I'm stoked!
No longer will I have to content myself with sitting back on the sidelines, only making shift ***** for OTHER people to enjoy on their MINI's!

My new (to me) 2005 is on the truck as I type this, making its way east from Seattle to Illinois, where it will be enjoyed by its latest owner.

I want to thank Cris (DOCROTH) for being so unbelievably easy to deal with.

I've never bought a car long-distance before, and Cris did his utmost to make the transaction as hassle-free as possible (don't know whether I can say the same for my bank, but that's another story).

-Doug
(soon to be happily motoring)

 

Congratulations!!! If anyone belongs behind the wheel of a MINI, it's you! I'm excited for you, Doug.

 

Thanks!

 

Grats and welcome to the addiction....

 

Maybe a new shifter???

 

Yeah. I think I can find one lying around here someplace.

 

CONGRATS, DOUG !!!!

Too bad you didn't buy an Auto so you can perfect the ***** for those !

She's a REAL BEAUTY, too !!! WOW !!

 

Couldn't buy an auto because my wife might want to drive it.
I was never able to convince her to leave the parking lot when I "taught" her to drive a stick.

 

Congrats! Geez, I just figured you already owned one since you were in the BMW/MINI shift **** business.

 

Nope. The **** biz got started shortly after I made one for my previous (now obviously deceased) M Roadster.
I'm still enjoying its replacement. I should say, I will be, if Winter ever gets over.

 

She should get a MINI too! Congrats on the purchase your going to have a lot of fun, so you going to engrave the 'pre-installed' Whalen ****?

 

Yep, I'll probably engrave that one and put it into my existing "**** du Jour" program.

 

Congrats! Hope all goes smoothly with the bank!

 

Thanks!

It will go okay. It's just that they're a small-town bank, and my loan officer evidently doesn't have much (if any) experience doing a transaction like this; buying from a private party who still has a lien on the car.

I must say that it's a first for me, too. For me, it's always been a dealership buy, or I've handed over a check to a private owner and driven away with the title in hand.

 

M-roadster, now that's a nice car, and the kind of convertible you can actually rest your arm on the window sill, not like all these newer high waisted designs. Very classic, cool looking ride.

 

Yes; ergonomically, it's great!

Soon after I bought my first Roadster, a friend and I swapped cars for a short drive; he took mine and I drove his Vette.
I felt like I was driving a submarine! Like I was swallowed up inside of it, when compared to my car.
I couldn't wait to get back in my rocket-powered skateboard!

 

I just starting looking at the Mini Cooper at the urge of my oldest son. In the past I had Porsche Carrera, 911 Sport and the Boxster. Now I am driving a 6 series BMW and the Mini Cooper S is much more fun than all of those!!

 

the Mini Cooper S is much more fun than all of those!![/quote]

After hearing that, this wait isn't getting any easier!

Thursday is the big day.
I guess I can make it; I'll just go back outside and scrape some more ice off the driveway, to bide my time.

 

Congrats on a great looking MINI

 

*This is an automatically-generated out-of-office reply*

I'm sorry, I'm outside scraping ice off the driveway in anticipation of receiving my new MINI.
But thank you for the congrats!

-Doug

 

Wow, I can't believe you don't already have a MINI! Welcome to the cult! I can't wait to see what kind of awesomesauce shift **** you design for it.

But man, an M Roadster....*drool* I lusted after Z3s for a long time, and was rather annoyed when they got replaced by the Z4 (blech!). I don't care what my ladyfriend says (something to the effect that it looks like a four wheeled phallus), I still want one. Maybe as an impractical second car to the MINI.

 

There are a lot of garage-queen Z3's and M Roadsters/Coupes out there.
And the selling prices are really dropping.

Sometimes I think about selling mine, but I just bought it two years ago, and I know I'd take a bath on it.
It's a '99 and only has about 37K miles on it. But it's worth a lot less than what I paid for it; that's for sure.

 

Congrats, Doug!! Love the Jet Black

 

I'm going to hold off even thinking about it until I get my '07 MCS paid off, but I'd definitely love to have one. I'd even be willing to settle for one of the early 1.9Ls as long as it had a manual.

 

Congrats Doug. Are you driving it to AMVIV? Will we get to see it in person?