Offside Undo.

Got a wonderful e-mail the other day. It prompts me to ask, who says we don't live in a society chock full of O.C.A.E.s-Obsessive Compulsive Automotive Enthusiasts?

Lee Butler wants to know what car he should get for his daughter to take to college. He ponders what is the best new car buy that she's sure to enjoy. It must say volumes about her, and perhaps more importantly, about the insight her father brings to making the choice on her behalf. It will be her social chariot, her cocoon of mobility.

This is a common question Lee and I have been thinking about recently, and for me the decision was only just made. In Paris I saw and sat in and fell in love with the new Mini. Right then I decided to make it an addition to the Mandel garage. This is why: It debuts in spring 2002 and little more than two years after that, my eldest son, Jake, will be of an age to take its helm. Besides, it will come with BMW reliability, and its six airbags will not go unnoticed by his mother.

Never mind that as an adolescent one of my over-the-top loves was an original Mini as well as its Traveler and pickup permutations. The new Mini, I'm laying a wager, can be done in a color that captures his car imagination. By the time a license is in his wallet-and he's had a full stint at a proper driving school-this Mini'll be tricked with stuff not yet developed. (Just to close the deal, and before he has a chance to see the ...