Yep. I'm picking mine up on Saturday!

 

These stripes look GREAT! Love that they are not the normal single stripe.

 

WOOHOO! My MA just called me and Comet is in and will be ready for pick up late tomorrow or Friday. Its about time!! Poor little guy sat at the VDC for 12 days! At least he was in good company..

 

12 DAYS AT THE VDC????? AAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I can't wait much longer! Ship came in on 19th, no estimated delivery date from VDC.

 

Thanks!!! I haven't stopped grinning since I picked up Murphy! He's such a spirited Mini! I'll have pictures soon, but I've been so busy lately (work full time and go to grad school), that I haven't had a chance to take Murphy's mug! I did take him to the local car wash (non-automatic) to clean the brake dust off his white wheels. I have a feeling that this is going to be a weekly journey, because his wheels got pretty dirty very quickly! I don't mind, though...it's just more time I have to spend with my Mini!!

 

For those on the Otello, I just looked at marinetraffic.com and the ship is on the map! She south of Ensenda and now has an ETA in Port Hueneme of around 8am Pacific Time tomorrow!

...Getting more and more excited even though there's still the VDC and trucking up north left to go!

 

6 days at VDC and finally "released to a trucking company" - Charlotte is 2 hours away from VDC so I guess it should hit the dealer tomorrow. Should I dare to hope?

 

How do you know when it is released to a trucking company?? Is there anyway to track once the MINI is back on dry land??

I am SO looking forward to my little Eloise being introduced to her new family!! Hopefully (cross our fingers) she will also have a new garage to park in!! My hubby and I made an offer on a house (Weds AM), they countered (Weds PM), we countered their counter (Thurs AM), just waiting to hear back! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!

I think I'm more excited about the car and stressed about the house!

 

How do you know when it is released to a trucking company?? Is there anyway to track once the MINI is back on dry land?? Yes, if you have a good MA they will not mind you calling and they can get into the system and tell you what the status is and the ETA. The MINI Customer Service line and also the Owners Lounge can not track it from VDC to dealer. Only the dealer can.

I am SO looking forward to my little Eloise being introduced to her new family!! Hopefully (cross our fingers) she will also have a new garage to park in!! My hubby and I made an offer on a house (Weds AM), they countered (Weds PM), we countered their counter (Thurs AM), just waiting to hear back! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!
Wishing you the best with your offers! What an exciting time for you two!

 

Hey y'all ! I picked up Comet this morning..

Mini of The Mainline in Philadelphia were great to deal with and the whole process was painless.

GROWL... Whoosh...GROWL... Whoosh Oh the sounds... the sweet turbo and exhaust sounds..

Sorry about the exterior pic.. forgot to turn the flash back on apparently.

 

NICE! I like the clue interior accents. Be sure and post a picture of the seats, too. That is very cool.

 

So I was idling poking around the Marine Traffic site just now, and I was wondering why the Otello was still in port and why earlier the WW hadn't listed the cars as being taken off the boat yet. I poked around a little bit and ran across this:

Freighter collides with pier in Ventura County

The Associated Press
Posted: 06/27/2009 11:08:56 AM PDT

PORT HUENEME, Calif.—The Coast Guard says a 653-foot freighter has been damaged after colliding with a pier in Ventura County. Authorities say the Swedish-flagged vessel Otello was bringing cars into Port Hueneme on Friday when it hit a pier. Nobody was hurt but the ship received a large gash and the pier was damaged.
The accident was under investigation.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12704228
http://www.venturacountystar.com/new...rt-of-hueneme/


Yikes! I hope our MINI's are OK!

 

 

Look like the boat was backing up and hit the pier... that means it was going slow... so probably the car didn't move on the inside..

Now I see two potential problems.. one is the gate to unload the car is right there.. I hope it not damage at all and they can still use it..

Then.. the investigation.. Hopefully they can do it while they unload the cars.. if not, who know how much time it will take.

and last.. if you have your car on the Otello, PLEASE make sure to double check for repairs, and paint differences on your mini.. It can be a problem if later (after a lot of happy years of driving the mini) you want to sell the car and the buyer tell you the car was in a accident and you have lower the selling price..

 

Finally . . . production started 5-19-2009, took delivery today in 100 degree heat and, yes, rode with the top down. It was worth the wait.

 

This vessels are huge and I'm sure they were designed to keep the cargo inside safe in the event of an accident. That said, it still is very unfortunate. What were the chances? Murphy's law, I suppose. Hope all the MINIs aboard the Otello are okay.

Has your MA contacted you about your MINI? Surely they should know about something like this and keep you informed...

 

 

Thanks - I just wish I was sleuthing more positive news!

I'm guessing (hoping!) that the investigation into the incident took up time over the weekend and that they will be unloading Monday. From that one photo, it doesn't look like the ramp was damaged - don't know what's on the other side of the hull where the gash is though.

 

 

15 year old daughter gave the car a "hug" and SCRATCHED the hood down to the metal with her watch less than 3 hours after taking delivery. At least we got the first ding out of the way.

 

Like B.O.B. the OL shows me at the VDC, I haven't checked the WW tracker though (on my mac, will check via work PC on Monday).

Oh, and update on the 'other' news...looks like Eloise will have a brand new garage to call her own soon! Of course she will have to share it with the other cars, but she gets to pick her spot first!

 

I just looked at the OL and it shows Hobbes at the VDC as well! I also looked at the WW site, and it still shows as "Loaded on Vessel". Maybe that site hasn't updated yet?

Congrats on the house, Penelopie!!!

 

AAHH IM SHACKING!!!! My MA just called and he said that they may get the car today at the dealership!!!

He mention the car didn't get any damage during the accident, and because I asked he is going me a some kind of report.

Also, I was guessing the car was going to sit at the VDC for a week because of the JWQ aero kit, but it looks like they painted the kit from the beginning of the order so they only need to install it..

And I hope I can get the MINI today before going to work, if not I need to wait until Wednesday... He is going to call me back to confirm!

Gotta go the bank!! I will post pictures asap!!

 

CAPO – It's good to see the starter of the Week 23 Support Group taking delivery.

Glad your MINI survived the accident and wishing you a smooth delivery day at the dealer when the time comes (hopefully soon!). And please do share pics!

 

That's awesome! I image that us folks up north aren't too far behind then! I just emailed my MA this morning to find out about an ETA. That's great to hear about no damage, I'll have to be sure and ask my MA about that as well. I'm getting excited!