ASKMINI and OL are currently down. I'm dying here =[

 

Sounds like perfect timing to me. When you return, your MINI should be ready, or close to it. So should mine.

 

Hey Jimmy..... Sounds like your Baby is close Im hopping the train Wednesday night for Minneapolis. Pick up the Coupe Thursday morning My MA finally sent me a few pictures of her the other day. Unfortunately he used his cell phone so I don't wanna post those on the forum. At least they had her cleaned up. They are currently installing the clear protector on the front and the rear bumper protector and she should be ready to go
So do you know when yours will arrive at Motorwerks?

 

Is it a bad sign that my MINI has been in Baltimore VDC for 5 days? There was a storm through here so I'm hoping that's the cause and not that my green machine got smashed up on the boat....

 

Hey there, we're almost neighbors. We're also about two weeks difference in our dates. I'm at the port waiting for the Tirranna to arrive on Monday. Raggi will arrive at Baltimore POA, then to VDC for a day or two. I'm not having anything installed there, so so time is minimal. usually that's two days from arrival. Then one day to Chicago, about the same for you too. I am having stripes added at the dealer, but I've pretty much established a delivery date of March 30th, my Easter Present to my self, oh yes, my wife too. Lots of Easter presents for Raggi when we get home. First being getting rid of those noisy, rough riding, heavy tires and wheels. Yes, Challenge wheels are heavy, look nice but still 24 lbs each. My Motegi's are 16 lbs. Going to a larger size tire, as well as non runflat. Good luck to you, maybe we can hook up on a Mini outing close.

Bill[/QUOTE]

wassup bill, fellow midwesterner

nice, yea the only thing i had added/installed at the VDC is my strut brace since i didn't want the sports supsension but then later tried to get it re-added but was too late so figured the strut brace would be a cheaper alternative. originally i had heard the sports suspension was super stiff but then i realized i already have a car w/sport suspension and am used to it.. hehe..

let me know how your tires run, i've heard the runflats make it a bit rougher/louder. i really hope there's a mini meet up somewhere in the area, if so i'll prob try to be there.

sounds like you have a great easter to look forward too!! seems like the last few weeks are the longest wait too!! i've been buying way too many accessories for a car i have yet to receive, hehe..

 

i'm thinking its more related to the amount of snow and it slowing down everything than your baby (i'm an optimist, hehe.) my baby's probably hanging out w/yours; hopefully playing nice.

 

NICE!!!! so excited for you buddy!!! let us know how the clear bumper looks, i got that on mine too. i had the 3M clearshield on my 2006 Civic Si and now 7 years later; the areas it covered still look perfect and the shield is still clear and unnoticeable so imagine the tech just got better too.

my MA, gretchen, said i should expect her to be in and ready by around the 17th or so. can't wait to see pics of your baby. prob the only person in ND to have a Coupe i bet too!!

 

As far as I know mine is still there as well. Seems a bit odd cause the weather at the end of the week wasn't bad. Crazy that they can't seem to give us an updated estimated delivery date. Hopefully neither of our cars got banged up.

 

OK, at long last, here's a shot of my new baby:


So, I didn't post anything Thursday night or Friday after picking up my MINI, because I was so frustrated and angry with myself for letting the MINI financial guy sell me an extended maintenance plan. It's not that the maintenance plan is such a terrible deal, but just that I didn't want it and yet somehow ended up agreeing to it. I felt like a sucker.

But yesterday, I finally got out of my funk thanks to two things: (1) I discovered that California law lets you cancel new car service contracts within 60 days, and (2) I got to hit the twisty backroads with my MINI for some fun driving.

So, some comments about the experience in no particular order:

• Think twice about picking up a new car at night when you're tired and your wife just wants you to hurry up and let her get home.
• Never thought I'd say this, but "thank you, California lawmakers"
• The MINI Cooper S engine sound is wonderful.
• The sport suspension is FIRM. I may be switching from runflats to regular tires sooner than anticipated to get some cushioning. My youngest son loves the "bumpy ride", but my wife isn't thrilled. I love it on the twisties, but it can be pretty harsh on less-than-perfect roads.
• Hurray for navigation systems that can be operated while the vehicle is moving!
• Bluetooth can be frustrating. My Droid RAZR M sometimes works as a phone, sometimes doesn't, and so far has never worked for music playback.

And finally, a couple more pictures:

 

Congrats!! she looks very nice, the more i see that color the more i love it. always appreciate the initial responses/first thoughts on them as i'm a soon to be new mini owner

 

Very nice, I think that I like the Spicy Orange better on the hatch than any of the other body styles. Looks great.

