Per MotoringFile.com (http://www.motoringfile.com/2011/08/...ng-the-manual/ ):

"Thomas Salkowsky, manager of MINI brand marketing, says that in spite of an increasingly clutch-free world, about 34% of buyers of the Clubman, the MINI Cooper convertible and the hard top buy the manual version, and that even for the AWD version of the Countryman, MINI’s answer for a crossover, the manual take rate is about 30%. In New England, according to Salkowsky, it’s a 50/50 split between auto and manual, and even in highway-bound L.A. it’s about 15%. That’s a huge percentage, given the national average. AOL Auto’s editor, Kirk Seaman, wrote last year that back in 1985 22.4% of all vehicles sold in the U.S. came with a manual transmission. By 2007, it was 7.7%. AOL Autos says last year it was about 5.5%."

 

Date: July 16, 2013
To: CR&PW&JB
From: Department of Personal Identity
Subject: Your Username

It has come to our attention that upon receipt of delivery of your 2013 MINI you will need to amend your Username to something more appropriate, such as the abbreviated form WS&BY&PW, or - in the more formal usage - WS&BY&PW&CR. As with all matters of identity, the Department expects your full compliance within 30 days. Thank you.

 

Oh man... I was wondering when someone was going to call me out on my username being outdated. Should have known... !!

 

Lol

 

Perhaps you could apply for an exemption from the Office of Anagrammatical Purity, based on the great historical significance of your current Username.

 

Hmmmmmmmmmm......

Not sure what you do for a living, Spa, but you missed your calling if you're not an attorney. You sure talk a lot like one !

 

What's the 411 on Vincent?

 

I'm not sure what I do for a living either, so I think I'll just go for a drive: almost 600 easy, burbling miles so far, at about 33 mpg (which I'll probably never see again).

 

Not sure how you're getting 33 mpg. I bet the first six months I have mine, I'll bet about 17 mpg just because I'll be up and down on the gas pedal so much, just to here the POP POP CRACK POP BURBLE POP POP.

 

Hello everyone! We just ordered on July 7th and went into production on July 12th. This wil be our second Mini, our 2004 Justa was sold when we had our son and gave up on the rear facing car seat. The Subie wagon we bought is now being sold to make room for our 2013 MCS in Chili Red. With the kids bigger (wow how time flies!) and a Forester already it was time to get back into something fun. Wow I forgot how much waiting sucks! Anyone out there with a order date around ours or later? Can't be that many 13's still on order I would imagine but who knows. Really nice the average wait time went dwon from three months to two!

While I wait I'm getting caught up on the changes from our old R53 to the R56.

Cheers,

Roy

 

BREAKING NEWS, CR comes out...

CR just spotted in the wild with his new silver white JCW HT!!! He apparently thought no one would see him after he applied a bit of BMW signature camouflage that he stole from the proving grounds. Good thing our staff photographer has a keen eye for such trickery!!

 

It looks like he's even got a bag over his head so we won't recognize him. I wonder if he's wearing his T-shirt with the CR&PW&JB monogram?

 

I don't expect the around-town mileage will ever be higher than that once it's broken in. I spent an hour-and-half the other night driving under bridges, through tunnels and alongside tall buildings just so I could hear the burble. It's a sickness ...

 

Next to concrete barrier walls must be awesome but TUNNELS....

 

Took me 8 hours to wrap it in that camo vinyl. Appears it was time well spent !

 

Just got THE call. The car is at the dealer, 3 days ahead of schedule. The port got my accessories installed in 24hrs and trucked it right down.

So, appointment tonight at 7:30pm to pick it up.

 

YAYYYYYY !! We should have pictures by 7:45.

Part of my clear bra get installed today. Rest might be done tomorrow. Decided to put the stripes on over top the clear bra instead of under.

 

I still have to figure out what I'll do about stripes. She'll be nekkid right now.

 

Awesome!! Best feeling ever is seeing your new car waiting for you!!

 

Ahhh... a blank canvas. So many options.

 

Congrats!... About time!

 

It's almost 9:30pm EST...where are the pics??

Congrats! I'm extremely jealous!

 

An hour to go ... Congratulations - you won't be the last of the 2013 model deliveries reported here!

(Who will it be???)

 

Welcome back and welcome to waiting

 

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