Yeah, I just hate it when i wave, and they just look at me like a cow!

 

I think it's basically as some people already pointed out... When travelling in opposite directions, it's almost always too late by the time you notice, unless it's a narow, low-traffic road with good visibility. Don't think anyone has ever honked at me from a distance, but most of the time I've got my radio on with the windows up, so I might not even notice. :smile: Lastly, I tend to see the most MINI's when I'm not actually driving mine...go figure. One day I saw multiple MINIs with my exact paint scheme (DS/DS) when I was riding around in my friends car. The one time I was face to face with another MINI and definite eye contact was made, I gave a wave...also the first weekend on my way up to Bimmerfest when I was next to my MCS doppleganger...except he had better rims and the rally lights, d'oh!

Although now I wonder what I'd do if I was ever stuck next to another MINI driver...sure you'd initially wave, but then there's that awkward part as you're waiting for the light to change.

 

Talk about an awkward feeling:

I was on a busy 2 lane road when a IB/B pulls out in front of me from an office park. I thought, "wow, this is only the 2nd time I've actually seen a MINI while in my MINI :smile: " Well, I honked using both horn buttons while trying to flash her and alternate the turn singals b/c is was happy to see her. NOTHING! Boy was I POed. She could have waved to appease my excited nature. She looked so nice too. Now the awkward part. I followed her for about 2 miles until I got onto a highway. I could see her looking/glaring in the side view mirror at me. I waved at her, but when I did this she immediately turned away. She knew I was there. And it's not like I saw her briefly or she was "busy". I've had my share of MINI misses on a fast highway, but this wasn't the same. I just wanted a MINI friend to follow me to the highway :smile: .

 

>>Have you noticed the increase in MINI owners that don't seem to have the motoring spirit? No wave backs when you wave at them? Etc. What's the deal? :smile:

 

Greetings,

I'm a real car enthusiast and I bought my MINI becuase of the vehicles performance :smile: !!

I have business card size notes: calling MINI Enthusiasts in our area to make contact for events, drives, etc. And I haven't had a response yet. Which leads me to believe that a lot of people see it as a cool car, which it is, but really aren't real MINI Enthusiasts :???: !!

For all of us on MCO, lets continue the motoring spirit !! I'll wave till my arm falls off !!

Best Regards,
Ron

 

Oh my, do I have a story to tell. I was so excited mid-February when I got my car. It was unique and no one around where I work had one. Then one day, three weeks or so after I had been driving my MINI around, I noticed a man with a car VERY similar to mine. It was an Indi Blue/White top - essentially all the same specs as mine, only no rally lights. So, I was excited and waved at him (even though my Felix was no longer the new kid on the block). He didn't even budge his hand, but looked at me like I was a leper. He was the one with the temporary tag, not me... I wanted to flip him off. He's such a dork.

 

>>I wanted to flip him off. He's such a dork.

So far as I know, BMW hasn't started enforcing the "No MINI Sales to Dorks" rule. But there's always hope. :smile:

 

Yesterday on my drive home, a PW/B MC merged on the road just behind me. We waved to each other as I passed by, and he even flashed his lights to acknowledge my MCS. Turns out he lives just down the hill from me. :smile: Now my little town has the IJ combo: IB/W, PW/B and CR/W (another friend). WOO HOO!

A wave and a flash of the headlights has long been a tradition of British sports car drivers. There is even a proper etiquette: the vehicle of lesser status flashes first, kind of like the military saluting policy. An MG will always flash a Jag, who in turn will always flash an Aston Martin (007 might just be inside ).

 

>>>>
>>Thje point is I think they are selling a lot of MINIs to people who really aren't car (or MINI) enthusiasts but want the latest trend, or think the car is cute :smile: !!
>>
>>>>

... and the Dealers aren't Enthusiasts, either!! .... i stopped at Towson MINI several days ago and was Totally ignored - not a "how can we help you?" or even a "what the hell do You want?" ... here was an out-of-state car they've never seen before and not even a wave from them either ... when i found one of them at their desk and tried to ask a question, i got a cold, rude one-word reply - good thing i wasn't trying to buy another car!
MINIUSA: tell your people that 'enthusiasm' starts at the top and is infectious - 'dealers' should be passing the 'spirt' on to everyone who enters a showroom ...

