I usually don't notice that there's a MINI on the other side of the road untill it's too late.. Think about it, if i'm driving 55-60ish, and they are driving 55-60ish, there's not much time to think about where you're going, and what's comming at you on the other side of the road......

But I do seem to make many people's days... just a few days ago, there was an older woman in a parking lot that wanted me to stop so she could tell me that she liked my car, there were some young kids on bicycles that shouted out "Hey it's a MINI COOPER! Can I have it?", and yes, I did see another MINI (and had the time to wave hello)...

(nothing like driving a car that can make other people's days...)

RocketboY_X

 

I see more and more MINIs all the time; sometimes I get a thumbs-up, a smile, a wave, or whatever, and sometimes not. There have been times when I've pulled up beside another MINI at a light and a brief conversation followed. There was one time when I pulled up and parked next to a loaded SG MC, and the owners, who were just getting out of their car, saw me and walked away before I finished parking. C'est la vie.

I agree that quite a few people will be buying MINIs because the car suits their needs and not because of the 'lifestyle' that comes along with it. If they discover and embrace the 'lifestyle' as a result of owning their MINI, great! If they don't, that's okay too. Some people don't want to get involved in it, and that's just fine. On the other hand, they shouldn't be rude to those owners who just want to say 'hello' to another MINI owner.

Also, since MINIs have become "the cool car to have" (whatever THAT means) there will unfortunately be owners who buy one because it's a fashion statement. I really wish that weren't the case, but again, that's life. I suspect that these are the people who are most likely to be rude to other MINI owners for the simple reason that another MINI in close proximity might be threatening to their "coolness."

And then there are those who are just plain clueless, like NoBull's encounter with a driver who didn't notice that he was also driving a MINI.. (How could you NOT notice another MINI??) Why THEY are driving MINIs is beyond me...

 

Passed a CB/W MC today on the highway...was honking my horn like a mad man....driver was oblivious, just looked straight ahead.

 

Hmmm....I would guess that 95% of the MINIs I see always wave back. I even got my first "flash" last week which really made my day!!! I see several MINIs everyday here in St. Louis, in the city at least, and the few that don't wave back I usually assume just don't see me.

Kecia

 

It's true isn't it....
There seems to be a...lack of motoring spirit....as of late.
There are several MINI's in my neighborhood...
and NONE...I repeat NONE!!!!! of EM .....wave or show any kind of friendly recognition....

My wife says that ...you can not expect ALL owners to enjoy the car ..... as y'all do.
One woman stopped to tell me....
"I see you almost every day ...please stop waving..it's just a dam car...get a life"
I will not type what I responded...as...I sunk down to her level & then some :smile:

It just seems easier to ...simply
give a friendly wave
a beep of the horn
or
a warm smile....

yes I do have a life ...contrary to the statement from that woman...
I just choose to..... laugh and enjoy it :smile:

Peace,
D



_________________
2002 MCS:PS/B, w/Lapis Int.

 

Last week I was on the Garden State Parkway for about 5 miles next to a girl driving almost the same spec car that I have. She was on her cell phone and never even acknowledged my presence. I know it's off-topic, but what's up with these people on their cellphones all the time? I don't get it. It seems dangerous to me, if this girl didn't notice a MINI driving next to her for 5 miles, what would she notice? I don't get the whole cell-phone thing, I think they're important for emergencies, my wife and I have one between the two of us. But I don't get these people who are on them from the time they leave their office until they pull in their driveway.

 

>>One woman stopped to tell me....
>>"I see you almost every day ...please stop waving..it's just a dam car...get a life"

Holy smokes! That sucks!

 

Yikes That lady needs to get a sense of humor. She wasn't accompanied by a squadron of caped flying monkeys, was she?


Of course, I hope you reminded her that since you're a MA, MINIs are sort of a big part of your life...

 

>>It's true isn't it....
>>There seems to be a...lack of motoring spirit....as of late.
>>There are several MINI's in my neighborhood...
>>and NONE...I repeat NONE!!!!! of EM .....wave or show any kind of friendly recognition....
>>
>>My wife says that ...you can not expect ALL owners to enjoy the car ..... as y'all do.
>>One woman stopped to tell me....
>>"I see you almost every day ...please stop waving..it's just a dam car...get a life"
>>I will not type what I responded...as...I sunk down to her level & then some :smile:
>>
>>It just seems easier to ...simply
>>give a friendly wave
>>a beep of the horn
>>or
>>a warm smile....
>>
>>yes I do have a life ...contrary to the statement from that woman...
>>I just choose to..... laugh and enjoy it :smile:
>>
>>Peace,
>>D
>>
>>
>>
>>_________________
>>2002 MCS:PS/B, w/Lapis Int.

 

Some times they don't see you but to some it's just a car.I know thats hard for us to understand.We are trying to get group gatherings going around here and have chased down several Minis and gave the owner info for gatherings and never heard from them.

 

Keep in mind...we are in the minority. For most owners its just their next "cute little car". I know cause I deal with the people that buy them everyday.

 

Amazing. What is wrong with some people. Heck, here in the South, we used to wave or give a finger nod at nearly everyone we passed in town. Is a wave such a bad thing? Is it politically incorrect to be friendly?

I'm sorry you had the encounter with that person. She'd have surely ruined my day.

See ya,
JS

 

Two points:
1) remember...we "put away the middle finger"(.....so none of that no matter how tempting! )
2) MINIUSA spent a lot of money trying to reintroduce the MINI brand...in its show rooms, on the web. But for some (...who I truly consider unfortunate) all this doesn't matter. Maybe the brand (I mean the whole Mini/MINI thing) is still just too unknown here. Minis HAVE had a long absence. So we should cut them some slack...but we should also never give up the wave! (...except in the case of d-mini-ero's neighbor...sheesh!)

