Would it be possible to contact any of you by phone: Paul65K, Merlinsoars, or AndroMs. I feel that i would be more at ease if i spoke to someone about their experience.

Thanks all,

da mini

ANDROMCS
Your back, how was the trip??? I expect we ought to swap travel stories
PM if'n you want

Merlin


Sorry to take a bit of time to respond...just checking Mini2 after a couple of long days!

Yes we're back! 3900 miles from Mentor, OH to New Orleans and westward to Ojai. Lots of highway miles, not many twisties. Thus, the true first really curvy test of our MCS was right here in Ojai going up and down the Dennison grade. A great experience and lots of fun. And I didn't even push it much. I am still just scratching the surface of what this car can do.

The trip was a lot of fun and our MCS performed just about flawlessly. I do have an intermittent crackling from in front of me...either the windshield or maybe the headliner, but I am not too worried about it. Got a couple of chips on the front and a little chip out of our windshield...but I consider these normal road-tripping scars. Love the traction on acceleration. I have had two GTIs in my past and in comparison, our MCS with LSD just digs in and goes...no slippage/spinning in any of my driving as yet. I got to drive in snow...picked it up from Classic Mini in flurries with a few inches on the ground! Lots of rain experienced while cruising at 75 to 90 mph...all the while feeling very stabile and secure. Interesting little wind noise when the wipers are working while driving at speed. I think we all know this one. Got lots of smiles and inquiries from other drivers and people on the street...I think especially since our MCS is CR/CR with the shiny Bullets! This is a car that is comfortable for many miles. The seats are fantastic! And the seat warmers definitely came in handy on the cold mornings. Had brought along an XM radio and plugged it into our Audio Input for fantastic reception and great sounds from the HK. I love this stereo...I am an active musician with a discerning ear and I think the HK is one of the best car stereos I have ever heard.

As far as the places we visited....Mentor, Ohio where Classic is, is a very friendly town and a good place to visit and buy a Mini! The sushi at Shoguns in Louisville, KY is very good and a recommended stop. After Louisville, I did a 700 mile day and arrived in New Orleans. A terrible place for roads! New Orleans is in such disrepair...the streets are terrible, the sidewalks are terrible....a city that just isn't kept-up. It's actually a bit sad as there is such an abundance of beautiful architecture, history and wonderful food to eat. And eat we did! I gained 5 lbs. in just a week. If you visit New Orleans, have dinner at Lilettes. It's in the uptown area...the Hanger Steak is fantastic! From there we headed west and our Mini had it's first oil change at Momentum Mini in Houston. They were great and we were in and out in 1/2 an hour! Then on to a couple of days in San Antonio for family visiting, food and looking at possible real estate investments. Rents are high there so it's a good area for purchasing rentals with only 20% down. Then we went to El Paso and had great fun with friends and family and indulged in more great food and expensive wines. I even had a garage to keep the MCS inside! All that saw it fell in love. We then drove north through NM to the Four Corners area and drove through Navajo Nation, Monument Valley and spent some time at the Grand Canyon. Then....a couple of nights in Flagstaff enjoying the Monte Vista Hotel and great coffee at Macy's. Finally, one last day of driving back to Ojai. Of course I had to stop just before we got to the home town to do a good washing and vacuuming for our MCS's presentation to friends and family.

So far there is no doubt about my love of supercharger whine during acceleration....I don't think I'll ever tire of the fun of putting the pedal down in our MCS. I am continuing to be impressed by the design and tightness of this car. I am also happy to not be experiencing any of the common problems I read about here at Mini2, at NAM and Motoringfile (well, except for the intermittent crackling). I am hoping I never do experience any of them! The MCS is an infectious toy that is practical and enlivening. I tell everyone that asks me about the Mini that they should buy one for themselves.

A little story for you....

While I was in Louisville, KY, I worked-out at the Louisville Athletic Club. It is a testosterone filled place that is a great place to work-out. They even have a Cardio Theater with many cardio machines in a darkened room with a movie theater screen with movies playing all the time! Well, when I was leaving and just unlocking and getting into our MCS, a woman with her young son...about 3 years old...were walking by. She looked down at her son and said, "Oh look at that cute little red car son, you have one just like it!"

Andro, great write up! Thanks for sharing with us.

Wasnt sure where to post this so here it is

Tom & Keith's Excellent Adventure
2005 Road Trip

Keith's (merlin) ordered a 2005 Mini Cooper S from the Roadshow Mini dealer in Memphis, TN. Keith's primary colors for consulting business are yellow and black. To keep that theme, his car is yellow with a black top. It looks like a Bubble Bee; thus Buzzz has become the name of his car.

