Probably not for long!

Funny how we get to "know" our cars! The next part is getting the dealerships to "listen" to us when we tell them that something isn't right. They treat us like we're over-reactive parents! I wonder what's causing your stuttering? I wonder if they'll try to blame it on bad fuel? Have you checked in the forums for anyone else having the same issues? Happy Birthday Viola!

Did I ever tell you guys that I didn't know how to drive a stick when I got my car? Funny story...... I was SO focused on shifting that I thought I had stalled but I actually ran out of gas! Some poor guy in a suit and shiny dress shoes pushed my car about 6 feet to get out of the corner of the intersection!

I wanted the automatic but I got talked out of it. I had tested the auto "coupe" with the CVT and HATED it. Especially after I got used to driving a stick... I would request a manual for a loaner and then I'd always get the CVT. Holy crap! I felt like an old lady that couldn't get out of her own way!

Speaking of exhaust notes... other than my burbl-y MINI... my second favorite was my Infiniti G35. That was a pretty sound.

 

Hi all, I'm back again, dropped our friends from Scotland off at the airport last evening, lot's of tears and hugs and when we returned home, my pup ran past ME looking for our friends...
we had a great time, and it is nice to see Pennsylvania in the eyes of visitors. they had a great time. We will probably be visiting them in about a year as their son wedding. the big surprise is I know and helped with the sneaky transport of the engagement ring in our firends luggage because their son ordered the ring here in hte states and had it shipped to us and then I took the ring and sew it into a ball cap and gave it to parents to give to the son... ha ha, his parents are going to kill me when they find out they were carring a ring in the luggage! but all went fine! Next is the big question!!!!

anyway, from the quick catching up i did, Ola selling her car??
Cab still has headaches ( yes stop drinking pop, but don't go cold turkey from it or that would bring on more headaches) hope you feel better soon. Are you doing the british car show? we are! hope to see you there.
RG and X you both are cracking me up....
some new faces i see....

 

Gem? When is this June rally thingy??? I guess I will check the website tomorrow also.... and I don't drink caffeinated drinks so I think cold turkey is the way to go?

Ola?
======== nuff said!!

And I love love love diet coke,, diet, caffeine free coke,,,,, lots of it,,, multiple cans in a day plus huge fountain cokes when on the road..... ahhhhhhhh,,,, oh my, this will be difficult...

 

I'd love to see them TRY to pull that bad gas routine on me. If it happens, I'll see if I can't put it up on youtube.

The one that would really kill me, would be if they ever accused me of using cheap gas. I've heard that rumor, and Viola is only fed V-Power.

I had hubby drive around with me tonight in the MINI because I had been noticing this issue more and more and it worried me and he actually laughed at me. He said, "Your problem sweetheart, is that you've never driven a manual before and you've never driven a real car before. The car's downshifting into first." and me, not being a gearhead at all, sat in the driver's seat for a second and said, "No no, I know what that feels like and it's not the same as what I'm describing." So when we got back onto the road home and there were no other cars around, I took my foot off the gas and demonstrated my issue. The car downshifts into first, and then there are two more little stutters afterwards. Hubby explained in more detail that it was, in fact, the car downshifting into first. He said the MINI does not want to coast and I drove bigger, heavier cars before that I coasted a lot. So the car is downshifting into first when I take my foot off the gas, and then, when I don't immediately put on the brake, but instead let the car roll... it wants to shift again.

He said that the same thing happened in our corolla. I just never noticed it before because there was almost no pedal feel in the corolla. With the MINI, there's feedback for more of what the car is actually doing in the pedal and in the steering wheel... and while I knew that, it never occurred to me that it was just feedback through the pedal until I paid attention to it. To me, it felt like the whole car was stuttering and it really threw me.

Lesson learned. I am wiser now, and I really was being an over-reactive parent.

I feel sorry for the man in the suit Ola, but I am glad that he was kind enough to stop and help you. We need more people like that in this world. That's a great story.

