Between ordering my new Mini in November (CR/B, MCS, Bells, Whistles, Etc.) and slowly ramping my excitement until it has finally reached a fevered pitch awaiting delivery this month, I have noticed that there are a couple of other folks out there who may be quivering with identical levels of anticipation frenzy! As the time draws near for the delivery of Red Erik, I find that my thoughts are turning to a more catastrophic trend of worry. "What if they drop my car off the ship and onto the dock?" "What if they ship a right-hand drive and I can't shift and the car has to stay at the dealer on permanent display?" Each of these rather obsessive thoughts has drifted unbidden into my conscienciousness. Which brings me to my question for the day. What bizarre, funny or crazy worries have you obsessed over during your wait for your new Mini? Remember, sharing helps to pass the time.

Red Erik
Ready...
Waiting...

 

This might sound silly but how can you have imagined your worst fear yet one you haven't imagined everything you can imagine yet?

You don't know what you don't know

 

You'll know when your Mini broke loose on the ship when it's stuck at the VPC for a month

 

...my husband is totally paranoid of electric windows. He kept telling me that if I go off the road and into the drink, the windows will short out, I'd be stuck and so on...geez! I thought I had issues...anyway, when the storm surge from Hurricane Wilma rolled over Key West, Miss Kitty, my first MC, got submerged over the roof. My husband was sorta kinda relieved to see that when the electrical shorted out, the windows rolled down.

He doesn't worry so much now with my second MC, Ducky. I don't worry about things until they happen and then I try to fix it... worrying is a useless emotion. My husband says it helps you mentally prepare for when things do happen, but the windows? Argh! Mick

 

Up to this point I haven't had any real worries........but now I'm beginning to worry about YOU!

 

I'm also awaiting delivery and I've come up with a whole array of things to worry about.

I'm worried that it'll show up with the wrong interior... since I originally wanted Space Cloth but supplies ran out and I had to change my order. I'm worried that it'll get bumped or bruised or broken on the ship and that they'll try to repair it instead of getting me a new one. Or, perhaps even worse, it'll get bumped or bruised or broken on the ship to the point where I have to order a new one and then wait ANOTHER 2 months. Then, after reading the Production Week 4 Support Group, I'm seeing that mine is taking a little longer than everyone elses so I'm worried that somethings already gone wrong and causing the delay.

This is my 3rd MINI. For the first I didnt know you could track them so extensively. I just ordered then got a call 2 months later that it was done. The second was purchased used so there was no 'waiting for delivery panic'. This third MINI has been torture. Now that I know you can track it, I'm doing it obsessively. I'm embarassed for myself.

I need to just realx... sit back... trust that everything is going to be ok... and wait for him to arrive...

 

when i went to pick mine up, when i first saw it through the glass of the delivery area, the glare on the glass made it look like it had a silver roof! (ordered RG/RG). that freaked me out some!

Now i am just always worried about some dumb *** not paying attention & running into me!!!

-jac

 

MIB was being built after Huricane Katrina. If hurricanes don't come in land they go off towards England right smack in the shipping lanes.

 

My biggest fear was I would get the wrongly spec'd car and it did happen.
Only it was my fault.

I had initially ordered Anthracite interior, but later changed it back to silver and forgot. When I saw the car I kinda freaked out and freaked my MA out too! Then I remembered.

 

Herbie, be gentle! We're all one big family...okay, I'll admit: a family with quirky members...but I'm really quite "harmless" when I'm on my meds...

I never worried about the wrong colour or wrong fabric or wrong tires...and if the car fell off the boat on the way over, I know I'd eventually get another one...when life gives me a basket of lemons, I make real good lemonade....it's everybody else's phobias that get me crazy...:impatient

...I didn't get rear ended by some dumb ***, the dumb *** in an F-150 backed into me. The driver stuck his hand out of his window and signalled for me to go around...I said, "Dude! What do you mean go around you? You are parked on my front bumper!" Then they offered me $100 and told me buff it out....

