First post!

Me: 34, male, married four years, adopted daughter age 14, originally from Michigan, have lived in Colorado for seven years. BSME and MSME from Michigan Tech (where I marshalled the SCCA offroad POR/PRO Rally races). Did shock and vibration testing and analysis on hard disk drives for nine years before consolidation pushed a lot of us engineering types out of the business. Went 8 months unemployed and have now found myself back in the working world doing test planning and documentation for a little robot shop.

Yay, me.

What you came here for: Ordered today 10/27, '07 MCS, Mellow Yellow & black bonnet stripes, Grey/Carbon Black Leatherette, Audio, Convenience, Cold Weather, Premium, and Sport packages (I know... I know...), Sport suspension, LSD, Park distance control, Rear fogs, NAV, and 17" all-season run-flats.

[edit:]And since the packages changed for 2008's, I suppose I should list what they come with...
Audio 10-speaker Hi Fi Sound System, SIRIUS Satellite Radio (subscription for life), Hi Definition Radio
Convenience Comfort Access System, Bluetooth Mobile Phone Preparation, Universal Garage Door Opener, Auto-Dimming Rear View Mirror, Rain Sensor and Auto Headlamps, Center Arm Rest
Cold Weather Heated Front Seats, Heated Side Mirrors and Washer Jets
Premium Automatic AC, Dual Pane Panoramic Sun Roof, Leather Sport Wheel with Multifunction
Sport Dynamic Stability Control, Xenon Headlamps with Power Wash, Black Bonnet Stripes[/edit]

Ordered from Ralph Schomp (Littleton, CO) Mini and had a tremendously positive experience at the dealership. Out the door with a production #, and expecting a very nice Christmas present for myself this year.

Have been perusing NAM quite a bit these past few days, and folks here did a great job in helping me make my decisions. The MA picked up the slack helping me with upholstery and tyre () options. (The MA even managed to stay silent as my wonderful wife attempted to upsell me on the beige leather! There was a MY MCS on the way out the door with the yellow trim line and beige leather and it did look rather sharp, but I spent my interior fun money on the sound system!) The wife's already planning on a late '08 MCSC purchase for herself (her brother drove a MC for a few years while working for a Geek Squad in Omaha, so she's been coveting for a while now).

The test drive had me plastered with the perma-grin with which I'm sure all NAMers are familiar. Looks like I'm keeping my rag-top '97 Wrangler TJ (at least through another Colorado winter), but I doubt she'll see the road very much come '08.

Is it Christmas yet? No? How about now? ...now? Please? Can't wait.

[edit2, seven+ years later:] Here is the timing as to how this car got to me:
2007 MCS R56 Ordered 10/27/2007 | In Production: 10/28 (W45) | Built: 11/5 | @Southampton: 11/11 | Departed: 11/13 | @Port Hueneme: 12/4 | @VDC: 12/5 | @Dealership: 12/15 | Delivered: 12/22! | Traded in 11/8/2014

 

Congrats on your order! Specs look very nice!

I hope to be ordering mine sometime in the next week!!

 

Nice! Looks like you got the kitchen sink Good luck with the wait! Just remember, patience is a dish best served with a bit of oregano.

 

congrats!!!!!!!

 

Welcome to NAM! Congrats on your order. looks like a good MINI is coming for you. It's not the hard part... waiting.

 

Sounds like a great car and glad you're employed. We have a lot of "Yoopers" at work, Tech turns out a good product.Keep the Jeep, you need it for backcountry excursions. Check out the Detailing 101 forun and then get over to Detailer's Paradise and have Heather help you with a Christmas shopping list.

 

Thanks, gang. TooTall, I actually spent a couple of years ('98 - '00) in Rochester working for WD before they closed up that shop. There were plenty of us Techies in town (technically you couldn't call us yoopers unless we were born in the UP -- since I was born under The Bridge, they called me and my ilk "Trolls"). Was just reminiscing with some ex-IBMers who also called Rochester home last night at a Halloween party.

Cold weather folks, what's been your winter experience? We had a nasty winter here in the Front Rage last year (practically the only place in the US that did), during which the Jeep was an absolute life saver. That's got me a bit gunshy regarding the MCS as my daily driver. (The wife's current wheels aren't much better in the snow and ice -- she's got a Tiberon.) I've driven a FWD before (Detroit steel: 1985 Buick Riveria), but not one that weighed 2600 pounds and change...

 

Yeah, I work with a troll, but we've really got a lot of native Yoopers - they think the weather here is great.

My R53 has been great in the snow, and I see you got the LSD and all-seasons so I would expect yours to be too. I think it works better to turn the DSC off and let the LSD do its thing in an R53 when starting uphill, but I usually flick it back on once I'm up to speed.

 

Here's a fun development. The wife and I decided to purchase our first house (she's owned before, this is my first time). So I'll have to redo my financing at some point in the next few weeks. The closing date on the new place is 11/19, so my current neighbors never will get a chance to see my new car.

When it rains it pours!

~Neal

 

Our cars are going to be siblings (though yours ended up being born a week earlier than mine). I ordered 10/27 as well. MCS, Mellow Yellow w/ black stripes.

