I get ignored ALL the time.. but the way I see it, when I do get a response it makes it that much sweeter. Plus I know who all the REAL MINI enthusiasts are!

 

hahaha, tonight on the way into Marin for a Mother's Day dinner thing, we passed 8 Minis total, round trip. Only one acknowledged us. To be fair, one ws avoiding a pothole, another was surrounded by SUVs like that memorable scene in Usual Suspects, and a third, a blue MCSc, had a driver who I pulled up alongside at a red and we nodded and smiled at each other in that knowing way... then zipped through the weekend traffic and made the most of the Minis. So no complaints!

 

I really enjoy giving and receiving a wave - especially when either an SUV or a nice "exotic" car is behind me... I'm sure *they* don't wave to each other. The only ones that I've seen wave to each other are the following and I fall into two of the groups:

Harley riders
Wrangler drivers
MINI drivers

CAMARADERIE is a beautiful thing. :-)

 

Yeah, around here in San Diego I don't get too many wave-backs. I always always wave though. At the beach the other day though I was 5 for 5, it was great... props to MINI owners in Carlsbad.

 

there are hardly any other minis around here, there is one dark silver one i see sometimes, and he gave a wave back. most of the minis are casino traffic, bunch of old people who should keep their eyes on the road

 

99% of the minis Ive seen lately, dont only ignore my efforts to get their attention, but are on the phone!
Hang up and enjoy the ride people!!!

 

I got snubbed today! First time in a long time but it sure does stand out when it happens. Oh well...

 

new record of 16 Minis on the way to work today! And no wavebacks.
But as just mentioned above, it appears to be hard to wave, drive, hold a cellphone AND a coffee. Of all the cars to no-hand it in...

 

I totally agree with you. Looking back even through this thread everyone who mentions that they are pretty lucky with waves are in a more secluded part of the world. Whereas all of us who get snubbed are in big cities (well... I guess Milwaukee isn't that big).

I think it more or less comes down to the distance away from the nearest MINI dealership. Milwaukee AND Chicago together have a total of 4 dealerships. So the fact that I live within 100 miles of 4 dealerships (with the closest one only being 5 miles away) means that my response rate of waves is going to be way less.

I think this is a good response equation:

(number of MINIs you see on a commute) / (((number of dealerships within 100 miles)*2.5) + 1) = Average number of returned waves per trip

So for me I usually see 5-10 MINIs on a 15 minutes drive.
10 / ((4*2.5)+1) = 0.9 of those MINIs will wave back, which means I may not even get a wave back during the whole trip.

Whereas in a rural part of town, say, La Crosse WI you may see 1-3 minis
3 / (0*2.5)+1 = 3 of those MINIs will wave back

...
I'm bored at work right now.

 

I commute from Denver to Boulder, and usually see a few Minis on the road during the morning drive. I never get a wave, but the morning commuter traffic really sucks around here. I'd rather everyone be concentrating on the road anyway, rather than looking for other Minis to wave at.

 

true 'nuff, if you have to choose!

 

(number of MINIs you see on a commute) / (((number of dealerships within 100 miles)*2.5) + 1) = Average number of returned waves per trip

I never expected to see such a scientific response to my question!!!

 

Sometimes I wave or flash my lights. It all depends. Sometimes I don't see the other MINI until it's too late.

Anyway, here's an actual account I wrote last year about a "waving" incident I experienced. I haven't experience this sort of zealous nature since, and I'm kind of liking that! Happy reading:

"Occasionally, after a long hard day at the office, I will treat myself to a tasty creamsicle twist at a nearby roadside ice cream stand called Dairy Joy. It’s conveniently located in scenic Weston, Massachusetts and just a short drive from my office. Yesterday was a glorious summer day, primarily because the humidity that was so prevalent for the last several days had dissipated, so I hopped in my Cabriolet and made a bee-line to satisfy my soft-serve craving.

I arrived at Dairy Joy and ordered my child-size creamsicle, enjoyed this simple pleasure, and then got back on the road. Considering the metropolitan Boston area has some of the worst traffic in the country, I routinely take the back roads when commuting (a grand total of only 6 miles). I generally take a slight detour upon exiting Dairy Joy as this makes the commute home far more enjoyable. As I started my journey on the twists and turns through the verdant countryside, I noticed another Cabriolet down the road traveling towards me.

As the distance between us closed in, the driver of the Cabriolet appeared to be gyrating from left to right repeatedly, with his right arm flailing above the windshield. My first impression was, “What on Earth is this guy doing?” As we came closer and his actions were more pronounced, it became very clear to me that he was waving at me with great passion. No, extreme passion.

This confused me, and not to generalize behavioral characteristics regarding my fellow citizens of Massachusetts, but waving, or enthusiastic waving, just isn’t something I come across at all. This particular greeting was somewhat embarrassing. I looked in my rear view mirror and was hoping he was welcoming someone else. But no. I was the target of his excitement that, yes, we were both driving Cabriolets. I wanted to sink down in my seat and just pretend I didn’t see this grotesque display.

I gave him a nod and slightly lifted my hand off the steering wheel to wave back. Then I felt a little guilty. Maybe I should have waved back with such zeal that it looked like I was having an epileptic seizure? Maybe I should have flashed my lights or tooted my horn? Taken his license plate down and sent him a thank you card? I consulted my owner’s manual and even my Bentley and haven’t found anything regarding how to reciprocate in this type of situation.

So, if you’re ever in my neck of the woods and you see me coming down the road, I promise I will wave back if you send me a dignified wave."

 

Haha, they must of just got their mini after some terribly long wait. I was waving like this when I got mine (still do too sometimes) I'm trying to build a rep of the crazy hyperblue Portland mini guy that waves too much

 

I think that the "new" mini owners just don't get it yet. When I wave, they kind of look at you funny and then wave back.. like it's ok...

 

Only in a MINI community would you find a collection of people that WANT to be known as the crazy one.

You get the "Crazy" covered in Portland, I'll get the "Crazy" covered in Milwaukee.

 

if I had a sunroof I would definitely get one of those giant foam hands and put "hey cool mini" on it so there wouldn't be any question about why I was waving.

 

Back in the DAY (late 60's and 70's ) ALL "sport type cars" would flash,and wave to each other.. On my trips to Watkins Glen for the sports car races, it was the proper thing to do. It was the proper driving attitude...

 

Some times I get really carried away and start waving at cars that are the same color as my Mini or just look nicely detailed. Those people really give me weird looks.

 

just say hi... it doesnt hurt nor does it cost you anything

 

I give a to many sports cars, at least the ones that look like the driver cares about the car (not the lambo driver who was so involoved in her conversation she missed the light turning green), I tend to get waves back, but I'm more happy to see the smile on their face. I find drivers of kit cars appear especially happy when I appreciate their work.

 

i have only had one wave back sense August, i was in SLC and i got one wave, i've been in portland for 3 weeks and have seen tons of minis but no one waves or acknowledges me mini.

 

For awhile there were only 3 MINIs in my area...we always waved. Now there are growing #'s (a good thing!). Some of the newer owners just need a little training...they may not yet completely understand that they have joined a cult (but you know, the GOOD kind of cult!).

What about an upside-down 3 fingers wave (like a reverse "west coast") for an M for MINI? Then we can work on the secret handshake!

I did get snubbed twice by the only other MINIs I saw on the NYS Thruway during my 2 hour drive to Prestige in Mahwah NJ last month. Are you guys in northern NJ getting jaded or what?!