Buzzz arrived at the Roadshow Feb. 10. Keith has been so wound up over his new car he was determined to pick it up ASAP. Keith & I were on the plane to Memphis Feb. 13. We had to go to Atlanta first, no direct to Memphis, and it was the cheapest route. We spent the night there, and off to Memphis early Monday morning. We arrived at the dealership about 10:00 AM and Buzzz was in the showroom ready to go. We were introduced to Buzzz; boy he was so proud to show his best for his new owner. It took a couple of hours to shoot the bull with Keith's substitute salesman, Mo, the gal he has been corresponding with Keith over the last two months was out of town, take care of the paper work and go over on the features of Buzzz. During the course of our briefing we got to watch a “hillbilly’s” test-drive . Now keep in mind MINI marketing has touched many diverse cultures but bib overalls and no teeth?? Anyway by 1:00 PM we were out of dealership and off to downtown Memphis for some sight seeing.

First things first, we were hungry, so it was Southern Fried Chicken at Gus's. Gus's chicken is reputed to be the best in Memphis. Keith & I will attest that it absolutely delicious. The décor is hole-in-the-wall style. I think the last time the inside was painted was about 1950. We highly recommend it and everyone in town can give you directions. Then it was off the Mississippi River to stick our big toes in the river. Since it was winter, nothing was open for tourists. It was an absolutely beautiful day, California sunshine and all, we walked along the river and then on into the old part of town to see the sites and look for place to stay. We met a nice black gentleman well dressed and homeless, He gave us the “Scoop” on the local happenings in addition to a monolog of Martin Luther Kings speech, and it was very well done. The recommended Rendevous BBQ house was closed (Sunday and Monday), but our new friend recommended Blues City Café for dinner, and the Rum Boogie on Beale St. for later entertainment. The Best Western selected was right downtown on Union St. and very convenient for our night activities, so we checked in before it got too late and got Buzzzz secure for the night in a special place the Hotel gave us.

At 4:30 we walked across the street to the Peabody Hotel to watch the ducks leave the main floor fountain for the elevator and their trip to the penthouse. Every morning at 11:00 AM they leave their digs on the penthouse floor, take the elevator to main floor and spend the rest of the day in the fountain. This is a main attraction in Memphis and was funny to watch along with many other tourists. Because of our late arrival, our view was limited, but we got a glimpse. The ducks were walking in single file on the red carpet to the elevator and the ride to the top floor.

Our next task was to check out Beale Street, and the Blues joints, and restaurants specializing in Memphis BBQ. We settled on the Blue City Café for wet rubbed BBQ'd spare ribs that were very tender, good choice. It was then off to the Rum Boogie Café for about two hours of Blues. About 9:30 PM we went to the Flying Saucer (300+ types of beer) to meet Mo who just flew in from Ohio. She had told Keith that there was no way we were going to leave Memphis without seeing her. She was very delightful and a pleasure to meet.

Tuesday morning, it was westward oh and a travel day. Buzzz headed west on I-40. We passed through Little Rock and Oklahoma City. After 540 miles we were in Weatherford, OK. We had a great dinner at the T-Bone Steakhouse. Arkansas was pretty swampy near the river, then turned into low hills. Once we got to Oklahoma it was flat, flat, flat.

Wednesday was Route 66 (I-40) day. We had a Route 66 map showing the sites to see along the way. We got an early start and hit the first stop about 7:30 in Elk City, OK for the Route 66 Museum. It was closed, but Buzz had his photo taken in front of the sign. Next was the U-Drop Café in Shamrock, TX, a very good restoration that is now used for the City Chamber of Commerce. Another photo shoot. We met a lovely lady who had lived her whole life in Shamrock. Next it was Groom, TX for the leaning water tower. It is right next to the freeway. Another Buzz photo-op. Our last Route 66 stop was outside Amarillo, TX for Cadillac Ranch, six vintage Cadillacs buried nose first in the ground. They are supposed to be painted with graffiti, but I guess Mr. Rancher decided they needed painting. The cars were painted school bus yellow, kind of dull. Also they were about 150 yards off the road, out in the field.

It was time to bail off I-40 and head south. We wanted to take the southern route to miss potential snow and see a couple of attractions in this direction. We blasted down a county road heading for State Hwy 60 and Clovis NM. Cannon AFB is adjacent to Clovis, and Keith spent part of his military career there. He spent many a nights with other hotrodders on the streets of Clovis. We checked out his main haunt, which used to be called Duffy's camera shop, and he was blown away by the fact it was still there. Then it was down State Hwy 70 to Portales and lunch at the Sonic Burger drive-in, another of Keith's haunts in 1967. Continuing down 70, Roswell, NM was our next stopped and the UFO Museum. Good thing it was free, because we were not overly impressed. I guess we are not into the UFO thing. It was mid-afternoon by this time and we had a decision to make. We really wanted to see Carlsbad Caverns, so we put down the hammer for a blast to the caves. We got there just before 5:00 PM and got the low-down on the operating hours and amount of time for a tour. The cavern entrance is about 20 miles south of Carlsbad, so to save time we spent the night in Best Western in Whites City at the entrance to the Monument. We put another 540 miles on the odometer.

