Just think of the PR NAM could get out of this. How about for 1 month, week or even a day if NAM would donate $1 for every new Alliance membership towards Skillets get him a classic fund.

 

bad apple, bad.

: (

this is a good idea.

 

Wow, Socialism doesn't start until Wednesday according to some people.

I think Skillet just needs to start his own fund (like the rest of us) and quit hoping for the Mini tooth fairy to leave one in his garage. While it was fun to hope that Skillet (or anyone) would benefit from another's largesse, I think this just shows (once again):

• There ain't no free lunch
• If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is
• Minis don't grow on trees
• Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.
• Sorry, there isn't any Santa Claus or Easter Bunnny
• It only takes one bad Apple to spoil a thread

 

no santa ......now we all know minimad is a lier !!!!!!!!

 

Ooohh,,, I agree with OP and let's do it!!
Good job, Big Norm for being so innovative!!
Bad bad Apple.....

 

I like the idea because it's only a small hit on a bunch of people to do something nice for someone else. I'm in if there's really enough interest to raise 6-8k.

Realistically youre probably going to only raise a few hundred bucks and then when its not enough for a car what happens to the cash. Skillet will feel obligated to buy a mini but you've really only made a tiny dent in the purchase price. So then an innocent gesture turns into a royal screwing.

 

WTF is Skillet and why does he/she get a free car again? Please explain this to me in terms that I, a person that saved literally for TWENTY YEARS to afford my classic can grasp...

 

NO !

Sorry but if it sounded to good to be true, it probably was.

Better to ban Apple and send all the bad karma we can her way.

 

You need to read the thread that will not end.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post2630688


Only then will you know the true story of Norm's Dog Fart (Dog Dart) & promises of true Mini love unrequited.

Skillet

"A mighty pain to love it is,
And 'tis a pain that pain to miss;
But of all pains, the greatest pain
It is to love, but love in vain."

Cowley

 

It's a pleasant thought, and I've had the thought to send skillet some cash myself, but sadly it can lead to resentment and the possibility of someone making up a sob story to try to get the same treatment.

So your heart is in the right place, but it's just not feasible.

 

Not sure NAM is gonna be responsable or should pick-up the slack of a bad apple in the bunch, nice idea, but wishfull thinking i would say

 

Oh... THAT thread. I had no idea it was so busy. I got to page 3 or 4 in November, turned to Amy and said: "Someone's trying to use the old "free car for shipping" scam on NAM... wonder how long it'll be till the Admins lock it down?"

Dang. I had NO IDEA that the fraudster was stringing him along for so long or I woulda said something WEEKS ago. of course, it looks like people would have put me down as a paraniod poopy-head (I do work in anti-fraud), but at least it might have shortened the agony of suspense.

Once I saw the "I wish I had $800 for shipping" I knew it was fake - the MiniMania forums are filled with that sort of crap - it's one of the older, dustier fraud schemes out there, basically as old as the postal service.

I'd recommend sending her $1 as a "good faith deposit on my new Mini!" in an envelope - that way, it's Mail Fraud and an official Federal Offense, and the postal service investigators can crush her (him? it?) like a bug (insert evil grin).

Either way.... no free Minis. NAM's not responsible (although they probably should have locked it up much sooner), and it's always always always "caveat emptor" on the web. The thing about "Seeming to be too good to be true" is totally 100% accurate. ALWAYS.

PLus, you just love the Mini more when you have to bleed for it a bit. IMHO of course.

 

FIGURATIVELY AND LITERALLY! Try working on one without loss of blood.....

 

You should post this in the long thread. I had not thought of it being an actual criminal fraud, but more a mentally unbalance girl seeking internet attention. I had my doubts from day one.

 

True 'dat...

I'll post my comments in there if you think it will do any good. I didn't want to look like a Dill-Weed, rubbing salt into wounds, you know? bad enough the guy got his hopes up, but at least it sounds like he's just out TIME, not major $.

As for it being fraud - I read about half the posts in there, skimming, and thought I heard that she (Apple?) was moving to try and obfuscate her position. People that are just attention-seeking don't do that - fraudsters do to flee prosecution or incarceration.

 

Personally I think it is ludicrous to think this was a criminal fraud in any way.

Me thinks that Apple injured herself when she fell from the tree & should seek some treatment.

Back on topic....

Free Mini's & other dreams.

 

?

Good point, some differences of opinion with Crashton. Maybe we should take a poll. Buy the way, read you blog, an author, wow!! How cool, something I've always wanted to do. I do like fantasy, so I'll order your book on my next Amazon order!!

Probably should not post on the other thread and rub salt in the wound. It's not like they won't read this one, given the title.