Mick

 

Remember how your Grandparent used to say "troubles shared are troubles halved?" In reality, to the car-delivery-obsessed, there is the potential that troubles shared are troubles doubled. Now I'm worried about my paint color and whether the Captain of the Exon-Valdez is piloting my particular shipping freighter!! In that same vein, please enjoy the following song to help you with your continued worrying...
http://www.pythonland.com/song26.php

Red Erik
Ready...
Waiting...
Worried...!

 

This was what worried me, cause the weather was really bad, and it did happen once :

but, be happy, don't worry!!!!!! The odds of this happening again are really high!!!!
Enjoy your MINI when it arrives !

 

Red Erik, honey, you really do worry too much...Do you need a hug? I think they have meds for that... If it comes with the wrong fabric, or the wrong colour paint, maybe you'll luck out and the dealer will give you a discount on the price to make up for your "pain, suffering and mental anguish..." Have fun with your new baby when it gets here, but in the meantime, relax...Mick

 

That’s a good one...I wanted to say that too, but I have to admit I had a few worries and still have a few of my own. ..Since my car isn't actually here yet.
But most of my worries come from the transportation truck (and not the boat ride – which sounds fun!) once it finally reaches the states. You ever get a good look at those trucks...my goodness, I don't know how they do it... they squeeze 9 cars onto one tractor-trailer with only inches to spare That just freaks me out…and have you ever seen them load up one of them?...well I have, and it’s not a pretty site.

 

Thanks for the hugs, Flora!! And thanks for the hysterical (albeit slightly worrying) image from pbraun! Of course, now I'm worried that I worry too much. The good news is the wait is actually down to days instead of weeks or months!!!

Red Erik
Ready...
Waiting...
Trackin' the weather between California and Colorado...!

 

getting a RHD instead of LHD would be fine with me! can they throw in an australian tach while they are at messing up production cars?

 

After driving a beaten and bruised '93 Ford Explorer for more than a dozen years, I never give a second thought to parking in dense parking garages where I do some occasional "touch parking" to squeeze in (touching the concrete walls, not other cars !!) - and even let my car be parked by the garage jockeys occasionally.

I am most worried about taking my new jewel out in public and facing the rest of the world as I normally do. No worries about the highway - I am terrified of the parking !!!!

Bill

 

I patiently waiting for my mini to arrive. But what if I finally get to the dealer, I see my mini for the first time and it doesn't like me?

(I probably shouldn't have skipped my therapy session this week)

 

As someone who spent 9 months in a wheelchair do to another bad driving, and had a personal experience that made that seem like a party, none of these items are worth much anxiety. sorry to ruin the party, but near death and death make all this stuff just triviality. I hope you don't have to find out personally, but take it from me, they're just cars.

Matt

 

Oh yes, it sure did!!! When I was waiting for my Cooper the TRICOLOR sank...full of cars!!! I think someone here on NAM's MINI actually went to Davey Jones' locker!!! Not much imaginary about that.

But that's not all...right when my MINI was being trucked from SC to Dallas, an ice storm hit the south...more frayed nerves as I imagined the transport truck in a ditch somewhere.....or worse!!

Happy ending, though!!

 

Doggie downers might help

 

Hmmm is there barried treasure out somewhere? Ie. 200 minis underwater . I'm thinking it's time we send out a rescue team. And build about 200 mini race cars

 

I was worried that it would be decked out with dealer accessories and then sold off to someone else, especially considering that it was such a low-dollar set of options. But this isn't Nissan. I got my car, as ordered. Shipping took longer than expected, but only by a few days.

 

Hey hey, everyone!! I just received word that Red Erik is actually on his way to Colorado!! We are just days away, and I have managed to survive each of my worst fears including the order never making it to Mini, the factory being shut down for retooling, the ship sinking (thanks to pbraun), dropping the car off of the dock/boat, the Mini being sold on the bumper car black market for use in some eastern-European traveling carnival and/or an unfortunate series of seismic events in California! Now I just have to make it through the potential of the car falling off the back of the transport truck, the car being delivered to the wrong dealer or the car being sold off by the lot boy/girl as a result of my not plying him/her with donuts/beer. All in all, I think that waiting has been half the fun. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve!!

 

Here's the link. Over 2,850 Saabs, Volvos and BMWs aboard (on it's way through the English Channel) Hadn't loaded any MINIs yet.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2576923.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2576179.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2695035.stm