Mini Cooper Persona

Let me start by saying, "I love my Mini Cooper S."  Best-Car-Purchase-Ever. 

When I bought my Mini, the dealer told me there was no demographic particular to the Mini.  I wondered if that was bunk at the time, since all those dealers seemed pretty sure of themselves. Since then, I've wondered if he was telling the truth.  Maybe there was no demographic -- certainly, when I see other Mini drivers waving at me, they appear quite varied in age, sex and interests.  Even if there is no demographic,  it is clear there is a distinct buyer persona for the Mini Cooper. 

I'll call him Fred.

Fred wants:

• A small, fuel efficient car that supports the lifestyle of someone with a full-sized car.  (Kudos to the engineers at BMW for creating such a vehicle. I get myself, my newfie, my child and my groceries in my Mini.  I can add my husband in if I only buy 3 bags of groceries.)
• A car that helps him broadcast a youthful, slightly hip, alternative, independent and quite fun, attitude -- even if he is none of those things in reality.
• A very good handling vehicle. (A buyer can trade a bit of performance and not buy the S or a bit of handling and buy the convertible. I wanted the convertible, but noticed the additional weight and stiffness too much to go for it.)
• A safe vehicle.  (The safety tests and BMW's name on the box is good enough for me.)
• Good snow handling. (With the money I didn't spend on the Mini, I bought a 2nd set of rims and snowtires.)
• A price less than $30k.

And Fred is shocked to find the Mini Cooper has all of these qualities in a a price/performance ratio that puts any other car being considered to shame.  Therefore, Fred is willing to accept:

• Traction control rather than AWD (because of the $15k lower cost).
• Minor finish details (for example, my right heel falls into a hole at the edge of the carpet as I stand up to get out of the car) in exchange for the abover.

In a nutshell, Fred is willing to tolerate some minor finish details and manage without AWD in order to drive a stylish, safe, classic, BMW performance vehicle that can always find a parking space in the city.  And he still has money in the bank. As long as Mini makes Fred happy, the Cooper S will keep selling.