As a newb to the Mini forum i'm wondering what these support groups are all about as i've never seen it on any other auto forum,I get the impression its something to do with tracking your car as it makes its way by boat to the dealer Why would any one care how your car got to the dealer?Most cars i buy i just automatically assume they are made in place A and transported to Place B where i drive it away,As a potential new Mini owner am i missing something?

PS If support groups are so important maybe their own forum section could be added as i thought the 1st gear section was for newbies to say hi, but all i see is support group data.

Quote:

1st Gear
New members: make an initial post and introduce yourself as you shift from Neutral to First Gear. Current members: meet some of the new members.

 

support group posts are so that members with the same production week can form a unity within the waiting game for our cars to arrive. No other auto manufacturer allows you to track a car like MINI does so it makes it easier to know someone is in the same "boat" as you are. The are also a good way to discus possible changes in your order (not many manufacturers would allow you to do that after the order has been submitted either.
Why would anyone want to know what boat it is on? EASY! you can track the boat by ports and know when it should arrive.

 

IMHO...guy buy 'another' brand...YOU are NOT ready to be a MINI Parent!!

 

A little harsh perchance. Lol, with the millions of possible configurations, I sometimes think the MINI either incites OCD-like behavior or perhaps people like us are drawn to the MINI. As david in germany said there is a lot that is special that sets MINI apart from other brands, one being the ordering process and the other being the tight-knit community. RJKimbell demonstrates that most on NAM are pretty fanatical and although it isn't a prerequisite to be on here, it does help to share the same enthusiasm.

 

 

I feel that the MINI has re-kindled the old 60's British Sports Car craze. There are local clubs all around the country, local and national drives and events and it really is a car that has captured the imaginations of thousands of people. You just do not have this kind of fellowship around a Toyota Corolla or Scion. I feel that we have future collectibles in our possession, just like the MG's and Triumphs of the past are now.

The folks that 'hang out' here and post are enthusiasts not just owners.

bob g
1966 OEW MGB
1966 OEW MGB-GT
1973 Green Mallard MGB
1976 Inca Yellow TR-6
2009 Laser Blue MINI Cooper S

 

Bingo!!!!! Welcome to MINIs. The ability to totally tailor/personalize your car, plus the wait time involved, leads to some pretty extreme behavior, both prior to deliver and post. This obsessive behavior has led folks on NAM (the most extreme bunch, I think) to find many clever tracking methods both within and without the normal MINI channels, including the creation of production-week support groups. But it doesn't stop there. MINIs tend to generate a very unique brand of enthusiast, which just makes the whole thing that much more fun. You might as well forget what happens on other boards, imo.

 

Thanks for the warm welcome. So unless i become obsessive compulsive and want to track every inch my car takes enroute to the dealer i'm unworthy to be a Mini owner ,I've owned close to a hundred cars in the 50 yrs i've been driving some were great some not so great,past mini's have been great and i'll assume future Mini's will remain great fun cars but at the end of the day its just another car,it wasnt born it was munufactered and its only name is Mini,and i dont really care how it got to the dealers lot.

 

I'm not sure it is. We have lots of die-hard car enthusiasts floating about here and they'll tell you the same. However, you're right....some of us do get "a bit" carried away. Still, that is part of the MINI community and like it or not, lots of these folks are around. Really, it' a bit of an inside joke. Best to enjoy it, and notice that beneath the wacked-out behavior there generally is something of real substance lurking.

 

Then feel free not to participate...problem solved. You didn't really ask a question, it seems more like you're asking everyone else to justify their own behaviors. Your opinion is duly noted.

Enjoy your Mini.

 

What you quote was a response to RJKimbell
Original intent of topic was to bring me up to speed on what a support group was,personal observation would suggest a separate section for support groups and newbs just wanting to say hi.

 

Greetings jambo101 and welcome to the nuttiness that is the MINIverse. Howwever you want to play on the threads and view your MINI is cool. If we were all exactly alike, that would be most boring.

 

You are right.. hope you dont mind if i use the picture of your Mini as my desktop wallpaper for a little while as its the exact color combo i'm looking for