 

:smile:





_________________
IB/W MCS

 

<<A wave and a flash of the headlights has long been a tradition of British sports car drivers. There is even a proper etiquette: the vehicle of lesser status flashes first, kind of like the military saluting policy. An MG will always flash a Jag, who in turn will always flash an Aston Martin (007 might just be inside ).>>

I don't know about that MGCMAN!! Stinks of eliteism to me. It's actually the reverse of what I've found to be true since getting my MCS in February...the biggest offenders of not waving are the MC owners when an MCS passes. I find MCS owners wave back to me while the MC owner will look away or straight ahead. For the most part.

Ken

 

I would like to offer a different point of view here. There are MINI-Enthusiasts outthere that are not interested in the social aspect of the car, period. I think it is a bit of a blanket statement to say that those who do not respond to our waving, honking or light flashing are only people that think the car is cool but nothing else. That might be true to an extent, but the reality of it is that a lot of people may see beyond the trendy aspect of the car and appreciate it for what it is and the automotive legacy it represents, but they are simply not interested to make friends with other strangers in the street.

I think that is perfectly fine even if we don't agree with the lack of "friendly" response we expect everytime we see another MINI owner. Women travelling alone in their cars might feel harassed by a male MINI driver honking at them even if it is with the best of intentions (ie the Motoring spirit).

I personally wave and wave back when seeing other MINI motorers (And I see many here in Miami) but many times I get blank stares or no response whatsover and I am cool with that.

The "Motoring Spirit" is not meant to be shared by everyone.

 

Serious Miata fans (Yep, got one of them, too) have been waving to each other for something like 15 years now..Of course not everybody waves, but you know the ones that do "Get it". It seems the more the mods, the more likely the wave.

I just see it as a way to separate the wheat from the chaff.

DREW

 

>>>>>>
>>>>Thje point is I think they are selling a lot of MINIs to people who really aren't car (or MINI) enthusiasts but want the latest trend, or think the car is cute :smile: !!
>>>>
>>>>>>
>>
>> ... and the Dealers aren't Enthusiasts, either!! .... i stopped at Towson MINI several days ago and was Totally ignored - not a "how can we help you?" or even a "what the hell do You want?" ... here was an out-of-state car they've never seen before and not even a wave from them either ... when i found one of them at their desk and tried to ask a question, i got a cold, rude one-word reply - good thing i wasn't trying to buy another car!
>>MINIUSA: tell your people that 'enthusiasm' starts at the top and is infectious - 'dealers' should be passing the 'spirt' on to everyone who enters a showroom ...
>>


Thats not true...everytime a MINI pulls into my dealership I go out and strike up a conversation about MINIs. Maybe its because I was a customer before I was a motoring advisor....but....

 

>>
>>Thats not true...everytime a MINI pulls into my dealership I go out and strike up a conversation about MINIs. Maybe its because I was a customer before I was a motoring advisor....but....
>>

yes, for the most part, and i'm sure at Westchester, there are great customer/owner relations ... but there are several dealers who still look at their MINI franchises as the poor cousin next door to the BMW store and will always look down on it ...

... and efcmini is correct: those who enjoy the sporting aspects of the car (including the sportscar community parts) will spend the money for an "S" while those who know nothing about the history, or car's abilities, and are only buying a latest trend will get the Cooper and not "get" the rest ...

 

I think the people who don't wave are the ones that got the car just to get one.
By that I mean:
We waited for our cars-
We love our cars-
We love othe owners who love their car-

The ones that don't wave are the ones that got the car because they needed a car and like it. Or mabey they read how popular they were, or mabey someone bought if for their daughter or their wife.
To them, it is a cool car (hopefully) but it is transportation.
To them, its just a car. You know what I mean?

