This morning I was driving along 11th St SE in DC, when I saw a dark silver MCS in front of me, a few car lengths ahead. I did a nifty little zig-zag and wound up alongside him at a light. I waved and waved. The middle-aged man inside looked briefly at me and then returned his gaze straight ahead. I waved again. He lowered his window and looked at me. "Can I help you?" he said.

The light changed.

"Happy motoring," I growled as I took off.

He also had a political bumper sticker on the back. That should have been a dead giveaway. Not the political message, which I will not repeat here, but the mere fact that he had a bumper sticker at all reveals him as the sort of person who buys a MINI because he thinks it's "sensible" in the city. He doesn't really love the car. People like this should be held down and have their MINI keys taken away from them.

James (STELLA)

 

It's people like that who should be driving a Toyota Prius, Honda Insight or Honda Civic Hybrid, for the "sensible in the city" aspect.

I completely understand how you feel, but I'm glad this person isn't driving an SUV instead!

 

I agree with you there Jame, 100%

 

Ya know, not everyone is a 'Mini Dork' that thinks you have wave like an idiot at all the other Mini drivers.

 

I agree... for many it's just a car to drive from point to point... nothing more...

 

Very true. I've found that you can sort of spot the MINI drivers who are into their cars -- their faces sort of light up when they see another MINI approaching, and you can count on a positive response to your .

You can pretty much count on "MINI dorks" in here, however, so post away and we'll respond in kind.

Just sign me..

a idiot!

 

Hello, my name is Will and I am a MINI nerd!

I have two MINI stories to tell you. No, not short stories, but actual MINI Cooper stories and both of these happened while I was motoring. That’s right, I now say motoring.

Wednesday. Commute home. 4:05 PM at the intersection of Gude Drive and Rockville Pike. The afternoon was beautiful and I had the windows down and the sunroof open. I have a nice smile on my face. I was waiting about ten cars back in the left lane for the light to go green. The lane next to me – the left turn only lane – was empty. A big four door Lincoln with tinted windows enters that lane and rolls to a stop next to me. The passenger side window rolls down and the driver calls to me.
“Hey there! How long you owned dat Cooper my man? How ya liken dat Cooper?” He shouted over the traffic noise.
“Lovin it,” I shouted back!
“When I was in Germany my bros and I had one. Can you imagine me at six feet four and two-fifty pounds in dat Cooper and with two guys my same build? We were US Rangers and we ran dat Cooper up N down that Autobahn.” He laughed. “Damn, I miss dat car,” he said as the lights for our lanes turned green. “You enjoy dat Cooper my man. Dat’s one sweet car,” he said as he drove off. I smiled even bigger.

Thursday. Commute home. 4:15 PM at the intersection of Norbeck and Bel Pre Roads. Again, the afternoon was beautiful and I had the MINI opened up. And again I was sitting a few cars back while waiting for the light to turn green with a smile on my face. A well worn (the polite way of saying beat up) old model sedan pulls up next to me. The older gent called out to me.
“Hello there! So how long have you owned that Cooper?” the older gent said.
“Five weeks today,” I replied.
“It looks like you just pulled off the lot it’s so clean,” he said admiringly as he looked Red 5 over.
“I’ve washed this MINI five times already and waxed it once.”
“I can tell you love that Cooper. That’s good. Take care of your car and it will last ya. Ya know, back thirty years ago or so no one in this country wanted them Coopers. Now that BMW makes em they are good sellers and all you Cooper drivers are friendly folks.”
“Thanks. Hard not to smile driving the MINI,” I said and he smiled back.
“Do you feel safe in it?” he asked.
“I sure do. It feels a lot more solid than the other cars I owned, and I have airbags all around me.”
“Well let’s hope no one ever hits you and makes them airbags go off my friend!”
“Amen to that! And you too!”
The light turned green and we drove off. Again, I smiled even bigger.

MTFBWY,
--Will

 

I find more and more people who won't even smile at you when you wave. They look as though you are flipping them off instead of smiling and waving.

I can understand how some people may not be into their MINI as much as I am -- but where does it say that people can't just be nice to each other and smile and wave?

 

Good point - there are plenty of MINI drivers out here in So Cal that just WILL NOT even look your way....one I see every Friday - I still wave anyway

Donna

 

I am sort of figuring out that there are all types out there. Not just MINI drivers, either. Even cars like 'Vettes and Porsches whose drivers wave have some who are not wavers. So I guess that there are enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts no matter what brand you drive. So I find myself waving or nodding to the guy in the SRT or EVO or even some of the kids in the souped up Hondas. Because they love the whole experience as much as I do. The ones who only have their car for transportation or for status (aforementioned Pcars, etc) will never respond. Or get it.

 

I also own a 1990 VW Vanagon and that group of owners almost always wave...but this is typically only on the highway. In city driving, most (not all!) folks are concentrating on the road.

It's real easy to wave to a VW van...you can see it coming a mile away! I have problems picking out an oncoming MINI until it's close...I usually need to turn around to wave! :smile:

 

Ah yes, now I have to agree with that. I find that people who've got cool cars --not necessarily MINIs -- especially people with cool cars that have obviously been souped up, are a lot more enthusiastic and will wave and chat with me at the red lights.

