and I found that it didn't feel like I thought a Cooper S in auto would feel. I don't regret going with a manual; however, I'm happy to know that the auto still shows it's MINI colours. I'm not sure what I expected though... Maybe I expected it to be kinda blah... like most cars in automatic are? Hmm... As well, I remember reading somewhere (I don't feel like digging it up right now..) that the automatic R56 Cooper S is actually faster in the 1/4 mile than the manual! Interesting......!
Another realization while driving the BEP 2005 Cooper S was the fact that it had 37,717 (I only remember it because I glanced at the speedo and saw all those 7's :P) kms on it yet it still felt great. I've averaged about 15,000 kms in 10 months and this includes 1,100 kms of roadtrips taken at the beginning of ownership. I remember when I test drove a Smart car when the first came out... Well the story ends with the sales person explaining why the car felt so jerky and annoying to drive: "It has 35,000kms on it you know..." As if that's supposed to explain it. I should HOPE that Smart cars don't turn to utter crap at 35,000 kms. Since my Acura RSX was sold with 8,099 kms on the clock, I haven't had a real chance to get close to 35,000 kms in my own car. This BEP Cooper S at work is the closest I've gotten since that one has been there for a little while and is our "automatic tester", basically. You can't tell the difference (other than the transmissions) between my Cooper S and the purple one... despite double the kms! That's how a car should be. Sorry if this all sounds trivial to you. I've just had that phrase by the Smart car sales person echoing in my head all this time and I finally proved him wrong - with a MINI at least :P
Alright, so tomorrow should be a busy day. We have our monthly meet for the Southern Ontario MINI Club tomorrow and MINI Vaughan-West is also having a Drive Event.
If this isn't "living the good life", then I don't know what is :D
Happy motoring, lovers!
While I popped by work, my manager sent me on a little job to drop something off. I got to drive a Black Eyed Purple 2005 Cooper S with an auto tranny. I really liked the auto. That was the most I've driven one. It was about 35-40 minutes to the place and a bit more on the way back since I hit rush hour traffic, but I had no problems. I was surprised at it's "go" and eagerness and I found that it didn't feel like I thought a Cooper S in auto would feel. I don't regret going with a manual; however, I'm happy to know that the auto still shows it's MINI colours. I'm not sure what I expected though... Maybe I expected it to be kinda blah... like most cars in automatic are? Hmm... As well, I remember reading somewhere (I don't feel like digging it up right now..) that the automatic R56 Cooper S is actually faster in the 1/4 mile than the manual! Interesting......!
Another realization while driving the BEP 2005 Cooper S was the fact that it had 37,717 (I only remember it because I glanced at the speedo and saw all those 7's :P) kms on it yet it still felt great. I've averaged about 15,000 kms in 10 months and this includes 1,100 kms of roadtrips taken at the beginning of ownership. I remember when I test drove a Smart car when the first came out... Well the story ends with the sales person explaining why the car felt so jerky and annoying to drive: "It has 35,000kms on it you know..." As if that's supposed to explain it. I should HOPE that Smart cars don't turn to utter crap at 35,000 kms. Since my Acura RSX was sold with 8,099 kms on the clock, I haven't had a real chance to get close to 35,000 kms in my own car. This BEP Cooper S at work is the closest I've gotten since that one has been there for a little while and is our "automatic tester", basically. You can't tell the difference (other than the transmissions) between my Cooper S and the purple one... despite double the kms! That's how a car should be. Sorry if this all sounds trivial to you. I've just had that phrase by the Smart car sales person echoing in my head all this time and I finally proved him wrong - with a MINI at least :P
Alright, so tomorrow should be a busy day. We have our monthly meet for the Southern Ontario MINI Club tomorrow and MINI Vaughan-West is also having a Drive Event.
If this isn't "living the good life", then I don't know what is :D
Happy motoring, lovers!