Yeah..I hear that it's pretty easy to see the speed on the tachometer's readout..not sure why having the speedo in the middle is a hassle for folks.

Ken for us folks on the other side of the southern pond its a big hassle as the speedo and tacho are swapped around from what the american cars have. We have the tacho in the middle of the dash and the speedo mounted on the steering column...if your intending on a bit of track work which I am, it's kinda difficult to keep tabs on revs when you have to take your eyes off the road and check just above the radio for optimal shifting.

Ken for us folks on the other side of the southern pond its a big hassle as the speedo and tacho are swapped around from what the american cars have. We have the tacho in the middle of the dash and the speedo mounted on the steering column...if your intending on a bit of track work which I am, it's kinda difficult to keep tabs on revs when you have to take your eyes off the road and check just above the radio for optimal shifting.
Ah..hmm....that's quite a trick then.

btdoyle, I was also on the Andes Hwy and my dealer is Bill Jacobs. Where are you picking up yours? My MA wrote me that it will take 7-10 days from the port to the dealer. I hope she's just being cautious, as I read somewhere that it will take 24-72 hrs to get through customs and isn't it about a 2 days drive to Chicago area?
The OL has now an estimated del. time of 18/4 which is Monday!! I suppose it will arrive at the dealer instead of me picking up. Once it is at the dealer they have to install the armrest, which I really hope is in stock by now. I reminded them twice about it, but got no confirmation that it is there. Let's stay positive, and hope for a delivery in a few days!

Claudia, I was on the slow boat too, and am delivering through Partick in Schaumburg. I talked to my MA today (Saturday). He said all of the cars were released to the trucking co. (BMW) today, but he didn't think they'd hit the road till Monday. They will drive through a Sunday, but apparently the won't start a trip on Sunday. That means a Wed delivery vs Mon. :(

More time to clean the garage, buy care care products, and search for more Mini Accessories (should I get the British Racing Green Fuzzy Dice or stick with Black:rolleyes:?) :rolleyes: ...

Rep point for Claudia for being a Chicagoan!! Go Cubbies! :p

Yeah..I hear that it's pretty easy to see the speed on the tachometer's readout..not sure why having the speedo in the middle is a hassle for folks.

Hey Ken, the one big reason I chose to move the speedo from the center is because some of my potential passengers may have the tendency to maintain a watch on it and report whenever I might inadvertently exceed either posted limits, or internally-determined (read:"arbitrary") limits. Plus, I prefer the dual pods for tach and speedo for purely aesthetic reasons.

_Dave_

Hey Ken, the one big reason I chose to move the speedo from the center is because some of my potential passengers may have the tendency to maintain a watch on it and report whenever I might inadvertently exceed either posted limits, or internally-determined (read:"arbitrary") limits. Plus, I prefer the dual pods for tach and speedo for purely aesthetic reasons.

_Dave_

I too, ordered the Chrono pack. It was one of those tough decisions (unlike the LSD), yet I'm still on the fence about it. My primary reason for getting it was the oil pressure/temp. Having done a lot of track time, I've learned that you really only watch two things: the tach, to make sure you don't destroy the motor; and the oil pressure guage, to see how badly you've destroyed the motor when you took your eye off the tach for that split second. Using digital guages for temp, pressures, etc. takes more time than an anolog guage. Digital requires the driver to look and analyze the data. You can see an analog guage in your periferal vision, and don't have to intentionally look at it, thus keeping your eyes on the road (or your IPod display). All that being said, the guage is in the middle of the dash, so my periferal better be pretty wide...

I really like the "classic" speedo in the middle feel, but I went with it nonetheless... I'm sure I'll love the car anyway... :p

OK, IT WAS AN IMPULSE BUY... I CONFESS, I JUST WANTED EVERYTHING I COULD POSSIBLY GET ON THE CAR!!!!

:cool: Can't wait to motor..

Gorgeous car Debbie! Congratulations! You made the right decision on the chrome grill, it definitely goes great with all of the other choices you made. Were you surprised when the car was delivered under a cover in the showroom, or did they do that for your husband's MINI too? I certainly wasn't expecting it when I went in, so I left it out of my delivery report to preserve the surprise for anyone else who didn't know about it :) I'm attaching some pictures of my car under wraps for those who are curious, or if your dealer doesn't use the cover... How many breakin miles left???

