Well, after about an hour or so, I was able to shift into 1st and 2nd without too much problem...able to come to a complete stop without stalling, made it onto the highway and shifted into 5th and 6th gears...made it out. Even made a right-hand turn up a small incline after stalling out 3 times and having 10 cars go around me...

So after all the papers had been signed and I have my brand new, shinny, beautiful '06 MCS ready to go, I hop in and make a beautiful shift into 1st gear, out the parking lot of the dealership and oout onto a 4-lane divided highway with lots of homes being built along it. It's not totally developed yet though, so there aren't many lights on the street and the area is about as rural as you can get in the middle of Orlando. Anyways, no more than 1/2 mile down the road a big friggin cat or racoon jumps right in front of my new car. It was almost like this animal wanted to commit suicide. I had no time to react, it was just there. So I run over it and hear a wha-thump noise and then another as my back tires go over it. I pull off the side of the road down a little bit and wouldn't you know it, there's a small crack in my front bumper and my left fog-light is pushed in. I don't know if I'm more pissed that I've killed my first animal, ever or that this stupid animal ruined the perfection of my new car within 2 minutes of owning it.

Well, at least I've got a name for her now. I think I'm going to call her Killer. I work with a lot of ex-military guys and have already suffered a rash of crap for getting a MINI, but at least now I can come back with "She's already taken one life, do you want to be next?"


Anyways, my first time driving a new car, my first time driving a MINI and my first time driving a manual. With the exception of the speed bump, good times! I love it so far.


~jeff~

 

What a great story for a first time owner. I guess all one can do is.

I wonder if anyone can top that incident? congrats and enjoy the ride.

 

Congrats Jeff and sorry about your new car.

I'm calling PETA (j/j)!

 

HAHA - sorry about the raccoon, but I thought of something funny. A little blacked out graphic of a raccoon head, and each time you kill something else, another one goes up. Like a kill tally.

 

Very unsociable of the racoon to damage your car!

 

Congrats on your new MCS - heck of a way to commemorate your first day of ownership. Thank goodness it was a relatively small animal and not a deer - it probably wasn't suicidal, it was just feeling a little run down

 

Killer seems like a fitting name...either that or "Christine" (with apologies to Stephen King).

Chuck

 

What a way to go for him, when he gets to the pearly gates he will have the boasting distinction of being run over by a REAL car.

 

Well now - THAT is quite some story!! Poor animal - poor MINI - that stinks. Sorry your first experience started off a little rockie...

Donna

 

Great story, and love the name!

 

Killer is good name for your new MINI. It comes with a great story. Congrats on your new MIN!

 

Welcome to NAM. That is a really good story, and a great way to come up with a name.
Happy Motoring to you and Killer.

- KP