I wave all the time... Barely ever do I get a wave back. When I drive the Jeep, I get a lot of waves...

 

I get them back from time to time. Had a Gen 2 Super Cooper following me for a good bit today.

 

Sarom058, That's just too good of a waving story... you sure that this wasn't a dream?

BTW, I just started driving an R53 after 8 years in a Clubman, and I am totally won over.

 

Loving my R53.

 

I still always wave, even though I don't always get a wave back. Part of the big draw for me is when the owner not only waves back, but also smiles, or has a big grin on their face. I always get dem feels when that occurs.

 

When I had my hardtop, I would wave all the time and get back about 75% waves from other drivers. NOW, with my Cabrio, I get back about 99%. I think the reality is that there's no reflection off the flat windscreen and other drivers can actually see my wave as I reach up toward the sky and above my roofline to wave like a maniac at them.

It doesn't hurt that I'm grinning like the Joker and my windows are down too so they can hear my Meghan Trainor, Squeeze, Randy Travis or other eclectic music. I turn my Eminem low when I have the top down so other drivers around me won't hear all the swears. We've got a clean MINI image to maintain!

Jeff

 

Mini's are a dime a dozen in SoCal and most are just regular drivers not MiniManiacs. I will wave at a modded Mini but other than that I don't as no one is ever looking.

 

We bought our R50 when they were new in 2002, and everyone asked about the car everywhere we went. Every time we saw another MINI, we both waved. Probably a 95% return rate for the first 6-7 years or so of the new MINIs life. Then the R56's started coming out and it was all downhill from there. I get very few return waves in my R53, mostly from the other R53's in my city. Like 85% of the MINI drivers I see nowadays in my city are middle-aged women in R56+'s who really don't have a clue that MINI even has (or had) a culture.

There is that rare occasion where I see another R53 and we both practically fall out of the window waving, smiles all the way. Those are the best.

 

I get about 50% wave backs from all varieties of MINIs, sometimes more.

 

New MINI owner here and didn't know how it was supposed to work...


I haven't gotten any waves yet, but nor have I waved. I DID get a very nice "thumbs up" from a guy in the Costco parking lot Saturday (didn't see another MINI around), which I definitely returned.


Will start waving from now on.

 

Saw one like mine today, in the lane right next to me .. we both did the wave.

 

Thats cool , i don't see too many R58's. Saw one last year, but it was on the highway going the other way, too fast and a divided jersey barrier to even see the person.

 

There are too many different models of MINI today. The wave is a thing of the past.

 

Did you even read this thread!?

There are a lot of people who wave. Me included.

 

My point is that the culture has changed....MINI is now primarily a family car.

 

Got my first MINI 3 years ago (06 R50). I was told by the previous owner that MINI owners are pretty good about waving. Being the OCD type, I started taking notice of the waving and driving behavior of MINI owners and here is what I found: Women driving MINI's almost always wave, men are a bit more standoffish at about 40%. Older people driving MINI's never seem to wave while anyone with more than one sticker on the boot almost ALWAYS wave! The waving practice seems to be confined to Cooper owners as opposed to the people who drive the "larger" MINI models. I don't even bother waving to those folks. Over the last 3 years, I have witnessed at markedly lower number of people in even Coopers waving at each other than I used to see, but than again, I also am seeing a LOT more MINI's on the road in the Detroit area. Finally, I drive like a complete maniac and love to road dog on the freeway. I notice that at least 75% of the time, if I go blasting past another MINI, I will get a headlight flash, and at least 50% of the time, the other MINI's tend to want to "get it on" when blasting down the freeway or dodging through rush hour traffic on a semi-crowded street. I cant seem to drive past an EVO or WRX that DOESNT want to have a drag race, regardless of the road conditions. Finally, this car attracts women like a magnet! I get more *** than a toilet seat in this JCW during the summer. I have owned some pretty nice muscle cars, luxury cars and other sports cars and have NEVER gotten the attention I get in my MINI from women. Other women in MINI's.......Well, lets just say, VERY friendly to their MINI owners!

 

I always wave in my R56. I get about a 70% return rate from R's and about a 5% return rate from F's :(