And for what it's worth, I've found that I mostly use the digital speed indicator in the middle of the tachometer when I'm driving around, with occasional glances to the center. The tach is required equipment in front of the steering wheel, though - if I bought a MINI ONE in England, upgrading to include a tach would be the very first change I made to the car. I also don't miss the onboard computer, especially since for 05 models you pay them $200 to turn on a setting in the engine control unit's software since all sensors and control buttons are equipped at the factry. I need to find some dealer that will "code" my car to have the new values... anyone know a dealer (or a roving band of MINI mechanics with the appropriate BMW toolkit) who will program the OBC in for me? :D Not to knock the choices those of you who got the chrono pack made, but if you order it because you want a speed indicator in front of you while driving, you actually get a nicer setup for speed indication when you don't order the chrono pack IMHO.

Ben

Oops..I didn't mean to accidentially trash the chrono people...I think it looks cool too..I just didn't understand the technical reasons....now I do

Rep point for Claudia for being a Chicagoan!! Go Cubbies! :p
That last sentence alone is worth rep points hembrey...
GO CUBBIES :D :D

Im from iowa, what do I get for that?

For us it is an up at 6, off by 7, get to Phoenix, Arizona, before 12 kind of trip.



Scott, congratulations, if I wasn't tied up tomorrow I'd drive up to North Scottsdale and heckle you while you take delivery! :D The dealership is pretty impressive, probably the nicest I've ever seen. If you should ever have time to kill there, there's a Nascar museum in a different part of the dealership complex that's supposed to be pretty interesting. I figure I'll visit it when I go in for service.

Let me know how it goes, any surprises I should watch for when I pickup my MCC, etc. I think they quoted me $385 doc fee-- let me know how much you pay, would you? I'll also be interested to see if Debi throws in floor mats or anything.

BTW, how long did it take between your ship docking and delivery? I'm pretty sure my car is on the ship docking tomorrow, just trying to guesstimate a time frame for delivery...

Denny

oops ken sorry if my response seemed harsh it was not intended that way...the written word often lacks the subtleties of the spoken word.

Thanks so much for the info, Crosebud!! :D
Sometimes feels like there's no one else on the West Coast waiting for these babies!
You East & Central U.S. folks are sooo lucky! You get your Coopers soooo much faster.

Gorgeous pics fellow March motorers!! Lovely, lovely.
Compliments to all. There isn't such a thing as a bad-lookin' Mini!

Wow to the most recent postings...Hyper Blue...Red...
that black one still in the tight spot...sure looked sweet & oh so classy!

Let's see...oh yes, two Yellows! The web wheels are sooo nice & the chrome just looked excellent on all your cars.

Hey...Scott...if you see this. Congrats! Sounds like your HB is almost in your hands!
I bet you're going to love those chrome mirrors, like I mentioned before.
Just goes really, really well w/blue.

Enjoy, everyone!
I can't wait 'til mine is here, but I'm thinking it won't be 'til early May sometime.

So how many of us are still wating on our MINIs to hit land?

My car is 3 days from landing in Sydney. I seem to be the only non U.S. poster but I've probably been waiting longer than most of you I reckon...
:(

At least it's in Oz waters as the ship arrived in Brisbane today... I'm so used to waiting I think I'll just ring the dealer and tell them to hold onto it for another couple of weeks until I get around to picking it up.. :cool:

Congrats Deb, that looks great! I like the chrome grill too. :)

Chrono pack vs speedo: I got the Nav. My MC had the speedo, and the Hubby would frequently comment on my speed: "Did you know you are going 37 in a 35 zone?" :D Now he has a pretty map to watch. ;)

Ride is about the same as my MC. Hard ride on forklift tires, but after a 16 hour day of driving you can still walk. :)

MFSW: I like the older one better. The buttons on the front of the wheel are not as intuitive as the ones on the back. Having both track and volume on a click wheel means sometimes when I'm trying to change the volume it will inadvertently change tracks too. Solution is to use the radio knob to change volume. Reason for the change of buttons is to allow for the paddle shifters.

I had a CVT MC, and now have an auto MCS. The MC seemed to hug the curves a bit better, but overall the MCSa is a much more solid feel driving car.

And here's the latest thread stats:

Who Posted?
Total Posts: 1,454
User Name Posts
Ken30307 135
Tazminia 134
AprilWhine 133
dpacker 102
btdoyle 96
rsinsheimer 92
Tom B 77
Pamlico 75
monkeynet 62
gaminicool 52
bandrews 51
ryanelp80 43
Kellzir 38
Mk2 Colonial Viper 35
hembrey 28
HyperBlueS 26
crosebud 26
erickvonzipper 24
am0eba 21
jeffu 20
Magictux 18
HoustonMini 18
Claudia 17
MiniDaze 13
lkrause 11
Slide-o-rama 11
sbontrager 10
Don Plumley 9
madaboutmax 9
flibmeister 8
searocko 7
headly21 7
metlslug 7
SteveR 6
Johnny L 6
geotrash 5
twouptons 3
FentonMcD 3
Jim Ray 2
mpacker99 2
mrdirosa 2
minimellers 2
DeadCanDanceR 1
ScottyB 1
bradshaws 1
JaysToy 1
villa mini 1
minigolf 1
jennyminisweet 1
Caz 1

oops ken sorry if my response seemed harsh it was not intended that way...the written word often lacks the subtleties of the spoken word.
Actually it wasn't you..I re-read what I wrote and it didn't come out the right way. I just imagined a flood of chrono lovers at my door. I actually considered one too then I thought I would just put a "big gulp" from 7-11 in that huge cup colder to block the speedo so my passengers couldn't see it. ;)