I also find it funny that you didn't know how to drive a stick, and then bought one... but I heard that the dealership will often teach you to drive a stick right there on the spot. Did they do that for you?

 

hey Cab, the June 6 thingy is not a rally but a British car show, and MINI was invited, we are going. I am entered to show Nugget... her first official showing.... never did this before but then again never had a MINI before so this is a first for me, but hubby is very excited about seeing all the great classics of the British line as he had owned a few in the day! I would love to see you and hubby again if you can make it!

I feel so lost by not catching up with the reading can anyone give me cliff notes on what i missed?

OH and today is my birthday!!! YEAH I LOVE BIRTHDAYS!!! i'm such a kid!!! going out for dinner tonight with my family!

 

NUTS, you beat me to it Gem!!! Happy birthday to GEM AND SKILLET!!!



Umm...sweetie...didja ever think that Viola DOESN'T LIKE going THAT slow????

Oh, and Gem - you should know better than to ask for cliff notes by NOW!

 

X- thanks much for the Birthday smilies!!! AND A BIG HAPPY BIRHTDAY TO SKILLET TOO, i forgot we share the day!!!!

as for cliff notes you are correct - i should just jump back in with both feet!! I was afraid i would miss something!

 

Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday to you! Dahlin' you look mahvahluss! We want Bday pix- LOTS of bday pix!

Have a super happy wonderful bday

 

OMG... Big happy Birthdays to Skillet too!

(I need to figure out these smiley things... can't seem to get them to work unless they're in the NAM smiley collection... pooh)

EAT LOTSA CAKE!

 

Gem, Skillet: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! (belated).

X: I know!!! I was sure that was it for the longest time, but you know I still get that goofy grin that I had on my face the day I bought the car. I love Viola and she has seriously given me a new lease on life. I don't know what I'd do without her. So... I tend to worry wart over silly things a bit.

 

Apologies for double posting.. but I had to share the misery with everyone.

X honey... I am so, so sorry.

http://www.dailytech.com/US+Army+Say...ticle15217.htm

 

RG- I have the same issues... in that Mocha makes me feel 20 years younger (yet, with the wisdom of my current age!), and I worry about her too- my husband says I'm a hypocardriac...

it gets really bad when I take pictures of little things with my phone and show them to my wonderful (in that he hasn't committed me yet) SA...

ho hum

 

Thanks RG and TN, I did have cake but sorry no pictures today!! Forgot the camera!
Great day and weather was perfect also!

 

yeah- double apologies for double posting... twice! (isn't that repetatively redundant?)

As for your link... OMG! I'm so sorry X...

<grumble, grumble, mutter about some totally wrong thing that could get me barred from NAM>

 

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY GEM & SKILLET!!! By the time I get caught up on all the posts, everyone else has signed off.

I don't want to save this until Monday 'cause I don't know when I'll be logged on I'll say it now...

To UhOh and all of Our other Armed Forces Personell where ever they may be...THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS!! (I always do this...*tearing up*) We live in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave because those who have gone before us have sacrificed their lives for Our Freedoms and for that I am Truly Greatful!!

Please leave your Memorial Day Message below...Thank You!!

(((Hugs to All My FREEBIES!!)))

 

RG - if you ONLY knew the technical challenges we have everyday with the myriad of systems, this notice is just a drop in the proverbial bucket.

Thanks, RJ. Your appreciation and support of military members really IS appreciated, even if it sounds a little pithy. I'll try and upload some historic military family pics for general viewing pleasure later.

 

120% AGREE AND COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER RJK.

THANKS X AND TO ALL OUR OTHER MILITARY WHO HAS SERVED FOR OUR FREEDOM!

