Anyone drive a mini?

[Tim Morton]

I had to put my car in the shop for a couple of weeks and i had a rental Mini Cooper.

I have to turn it back in tomorrow after 12 glorious days running around the back roads of vermont..and now i think i want to buy one.:cool:

Will i be able to get around in the snow ????

[George Skinner]

Don't know about the snow (have a 4 wheel drive vehicle for that) but I have owned a 2006 Mini Cooper S for about a year and it is the most fun car I have ever driven. Whenever I have to run an errand and don't have to carry a lot that is the vehicle that I take. I have always wanted one since the day they were first sold in the US and do not regret getting it one bit. The 32 MPG doesn't hurt either. I would be curious how they go in the snow too.

George

[Peter Stahl]

Never drove a mini in the snow but had a TR6 and never got it stuck but I also wouldn't try to run through deep snow.

[Phil Thien]

I see plenty of them zooming around here when its snowy. Maybe they don't do well in a fresh 12" snowfall, but I've never seen one stuck by the side of the road.

They also have one of the (if not THE) highest resale values.

I don't own but, but I've been tempted...

[Aaron Berk]

I've been in quite a few old bugs and other small front wheel drive cars when I live up in WA state.

From my experience, low center of gravity cars with an engine above the drive wheels handles quite well in the snow.... at moderate speeds. Put a set of cable type snow chains on that mini and I bet it would be great.

2 wheel drive unloded pickups seem to be the worst.

my .02

[Tim Morton]

anyone want to buy a slightly used 07 honda civic coupe ?:D

thats kind of whay i was thinking...the mini is the most fun i have ever had in a car and it handles like its stuck to the asphalt...i felt like i was rally racing up and down the hills around her at 80+....and with 1.9 financing and a buyers market i may find its doable.

I thinki i would stick with the base over the "S"...just becauee i woulf not think the 16" tires would be as good as the 15" in the snow....and being that i drive 6 months out of the year on the white stuff and i have 40 mile commute up to a ski mountain, i should be sensible.

i like the racing green.....or maybe the dark blue:cool:

[Rod Sheridan]

There are many BMW mini's where I live so they must be OK for the snow.......Rod.

[David G Baker]

I have never driven a Mini but I do drive a lot in the Michigan snow. I have two sets of tires for my Toyota, all season tires for the non snow weather and good snow tires for the white stuff. I also have two sets of rims with the intention of protecting the aluminum rims from the salt on the roads in bad weather.
I have not had any problems on snow since I started using the snow tires. I have found that I have to be very careful on black ice though.
Chains are not allowed on roads in Michigan due to the highway damage.

[Doug Shepard]

When I was a kid my dad picked up one of these used for around $300
http://www.philseed.com/hmhusky.html
which isn't much bigger than the current minis. He drove it 32 miles round trip to work every day through Michigan winters for 3-4 years then ended up selling it for $400. A small group of 6-10 year olds can push it out of the snow. I know this because a group of us neighborhood kids LOVED playing with the thing. We would put it in neutral and push it up and down the driveway and take turns "driving" the car. I recall more than once having somebody steer it off into the snow filled ditch when pushed backwards. We were able to push it out without a lot of effort. I have to think it would have been even easier with the engine on.