There aren't very many wavers around here. I've gotten 3 waves in the 6 mos. I've owned my MINI.

 

In San Francisco, MINI peeps often wave and smile, especially vintage MINI's. I too get miffed when they don't even smile! Only nice people should have MINI's.

 

Well at least I smile.......I'm not looking in your direction, but I promise I'm smiling

 

I usually do the rural two fingers wave. Keep hands on the wheel (9 and 3), and extend left index and middle fingers. Farmers do it the same, but their hand is at 12, and they wave at everybody.

I never really waved on the twisty roads at MOTD. Those roads demanded full attention.

 

You drive with 2 hands?

My right is always ready to shift another gear.

 

I don't wave anymore because people don't wave back any more

 

I usually wave. I was kind of losing hope for waving when the other day I was at a stop light about to turn left, when across the intersection was an EB mini with a black top turning left. He flashed his lights and waved and I waved back as we passed each other. It was awesome

 

The only ones who wave back are those at a stop light or in the parking lot.

 

Sometimes I wave, sometimes I flash my lights. I've been getting about 50% return waves/lights.

It's fun to find another MINI at the store and park next to it. My record is three MINIs next to one another. I didn't see the other owners though.

Dave

 

When I first got my Mini, I noticed alot of people would smile and wave. After a year of owning the car, the number has gone down significantly. I guess there aren't very many enthusiastic drivers in Mid-Missouri..

 

For about the first year I owned the car, I used to wave and get responses quite often. But as the years passed it became next to nothing.

So I too got tired of waving and getting nothing in return. So the drill became to try to make eye contact. Then occasionally Id get a smile which Id return and that was cool.

About a month ago there was a yellow R56 moving down a local main street in front of me. The light turned red and as she got there and then I pulled up next to her on the right. I glanced over as I often do when I see another MINI and she just broke out into the hugest smile, which was completely unexpected, as far as I was concerned. I smiled back, the light turned green, and we were off on our separate ways. It was a pleasant, if unusual, experience.

 

The rarer a car is, the more people tend to wave. As a car becomes more common, fewer people wave. I've seen a decline in waves since 2007 and the number of MINIs in the area increases. A few still do wave, but many don't.

 

You know what, chalk it up to yet another de-humanization of the car experience. The more people sit in their cars on commute, the less engaged they get with others as humans. The opposing drivers are antagonists, competitors, whatever, but less and less real people. My opinion anyway. I notice this most when I am doing primarily bike commuting. I have a commute that would take me through SF and over te Golden Gate Bridge and into Marin, and on the bike I'd be more engaged with others: other riders, pedestrians, drivers who acknowledged me rather than running me over, etc. Too long in the car, I disconnect. And the more people around you are either doing intentionally dangerous stuff (swerving, tailgating red running, road raging) or unintentionally dangerous stuff (looking down, texting, cell phone talking, etc) the more defensively hostile I would feel towards ALL drivers... probably being a parent of a young daughter doesn't help.

Now, that all said, and setting aside my personal deliberate mantra of CHOOSING to be nice to other drivers whenever I can, specific to the MINI culture, I do think things have changed over time, as the inevitable result of there being more MINIs on the road. More production years, greater numbers... when I had my first MINI, I was late in the first gens, and there were several MINIS in the very-MINI-friendly Bay Area, but not a HUGE amount. And we ALL waved. Many of us were in one of the local MINI driving clubs anyway, and anyone with a customized ride would recognize each other on the commute. Wave, wave. It was much like the motorcycle experience.

Towards the end, as the 2nd gens were on he road for what, three years, I noticed a larger number of MINIS seemingly driven not by MINI enthusiasts but by regular folks driving, well, small cars. You know? No cross-wave. No eye contact. Still had some who were on the ball, but a lot less. I think as the exclusivity waned, so the 'club' mentality of the car may have changed.

Nonetheless, I remain a waver!

 

Just got back from a cross country trip and found that about 25% wave. Hats off to the Grey Cabrio on the west side entrance to Crater Lake for the most enthusiastic wave and ear to ear smile I've ever seen. Good Job!
Seems like there are more MINIS in California and less waves.

 

I'm pretty lucky, most of the time I get waved at. I have found that in my little town I get waved back to a lot more than in big bad Orlando. But I'll keep trying, even if I don't get a wave back maybe, just maybe I brightened someone's day and they will wave the next time.

My most disappointing unwave back was at a MINI going along the same long rural road as me, the car looked just like mine but no sunroof, I thought for sure I would get a wave but nope. Oh well, sucks to be him, since he's driving a cool car and is a grump! Me? I'm happy as a pig in ___, I just LOVE this car!!!

 

Sadly half the time I don't think they even SEE you. It's more a statement about driver attentiveness these days than a MINI thing. And anyway, when we do cross-wave, it just means we're all that much cooler as a community, so wave away I says!

 

i wave and get about a 50% response. about a month ago i was headed home from UofH on 45 south when a r56 came up behind me so i sped up an cruised with him almost all the way home. not sure if he noticed or enjoyed it but i did. on side note last week i was going to U of H and as soon as i got on 45 at nasa there was a BMW z4 with the top down and a really loud civic si cruising through traffic at about 80mph. i joined them and we all ended up UH but went our separate ways to park on campus.


Good times good times.

 

Early this evening I was driving through our residential neighborhood. I turned a corner and a little girl , sitting on her front porch said "Hi MINItruck".

 

Always do the wave! I also do the Mustang wave.... I get that back WAY less than when I'm driving the MINI... (at least so far).

 

def a waver...

 

I always keep a packed picnic basket in the boot. When I cross paths with another MINI we stop, have a nice meal and enjoy each other's company, then part ways... or not.

 

512, I always loved kids and pedestrians that would delight at the sight of your MINI coming 'round the corner.

 

I live in Knoxville and get waves about 25% of the time. We have a new Mini dealership here that I feel hasn't gotten up to speed yet on pushing the "Mini lifestyle". I was by far more excited about buying one than they were about selling it to me. I went out on my own and learned about the iPhone Apps (it has an auto-wave feature) and the local Mini club (Smokey Mountain Mini). My point is that a little education during the sales process would go a long way. Btw, I wave at every Mini I see.

 

You too . I still haven't fully mastered the six speed, I tend to forget about 6th gear (used to 5 speeds) and other times I keep looking for a 7th gear!

And to stay on topic, I ALWAYS wave and/or flash the headlights when I see another MINI but for some reason I only have about a 15% return rate, maybe I'm just tooo ugly!

 

A few weeks ago, I passed a young lady alone in an R53 (like me) on the side of the road, flashers on, head in hands.
I turned around a few blocks up and returned and pulled up behind her and got out and approached her passenger-side window. Not only did she not even crack her window so she could hear me when I yelled "ARE YOU OK?" but even after she nodded "yes," she didnt crack the window to even say thank you. She just turned away and back to talking on the phone.
I was discouraged.
But the next day, I got an enthusiastic wave from someone on the road and later on that day, I got a "no YOU go ahead!!" with a smile & a wave in a parking lot.