I waved at three MINI's this morning and no one waved back. I've seen a few, and no one has waved yet. Is the waving thing real other places and not here (southern NH)?

 

Waving is good. I always wave. Does everyone you meet on the street reply when you say howdy? If you quit waving, someday you'll pass someone who waved and you didn't then you'd be the jerk. Don't be the jerk. Motor on

 

The popularity of waving is pretty much based on the scarcity of the automobile brand. I remember back in the 50's all of us VW owners waiving at each other. However,VW owners stopped waiving at each other a long time ago because there is no longer anything unusual about encountering a VW today.

 

Flicking your headlights was the old time method of acknowledging another car or cycle owner. The wave thing is almost an afterthought because I didn't see you far in advance.

 

If you make not waving back a capital offence, I suspect NHers still won't (state motto).

Around here, I almost always wave and most wave back still.

 

I wave to all the MINIs and hardly anyone waves back anymore. What I do find strange is that all the "boy racers" in VWs wave and give the "thumbs up" and I in return will give a half hearted wave. I think I'll give the finger to the non-wavers.


ISAMIN

 

More non-wavers than wavers. I will say that the wavers all seem happy and the non-wavers all seem distracted by things other than motoring.

 

I get about 50% wave back around me. I always wave, just a habit now. I took a friend to the Dragon last weekend and she had the best time waving at every.single.solitary.MINI she saw. Made it even more fun for me.

Annette

 

It's the same with Jeep owners. It used to be Jeep Wrangler owners would wave to each other but when the new Wrangler JK body style came out you get less people waving back. I think motorcycle riders seem to keep the tradition going. My feeling is keep waving and maybe you might get others to start waving back.

 

I often give the peace sign to other Mini drivers in California and Oregon and have never got one back. Partly it's hard for the other driver to see through the windshield, partly they don't have time to respond, and partly it's probably easier to see a wave than a peace sign. I've never had a Mini driver wave at me. It's disappointing.

 

Given that the OP lives in NH I'm not surprised. I haven't has a single wave in my Mini and almost never on my Harley. New Englanders don't seem to like to wave at each other. Not to mention that there are a crap load of Minis around the area.

 

Thank you for all the responses. It is enlightening indeed. It is true that New Englanders are not known for warmth toward strangers. I grew up in the Western New York area, and the difference is night and day. There is also a huge difference between the way people look at being neighbors. Here we hardly know them, in spite of reaching out. There neighbors were automatically friends and took care of each other. We have relatives and friends there still, and it hasn't changed. A young lady with two kids and a job, who lives across the street, has taken responsibility for looking after my 92 year old father in law, who is alone now.

On another note, I am also a motorcycle rider. Have been for many years. Riders do mostly wave here still, except during bike week. Can't wave at all the bikes during bike week - you have to use the clutch, horn, or turn signals sometimes.

I've only had the MINI 2 days, so I'll keep waving and see what happens. There are quite a few MINI's around here, so maybe that is part of it.

I've

 

Here in Connecticut, I get more waves back on weekends than during the week of commuting. I'll keep waving as long as I drive MINI.

 

Had one embarrassing wave once. Had to rent a car while mine was in the shop overnight. It was a brand new Jeep sumptin' or other with only a few hundred miles on it. Danged if I didn't get a Jeep wave. No disrespect to the Jeep people, but...whatta ya do?

 

Nobody waves in San Francisco, where MINI is a regular everyday car.

 

Nine years ago when I first started motoring most every MINI driver waved and it was returned. MINI was then still novel and most owners were enthusuasts. Now due to the shear numbers and an appliance mind set, the WAVE is far and few between. I always wave with two fingers- a greeting always used when I first learned the skill. Now if no wave is returned, I may retract one finger.

 

I wave at all of them and get a return on maybe 2 out of 10 cars.


I also wave on the bike but because I ride a "mongrel" Triumph Tiger 800 that doesn't fit sportbike or cruiser molds, it's sketchy. Nearly all sportbike or touring type riders wave but the "chromed doo-rag" crowd are hit or miss. I've actually had guys halfway thru a wave realize it's NOT a Sportster they're waving to and stop and put their hand down.


They always get a single finger wave back.

 

The 'funnest' wave I ever got was about two years ago. The Scion FR-S had not been out very long and I was taking mine on a morning drive that had become my daily routine and an oncoming Ferrari gave me a wave. I wish I had been composed enough to respond in time but I wasn't.

 

Okay now that's funny!

 

!!

 

I got my first wave this morning. Only had the car 3 days now, but 1 in 10 seems to be what I've gotten so far. There seem to be a lot of old ladies driving MINI's, who probably know nothing of the culture. Southern New Hampshire.

 

Yea, well, buzzsaw likes to pull the wings off flies too.
I'll hear about that but I'll buy him a glass of good stout and he'll soften his punches.

 

NH Photo Guy watch who you "old ladies". I'm not 50 but I'm older than 20 and I'm sure those "old ladies" know plenty about the culture and have plenty of driving experience.

 

Then I'm guessing you don't have white or blue hair, and, since you posted a response, probably wave. My point was that there are a lot of people now who drive the car because they like it or find it practical, but don't buy into the whole British "motoring" identity. They may or may not know anything about it. I didn't before I bought the car. The salesman kind of pushed it. No offense intended.

 

No offense taken but if I may add that a few years back I went to Sturgis, SD (Harley Davidson rally) and those "blue/white hair old ladies" were riding full size Harleys. I hope I can rock it like them when I get to that age!

I agree that there are people who buy a Mini without knowing anything about them...including salespeople who work for Mini. A few weekends ago we were looking at a Countryman and my husband who is 6'4" stated that he barely fits in the new Minis but fit just fine in his buddy's Morris Mini Minor and the salesman had the deer in the headlights look. He had no idea what he was talking about.