Had my mini for a whole day now and already got my first wave! For those of you that thought it was a dying trend I think you are wrong. Keep the wave alive!
Happy motoring.

 

That's good to hear. Since we now have one on order (and even before we decided for sure to go MINI), we noticed a lot of them around town. They appear to be everywhere (now that we are committed). This seems to be the case with whatever new vehicle we are considering, suddenly they are everywhere.

I know Corvette owners share a wave as do the Jeep (wrangler types) - which surprised me? As a Corvette owner over a number of years it is nice that many owners will smile and share a wave. Surprisingly others are completely clueless and look at you like you like you're from another planet.

I wonder how many MINI owners know about "the Wave"? Hopefully A LOT!

 

I think you're right about that. I'm still a few weeks away from taking delivery but have noticed more around town. I'm committed to keeping the wave alive when I finally get mine

 

Good news. I do think getting one wave from another car hardly establishes a trend but hopefully you're right.

 

I took delivery last Friday, and drove past at least 5-6 MINIs (to include 2 F56s) within 10 miles of the dealer. NO waves.

I see MINIs all the time around here, and the wave ratio is 'maybe' 30% at best. It's pretty sad, really.

 

Yes, sad indeed. There seems to be a core constituency of enthusiasts that buy a car not just as transportation but also for the joy of driving it. These are the folks that scout for other drivers to exchange that wave of acknowledgement.

Sadly the Corvette crowd has more of the UN-enthusiasts joining the ranks also. Where once upon a time, nearly every owner acknowledged another with a wave or thumbs up , Now, it's more like 3 out of 5 that carrying forth the tradition.

Being old school and an enthusiast, anyone seeing a Thunder Gray Mini or a Shark Gray Corvette can always expect a friendly wave from yours truly. Life is to short to not enjoy the ride.

 

I've gotten a couple but only from modified MINI's. Most MINI drivers around here are not enthusiasts.

 

Nobody waves. I feel sad.

 

whoo-hooo!

-Luccia

 

Save the wave!

The only time it's awkward is when I look down and realize that I'm not driving my MINI.

 

I have owned two Jeeps (CJ-7 and Wrangler) and the Jeep wave is almost a requirement. Everyone does it. However, my Mini experience thus far has yet to yield a single wave. I do see quite a few Mini's on the road here in Northern Virginia. Alas, no waves...

 

My first MINI: Everyone, I mean EVERYONE waved.


My 2nd MINI: 80% waved.


My Jeep Wrangler: 98% waved.


My 2015 F56: Virtually NO waves. I got a thumbs up (which I was surprised about - since most gen 1 & 2 owners seem to despise the F56) from a passing R56 Cooper owner and a salute (kind of a wave) from an R53 owner on the freeway. I chalk that up to the fact that my F56 is a bit decked out and is a pseudo JCW look alike which draws a bit of attention from most drivers, not just MINI owners.


BRING BACK THE WAVE!!!


MINI should make it part of the "shortcut" or "idiosyncrasies" card at delivery. Generation 1 MINIs came with a little booklet that explained the importance of waving, parking, etc. It was genius!

 

What about flashing the headlights instead? Flashing seems easier than waving, especially when you're trying to steer and shift.

But I've seen only one or two responses to my flashing or waving- I think the "enthusiast" theory above is correct.

 

In the six weeks I've owned my F55 I wave as much as I can, and I don't think I've been waved at first. And to the guy driving a the black CM in the area - please put your phone down while driving.

 

Hey I wave but what really gets Mini owners going is if you see a Mini that looks like yours. A full on head nod And acknowledgment is due...Then again I drive a black Coupe S in Boston.. Not like many of us have them up here.. And my new order is a F56 JCW (Thunder Grey) which isn't going to help either lol.

 

I've never seen nor given a wave.

 

Well when I take delivery of mine in a few weeks, I'll religiously wave, honk and flash. That'll get their attention

 

Dirty what ship is yours on?

 

It was booked to be on the Freedom which sailed on the 12th. Then I got the dreaded "returned to shipper' notice. It's been sitting at Southampton for a week.

Now I'm hoping it'll be on the Falstaff which sails for Baltimore on Sunday.
Either that or it'll be on the Tonsberg on Monday or the Titania on the 24th.

Current schedule here:

http://sagaweb.2wglobal.com/AppSched...pe=generatePDF

 

I hope the best for you man. The Don Juan (my ship) has to nav away from icebergs lolz

 

In the Miami area, most people that drive MINI's aren't enthusiasts, they just want something that's easy to park and good on gas. I always wave whenever I see a passing MINI, except for on the highway, the one time I tried that I nearly crashed, and in the 3 years I've owned MINI's (3 clubman and an F56) I've only ever received waves back in the F56, and only about 5 or 6 waves back in the 9 months I've had it, and this in an area where I see 4 to 5 MINI's in a normal 5 to 10 mile drive. Surprisingly 2 of those waves were in a matter of minutes on the same road, one R53 and one Countryman (gasp!) and both of them were initiated by the other driver, not by me, and it was actually my friend in the passenger seat that noticed it because I was actually changing the radio station while they were waving, I was really surprised, I would have never expected for an R53 or Countryman driver to wave at an F56, but it definitely made my day, that's for sure. I have noticed for sure that other MINI drivers don't like the Clubbie because whenever I've waved other MINI's in my Clubbie, they've only given me strange glances back.

Save the Wave and Motor On, do it for the MINI's!

 

Motorcyclists in general do a lot more waving to one another than Mini drivers do. I too was surprised by the very low Mini wave rate so I've thought about the similarities and differences and possible explanations:

1. Motorcyclists are more often on the road purely for pleasure or recreation - not as much for commuting or running errands. A motorcyclist, seeing another, will usually wave unless in commute or dense traffic (not for recreation).
2. Motorcycle waves are much more obvious than waves from behind the Mini's windshield and tinted windows. So the other guy actually sees your wave.
3. Motorcycle waves are easier to perform - just move your hand off the grip.
4. Motorcycles themselves are more obvious to oncoming riders than even Minis are. A Mini can be sort of hidden in traffic - thus no wave.

I think I'm correct that there would be an excellent wave between two Mini drivers who were just out driving for enjoyment on a great road. I'm not excusing the low wave rate - just trying to understand it.

 

I'm a gen 1 and gen 2 owner and will be a gen 3 in the next week or so and I have no issues with the gen 3 owners.. So what the BMW adjusted stuff for the F platform.. Who cares lol. You should always feel your part of a car cult following.. No one gives a **** if your driving your Ford Focus or your VW Golf around town because they are not unique at all. The top gourps that have a huge following has to be Harley Davison / Mini / Jeep.. All for good reason and all with the same basic idea that your not just trying a car.. You own something special. I have no clue why my fellow Countryman motorist don't wave for **** lol but I'll be dam if I see a hardtop and not acknowledge them. MINIMAN1411 is right though.. Back in my hometown in Miami ppl really don't care anyway lol.

 

My experience is maybe 33% wave. :(

 

Look at what I found on Etsy...lol