I'm not sure.....the new owners I run into are just as much into MINIs as we were in the early days. Same w/ the Clubman crowd. There are a lot of initial owners who have moved on to other things, too, so I'm not sure how die-hard they were in the first place....perhaps they were just into the novelty.

In addition, I am one of the biggest MINI enthusiasts around these parts and I don't participate in the local club (any more), nor have a I ever been to any MINI events, nor do I have any discernable mods. Just saying that making any determination on this is risky, so best to give any owner the benefit of the doubt. They may be more of an enthusiast than you can possibly imagine (ask me how I know )!!!

 

about 50% of time. easier when my daughter in the car . i always wave,honk,flash head lights. live in marin,nor cal

 

I don't know what all of you said before me, because I didn't read all of it, but... The non waving mini owners buy their cars for the gas mileage, and not because the cars are amazing. People like us love our minis and want to make them better.

 

Well Said!

 

I dont want to be sexist here, but my club has 12 members. 10 are men. I am a college student living in a college town and i cant tell you how many minis are here. BUT, i get little to no response to waves or club fliers i put on girls cars. I mean i know that most are not into modding and the "abilities" of their cars. Its more about a "cute" car. I think its sad for someone to have a mini and miss out on the comraderie and community that comes with it.

 

Mars and Venus.

viva la difference!

 

I always flash or wave to all Minis I see.The ones that are not on there cell phones and actually driving the car are more prone to respond.
I was also a SUV convert of sorts. I bought my Mini sight unseen without even driving one. Never been sorry since. Awesome cars.
I also might be considered an "old fart"--but today this old fart was flying down the highway @120
NICE!!!!

 

I'm guessing most of those non-wavers never even noticed your Mini or your wave. Their attention was probably elsewere- a scary thought- let us hope it was on the car in front of them.

 

 

 

I just became a member of the Mini society for the last month now and when I saw another mini I thought I would of had a wave to come my way. It has not happened at all. I am now just driving this car like my past cars not expecting a wave. OH WELL!

 

Beware the "Cute Car Buyer!" This is not new to Mini's, it was also the bane of membership recruitment back in the days of my MG Club. 70's-80's. The car is cute, It makes a personal statement. By joining with other Mini (or MG back then) owners, they no longer feel individually special. This is the antithesis of their personality.

 

I think it depends on why the person bought the MINI. If they bought it because they LIKE the car, then they'll wave (and eventually become a true enthusiast.) If they bought it because of the good gas milage, then no...they don't wave, they don't get the comraderie, and definitely don't get the modding thing. Don't understand anybody who CAN"T get enthusiastic about this car, especially after actually buying one, but hey...i guess it takes all kinds.

 

M3's, M5's intimidate me...but they don't wave...

 

When I first got my MINI (over 7 months ago) I would enthusiastically wave at every freakin' MINI I saw and only ever got one wave back the whole time. I gave up. If I see a MINI pass and they notice me as well, I will smile and wave without caring if they wave back. If they are in lala land, I save my energy for the road. I love my car just as much as all of you love your MINIs, and have no mods, but I'm simply burned out when it comes to waving. Every MINI I see still puts a smile on my face, though.

 

Cabrio Pilot.....


Case in point....

I don't think they know you or your MINI does not stick out to them.

When I was down there they waved to me.
And just last week in Detriot durning the Auto Show a BMW rep. from Chicago waved to me from his corp. X5.
He saw my MTTS on the side and must have knew who I was, this was during a major snow storm to top.

So the wave is not dead.

 

Cabrio Pilot.....


Case in point....

I don't think they know you or your MINI does not stick out to them.

When I was down there they waved to me.
And just last week in Detriot durning the Auto Show a BMW rep. from Chicago waved to me from his corp. X5.
He saw my MTTS on the side and must have knew who I was, this was during a major snow storm to top.

So the wave is not dead.

 

oops sorry for the double post.

 

This may be true in big urban/suburban areas and regions like the coasts where MINIs are becoming relatively commonplace, but it doesn't seem to translate to our neck of the woods. MINIs are not nearly as ubiquitous around here and as a result, they are still somewhat of a novelty and the level of enthusiasm cuts across both generations of cars.

I just did a quick calculation -- of the active participants in our club who regularly attend drives, shows, parades, meet-n-eats, etc., only 38 percent are 1st Gen owners.

Oh, and I always wave faithfully. I don't care if it's acknowledged, but I get return waves more often than not. Sometimes a MINI will buzz by going in the opposite direction so fast and I'm preoccupied and I can't get a wave returned in time for the other driver to see. When that happens it really bums me out!

 

I get waves all the time from all of you coopers out on the road, especially when we have four in our Mini all waving! Thanks for waving back... you know who you are!

 

I only wave at pretty girls in MINIs and not in MINIs and modded MINIs now, not old farts anymore.

 

I'm lucky, there are only 5 other MINIs in the town I live and we all wave to each other.

 

I don't know about intimidated but I have been put-off on the local scene by enthusiasts who insist on talking mods and only mods. Fact this, there always was more to MINIs than just this...thank goodness!!! I think I like NAM for that reason...there are enough folks here that represent all the various levels/facets of MINI enthusiasm.

 

Anytime I see a Mini, I wave! We exchange that (we're cool) smile, and go on our way. If I see a Mini that someone has really put much thought into, I give the , and the normal smile exchange takes place.

Maybe you should come to the midwest!

 

No offense to anyone, but I do not wave or wave back to any stock minis. I only wave to modded minis because those are the enthusiasts. Driving a stock mini is just like driving any other car and there is no need to wave.