Note: Today was a change day for Buzzz. Up to this point we were breaking in the engine and minding our P's & Q's on the Interstate. It was time to see what Buzzz had in her. Tom was the first to push Buzzz to really hard, and the first scrub in the tires heading up the switchback road to the Carlsbad Cavern Tourist Center. Tom was a little aggressive and aired-out Buzzz. Buzzz has great handling and a lot of available power under the hood. There is a lot more power available above the 4500 RPM mark.

Thursday morning Keith was the designated driver up the hill to the Tourist Center. He did his run with vigor and panache, slowing down at the top. Unfortunately, it was not slow enough and Officer Bill pulled us over for going over the 20-mph speed limit. Luckily, he only got a warning. After that little exercise we were ready to enjoy the cavern. We took the self-guided tour of the main chamber - what an awesome natural wonder. We had a great time down there.

Now it is time to head home. We are in southeast New Mexico and two days to get home. We headed back up State Hwy 285 to Artesia and then west on State Hwy 82 towards Alamogordo. We stopped for lunch in the ski area of Cloudcroft at Big Daddy's. Again, another hot spot café with wonderful people to talk to. After Alamogrodo it was onto Las Cruces, then west on I-10 to Deming and Lordsberg in New Mexico. Lordsburg was a fuel stop, then we headed northwest towards Morinci, AZ. I wanted to stop there because my Dad was born there in 1918. My Dad's side of the family was employed at the copper mine at the time. It is still very active and has the distinction of being the second largest open-pit mine in the world. It was getting late in the afternoon and we wanted to get to Morinci before it got too dark. Wel, we got about 30 miles down the road (within 2 miles of the AZ border) and Keith realized he did not have his credit card. It was an immediate U-turn and back to Lordsburg. I was airing out Buzz again (averaging about 95mph) to minimize out lost time. Approaching the city limits I gradually started to slow down, but alas, I missed the first speed limit sign. I was nailed dead to right. I immediately stopped and took my punishment (31mph over the posted limit and $200 fine). Congratulation to Buzzz, he got pulled over twice in one day.

Well, we finally arrived in Clinton, AZ, next to Morinci, hungry and looking for a place to stay. Clinton is well off the normal travel path. Accommodations looked slim. Clinton is a 150-year-old mining town. Cruising down Main Street we decided to stop for pizza at Marla's Pizzaria. We walk in and we were informed they had just closed. Marla was behind the counter and I told her we were in town because my Dad was born in Morinci and we wanted to check out the area. Well, you would think we were long lost relatives. She served us a wonderful pizza and we had a great time talking to her and her staff about the local features. She even called the Rode Inn Motel for us. Today's travels amounted to about 500 miles.

At daylight Friday we were checking out the mining operation. We drove to an overlook for one of the pits (apparently there five pits) to watch the ant farm in motion. The mine is in operation 24/7, it never stops. Keith and I would have liked to spend more time in the area. The area terrain, geology and history are totally fascinating.

After an hour we are on our way out of town. We checked out the old railroad station, circa 1915. The Chamber of Commerce now occupies it. We headed west on State Hwy 70, stopping in Safford for some breakfast at Jerry's. Safford is in the Gila Valley, which is a significant agriculture area. Continuing west we passed through Globe, Claypool and Miami, another open pit mining district. Now we are on State Hwy 60 heading into the Phoenix. Our next stop was in Mesa, AZ to my Aunt Marilyn, my Mother's middle sister. I had not seen her for at least twenty years. I was great to see her and catch up on family happenings. We had to hit the road, making the visit too short.

The rest of the trip was a bonsai run home on I-10. Just outside Phoenix we hit heavy rain. Apparently the desert west of Phoenix has experienced considerable rain this winter. The valley floor was a carpet of heavy green foliage. The desert should be spectacular site this spring.

Rolling into Keith's driveway we had traveled 2,140 miles since leaving the dealership. Buzzz was well behaved, not one problem. Buzzz averaged over 28mpg for the trip. Keep in mind his engine is brand new and still tight. As his engine breaks in his mileage should improve.

We had a blast. The trip was too short. Both of use would do it again in a heartbeat. Keith will post some pictures on the web shortly and we’ll get the address out for all to see.
Pictures are at the link below
http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=16366&password=

Merlin

Another great write up! Sounds like a terrific MIINI-adventure.

I called the southern California smog cert. office and they we're saying that the car has to have a specific California emissions sticker. Do all your cars you bought out of state have this sticker?

I called the southern California smog cert. office and they we're saying that the car has to have a specific California emissions sticker. Do all your cars you bought out of state have this sticker?

Yes! It's raining a bit now, but tomorrow I'll take a pic of it and post it for you. It is located on the US driver's side under the bonnet. All Minis imported are good for all 50 states.

Merlinsoars!

Looks like we both had great trips. Isn't this country great! So many wonderful spots to see and experience. I haven't yet tired of road tripping and hope I never will. Although I do find that I am directing myself to nicer digs as I travel instead of just doing Motel 6s and Super 8s or the wonderful tent in a campground!

Best,

Andro