I know this topic pops up once in a while but I guess it's kind of a rant...

Well, everyone talks about Mini drivers waving at each other, but so far in almost half a year of owning one, I think only 2 or 3 other Mini drivers ever waved back at me.

But when I drive my NA Miata, I get waves and pop up headlight salutes from almost every single other Miata or sometimes, even from an RX7 or an RX8(though rarely). What happened to the Mini owners?

And there is way more Minis around where I live than Miatas.

 

Two different worlds. I've owned two NB's in the past and yes there's a noticeable difference. Trying to figure out why would only be guess work.

 

That is your answer. Not a very exclusive club.

 

Everybody waves around these parts, MINIs aren't that common. Spent 3 days in S.F. this spring and saw more MINIs in one block the we got in the whole county. If they all waved at each other nothing else would get done. And, MINI owners are becoming less and less enthusiasts and more and more appliance operators as BMW dilutes the product.
Most embarrassing wave? Had to rent a car last year for a day. It was a Jeep Patriot (bletch) and got a jeep wave from someone. Took two days of twisties to eradicate the cooties..

 

Nine years ago most every wave was returned. Since MINI went mainstream few if any waves are now returned. Today I still always wave-at the MINI. If it is returned it is then implied that the driver is included.

 

This reminds me of the funniest wave I ever got. I had just taken delivery of a FR-S and they weren't yet known by the general public. I got a wave from a Ferrari. I smiled and waved back. I'm sure he was embarrassed when he realized what he had done.

 

But still, a wave from a Ferrari!! To bad it couldn't have been framed and hung on the wall.

 

I wave to as many MINIs as I can , some don't wave back. But on MTTS from past years it was funny to wave at over 500 MINIs going down the road.

 

I get way more compliments and waves in my R53 than my e46. I think it's the area though. I've only seen a handful of minis and rarely a works or s model. Plus electric blue sticks out. The e46 gets a lot of pics at local car meets though but more people approach me and talk to me about the R53.

 

In the New R53 / R50 days everyone waved , not so much anymore :(

 

When I had my R56 a few years ago I got a ton of waves.. took a short break from owning a Mini and came back a few months ago and noticed that no one seems to be waving anymore. :-(

 

It's just like anything else....some people "get it" some "don't have a clue"! LOL!

I always wave regardless (It's in my DNA being a BMW 2002 owner where flashing headlights is required protocol!!! ),

John

 

I would wave at a 2002 BMW owner. I do at the PVGP .

 

I've waved and got nothing. Of course I live in Long Beach where there are a lot of MINIs. Maybe most of them look at it as a just car where I feel it's still something special. Maybe because I've always wanted one. Anyway, if in Long Beach and you see an electric blue F55 with Union Jack roof, give me a wave and I'll wave back😉

 

Most MINIs drivers return my wave around where I live.

But then, so do pickup truck drivers with dogs riding shotgun.

 

For the record, once in a great while someone waves to me, I'm usually ready to wave anyway.

The other day, while driving The Green Barge....

... a cute lady in a white MINI next to me at a stop light, rolled down her window, and said she liked my truck! I pointed at my MINI hat, and said I have a MINI too, and her reaction was great! Fun to have two car cultures mix. If you crave getting waves, get a classic vehicle.

 

Thats a great story.

 

I mentioned in a thread quite some time ago that there should be a special kind of wave for when you're in the truck or other conveyance that says "I've got a MINI too but right now I'm driving this old beast (mine's a mid '90s F150)". But, since the MINI wave is becoming a thing of the past, what's the point.

 

I got wave backs from four out of five MINIs yesterday, when I was driving to town.

 

Thats really good, I was 0/1 today. :(

 

I got many waves in my NA Miata back in the day when we modded the turn signal stalk with a diode so you could easily pop the headlights up. In the MINI I rarely get a return for my wave.

 

I am a frequent waver in this area where Minis are scarce, but no longer rare. I'd say about half of my possible wave encounters come out well. My dilemma is when approaching a Countryman. Most Countryman drivers seem unaware or unfamiliar with waving at a Mini, so I tend to give up on offering the wave, but then it's a bit of a bad feeling when I see them waving enthusiastically at me and it's too late to return it. This has happened two or three times, most recently yesterday on M72. I'm driving an R55 and I suppose a driver of an original Mini (pre 2000) would not be inclined to wave at me.

 

I wave to all other Mini's too. I get some wave backs.

 

I get about 50% wave backs too. Though yesterday, in a trip into town and back, I waved at three MINIs and got two waves back!

 

I'm about 50% as well. Although Scottsdale is filled with soulless Mini owners, the Tempe area does really well (being filled with college students)

The best time was on my morning commute by my university about six months ago. Matte creme-white vinyl-wrapped r53 (driven by a gorgeous girl) , lowered beyond belief, and me in my yellow r53, exchanged beautifully simultaneous waves and subsequent W.O.T. supercharger whines in opposite directions. To this day, I go out of my way to drive that road in hopes of meeting the "Mini that got away..."