I've had my Mini for 3 weeks now. I've been waving like crazy and I FINALLY gor a wave back! Made my day.

 

The trick is a combination of timing and enthusiasm. You have to catch them at a time when they can reasonably be expected to see you for enough time to process what you are doing, and why you are doing it. (Waving) Many drivers simply aren't scanning the horizon for MINIs like we are! So you have to get right in their view, or you likely will be disappointed. It helps to have an obviously modified MINI... seriously, look at my signature picture... with a full Union Jack roof, stripes, badges, and stickers... my car is as loud as a rock concert! And even with this Chili Red explosion of MINIness, if I don't pick my timing right, I do no better than one in five to one in seven these days.

You also have to OBVIOUSLY wave. Like they are your long lost friend from High School. We have learned to ignore most actions that other drivers are doing inside of their car, except for the most blatant. So WAVE! And if they look at you like you are insane, be assured that you will at least have caused them to drive away, wondering who the H3LL you were, did they know you, what WAS that about?

Don't be put off by not getting any waves, keep trying! You'll get them, and they will be worth it! And maybe the other driver will get into the habit too!

 

Ooooo...not nice. Even to first gen's...I hope that we are fortunate enough to have you way at us. I would feel better then.

I still feel that alot of the nonwaving is due to the amount of used Mini's now being sold and them not receiving the tutorial from used car dealers that is received from new car dealers.

 

This is definitely it. I got my MCS at a non-Mini used car dealership and wasn't told about the wave. I also wasn't told about the LSD, the sport suspension+, and other packages the dealer didn't know about and would have raised the sticker price.

 

I'm still waving I see an older gentleman in an R55 S about once a week that waves back every time. Some kid in my apt complex just got an R53 a few months ago and never waves back at me

I bought my R53 used and didn't get any tutorial, but I've been riding motorcycles for 5 years now and as soon as I saw waves coming from fellow MINI owners I immediately realized what was going on.

 

Lately I've been seeing MANY cute girls in MINIs, and I remember last week I saw probably one of the hottest women, she definitely was excited waving at me, I probably should have blew her a kiss then wave at her:-/.

 

What mini we have is all time/cost dependant. I still think a wave to one and all should be the norm. Thanks!

 

Isn't that what minis are about? Cute fun disposable econoboxes? I never have owned one until now and that was reason I bought mine? What else is there to these cute little econoboxes? What differentiates a Mini person from a Mini poseur? Pretty sure there are plenty of first gen owners who bought the cars for cute looks and economy.

I wave to any mini I see now.

 

Guys don't buy MINIs for cute looks..-__- or for fuel economy. Now most women would probably buy the MINIs for that reason. But good that you wave!

 

I'm a new mini owner an I'm going to wave my butt off.

 

I bought my R53 because it was SOOO cute and its high 20s gas mileage is AMAZING!! I can't believe more cars can't get that amazing of gas mileage with a 1.6l. It had nothing to do with the way it drove or the sounds it made. Nope. People that like driving are just plain crazy.

 

Wait, what? My Mini dealer never said squat about this. I had to learn it on the streets.

(By which I mean here....)

 

 

Yes, though I'd appreciate a wave back once in a while :-)

 

And you'll know you've "got it" when you enthusiastically wave at another MINI...and then realize you're not in your MINI!

 

Yeah - not quite. I've passed an R53 DOZENS of times on the way to work and flashed, waved, threw him the peace sign and he's looked right at me and done... NADA.

 

Are you sure he's seeing both fingers of your peace sign?

Seriously, he just doesn't get it, and never will. Maybe his life is a continuous series of arguments with his wife, dogs puking on his shoes, and a boss who hates him. Maybe he hates MINIs and only drives one because he has to.

 

That's the conclusion I came to. He always has that "life sucks" look on his face. His MINI is bone stock and I've concluded that most of the non-wavers I come across have also not "youified" their MINI.

 

This last Saturday afternoon, I pulled up beside a pepper white convertible on a four lane and gave my horn a quick fist bump. The driver looked at me to see who was honking their horn. I smiled and waved, she smiled and wave back. Pretty neat!

 

I wave repeatedly...with one less finger every time I am ignored!

I didn't buy mine because it was cute or economical...I bought it because it was a fully enclosed Go-Cart with climate control. Some people just don't care and aren't worth waving too.

 

I wave but get no love back! I figured it's because the purists see my countryman as a poseur mini.

I used to get the same treatment at first when I bought my first Jeep JK 2007--when they upgraded/changed the tops, the fronts, and added back seats. A lot of people didn't consider those to be real jeeps, either.

Now we get a ton of Jeep waves.

 

I wave a Countrymen when I spot 'em in time.

It's not a poseur. It's just a new shape to recognize, quickly, while it approaches at roughly double the speed limit....


C ya,
Dutch

 

Wow! It's like you know me!

 

I'm confused - in your Countryman you get waves from Jeeps

When we first got our first MINI and still had a Jeep, I would wave to MINIs when I was driving the Jeep but not thinking I was not driving the MINI. Boy did I get some confused looks.

At that time almost all MINIs wave to each other around here.

 

Actually, I do that too! Just not as often as before! I guess Jeep owners took pity on my confused self!