 

congrats!!!! now the waiting has begun!

 

It's Christmas now!!

My wonderful wife drove me down to Ralph Schomp MINI to pick up my little ride on Saturday. Despite calls for wet and sloppy weather, the roads were clear as could be, with nary a flake fallen from the sky, until we turned onto S. Broadway, the road where the dealership was located. As we pulled in, it was clear that my only opportunity to take clean photos of my MINI was going to be on the dealership floor. So I handed my wife the camera, she snapped one photo, and the battery died. :( She did take a lot of shots with her cell phone camera, but every waking moment since we were at the dealership has seen her either entertaining out-of-town family (she got caught up in a traffic jam on the way home from the dealership, and they "surprised us" by leaving four hours early -- so they were waiting for our return for about an hour before she got back). Either I'll snap some pictures myself and get them uploaded, or she'll find a spare moment to get them off her phone.

The dealership experience was great, but once she was done snapping pictures, she got a bit bored. Eventually she headed for home (about a 60-75 minute drive during good conditions, about twice that if I-25 is cluttered by an accident) leaving me the opportunity to pepper my MA with all kinds of questions (which he handled very well). One bummer upon receiving the car is that the passenger-side mood lighting (above the seat belt holder) was burnt out, and since it's incorporated into the air-bag containing B-pillar, it's a non-trivial fix. So I've already scheduled my first service repair (I can't sneak away from my job at will, so I've got to schedule these things for Saturdays -- fortunately the dealership is fine with me keeping the loaner vehicle until the following Saturday when I come back to make the swap). And that's a good thing, too, as the rear-bumper hatch that houses the recepticle for the tow hook is now hanging loose (a problem I've seen noted here on NAM for other Wk45 builds). I wouldn't be surprised if something else comes up betwen now and Jan 5, but that's my expectation for a quirky "UK" car.

I pulled out from the dealership, and made it about 500 yards to a local Taco Bell before I started playing with all the gizmos and gadgets. I tried out the satellite radio, but found it it wasn't yet enabled. Unfortunately a phone call to Sirius only told me that their computers were down, but the following day when I called back I was able to get things up and running *and* I the guy I chatted with was also familiar with the subscription-for-life offer from MINI (an issue that has been a major PITA for other NAMmers in weeks past). I also set the NAV system to guide me home... and then proceeded to ignore the kindly womans voice as I took the long way. Actually I "intentionally" (intentionally, if telling the story to my family -- NAM gets the quotes around that word...) missed a turn and let the NAV guide me through the city streets and back onto the freeway -- which it did flawlessly. I avoided the unknown traffic jam on the freeway, and instead took the side route through Golden and Boulder before making my way home in Longmont. FUN!

It being a few days before Christmas, everyone seemed to have some running around to be done. My daughter needed a "last-minute" gift for her mom (I use the quotes this time, as I've had plenty of years in the past where 12/22 is the *beginning* of the shopping season...) and so I took her on the 20-mile route to the mall that's a half-mile from home. After we got back, grandma wanted to pick up some laundry detergent, and since it was evening (and since I sprang for the driving lights) I decided to take the really long way to Target (which is between our home and the mall). Up Left Hand Canyon, through Jamestown, up the slippery twisty mountain roads, full xenons and driving lights brought to bear, onto the unpaved section of the mountain road (it was plenty icy, however, so we couldn't tell the difference between it and the paved road), and onto the Peak-to-Peak highway. Grandma's smile was big, but mine was bigger. The Rockies were light-up by the full moon, and the view through the sunroof was nothing but snowy peaks and twinkly stars. Awesome! Managed to get the DSC to kick in a few times even (very impressed), which was a blast.

We wound our way back down from elevation through the St. Vrain Canyon, into Lyons, and then back into town (we almost forgot to swing through Target for soap, but I remembered at the last second). Grandma's hooked. I did make a very dirty boot (which is *not* a euphamism!), but I managed to spray her off the next afternoon (need to pay extra attention to the underside of the boot handle in the future, however).

Sunday was a bit more tame (having a sick wife at home and a house full of out-of-town family will do that to a new MINIac), but I did manage some alone time to get the satellite radio going, to figure out the POI NAV system, to get the phone's bluetooth working, and to give her a bit of a bath. After playing with all the electronics, I really did feel like I was driving a SPY CAR (my daughter had a friend over to spend the night and I overheard her comment, upon looking in the garage -- "What does your dad think, he's Austin Powers?").

The ride into work bright and early this morning couldn't have been better. I began the new-car process because I wanted a daily driver that was more green than my Wrangler, and I ended up with a luxury car inside which I can't imagine having more fun. NAM forewarned me a bit about a bit of the quirks which may annoy more robotic drivers, but this emotional human couldn't be happier.

