Katie,

A word of warning on insurance. When I was buying my first car on my own during law school, I arranged for insurance with GIECO before going to the dealer. I actually called GIECO 3 times and answered every one of their interview questions. It took a while to get the clerk to understand the difference between a Honda CRX Si (2 seater) with a Honda Civic. They kept wanting to put my CRX as a Civic.

Gieco told me they had everything they needed. Just go to the dealer, call them with a VIN and give them a credit card to put the first month's insurance on. I did just that with the dealer sitting across from me. Gieco went through the entire questionaire again. Then at the end they added a new question, "Is this the first car you are insuring on your own?" When I said yes, they said they did not insure first time buyers.

I turned to my dealer and said what now? He said he had a friend at Allstate down the street. I'm still an Allstate customer to this day (17 years later). If you use a telephone based, cut rate insurance company be very certain they understand this is your first car.

Like someone else said, you should be able to trade your home state license for a NY license without any trouble. If I recall from my time in NY, you have to get a "proof of insurance" from your insurance company to give to the DMV in order to register your car and get plates.

Don't worry about the manual transmission. I bought the above mentioned CRX without knowing how to really drive it. I drove it downtown into DC (where I work) and had no trouble. When I left work, the valet pulled it up onto a steep slope at the exit of a garage and I would have had trouble pulling away from that, but I was aware of this and had a friend who wanted to test drive the car come with me and he drove it off that slope. I practiced over one weekend and I've never worried about it again.

Enjoy your motoring.

 

Things are coming together. My personalized tags have been confirmed (2nd choice), what else but GR8BRIT.

However, I believe the Tosca and its Captain have decided to take a scenic route because the ship has just disappeared? Tried all the ship observation sites but it is as if the Bermuda Triangle has taken yet another victim and with it, all those lovely MC and MCS'. :evil:

 

Good luck with the shifting Katie. You will get the hang of it in no time.

Chef r,
We are aboard the ship now, as of 9:53 (I assume GMT) this morning. Should set sail soon! :smile: :smile: :smile:

Regards,

 

Hey par4!!!!!
Didja see it, dija, didja didja?????

Ah, those magic words "Loaded on vessel" (and I'm sure freight shippers are waaaaaay to serious to be playing some kind of cruel April Fool's joke, right?)

I noticed that Motor'nMax got on board about an hour before shadowfax...hope he saved a spot at the bar for the big welcoming reception...the Jingu is a noted party cruiser after all. best wishes for smooth seas, westerly currents and a tailwind (every little bit helps...)

Let's set a record for the all time fastest crossing. Let's shoot through the VDC in no time. Let's get on a fast truck. Let's redefine dealer prep time.LET'S MOTOR!!!!!

Hope all are well, new MINIs are happy, newer MINIs are home soon, and newest MINIs are enjoying the cruise.

Peace,

chef r

 

You guys are really wonderful you know that? Thanks so much for your pointer's and tips! You're totaly boosting my confidence. Also HFranks I really appreciate that bit of advice on the insurance, Gieco has been the company to offer me the best rate so far, but thier application(online) does seem pretty vauge. I'll certainly keep your story in mind.

 

Katie, learning manual tranny is just a learning process like anything else (like riding a bike). It's strange and akward feeling initially, but once you "get it", you'll wonder what the big deal was! Rachel gave some great pointers, I'll restate in my own words just in case:

The clutch is your pedal-based link between the engine and axles. In order to use a certain gear in the transmission, you have to match the RPM of the engine to the axles. You can slip the clutch, allowing for some deviation in RPM between engine and axles. The transmission is a group of gear reduction ratios. The ratios range from the engine spining fast and the axles not much, to the axles spinning faster than the engine.
When you're starting off from 0MPH, the engine is spinning infinitly faster than the axles, so you want the "tallest" ratio possible. Enter: First Gear. The trick is to modulate (slip) the clutch to get the car moving just enough to match the speeds, so you can engage it fully. The fine point in modulation is, well, very fine. You'll have about 2 inches of pedal travel to control the entire range of actuation for the clutch. This requires very steady and refined leg/foot movements. With time, you will develop those resolution skills.
Beyond that is simple stuff like changing gears while moving, for either upshifting or downshifting. Key points; make sure to not stall the car while braking by accidentally leaving the clutch in; do not under any circumstances keep your foot on the clutch more than what is absolutely necessary during shifting! Doing so will dramatically shorten clutch life.
I would be enthralled to accompany you in your delivery, however, I believe geography throws that idea out the window.

I wish you the best of everything for a smooth drive home. That is SO awesome of Rachel to help you out! Finally, make sure to send us pictures!

Cheers,
Ryan

 

Hey PJ, I'm up in Plymouth ,MN with a MINI Cooper Indy-Blue and White.

I didn't get all the goodies you got, but the colors are the same.

What part of town will you be in?

I am at 11 Months TODAY!!!

May-1 is the 1-year adoption day. Party!!

 

chef r,
Shadowfax had to run back and pick up a few bottles at duty free. With the long lines and all, that cost ya about an hour or so. Gotch you out of the life boat drill though.

WE ARE CRUISING NOW!!!! Take a look.

Regards,

 

Well, the time draws near... my MCS, Pure Silver/Black arrived in the States... just waiting to hear from my dealer to tell me that it's arrived. After 6 months or so, my time is about to come... I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!! Since I've ordered the car I've read nothing but great things, and heard nothing but great things about what I would consider to be a fantastic choice for my first new car purchase. Cheers to all the others out there in the April Club!

