^^^^^----- Envious

 

As long as we're all gushing for Pepper White, here's one more..

 

Beautiful Kevin, absolutely beautiful. Oh if only I'll be able to scrounge up the change for body-coloring my wheel arches and trim.

 

Ooooooooo thats why Jethro looks so pretty! Such a great looking car!

 

I'm going nuts waiting. The ship mine is on hasn't updated it's position since it left the port. In theory, it's supposed to be at the Port Hueneme VDC on the 22nd.

So close, yet so far...

 

Ahh!! Just picked mine up today!! She is beautiful and well worth the wait!!!!So much fun to drive!!

 

Awesome sian! Congrats! I know you're enjoying the heck out of it.

Tomorrow's the big day for me. Another MA from my dealership called a little while ago and said my MA was going to be sick tomorrow. That sucks, but I'm not putting this off for that. I just finished administering semester exams to all my students, then grading them (then putting some pics of some more 'interesting' responses on FB...lol), so I'm rewarding myself with this tomorrow!

 

OK- so this is my third MINI in ess than a year. There was an issue I am not legally allowed to disclose due to a deal with MINI with the first one I bought- so I had to get a second one. The second one - well I had a clubman, and I left the moonroof open and it poured ALL night long into it...essentially flooded it so the insurance company totalled it. This time I went with the regular cooper vs the clubman, since I was not having any luck with them! Since last February this is the 3rd one in less than a year! Name - "Third Time's a Charm"!

 

On the way home with Nic III right now! Boy is he spunky!

 

Here's a quick pic in his new stable, more to come

 

Congratz! It's lookin good. How much smaller is it compared to the GTI? That will be a good one for one comparo for me.

 

The picture is deceptive in making the MINI seem as large as the GTI. Definitely not. I don't know the exact dimensions - though I'm sure they wouldn't be hard to track down - but I know after 12 months driving the GTI I had and going to a MINI, there is a definite feeling of downsizing both outside and in. I used to have a MINI so none of it is an unpleasant shock, just a reminder with less storage space and whatnot inside that it is indeed a smaller car.

One interesting thing I'll note is that my "power perception" is all over the place with this car. In the GTI I would occasionally feel like the car was putting down more power than usual, but it was a DSG equipped car and the acceleration was too linear to tell much. In the MINI, sometimes it feels a little sluggish and sometimes it feels like a monster that is difficult to control. And that's both in regular and S mode. I know it's just perception but it really messes with a person's mind! I think some of it may have to do with the fact that the MINI's accel pedal has a *lot* more travel than the GTIs, so if I'm not thinking and just lighting laying on it then it'll feel slow, but when I realize it and really hit it, it goes like mad.

We're keeping one GTI along with the MINI so there'll be plenty more comparisons to come.

 

Okay. So the ship my Mini is on, Centaurus Leader, has not updated it's position since Dec 1st. According to the WW website they ship was supposed to have arrived yesterday but the WW website doesn't have any actual arrival information. The OL still says the Mini is on a transport ship. I'll be honest, I'm going nuts.

 

I wouldn't worry.. the WW schedules are VERY accurate, and get updated in transit if there's any delay. Try calling WW or shoot them an email (or let your MA check on it) if you're experiencing severe anxiety. But I'm betting that you have your car within a few days now.. almost home!

 

Here's the last known reported position

 

WOAH! THANK YOU! Where did you get that info? I wa using the www.sailwx.info site.

 

Try marinetraffic.com.

I tried inputting Centaurus Leader a little while ago and couldn't get anything. And I zoomed in to Port Hueneme and all I got was the Luke which is always there. Now the Amtern is showing up, don't know why Centaurus Leader doesn't show. Unless it has already unloaded and moved out of the area.

Clint

 

yep, marinetraffic.com go to vessel and select all for it to show up

 

Woo-Hoo! It picked it up yesterday night and drove it back to Vegas. I registered it this morning.

I have to say the Sales Staff at Mini of Monrovia is AMAZING. Those guys were helpful at every step and they went out of thier way to make sure things were just right. The financing process was simple and FAST. Special thank yous to Mike Sawtelle (Sales Manager) and Leon Levy (Sales Rep).

I love the car it's fantastic. The pic is of me and my GF. Leon had my Mini put into the showroom after it's detailing because it looked so good. Guess it's time to change my sig...

 

Congrats...looking good

 

Thank you. I'll be getting some good pics this weekend and I will post them up.

First autocross for the Mini will be on Jan 17th...

Sig Fixed!

 

Redbeard you look so happy! Congrats! Hope you enjoy it and have fun autox'ing! Post more pics!

 

Awesome car, congrats! It's basically the polar opposite of mine in color scheme

If this is your first manual MINI, how do you find the tranny?

 

It's not my first manual. I've never owned a MINI before. My Dad has a 2008 Cooper S but and Auto. My verdict on the manual is a bit up in the air. The gearbox is wonderful. The clutch still feels a bit nebulous getting into 1st.

I'm used to my Mustang that had about 2/3 the pedal travel and 4x the pedal firmness (I have a very beefy left leg lol) along with a VERY linear clutch engagement (i.e. at 1/4 of the pedal travel is 1/4 of the clutch engagement)

The MINI seems to engage a bit at the bottom of the travel and then there is a big amout of grab at the top of the pedal travel. It will take a bit more time to get used to it.