I love my car

"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel) 06/07/2016 at 14:53 • Filed to: None

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This is the first car I have owned that I can truly say that about. This car has so much character and is quicker than a 115hp hatchback has any right to be. This is the first time that one of my cars has earned a nickname with character alone.

I have taken to calling it the Pug. Pugs are small dogs but they act like they are bigger than they are. My grandparents pug, Linus, is 15 pounds of muscle. This little car is so angry that it is a small hatchback. With the aftermarket intake installed by the previous owner makes wonderful growling intake noises above 2000 RPM. When you get on it it sounds like a 2+ Liter engine, not the 1.6L that it actually is.

This is also the most determined car I have ever seen. I have been learning how to drive manual on it and the way that it fights stalls with all its might is impressive. When I was a bit quick with the clutch or didn’t give enough throttle the ecu will takeover and the car will fight and kick to keep from stalling. This is different to the other manual car I have driven, a Ford Fiesta, which stalls very quickly.

The only thing I would change about the car is its practicality. I thought Minis would be somewhat practical little hatchbacks. Not with rear seats they aren’t. My backpack doesn’t even fit in the trunk. At some point I want to purchase/make a rear seat delete as they are useless anyway.

I love this car. It has character to spare and is a hoot to drive. I genuinely enjoy driving this car which I couldn’t say about my 2001 Outback or 2006 Corolla. This is my transportation for the rest of my time as a college student though I suspect I will be driving it for longer than that.

PartyPooper2012 > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/07/2016 at 14:59

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I have 2005 CooperS. They are fun. I wish mine was a manual, but the tiptronic crap is ok too. I miss 3rd pedal.

Out, but with a W - has found the answer > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/07/2016 at 15:01

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Love the name and the reason for it! You can always claim that it’s related to Mini’s mascot, Spike the English Bulldog.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/07/2016 at 15:08

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115? That’s beats mine by ONE!

MountainRoadPhysicist > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/07/2016 at 15:12

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If you are fortunate to find a car you love, enjoy every minute of seat time you have with it! It does sound like your little pug has one hell of a lot of character to boot. I was never in love with my econo-boxes either, then I found these two and am thrilled everytime I start an engine.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/07/2016 at 15:13

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do the mini’s rear seats not fold flat? i feel like that would have made a lot more sense

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 06/07/2016 at 15:14

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They don’t. They just fold over meaning they stick up about 2 inches from the actuall trunk floor.

Nothing > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/07/2016 at 15:15

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That’s a great feeling when you have a car you love. When I was college age, I had a ‘90 CRX SI. I loved that little car, it was so much fun! I looked at Minis a while back, and having to haul a son to hockey, it was a definite no go.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/07/2016 at 15:18

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My wife and I have a pug named Binkie:

and it’s all absolutely true. Plus she’s a pillow thief.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/07/2016 at 15:20

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I really liked how the Cooper-S that I drove for a week handled. It made me quite impressed that a FWD platform could actually feel that good. The extra power of the S is definitely noticeable but coming from a Miata owner, any power is noticeable lol. I definitely felt quite at home with the heavy steering and clutch though, quite a character filled car! Hopefully you don’t have too many mechanical issues as I have heard far too many have had.

Tareim - V8 powered > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/07/2016 at 15:30

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interesting choice of nickname, across the pond we called the small Peugeot’s (106, 205, 306 etc) pug’s

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/07/2016 at 15:30

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thats still better than nothing though right? like if you never use them for people just always keep them folded and bam you have much more room for activities

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 06/07/2016 at 15:30

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I bought it from a friend of my dad’s who owns a shop near me that specializes in minis. Before we took posession of it he went through it with a fine toothed comb and replaced all the wear components. It should be set for a while Though it does have 140,000mi.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 06/07/2016 at 15:32

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I’m thinking of just taking the seatbacks out and leaving the bottom of the seat in.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/07/2016 at 15:38

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That’s the great thing about Minis... They feel fast.

Some cars are technically faster but you don’t feel it.

That was my experience when test driving an Acura RL with AWD... I knew I was going fast because I was leaving people in the dust... It just didn't feel fast.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 06/07/2016 at 15:42

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The thing is that it is properly quick compared to my outback.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/07/2016 at 15:51

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I imagine if it has been taken care of well you ought to be fine. Plus if it doesn’t have issues at that mileage its probably a good one!

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 06/07/2016 at 16:00

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The only issues it has right now are some rusty rock chips on the hood (they aren’t spreading but I will have the hood repainted in a few years because they annoy me) and the previous owner got hit by something or backed into something as the trunk is a bit flat behind the mini logo. You wouldn’t notice that unless you were looking though.

14FeistyFieSTa > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/07/2016 at 16:13

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When I was a bit quick with the clutch or didn’t give enough throttle the ecu will takeover and the car will fight and kick to keep from stalling. This is different to the other manual car I have driven, a Ford Fiesta, which stalls very quickly.

Interesting, my 2014 Fiesta ST does do that. I taught a couple friends to drive a manual on my Fiesta and they didn’t stall but once or twice because the calibration keeps the RPMs up. Any idea what year Fiesta you drove?

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > 14FeistyFieSTa 06/07/2016 at 16:40

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It was a 2010 or 2011 base model. It was actually one of the team o’neil school cars.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/07/2016 at 16:43

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My Fiesta is pretty easy to stall. I’m still getting used to it after a month. I’m 21 and have been driving stick since I as 14, so I agree that it’s fairly odd.

Levitas > 14FeistyFieSTa 06/07/2016 at 22:35

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My ‘15 FiST does this as well, but my 2003 MINI absolutely would not. Goose the clutch just a little too much and it would stall out. Expecially with aircon on; made some summer commutes a tad more tricky.

Orange Exige > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/07/2016 at 23:27

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1. Those are my favorite stock MINI wheels.

2. MINIs always look like toy RC cars when they have that tall antenna - especially in your last pic.

3. This silver certainly wasn’t my top choice but it looks good with black at least. This is mine :)

4. I completely disagree with the practicality part - it’s small, sure, but having those folding back seats and a real hatch makes it better than other “small” non-hatches. I guess if I were grocery shopping for a family of 6 it’d be a different question, but it’s been sufficient to move me to a different state and take trips to Home Depot and grocery stores alike.

5. My last random thought: (at least my) MINI will crawl smoothly at 5 mph without stalling in first gear if you get it moving and don’t give it gas. Not sure if this is a normal thing or not but I don’t recall seeing it in my Miata or MR2 - maybe it’s a “newer” car thing? Does your MINI do the same?

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Orange Exige 06/07/2016 at 23:45

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The rims are actually not stock for a cooper, they came off of a cooper s. I have my snows mounted on the factory rims. I find that the engine lacks the torque at idle to get the car moving without applying throttle (it is completely nutless below 2000 rpm) but it will crawl once you get it going. What I was referencing was this cars determination to fight a stall when I screw it up. My thing against the practicality is that I can’t even fit my backpack in the trunk with the seats up. I also can’t fit any of my friends in the seats so at some point they are just going to come out. I do like the rc look the antenna gives but the reception is awful. That doesn’t really matter though as I have a Bluetooth head unit in the car so I just use that.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/08/2016 at 10:33

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Body issues just add to the character! Being mechanically sound is all that really matters. You could probably just use a paint chip repair kit if the hood stuff isn’t too bad rather than doing a full repaint of the hood.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 06/08/2016 at 11:16

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I would probably get a spray can of matched paint mixed up because I would want to sand off the rust instead of just covering it.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/08/2016 at 13:04

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of course, painting over rust is the worst haha.