 

Katie - and anyone else nervous about the clutch - Everyone has been making some excellent points about shifting. The hardest thing to do is get going from a complete stop. Once you can do that comfortably (should take 10 - 20 tries in the MINI) and consistently, there really is nothing to it. It really is a breeze to drive. Once you can get moving, just shift at around 3000 rpm until you develop your own driving style. The higher the tach gets, the more power you get. The sooner you shift, in general, the better gas mileage you will get. Remember to push in the clutch before the car comes to a stop, and in general, don't downshift into 1st unless you are going less than 5mph or racing.

Happy Motorin'

Phil

 

.. and Katie.. you'd BETTER have that camera around for the delivery and the drive back!

I know that MINI of Peabody takes pics of everyone's cars when they get them, so you'll be all set with that (I was looking at them when I was first trying to pick out the options for my car soooooo long ago).

 

And my absolutely favorite link to explain how a standard transmission works:

How Manual Transmissions Work

(http://auto.howstuffworks.com/transmission.htm)

 

The post boat ride wait is really the worst. It's like being a kid waiting for Christmas day (but you never know what day it will be). I know the phone could ring any day now saying my car is at the dealer, but it may not ring for 2 weeks. AskMini doesn't work anymore, and my motoring advisor never answers the phone personally and he only returns voicemail every third or fourth call. For that reason I haven't even called him lately, so I have no information to go on. This really sucks.

I think I'm going to wait until tomorrow afternoon and then call about the AUX adapter for the stereo (to connect my IPOD). The Bridger US site has the part number and a picture. That should give me a reason to call my MA without making it seem like I'm pestering him. Any other ideas?

 

Re Postcards:
Being the infomation digger that I am, I realized the company that publishes
these postcards [GoCards] is a relatively short walk from work, in TriBeCa, Manhattan. Went to lunch, found their office, asked for the MINI collection and walked out with all four! :smile:

 

>>.. and Katie.. you'd BETTER have that camera around for the delivery and the drive back!
>>
Oh not to worry, this shall be easy since I will be starting my trip to the dealership on thursday, just after I finish my digital photography class!!!!!! If I were you I'd be more concerned that I'll go picture crazy and totally clog up this place

 

>>>>.. and Katie.. you'd BETTER have that camera around for the delivery and the drive back!
>>>>
>>Oh not to worry, this shall be easy since I will be starting my trip to the dealership on thursday, just after I finish my digital photography class!!!!!! If I were you I'd be more concerned that I'll go picture crazy and totally clog up this place

naaah.. there can NEVER be too many pics of a sweet velvet red cooper...

 

Car left VPC either yesterday or today but got a call from the dealer and I should be able to pick up my S on friday or saturday. WOOHOO....my car was on Carmen and my dealer is in Chicago.

 

hey DaMatta, how did you find out your MINI left the VDC, did you dealership tell you? In any case, Schweeet! :smile:

also ---> Welcome Kpyto! I sent you a PM; tell us more about your MINI!

Cheers,
Ryan

 

>>hey DaMatta, how did you find out your MINI left the VDC, did you dealership tell you? In any case, Schweeet! :smile:
>>
>>also ---> Welcome Kpyto! I sent you a PM; tell us more about your MINI!
>>
>>Cheers,
>>Ryan

yo riznyan, ASKMINI can, in fact, tell you when your MINI is on a truck, and when that truck has left the VDC. Not sure how accurate as far as timing and delays are concerned.

in other news, i have a before and after shot of my dent, but the after shot is on the camera which is at my dad's work, so it might be a while, not that any of you are necessarily dying to see.

but now that i got that dent fixed, i have a windshield crack caused by a rock!

sweeeeeet, less than 4 weeks old and two problems on my MINI that have never happened to me before. talk about bad luck...

wizzicle

 

Hi All,

I'm Oilman930,the founder of the "I can't wait May" club.Seems like I've got a bit of a problem,I can't be in my own club anymore.I called the ask Mini hotline and asked them "when will my car be put together?" I found out it was already put together.Some guysand girls I would bet)welded,glued,stamped,and pressed my car together March 29th.I had a production date of 4/4/2003.I've got a Saturday car!I hope there wasn't much drinking going on Friday night!!

The dealer now tells me that the car will be delivered at the very end of April.It might still be in May,but only if the boat runs aground,a dock worker drives it off the end of the pier.

So,I wanted to stop by and say hi.Maybe I'll be with you,maybe I can get back into my club,I just wanted to cover all the bases.

By the way,the Mini hotline people are very nice.They were able to tell me that not only did they put the car together a bit early,they made sure they got all the options right.Now I wait.......

 

Wags,

AskMini has changed their policy and no longer tell you anything after the car is loaded on the boat in the UK. They now make you call your motoring advisor for this information. Most motoring advisors do not answer their phones (they let it always roll to voicemail) and I've found they rarely return calls (especially if it is just a status call). That is why Ryan and I were wondering how daMata found out his car had left the VPC. Most of us are in the dark until we hear that our car is at the dealer. I wish Mini hadn't changed the askmini policy. If they were concerned about costs they should upgrade the owners lounge to be a real time status number generator instead of cute graphics and once a week updates.

Harry

 

hey oilman, I can't believe you're defecting to the April club but I think I'm
going to follow right behind (hehe) . Not only is my car built but is currently on
the Jingu making its way to new york!!!!!! Hope all you april clubbers don't mind
a late coming member.......

 

YEEEEEHAAAAAAA Little Red just got to the dealer. Now I just have to wait for the slow A** people to clean her up and put on the stripes. At least I will have her for my trip to Baltimore this week end. I will post pics as soon as I can.

 

The Medea has landed. :smile: :smile:

Andy

 

Welcome Oilman and Tooblue. No problem being latecomers! Find a seat, sit back and relax, and let's chat all about it :smile:

Cheers,
Ryan

Also, Congrats Littlecajun! and also good to hear the Medea has landed!