As for tires, when I got my hatch three years ago, the first thing that I did was trade out the runflats. Never had any problems with the, as you still have the tire sensors. Also, I went one size larger, up to 215 x 45 x 17. This gives you more side wall for ride, without sacrificing performance, and also corrects the 7 mph speedometer error, which they ALL have. On my Raggi, r59 I'm even going a bit taller yet. I love performance and handling, but my but says that it likes a little smoothness too. Have fun, these guys are that.

 

Thanks! I particularly like the way the Spice Orange looks in evening light. That's why I waited until shortly before sunset to take the last two pictures I posted.

 

Sounds great.... I hope they have it ready for you on time. Motorwerks had a great presentation when I bought my 2010 and I hope they do the same this time as well. It was on the 2nd floor in its own little glass cubicle with a sign welcoming me. Pretty cool.

As far as the clear shield goes, I had it on my 2010 and that's the reason I'm going with it again, no complaints.

And having the only Coupe in ND? Well I haven't seen one yet at least. When I had my 2003 there were maybe 3 Coopers in this whole town and I really enjoyed the attention that it got. Hoping the Coupe brings as much attention but in the end this is my 4th Mini and I absolutely love the brand. There really is nothing else like Mini Cooper out there. Thursday can't come soon enough

 

Picked up yesterday, awesome so far!!!

 

More pics!

 

Very nice! My SO R59 will be here soon! The SO is beautiful and I can't wait!!!!!!

 

Love it! I have the same thing on the way with white roof. Give us a little review. PLEASE!!!

 

nice, yea the only thing i had added/installed at the VDC is my strut brace since i didn't want the sports supsension but then later tried to get it re-added but was too late so figured the strut brace would be a cheaper alternative. originally i had heard the sports suspension was super stiff but then i realized i already have a car w/sport suspension and am used to it.. hehe..

(Try putting the NM or others, 19 rear sway bar. It's adjustable and really works wonders on the way our cars handle. By the way, the coupe/roadster standard suspensions are suppose to be about the same as the Sport Suspension. At least that's what I heard a while back in one of the reports.)

let me know how your tires run, i've heard the runflats make it a bit rougher/louder. i really hope there's a mini meet up somewhere in the area, if so i'll prob try to be there.

(I've already planned on getting rid of the stock wheels and tires. I have a set of Motegi Racing Sports that are 16 lbs that I had on the Hatch that worked nicely. However I will be going up in tire size. I did this on the Hatch and it just about fixed the speedometer error that BMW/Mini puts into it. I used 215 x 45 x 17 on it, I may use a slightly taller tire yet. Gives you a better ride along without hurting road holding handling. Also fills up the wheel well better. I'll see how thy work.)

Yes, Easter should be nice this year. Lil Raggi has lots of Easter and Birth presents to use. Once you start doing mods that you wanted to do on the last car but didn't, well you know how that goes.

Bill

 

This JCW CM is awesome, im completely satisfied with the performance and looks so far. it's exactly what a wanted. it looks much better in person than pictures, trust me! you have a good car on the way!

 

I specifically stuck with the 16" wheels to try to help offset the stiffness of the sport suspension, and because I figured I could always buy my own aftermarket 17" wheels for less than MINI wants if I eventually want to go that route. For my next tires, I may try upsized 16", since I think there are some 205s that will fit. But for now the stock runflats seem grippy enough and cabin noise isn't a problem.

The good news is that I reduced the pressure in all of my tires to 34 lbs (the dealer had set them close to 38), and the ride is noticeably improved. Still quite firm, of course, but less harsh on cracks, seams, and other "sharp" road imperfections. So I'm happy.

-Seabeast

 

Congrats Seabeast! She's beautiful!!! Thanks for the tips, too! Hope all works out for you.

 

Very nice! Love the color.

I picked up mine at Steven's Creek MINI also.

 

Hey all, I finally found that site that I've been looking for that shows where all ships are NOW, off the SAT. The site for getting this is this: www.marinetraffic.com

It shows current conditions, or where the ships are. It is WorldWide, so you have to move the position around. But don't think that you can follow your ship all the way, as there are dead spots, like the Atlantic Ocean. But my Raggi's ship is coming up on Southampton as we speak. Now it's getting fun.

 

 

Very nice that color is growing on me Personally the sports suspension is not that bad, I even have 17's. Believe me I can feel it when I hit a bump, but comapared to my wrangler with 4" lift and 33's this ride is smoooth . No problems with my Iphone 4s, yet


Enjoy, it is so much fun to drive!!!