_________________
'03 IB/W Cooper

 

<<<One woman stopped to tell me....
"I see you almost every day ...please stop waving..it's just a dam car...get a life">>>


Ma'am, I'm with MCPS (MINI Cooper Protective Services) and I'm gonna have to take that MINI...
:evil: :evil: :evil:

 

MINI POLICE REPORT: Due to the lack of motoring spirit your MINI will be repossed
and sold to someone who appreciates it :smile: !!



Best Regards,
Ron

 

I do love that afterglow I get from a Mini/Mini encounter while motoring--even when the other person doesn't wave or see me. Yeah, there are some who ignore everyone, but that happened long before Minis. Do H2 drivers wave to each other? I think not!

I think all of us on MCO read and took to heart the little blue Mini book ("The Book of Motoring&quot. I know I devoured it numerous times while awaiting Sadie's arrival. Every MA in every dealership should make sure no prospective buyer leaves the showroom without the book.

Then, even if some owners choose not to wave or anything, they'll know what the rest of us are doing and hopefully not become surly or offensive.

Friends who have the new VW Bugs say they still wave at others, so I see no reason to think there won't be more Mini-saavy people joining our ranks. Most people who stop me to talk in parking lots have grins and shining eyes when they look at Sadie and talk about wanting one. They'll be wavers when they get theirs.

There was a thread on Mini2 I think about the "society-cool" wave in the tonier burroughs of the UK, which consists of lifting two fingers from the steering wheel. A very subtle, non-flashy salute/gesture, which is fine too.

But aren't we all glad we found each other?

 

More of the same:

I thought it was cool when the first morning I had the MINI I got a big wave from a fellow Motorer. Since then NADA, not a single response. MINIs are still pretty rare where we are. You'd think the owners would appreciate that.

I'm used to an index finger off the steering wheel acknowledgement when in my F150 or a full hand wave (in any vechicle) in the neighborhood. I prefer the headlight flash as an acknowlegement, a throwback to my bathtub Porsche days.

Oh well, it's their loss....

 

I catch myself looking across the median to see if there are any approaching MINIs more than concentrating on the traffic around me.

On a slightly different note, I run quite often on the trails around Valley Forge. I have noticed that people doing similar activities usually wave or acknowledge each other but not others. I get waves from the same runners I see every day, but if I'm on roller blades it's like I don't exist. Those billboard bikers are the worst, not even a nod.

 

>>I think all of us on MCO read and took to heart the little blue Mini book ("The Book of Motoring&quot.

I know most people here had it in their heart before they even got a MINI, but had the wrong ride to let it out.

Ala Italian Job: Jumps up and waves fists in air: "WhooooHoooo! I just got the MOTORING SPIRIT"

 

I picked up my new MINI on Saturday, and had only
experienced a few curious (perhaps, jealous?) looks
until yesterday.

I noticed some motion out of the corner of my eye on the
way home, and looked over to my right. There was this
tiny little girl in the back seat of a HUGE SUV--waving
and smiling like crazy at me and the MINI.

Of course, I waved and smiled right back...anyone who wouldn't--
regardless of the car they're driving--has no heart! LOL
As soon as I waved back at her, she disappeared back into the
monster SUV, and I smiled the rest of the way home, comforted
by the thought that she might be a "MINI driver" someday
and not take after mom and dad!

 

There are a lot more MINIs in the area I live (Arcadia,CA). As a result less have waved back. But that goes without saying that I have noticed (at the last minute) when someone else is trying to get my attention and I am so aloof that I don't even notice. For instance someone said to me: "Hey I saw you driving and waved at you. You looked back and gave me a dirty look. I thought maybe you were pissed off at me!" Well, unfortunately that was my girlfriend!!! I never even saw her. So I must say that while I try as hard as I can to flash my lights, wave, send smoke signals, whatever, I am often in my own "happy place" when I am driving becuase more often than not, I am in my car strictly for the enjoyment and with no real destination.

 

This happened to me when I owned a New Beetle. At first everyone waved because they where so unusual and unique, but as more and more Beetles were everywhere the waves became far and few between. I think this is what people are starting to experience. As long as we don’t get complacent and keep up our motoring spirit maybe the thumbs will be up for a long time to come.

 

Just saw an IB/Union Jack today. I waved at the group of people and they just stared at my rims and looked at me like I was dumb and managed to squeeze out a little wave, oh well. Not giving up. So far I've had no luck with friendly motorers here in Daly City.

 

Had a couple incidents in on my trip from PDX to Seattle and back -

- Female senior citizen in the passenger seat of a big Chevy truck gaves us the thumbs up as we drove by
- Another senior citizen in a small pickup was next to us in stop and go traffic and waved every time we passed each other
- On I5 doing 75 going South saw a JB/W MC heading North across all lanes of traffic and a grassy median and we both manged to get out a wave
- Leaving my house on Hwy 30 got a flash from a sweet LY/B MCS with stripes and serious tints. I had practically given up on trying to wave to other MINI's I about crashed trying to get to my lights in time

 

>>some people, i wont mention any names even though they are on this site, consider a mini "just a car" and doesnt buy into the lifestyle >>>


Let's just keep in mind that the vast majority of MINI owners unfortunately are NOT on this site. So it's not hard to comprehend that not all of them have the "motoring spirit".