Finally after almost nine excruciating weeks, got my hands on Vivienne at last!


Ordered 4/3/16, left Southampton 5/3/16, arrived Port Hueneme 5/27/16, got to the dealer 6/1/16, picked up 6/3/16.


Oh, and got a speeding ticket within six hours of driving away from the dealership... (Ticketed for doing 45 in a 25--I thought I was out of the 25 zone...)


Oh, and you might notice that I have the one-of-a-kind "Whippet" option. It doesn't really DO much, but it's pretty to look at.

 

I do like the "whippet option." Mine will have the "miniature dachshund" option

Have you used your HUD yet? I put that option in at the last minute.

She looks lovely.

 

Thank you! She's very fun!


I have used the HUD (you sort of don't have a choice because it's up whenever the engine is running--at least as near as I can tell). Only issue I've had so far is it was really hard to see when driving into the afternoon sun while wearing my sunglasses. But I have the same problem seeing iPhone/iPad screens, LDC screens at the gas station or ATM, etc., in similar conditions.

 

I've read that polarized sunglasses make the HUD near invisible. I have a 13 year old pair of Oakleys that are not polarized and I can see my iPhone, etc with them on so I'll have to wear them when using the HUD. I used to have a Miata and had my "Mimi polarized sunglasses" for motoring fun, so I'm kind of sad I won't be able to wear those.

I think there is a switch to raise/lower the HUD, so my impression was I don't have to use it all the time.

I'm looking forward to joining the Puget Sound MINI club and going on some of the local rides. They have a Facebook page: PS MINI which is far more active than the forum.

Enjoy!!

 

My sunglasses are prescription and I really wouldn't be able to see (not just the HUD, but everything else) without them.


I tried shutting the HUD down yesterday afternoon, since I couldn't see it anyway, and it just popped back up. But I'm still trying to figure out all the buttons and settings, so it's completely possible it's user error.


Haven't decided on which or if on the local motoring clubs. There's the Salish Sea club out of Tacoma and the Puget Sound club out of Seattle. Tacoma is closer, but not sure what I want to do.


Excited for your purchase! You'll love it!

 

YAY! So excited to see Vivienne! My Nigel is still out at sea... but your's is gorgeous! The white stripes really 'pop' with the red body, and your four legged companion seems to like it too! But watch out for those speed traps!

When mine arrives I am going to be totally lost. My current vehicle is a super-basic 2007 Toyota Yaris 3-door hatch with power nothing... Just a speedometer and a gas gauge... I added cruise control as an aftermarket option. But thats it... no computer screens, no buttons, no power windows, mirrors, sunroofs, nothing... So for me this is going to be like going from an Amish horse-and-buggy (we have a few of those around here) to the flight deck of the Space Shuttle... i'm guessing it will take weeks to sort out all the buttons, features, and functions...

 

Thank you so much! I do think she is a beautiful princess, but I'm a bit biased...


Surprisingly, all the goodies aren't that complicated to learn to use. I still have some things to work out but basically everything is an on/off toggle and it's pretty easy to navigate through the features. I'm feeling more and more comfortable with all the gizmos. It doubt it will take you DAYS, let along weeks to figure out Nigel's personality.


Can't wait to see your pics too!

 

What a beautiful car! glad to see you got it! Still waiting for mine to leave Southampton. I think the Mini folks are getting annoyed at the frequency of my calls.

 

Mine arrived at the Port of Baltimore this afternoon... then on to Ohio. I have been working really hard to resist the urgent desire to call the MINI people... only called and spoke to a live person twice thus far...

 

Hey, considering how much we pay for these cars, I wouldn't worry about it.


With that said, I actually never ended up calling 866-MINI during this process.


I obsessively tracked the cargo vessel (paid the $16 for AIS tracking), and sent an email to the dealer a couple days after the car got to the VDC, and they knew the car was practically on the way there.


Now that I'm "on the other side", all I can say is "it'll happen", but that's no comfort, I know.

 

Thanks. A few times the Mini phone guys sometimes asked me "are you the guy who just called last night". I guess they're not mad but they're getting to know me too well.

I keep asking for shipping info to see which ship I might be booked on. I now know I missed two ships this week but should be able to make it out on Tuesday (I hope) after over a week on the docks. I think that will push my VDC arrival date to the 3rd of July and you know nobody is working on the 4th so I guess I can expect my car a week or so after that.

Anyways I'm happy when people get their cars and love seeing photos to make the wait go faster, so thanks for sharing!

 

Congrats on the new F55, sorry to hear about your ticket :(

 

It does make for a funny story though, and in the end that's what's most important, right?