I did end up receiving a few accessories from the local dealership:
driving lights (chrome): I got these for the aesthetics, and honestly they don't do a whole lot more than the xenons on their brightest settings. But darn if they don't make the car look just like I want.
mud flaps: Just a bit of sanity against kicking up rocks from the front wheels -- my understanding (and experience) is that they don't do a think to prevent the "dirty boot" phenomenon (but I drive -- or drove, I suppose -- a squared-off Wrangler so I'm fully aware of the aerodynamics involved here).
glove box organizer: Should have gone aftermarket with this (there's a recent thread in the R56 forum praising a NAM vendor's product -- I'm not all that impressed with the official MINI product; it doesn't want to stay properly seated as I'm getting stuff in and out of the box. And,
cosmopolitan floor mats (front and rear): These look *sharp*, but I took them out as soon as I got home and replaced the fronts with the aftermarket black WeatherTech Extreme Duty FloorLiner Floor Mats (which are also impressive and fit perfectly).

After I open up the digital multimeter from under the tree, the first order of business is to hard-wire in the Valentine-1. After that I'm still thinking about getting some tinting done (I expected doing it before I got the car, but now I'm not so sure about monkeying around with my night-time vision -- and coming from life in the soft-topped Wrangler, I don't exactly intend to be shy about keeping the sun-roof open to keep summer motoring cool).

As grandma and I made it up to the Peak-to-Peak I realized that I had made the exact same loop the first week I had my Jeep. Too funny that this was my "standard" first ride for my Colorado vehicles -- even two of fairly different natures.

Happily motoring,
~Neal

 

Grats on the new car and very detailed positive post

 

Nice write up. Sounds like your having a blast with the MINI. Congratulation Neal.

 

Hooray for Mellow Yellow!!!!

 

Nicely done!!! Welcome to the MY family!! You are going to love your car!

 

Cheesy iPhone photo from my garage (too many folks got on my case when I called around the country for Christmas -- so I caved and took a quickie). Better photos to follow down the road.



~Neal

 

Is it frowned upon to revisit an old thread when you purchase your second MINI? As of today I'm in for an F56 (the 2007 is my trade-in). Looking forward to reacquainting with NAM (though I've been lurking quite a bit for the past few weeks, getting myself up to speed).

Volcanic Orange, custom black stripes, black roofline/mirrors.
17" Black Cosmos Spoke wheels
Sport Seats (Leather/Cloth Diamond Satellite Gray), Heated
Anthracite headliner, MINI Yolurs Interior Styling: Off-White, Off-White Dash, Satellite Gray Color Line & Door Panel
Cold Weather Package (Heated front seats, Powerfold heated mirrors)
Sport Package (White turn signals, LED Headlights w/ cornering, 17" Black Cosmos Spokes)
Premium Package (Storage Package, Comfort Access, H/K Sound, Sunroof)
Wired Package (Connected + Visual Boost XL, Enhanced Bluetooth, NAV XL)
Auto Climate Control
6-speed with Dynamic Damper Control
SiriusXM
Rear PDC

I waited two months last time around. Looks like about the same this time as well. Looking forward to it!

~*~*~

Got the Order Number (and VIN!) from my MA today (8/25/2014). ►Scheduled for production. That was super quick.

[edit2:]And here's how this car made its way to me:
2015 MCS F56 Ordered 8/18/2014 | Production: 8/24 | Built: 9/1 | @ Docks: 9/2 | I'm Onna Boat: 9/9 | @Port Hueneme: 10/4 | @VDC: 10/22 | @Dealership: 10/25 | Delivered: 11/8

 

It's built!

 

Grats. Keep us posted on the update and how it compares to the '07.

 

Looks like it gets on the Boheme in about a week, which puts it at Port Hueneme on 10/2. Based on my previous experience, 10/2 + 18 days = 10/20 ready for pick-up at MINI of Loveland. The only real question is when they get to start releasing F56s from the VDCs due to the current EPA/mileage issue.

I'll definitely have a lot to say in comparison between the two cars.

 

Looks like our cars might be travel buddies depending on the ships/schedules. My Countryman was built 9/2. Coming to Colorado as well but to Schomp.

 

Something odd is happening. I first noticed it mid-day yesterday but I thought it may just be a paperwork thing so I thought I'd check back today. Unfortunately the oddness persists. AAAMINI, you should check to see if the same thing is going on with your new ride...

I logged into the Wallenius Wilhelmsen Cargo Tracking website and entered my VIN as the Cargo ID. The resulting page shows that my car is Booked on the Hudson Leader as of 9/6/2014 with a Port of Discharge at Porte Hueneme on 9/25/2014.

That'd all be terrific, if the Hudson Leader wasn't located in Bremerhaven, Germany and hadn't moved since at least 9/2/2014.

There are 170 total vehicles listed under that Booking Number, and poking around on the WW website I was able to see all the VINs for those vehicles. Hopefully this is just some sort of bookkeeping problem and that our cars are actually to be loaded onto the Boheme in a few days and on their way for an early October arrival in California.

The WW Cargo Tracking report does say that for my VIN, the status details are:
Booked 9/2/2014 17:40:00
Received at Terminal 9/2/2014 17:42:00

The how-to-track-your-mini thread indicates that there are a total of four stages at the docks:
Keep your fingers crossed...

 

Mr. Michigan,

Are we going to get pictures when you get the car?

Mr. Wisconsin

 

Yes, the shots in my gallery link are from my (current) R56 2007 MCS. The new ride should look a bit more custom.