 

Now thats cold...I have the Cooper and I didnt buy it cause its a trend. I dont race my car on a track, and didnt want or need the "S". I also dont like the way the "S" looks. So thats statement is pretty dumb.

 

My favorite MINI "RUDE" story happened to me last year at the 2003 Barrett Jackson car auction in Scottsdale.
I saw a new Blue MINI parked right up front, in valet. As I was waiting to pick up
my car from the valet, the owner of the Blue MINI walked right towards me, and he was wearing his black MINI Owners Odometer shirt.
He looked at me, and I asked him "How do like your MINI?"
He gave me a look, like who the **** are you? And walked right past me.

What a punk! He was wearing his shirt. He must have loved his car. I just don't get it.

 

This same type of thread went around when Land Rover re-entered the market after years of not having a US-marketed product. The guys in the older LR's (called Series as is Series I, Series II, Series IIA, Series III) would either ignore the new Discoverys or get really pissed if they didn't wave back. This was in 1994.

Now, there are so many LR's on the roads that none of their owners even bother to wave at another LR. And the majority wouldn't know a Series LR if it rammed them in the rear.

SO, never ever fail to acknowledge a classis Mini. :smile:

 

>>Now thats cold...I have the Cooper and I didnt buy it cause its a trend. I dont race my car on a track, and didnt want or need the "S". I also dont like the way the "S" looks. So thats statement is pretty dumb.

... i've got a Cooper too! ... i'm just saying that those who follow only trends and know nothing about cars, those who are less likely to wave at a passing car, are those who probably would buy coopers and not see any advantage in spending more money for an 's' ... ... those who follow trends and fashion only and have the money to throw at a car without researching what they buy ( and still think they're "car guys&quot end up with 2F2F clones and wouldn't wave anyway either ...

 

>> ... and efcmini is correct: those who enjoy the sporting aspects of the car (including the sportscar community parts) will spend the money for an "S" while those who know nothing about the history, or car's abilities, and are only buying a latest trend will get the Cooper and not "get" the rest ...
>>

For once I agree with ants on something... the above is just NOT TRUE. There are plenty of Cooper owners who DO know about the history, DO love the car, and ARE involved the community of motores. For instance, several people who have done a hell of a lot of organizing of MINI events in FL drive Coopers. I have meet these people and they definitely "get" the motoring philisophy.

 

>> ... and efcmini is correct: those who enjoy the sporting aspects of the car (including the sportscar community parts) will spend the money for an "S" while those who know nothing about the history, or car's abilities, and are only buying a latest trend will get the Cooper and not "get" the rest ...<<

What? Come on, you don't really think that, do you? You could just as easily make the argument that someone who is only concerned with status would have to get the S, to make their style statement as strong as possible.

We've been over this SO many times... Getting the S is not just about spending more money. People don't just buy the Cooper because they don't have enough dough for the S, or enough passion, or whatever. It's possible to enjoy sports car performance and care about fuel economy, for example.

 

>>This was a little while ago, but I encountered a guy down in Canton who was getting into his Electric Blue S with his family. I stopped and told him that I really liked his car and that mine was parked right around the corner and weren't they just great? He looked at me like I was nuts and got into his car without saying anything.

 

>>
>>
>>Yes, I have! I think that for new MINI owners, they are so involved with learning their new MINI...
__________
...And the most uptight ones are women MINI drivers (MiniClo excluded). It seems that whenever i wave to them, they think I'm making advances or something.
Hey MiniClo, Are you putting your great cross-country ride to book? Serialize them in MCO. I'd enjoy reading them.

 

I stopped this morning and talked to a guy with a silver cooper. He was doing a bid for tile work for a local hamburger stand. He thought I was the contractor, I mean why else would anyone talk to him. I almost never see anothe MINI in Pueblo. He was from out of town I assume. I tried to make conversation asked about MCO ( he was not interested in MCO). Just not very friendly. As I was leaving he did tell me that he was planning on changing out his motor to an "S" motor. (?) I just was disappointed, as I drove away I almost felt bad for him. OK, not very.

Note to self:
It is a cool car, cool people own cool cars, but the car does not make you cool.