 

Thanks Gem...it was heartfelt. I'm such a SOFTY!!! OR maybe I should say "I'm such a GIRL!! "

 

 

SKILLET- Is this your car?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1981-...1%7C240%3A1318

I don't know about anyone else... but everytime I see a car like this I am always suspicious. I still think Apple had a car... she was probably truthful about some factual info about the car... I just don't think she ever had any intention of giving it away for free.

I have asked a couple of questions about it... I'll let you know what I find out.

 

Hey RG- from what I've read, it looks like talk about "bad fuel" is regarding fuel with ethanol. Something about blends with 10-15% ethanol. It's very hard to find stations that do NOT have some blend of ethanol. Some people think the whole thing is crap... I don't know.

Anyway... funny that you were able to figure out what your car is doing. Is yours automatic? I'm confused as to how it shifts into 1st without being manually shifted. I know when I am in 2nd, there's a point where it's just too slow for 2nd and I really need to be in 1st... but I can tell that it will stall if I don't put it into 1st (or push the clutch in). Fortunately I rarely ever go that slow!

So, learning how to drive a stick. I kind of learned when I was 17. I had a friend that I worked with and she let me learn on her little Toyota... but that had been like 15 or so years before. I guess I tried driving a stick again when I was in my 20's too (when the husband ended up wearing his Big Gulp between his legs! ). When we got the '05 MINI, I had never tested out a MINI stick and had never tested the Cabrio because there weren't any around. I was too scared to try and drive a manual around in a big city so I never did. The MINI dealership did NOT teach me how to drive stick.

When the car arrived at the dealership, the husband and I rented a car and drove to Jacksonville to get it (4 hours). It was Superbowl Weekend there and it was so COLD! It was getting pretty late when we left (sometime after 8pm) and the husband drove home. I was going to have to practice driving after we got the car home. We thought we would be warm enough with all the outerwear but it we were frozen on the highway. People looked at us like we were weird... but it was her maiden voyage... had to be done.

After about 2 hours of driving, we stopped at a convenience store and I was going to try driving from there. Traffic was pretty light so I wasn't too concerned. I was worried about merging onto the highway though and that I may end up shifting into the wrong gear or stalling or something. So when I started going I STOMPED on it! I don't know how fast I was going but I felt like I was driving a race car. Focused on my shifting I am flying on the highway... the husband says "You've gotta slow down!" and of course my reply was "I'm trying not to stall!". I don't know how fast I was going but as I was getting ready to merge, I look to the left and there's a COP right there! I looked at him and he looked over at me and I thought... OMG he can see my gigantic speedo!!! Nothing happened though... other than my mini heart attack.

On a side note... when we stopped at that convenience store the husband had a mini freak out about our little bit of road trip wrappers and such. So he gets all crazy and starts grabbing at everything and throws the stuff away into the nasty trash can (all while I'm in the bathroom). So I come out and it's my turn to drive. Ummm... need the keys. Where are the KEYS?? We end up tearing up the car trying to figure out where he put them. No luck... can't find them. He says, "What did you do with them?!?!?". Finally, we realize that he THREW THE KEYS AWAY!!! Yep, in that NASTY trash can! And all that drama over a few pieces of plastic/paper and a couple of empty cups. So guess who had to go digging in the can for the keys... ... NOT ME!!! Oh yeah... and since the keys were heavier than most of the trash... they SUNK to the bottom! And what's funny is that he's sitting right beside me (using the other laptop) and he has NO idea that I'm ratting him out!




bunnylove

 

Yes, RJ- that was very sweet.

UHOH- we love you and thank you! (Troll babies also sending a smooch your way!)

 

I've been watching that one also. It's so tempting to go see it; it's about a 2.5 hour drive from me. I only wish it had the 1275cc engine. It would be the beginnings of a good race car.

 

From a friend who's been eyeing classics!:

Two distinctive and car show ready Minis for sale. Both are in excellent shape and bring the most smiles while driving or while at a car show or car cruise.

link to first one:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.com...t/5292/cat/500
link to second one:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.com...ate/1220992311

 

'Ola, you are a trip and a half.