I had to travel this past week for work (and I sure did miss my car) to California. I was staying north of San Francisco in Marin county where I often see lots of Minis driving around.

I got in on Sunday afternoon, exhausted after the flight and getting through the airport and doing the rental car thing. It was a little bit too early to check into my hotel, so I went to the Molly Stone's grocery store down the road to pick up some snacks and some beer.

I left the store and immediately walked up to a brand new looking CR/B with black stripes S just like mine and tried to open the door. The door was locked and I am pretty glad it was, because it obviously was not my car. I walked away from the car very quickly feeling like quite the moron. I was tempted to wait and talk to the owner, but was so tired I needed to get to my hotel and sleep.

 

That would make a good MINI commercial.

 

i had a 85 toyota corolla as my first car and i parked it in front of the drug store. It was 1998 i think and beating all odds, another brown 85 corolla came and parked itself near my car. I walked up to the wrong car and my keys worked. Of course once i got inside i knew it wasnt my car.

 

Before computer chips in car keys, most keys had a 4 or 5 digit code that was used to cut the key. You had 1 in 10,000 or 1 in 100,000 chance depending on 4 or 5 digit code of coming up to the same color car and having the key work.

 

My friend had the same thing happen to him once...He was once at a hotel on conference, he was driving around a POS workplace funded rental, then he saw a sonic yellow WRX (what are the odds) and it had dark tint exactly like his) but then he realized he didn't have his car keys, began to look around before realizing it was not his car...

 

Sorta? Well, except for that whole one-of-a-kind, personalized, my MINI is unique thing.

 

LOL. Reminds me of when my son was young. Every time were were returning to a parking lot, he would just head for any small white car he saw and try to get in. Once, he did, before I got to him.

 

LOL, for some reason after that first sentence I thought this was going in a direction of taking the wrong kid home with you. Now that could really be a problem.

 

Problem.... Only 'cause you haven't met mine.

 

I got a similar story. Years ago I was a passenger in a white Ford on a Sunday morning in a heavy rain shower. We stopped at a traffic light. I took the opportunity to dash out in the rain to get a newspaper from a vendor. Upon returning to the car which was still at the traffic light, I jumped in and said to my driver "lets get the F### outa here" It was then I realised that I was in another car of the same color/ model and my buddy was behind us saw the whole episode and was laughting his head off. How embarrising. I will never forget the look on that drivers face.

 

That'll teach you to read the newspaper.

 

Thank you. I am LMAO right now, even got the whole tear thing going down.
I love that! That guy is probably still telling people about you.
The worst car mix up of mine was when I couple years ago I got T-boned in an accident. They gave me a silver Chev. Cavalier as a rental. I went into the mall, and came out a couple hours later. When I finally found the car there were 3 other silver Cavaliers parked in the same area. Of course I had to look into/try the key in all before figuring out which one was mine.

 

Wow this had me laughing out loud!

 

+1

 

We bought a BMW the same week we went to the Houston auto show. Returned to the exact row and place as ours...we thought! Do you know how many silver BMWs there are in the world? Had to look into each and every car looking for the sparse clues...

 

Back in 1985 or so, my mother was at the nursery buying a few flats of plants. She gave her keys to the employee along with a description of her car so he could load the plants while she finished paying.

When she got outside, she saw that he had the plants half-loaded -- into the wrong 1985 Cadillac! The two cars were parked about three spaces apart, and evidently used the same trunk key.

And in high school, I can't remember how many times I parked in the "North" parking lot in the morning and couldn't find my car in the afternoon because I'd forgotten that I'd gone off-campus for lunch and had parked in the "South" lot when I got back to school.

 

My mom once started loading groceries into the back of the wrong silver Chevy Blazer until someone sitting in the passenger seat said, "Wrong car."

 

Humans are such creatures of habit...

 

A church near here was having a paper drive for recycling. They had told the congragation to deposit papers in a pick-up truck parked on the site. Somehow, another pick-up truck owner decided to park on-site, too. You can guess what happened.

 

I can def. feel your pain before my mini I had a white honda civic sedan along with millions of other people. I was constantly putting the key in the door of the wrong car and wondering why it wouldn't open. Plus just the other day I walked up to one and almost freaked out because I thought I had locked the keys in the car for the millionth time, then I realized wait- I have a mini now! Luckily I don't get embarrased easily

 

While I was attending Arizona State University back in 1990, I opened a car door of a 1987 white Honda CRX SI in the parking garage and proceeded to sit inside the car. I noticed that the car was dirty inside and I knew that I just cleaned my car. so, I immediately got out of the car and saw that the car had a Texas license plate (I had a California license plate). I locked the car and walked away thinking that who would have taught that we shared the same keys!

 

Humans are creatures of habit - about 5 years ago I was in Las Vegas with the Wife - At that time of my life I had a 86 El Camino that I had bought brand new in 86 - been driving it for some time.. While in Vegas we had a rental - went to a 7/11 to get a beer - came out opened the door and got in a 86 (same color) El Camino and closed the door - Chitt - Not my car, not my town --- Jumped out of the car like it was on fire - a BIG guy came out and just stood there starring.... I told him that I was an IDIOT and why I just did what I did - He was super cool and had a good laugh - offered him a beer and shook hands... - So, I know your pain...