And I say MORE MOTOR TO THEM.

I guess the whole phenomenon of people who are NOT "Mini dorks" just confounds me -- it offends my natural sense of what is right and wrong, ordered and disordered in the universe. Baffling.




James (STELLA)

 

Don't confuse 'enthusiast' with 'dork that likes to carry on and wave at stop lights'. There are PLENTY of enthusiats that don't care to do that.

 

There's nothing wrong with a little wave, or at least a reserved nod of recognition at a light. No need to "carry on" if by that you mean waving wildly like there's a fire or something. When I am at a light I just smile and give a nod in the direction of the other MINI motorists. If they wave, then I wave in kind.

MTFBWY,
--Will

 

This thread is hilarious. For those of us who love our MINIs and view other MINI owners as part of the "family" it is always nice to get a quick wave, nod of the head, or flash of the lights. It's like saying, "hey, I know how much fun you are having in that car. don't you wish everyone could experience what we are?" Instead of ignoring those with a little more enthusiasm, the "enthusiasts" may want to consider giving us "dorks" a friendly tap on the horn, or a quick nod.

All in the family....

 

James - True!

For every MINI owner that doesn't look, smile, and/or wave, there always one that will! A couple months ago, I spied a PS/B MINI up ahead of me on I-95. I get a bit closer, and I notice their tag, 'YMELORD". I finally pull alongside, wave, and get a big smile and wave back! We then both pulled off of the next exit, and it worked out that we were next to each other at the light. We both rolled down our windows, and had a few minute conversation! Turns out that it was her Dads MINI, and he is a big Johnny Cash fan, hence the tag. 'Why Me Lord' is a fairly popular Cash song. We said bye and went on our way!

I even had an old, beatifully restored (or just extrwell-kept) all black and chrome caddy pull up to me and shout 'nice car'!

-Paul!

 

Let me guess..."Kerry/Edwards" bumper sticker?

 

That's right - and there's nothing wrong with NOT doing it either.

I think it's comical to see all these repeated threads about dorks that wave like mad at us that don't. You don't see a single complaint the other way around.


like: "Man I was going to work this morning, listening to my favorite radio show and stopped at a light. All of a sudden I notice this guy next to me, also in a mini - frantically waving at me, jumping up and down in his seat, ready to bust a nut or somethin! I tried to ignore the obviously deranged individual, calculating how I can get away from him as soon as possible when the light changes. Before that could happen, this clown got out of his car, jumped on my hood, and started pounding on the windshield! All I remember before gunning it and running him over was, 'for the love of GOD wave back at me!! You anti-motoring scmuck!!'. Poor soul. Oh well, at least the radio show was funny!"

 

I count myself as a combo package: dork/enthusiast!

I live in Los Angeles where you can see every sort of exotic vehicle, lowrider, sportscar, etc. I continually have strangers chat me up about Wanda, and plenty of people in cool cars acknowledge me on the road. I especially love getting "the nod" or the "wave" from people in classic Triumphs, Jags, and MGAs! That makes me feel so happy!


Clover

 

Yeah... but it only takes a second to say "thank you, have a nice day".

 

Yeah and you know what - sometimes you just don't want to - and you certainly never need to.

How about if every single person you ever pass in a day says 'Hi!' to you - and you have to say Hi back...everyone you see, all day. Sooner or later you would get sick of it and want to be left alone. Then we can all give you the rolling eyes for not 'taking the time'.

The point is - people have every right NOT to do anything back - it's not a crime, it's not even impolite. Personally I think it's very dorkish and self-centered that people actually get MAD at someone for not doing something back. It's a car, people. Driving in the street, in traffic. That's it.

 

I just don't think that should be allowed...LOL


and that kinda attitude is why I dislike the human race so much...if people would just get over thier bad attitudes and be happy to be alive...and happy someone else is like HEY!! maybe the world would be a better place

 

I don't know how you derived 'bad attitude' from simply not wanting to wave to other drivers. Way off-base.

 

i second that...

those who can't take the time to say "hi" may need to take look at why they are so miserable to begin with...granted, i agree that no one is obligated to say hello (after all this is america), but not saying hello just because you feel by doing so will in some way trivialize the word and cause it lose it's meaning over time because everyone is saying "hi" is pretty ignorant.

 

Pfft, the "I don't care" attitude is, IMO, one of the major social problems of the 21st century, especially in big cities. I remember one time driving along with a friend, being lost in the city and he rolled down his window to ask someone where this street was and nobody would even look at him. "Do you know where suchandsuch street is? Hey, do you know... excuse me, do you... hello?"

Big cities are empathy killers. The people I know who live their whole lives in the city tend to also be the most apathetic. This is probably why cities full of apathetic people also tend to be the most crime ridden (coughDCcoughBaltimorecough).

So I say to you, wave, and be happy, lest the plague of not caring overwhelm you as well!

Why, the MINI driver who waves to you is practically doing you a favor, as if to remind you that in this big mess of people, all of them complete strangers, you two have at least this much in common. A gentle reminder that even the strangest of strangers may have some common thread, if you get to know them. Car ownership is just a lot more obvious to start with.




So there.