 

I noticed the thread in early December, wrote to someone that there had been a free Mini on NAM and then didn't follow it. Just read the thread or most of it anyway, what a saga, but with hind sight the writing was on the wall within the first 10 pages. But hey, it was the season for hope! Nice people in the Mini/MINI community with a singular exception. I suppose the question would be if she ever did post a picture would that cross the legal line for fraud?

 

Honestly, I think most of us over in that thread have known for a long time the Mini would never appear, but we were having fun and kept posting. Believe it or not, we really aren't a bunch of gullible idiots.

 

Did you know that it wasn't the OP that "wished for $800 for shipping"? Just wanted to make sure that I was understanding what you said. Perhaps the reason that Apple/Cybergypsy/Sandy/xcybergypsyx didn't give away a FREE Mini was because the first person that pm'd her was actually willing to fly in and pick it up without paying her anything. My personal thought's are either: A- there never was a Grandma or a Mini or B- she had a Classic Mini that she wanted to "sell" and posting "FREE CLASSIC MINI" was great advertising for a sort of behind the scenes auction. I'm sure she got lots of pm's from people offering to pay her for it.

Like your idea about "Mail Fraud" except that I'm not sure how a person could put a deposit on a "FREE" Mini. Almost thought that part of her ploy by posting "FREE Mini" was to avoid any charges of fraud.

Skillet is actually a very nice guy. We've all had our doubts but didn't necessarily feel the need to voice them. We were just trying to keep a positive hopeful atmosphere over there... especially since it was the holidays. People that post over there about how stupid and gullible they think everyone else is accomplishes nothing.

Apple has not moved... she simply changed her location on her E90 Forum profile. It was very funny and that info was posted for her lurking benefit.

With that being said, I think it was a generous thought by "mini on" that NAM could help Skillet get a Classic Mini... but I don't think that would or should happen. What I would personally like to see happen is an organized MINI/Mini road trip to Apple's trailer.

And YAHOO! John Gruden was just canned! And Tony Dungy is "retiring" back in Tampa? Hmmm... .

 

I think most of realized that! All the posters were really great in supporting Skillet!

Now that's an idea! Love the thought, wish I could participate, but at the moment it's a bit far away!!

 

Actually, we bought our new '08 in Houston and drove home... (stopping at her house would actually cut off a couple hours on the trip! ). Just spent one night in a hotel. Stopped in New Orleans, had some Beignet and finished the drive. It wasn't too hard.

How is everything going there since IKE?

 

Houston's pretty close to normal. Galveston is still a mess. Insurance companies are underestimating the damages so they can stay under deductible. Other than that things are fine!
Did you get your 08 prior to Ike? The streets were a mess for weeks, I didn't want to drive our new MINI until the streets cleared. The number of downed trees was just incredible, and they all seemed to fall on power lines!!

 

No, we were in between storms Gustav and Ike... both which could have gone anywhere on the Gulf Coast. I didn't want to leave here if the storm might turn this way and didn't want to end up there and not be able to drive I-10 back through TX, LA, MS, AL.

We were set to fly in on the Thursday (I think) before Ike and then the flight was cancelled and we changed flights to go on Wednesday but Momentum was closing about 3 hours before our flight would arrive. We ended up going a couple days after the storm when Southwest opened the terminal for a few flights. Flew over Galveston and felt really sad and kinda guilty.

I don't think there was any power until we got to LA. Good thing we didn't go before the storm and try to outrun it... I think we would have ended up smack in the middle of the Northeast quadrant... the worst place to be (2nd to the eyewall). I wrote about it in one of my first posts about our "car's name- TINA". We didn't do any sightseeing or going into downtown... just got out as fast as we could... and before sunset (and curfew).

BTW- I'm glad you're ok. It was pretty heartwrenching stuff to see. And isn't it weird how trees love power lines?

 

Ike was wierd, the dirty side was actually on the northwest to west side. The eye wall was within miles of my house, and we were on the west side! I went through the one twenty years before, but that one was very brief compared to this one. Ike lasted for hours and our power went out 3 hours after landfall. We had just gotten our Hilla from Momentum on September 4th. I boarded up the garage door with 3" screws at each panel point. There wasn't much to see in Houston after the storm and the curfew had a pretty chilling effect on tourism. I had a heated debate with one neighbor over the merits of buried power lines. I've travel and lived abroad some years back and all the power lines were buried in concrete raceways - to me it made sense. I think we were out of power for about ten days if I remember correctly. Yep power lines seem to have an attraction to power lines - opposites attract!! We came out okay, a little property damage, but way too many people died in and near Galveston for no reason. I don't ever wish these storms on anyone, but they never seem to like the unpopulated areas, so they do kill people and animals. Glad you were able to get in and get out!