Today's addition was my vanity plate finally arrived from the DMV. Just in time for our first MINI rally Sunday. On the road my MINI will be know to those who figure it out for the star of our favorite TV comedy the last several year. Have you guessed correctly?

Here she will still be "Penny Black" Her alter ego.

 

The ride looks sweet Interesting no break in period mentioned by dealer.

 

I knew your alter ego the 1st time I say your name on a post...of course, you could have named it "Little Bang! Glad you got your new vanity plate to show it off to the world!

 

Yeah my wife was not keen on driving a car that had "BigBang" on it when I suggested it guessing she will have same reaction to "LITBANG" .....

Just happy CT went to 7 letter vanity plates end of august

 

Congrats on your new MINI...very sharp color!

Just an FYI, while your MA may have told you to "drive it like you stole it", the MINI Owners Manual does recommend a break in period "to achieve long vehicle life": for the first 1200 miles, not to exceed 4500 rpm or 100 mph, and avoid full throttle operation. Also it's usually a good idea to vary the rpms on a long highway trip, and avoid excessively hard braking.

After a month, I've still not at 1200 miles yet!

 

I love seeing all your MINIs roll in. Keep those pics coming.

 

SheldonCooper,

SC, I'll bet if I used the term "Lawyer" in a vanity plate I'd get my doors kicked in.

 

Picked up the car yesterday morning and drove it strait to ProTint in Plano. I had a 10 a.m. appointment. Huper Optik 30 all the way around, sunroof too.

Nice job, nice place. Looks like they just do tint. Storefront windows were not covered in tacky graphics advertising stereo installs, alarms or wheels. I like that.

The pic is when I pulled up, before the installation.

Note: looks like my iPhone Y cable is bad so will have to go back and swap it out. iPhone mini connected app would not recognize car. Took the cable inside and tried to connect to iTunes (one of the troubleshooting steps) and it didn't work their either.

I DISCOVERED that using a standard iPhone cable in the car along with a Male to Male 3.5mm stereo cable from the car to the headphone jack of the iPhone WORKS! Mini Connected apps find phone, all functions work.

 

Yeah that is one of the few terms that is not healthy to the longevity of you new toy. Unfortunate reputation that has developed over the years that paints all of the profession inappropriately

Enjoy your down time in Florida over the next few weeks!

 

My Coupe is the first MINI I have owned and it has been a blast so far.

Still haven't seen another one in the wild yet. Have been getting a lot of comments from people in parking lots and people taking pictures of it. Have never had a car that drew so much attention before.

Hope everybody else is enjoying theirs.

 

Picked up my 2014 Mini Clubman S on Friday. It certainly meets my expectations with the exception of the run-flat tires. These are proving to be quite different from the 2013 I test drove that had normal tires with air in them.

Those will have to go at some point. The car really bounces around on the road with them.

Otherwise, the S versions do remind me of the 2003 BMW 330Ci I once had. Overall, I'm glad I got the Clubman, too, as the extra space and longer wheel base will be a bit nicer for long trips.

Now, off to get some better floor mats and some sort of fob for that chubby key!

Cheers,

David

 

Well, my Paceman was assembled in Graz, so I'm assuming it will be sailing from bremerhaven. Looks like the next ship departing from there going to Port Hueneme is 10/19. My build sheet from my MA states that is the destination port.

BREMERHAVEN 19/10/2013 PORT HUENEME, CA 13/11/2013 ELEKTRA CD342-ELX 25


hrrmph

 

I have the run-flats too and I'll be swapping for regulars as soon as these wear out. I hope normal tires are an improvement to the ride but I'll be doing it for economic reasons mostly. Run-flats are approx. double the cost of standard tires. Why wear out $200 tires when I can wear out $100 tires? They'll both wear out at approx. the same mileage. Many ppl claim the RF's are more jarring. Haven't decided whether I'll get a doughnut spare or just a can of fix-a-flat but either way will be cheaper than run-flats.

 

just sayin, there is a reason for the reputation.....

 

The next ship from which shipping company? I was convinced mine was on the Tomar as it was the next WW ship to make port in Southhampton after my build was complete but it ended up on K-Line's Michigan Highway instead. Your MA will be able to tell you which ship once it's been loaded but no one seems to know which one it's planned to be on.

 

Looks like an interesting place to store gasoline. Sure that's safe?

 

Are you sure you don't already have a donut spare? I have the sport package, which gave us the 16" run-flats. I dug down under the cubbie's floor (pull out the tool kit), and sure enough, there is a donut spare! So spare tire AND run-flats, yeah I'll be swapping out next round.

 

Might be one down there. I looked under the car and saw the bottom of a rounded compartment that was the size of a doughnut tire. I then opened the rear and pulled a cover to discover some tools and what looked like a good place for a doughnut (on top of/covering the tools). I didn't attempt to remove the tools to see if there was anything under them. Maybe there is?

 

We picked her up Friday night, and my wife named her "Penny Lane" (it is her car after all). I suggested Nemo, but was shot down. The car is a blast!

Not sure what the official build date was, but she was released to carrier in Oxford on 9/19, and sailed over on the Don Juan to New York. Took a little longer in port than most because of the sport stripe.

 

What's the process of ordering a custom mini? I know one dealer near me requires a $500 deposit. I read somewhere that someone ordered one, but it sounded like they hadn't financed yet. The dealer will order you one without selling it to you first?

 

Do you have justa cooper? I think the S doesn't come with a spare...

 

Honestly, not sure. I just used one of the links for tracking ships and checked the port schedule. She's still waiting for a ship assignment as of this morning.

 

My deposit was $2000.

 

Here is my rig, picked him up Saturday. One pic should show him ready for Halloween with that mask. Drives great. Much smoother, quieter , and definitely more powerful than my son's Justa HT. Very satisfied owner! Oops, obviously not proficient with the camera or download. Oh we'll, you get the idea. That is my favorite MA and son in the photo as well.

 

You should talk to your dealer because I believe each dealer can do it a little differently. Some require more for deposit and can be either refundable or non-refundable. You can lock-in your interest rate at the time you order, but the actual sale happens when you take delivery.

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring