Sure did. Quote away..........because it's TRUE We just got back from Shaker Village, and dropped down, down, down to the Kentucky River on some spectacular twisties to get there. The transmission is so smooth I barely had to hit my brakes while shifting my little choice juicy color punch in and out of 3-4-5 in manual sport mode.

I literally cannot imagine what THE DRAGON will be like.

I'm operating with one hand tied behind my back here with picture posting. Once I get to SC, I can have my own wireless connection with my own laptop.

 

I will say I am a bit envious of you who are undertaking these fantastic road trips. I'm still several hundred miles from exiting the break-in period!!!

 

I love the chrome exterior, looks really nice. Enjoy your new ride.

 

BTW.....not sure if any of you have this, but I saw an Oxygen Blue/W MINI with clear taillights and side repeaters at the dealership and it looks very nice!!! I always favored a bit of amber on my personal MINI, but for anyone considering this option for whom it might be a better fit, it's well worth considering.

 

blue skies: glad to hear ur having such a great run... and congrats on ur first step to complete o2b accessorization... careful.. this is how it starts... lol... soon ur selling ur shoes for more o2b stuff... :-P

jedorme: i don't typically envy ppl but u indeed have turned me a bit green... sounds like a dream...

 

Don't know if I managed to upload my photos into this posting but I will send it and find out. Took these pictures today after cleaning up the MC after the long trip from Las Vegas. Our RV is in the background which kind of clashes with the OB color.

gokartride - sorry for the washed out colors on the interior shot; the colors are obviously consistent for the seats, door panels & other interior, but hope you can see what a great combination it is with the OB exterior.

Sky Blue - my impression after driving mountains which included over 8,000 foot elevation passes is that the auto tranny is best put in manual and Sport. When I left it in auto for any length of time it was constantly trying to find the right gear, usually after losing much RPM/speed before downshifting. Most of the grades were taken in 4th gear with some 3rd, and ran much of the time in 5th. Also found that above 3500 rpm the engine has a real throaty exhaust note that was music to the ears.

Now let's see if the darn photos get attached, and if not, I will work on it some more and resend.

Also anyone having problems with the fuel tank levels and computer range/mpg info not appearing accurate? My fuel tank levels don't match what I know to be the quantity in the tank - indicating more fuel than I know I have. For example, I put in over 9 gallons when the guage said I had more than half tank remaining. My average mpg and speed info also reads lower than I know I have experienced. And the range info often tells me I can run between 500 and 600 miles with a full tank, which would be great if true. Any thoughts????? Can the system be recalibrated or will that occur if I reset it to the factory default settings?????

 

jedorme, your OB is gorgeous. I do like the all OB motif. Do you have anything on the seats for your furred friend to sit on when he rides?

I also have noticed that the fuel tank level indicator (whatever it's called) seems to be a bit optimistic. For example, I always fill up my tank when the indicator shows half full/half empty. When I filled up my first tank last week, though, I put in 9 gallons at the half full/half empty mark. That is certainly well over half of the 13.2 (I think) tank capacity. Kinda weird, eh?

The OBC mpg calculator is pretty much spot on with what I do by hand. I haven't paid attention really to the miles until empty indicator, but I'll check it out now that you mention how many mpgs we can get according to it. I haven't gotten 40 mpg (yet) but normally I get better and better mpg on my cars as they break in and after first oil change. And, I've had ac on all the time and haven't spared the speed. But, I've sure read about those who get 40 mpg in their MCs. How amazing to have so much fun and not drive a hybrid.

Thanks for the tip on taking the mountains in manual sport mode. Yesterday I didn't have her in sport mode because a relative I had with me was scared on those twisties. She told me, "I don't know anyone who says they like driving this road." She is a life long resident of Lexington. Guess she doesn't hang with the motoring freaks I can't imagine NOT loving these country roads around here.

Happy Trails to All

 

Jedorme......that interior is brilliant!!!!! Love the OB/OB w/ stripes look, too. Well done!

 

Blue Skies - Sounds like your fuel indicator is telling you about the same thing mine tells me. I believe the capacity of the MC is only 10.6 gals (or 40 liters) & the MCS has 13.2 gals (or 50 liters), so I got real nervous when I put over 9 gallons in and the gauge still told me I had plenty. But now I just don't drive more than 300 miles between fueling stops. And you make a good point about the A/C being on, as our trip was in 100+ temps and we had it running constantly - but I still got between 34-39 mpg calculated.

If you are still in the Lexington area, be sure to see the state run Horse Farm outside of town. Besides being located in some beautiful county, it is fascinating, even if you're like me and know nothing about race horses. The road from there down to Knoxville is also a great one with lots of side trip opportunities.

For our dog (Welsh Corgi), we have a small canvas collapsible crate that fits perfectly in the back with either one or both seats down. On our trip he had one side and our bags & other gear (cameras, etc.) took up the other space. We had plenty of room for everything and easy ingress/egress for the puppy.

gokartride - thank you (and you too Blue Skies) for the positive response to our OB/OB. We had a number of folks chat us up about it at fueling and rest stop locations along our trip. I only made one mistake in ordering it - like a dummy I got the front fog lights but not the back one, and now the rear looks like something is missing and the interior switch controls have a blank in the lower toggle bar. Oh well, I guess we can live with that with everything else being just about perfect in the car.

We tow a Lexus SUV behind our motor home & yesterday I told my wife that I would like to sell the beast and get a manual shift MC to tow when we travel (you can tow the MC auto only on a dolly but the manual can be flat towed). And much to my surprise she thought it might be a good idea to consider when we end our summer travels and take the coach, tow car and new MC back down to the CA desert where we spend our winters. Oh happy days.

 

jedorme, check this thread out: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t=reserve+tank

Our MCs actually have 13.2 gallons.

I like the idea of the collapsible dog crate. Little sharp weiner dog nails on Tawanda's piano black?

 

Blue Skies - thanks much for the added info about our gas tanks, which I was unaware of - teach me to read the manual and believe what it says. Also makes me feel better that my gauge isn't that far off and also much happier to know I really do have more gas (10 and a half gallons really isn't very much even if you can get almost 40mpg).

For the dog crate, we got our from "Drs. Foster & Smith" web site and are quite happy with it.

 

I'll be taking delivery of my MINI soon and wanted to give it a good waxing. After searching NAM threads for "waxing", I haven't found any definitive or clear answers. Still trying to sort out the different products recommended; terms like "claying" and the difference between waxing vs polishing.

Have many of you waxed your new OB's yet? If so, what type of wax have you used? I'd like to read about your experiences.

 

Love the stripes jedorme. I haven't see an OB cooper with those type of stripes. Beautiful interior too. Enjoy your new ride.

 

COUPLE MORE DAYS!!! I shall be taking delivery of my MINI finally!!! The wait is almost over

 

I'll be using Klasse products on my MINI...it's durable, looks great and application fits my specific needs. Zaino and now Prima are also favorites. Learn more about Prima and Klasse in at Detailer's Paradise, a NAM vendor. There's lots of products out there but I'd take a good hard look at these three....they are among the most long lasting. Prima is the current darling of the Detailing 101 forum...they do have an impressive array of compatible products.

 

With the OB roof you can't get the painted stripes so these are decal stripes put on by the dealer. They're called "Sport Stripes" and they get covered under the MC warranty. My neighbor manages a Nascar team and they don't paint those cars - everything is done with decals which are computer generated. Thanks for your encouraging words - we love the car, particularly the outside and inside appearance.

 

Thanks mostly to this thread and the pictures in it, I've decided to go with OB/W and English Oak to replace my gone but not forgotten 05 PW/B.

 

You'll love it!!! It'll be a nice change from a PW/B as it is for my gone-but-not-forgotten IB/W. Still classic, but no wall-flower!!!

 

mwahahaha my suggestions worked... hmmm... bring me a slurpie

 

I live in a second story apartment with fantastic aerial views of several prime parking spots. Invariably my OB/W MINI Cooper is in one of them. (the reserved covered spot usually goes to the IB/W)

So here I sit at my desk gazing out the window at a wondrous sight....the evening light playing on the gleaming surfaces of that most transcendant MINI color of heavenly hue....Oxygen Blue. I love this color the longer I have it...not to mention the sassy little Cooper that is shrouded in the same OB luminescent goodness.

I think I'll check it out through the binoculars!!!

 

gocartride (& anyone else who is interested) - here is a slightly better picture of our OB/OB MC with its Tuscan Beige leather, English Oak & Cream Colorline interior. We are constantly having people tell us how much they like the OB color & asking about it - and my wife keeps reminding me that it was her idea to order it. I got to pick the options only.

 

Hello to all the Oxygen Blue owners. I will be the proud mother as soon as mine gets in. I ordered it May 31st and it was just scheduled for production this past Monday. The dealership said that after it is scheduled for production it will take another 3.5 weeks to get here. Is this consistent with what anyone else heard? Ugh, i hate that it takes so long but I'm sure it will be worth it. I'm enjoying reading everyones posts about how much they love oxygen blues and i didnt even hesitate when i first heard that they came out with the color that thats what i wanted.....

Glad to join the group!!!
_____________________________
Pittsburgh, PA
ETA: 8/2/07 ~ OB/W, Tuscan Beige, Cream colorline, anthracite headliner, Spoiler, white turn signals, Convenience & Premium pkgs

 

jerdome...thats the first time i've actually seen the tuscan beige against the OB and I love it! Thanks for the pic, i've been anxious to see what it looks like for a long time!

 

yayayay!!! another o2b!!! ... and the kingdom rejoiced.... :-D welcome to our little puddle of happiness!! can't wait for u to see ur new baby for the first time...

btw... stop biting ur nails... calm down...

 

newoxyblue, I think the delivery time varies depending on where you live in the U.S. The cars imported thru the West Coast take longer to arrive at the port of destination. The other 2 ports, NJ and Charleston, SC are on East coast and closer to UK.

Then it depends on how far you live from the port and how long the car takes to clear the VDC. Recently many of us have had to wait over a week while our cars sat at the port of Charleston.

My MINI arrived 6/29 but wasn't taken to the VDC until 7/9. My MA said it normally just takes a day to transport the car from the part to the VDC. He doesn't know why there's a long delay in Charleston.

Jedorme,

Thanks for posting your interior pics. I also ordered the Tuscan leather interior with some trepidation since I hadn't seen what it looks like with OB. MINI seems to only allow certain color combinations in the interior, so I trusted it would look good. Now my main concern is keeping that light colored leather clean and free of stains.