KC

Oh..and by the way...the OL just updated to "delivery on the 18th" but I'm pretty sure that means to the DEALER by the 18th..so I'm thinking Tuesday...but I've cleared some time tomorrow...JUST IN CASE...with out an MA looking out for me..I'll have to call tomorrow.

And here's the latest thread stats:
YEA...I'm number one..I've never won anyting before...I want to thank my MA for going on vacation the week my MINI is being delivered, I also want to thank my students for giving me a cold so I have more time to post, and most of all I want to thank the MB for leaving wihtout my MINI...without these things I wouldn't have posted nearly as much as I did :)

I doubt I'll stay at the top spot for long...but I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

:)

No Ken, the OL delivery is to YOU! My car got to the dealer two days before it was scheduled to be delivered to me. :)

ken I know the feeling about things not coming out right....I re-read my post on the chrono and thought I sounded like I jumped down your throat! That was not my intention.

Magictux - your not the only one form Australia posting here in this thread! :cool:

Magictux - your not the only one form Australia posting here in this thread! :cool:

Mate, I felt a bit outnumbered but this evens it up a bit! ;)

No Ken, the OL delivery is to YOU! My car got to the dealer two days before it was scheduled to be delivered to me. :)
wow..if that's the case..then tomorrow's "the day" that would put me at exactly 40 days wait time...why does it seem soooo much longer?

Mate, I felt a bit outnumbered but this evens it up a bit! ;)

The more international the better where threads are concerned. Glad you're here!

Im from iowa, what do I get for that?

You and I are also the original K-Line Losers!! Rep points for the Andes Highway Crew!!

And here's the latest thread stats:

What happened to CAZ and the rest of the 1 Post Squad? :confused:

dpacker-

Awesome with the chrome! The chrome fits that color combo perfectly, and those rims are sweet, I want a set of those!

Gorgeous car Debbie! Congratulations! You made the right decision on the chrome grill, it definitely goes great with all of the other choices you made. Were you surprised when the car was delivered under a cover in the showroom, or did they do that for your husband's MINI too? I certainly wasn't expecting it when I went in, so I left it out of my delivery report to preserve the surprise for anyone else who didn't know about it :) I'm attaching some pictures of my car under wraps for those who are curious, or if your dealer doesn't use the cover... How many breakin miles left???

Ben

Thanks for all of the nice comments about my MINI...and the chrome grille. As soon as they pulled off the cover, I knew I made the right choice with the chrome grille. Even though I think the body-colored grilles look great too, for me it was how I had pictured mine from the beginning (no matter what color it was going to be), so it just made me smile when I saw it.

I hope I didn't spoil anything for anyone with the cover comments. I kind of thought that it was different from dealer to dealer because I've seen some people who mention it and some who do not. I've also seen some with big bows on them. With my husband, he picked his off of the showroom and we took it that day, so his didn't have anything like that..it did have the big circle 230 graphics that he insisted on taking with him. I was actually a little surprised when I saw mine under the cover.

I considered the chrono too, but after riding in my husband's with the big speedo in the center, I just thought it was too cute not to have. I wish there had been an option to get the big speedo in the center and the dual guages too though. I know that's overkill, but I thought the dual guages over the wheel looked cool. Love the big speedo though!

I asked my MA a few questions while we were there. Why the varying delivery schedules from ship to dealer. He said that he's had MINIs that come on the same boat be about a week apart arriving to the dealer. He said that it had to do with how they get through the VDC - if they have a lot that week, what place they are in line, trucks, etc. I guess there are a lot of factors that go into it.

I asked about cleaning the dash because it has that matte look. He said to skip the Armor All, and just use normal window cleaner, like Windex. He said the same thing for the chrome. Skip the chrome polish (not good for it) and just use Windex and a clean cloth.

The other thing we asked about were the brake covers to prevent dust. He said he hadn't heard anything either way, but didn't think they would hurt anything.

Oh, I forgot to post a picture of me with my MINI last night.

It's time to go clean the bugs off of the front, put the Euro plate on, and install the little valve stem covers. :)

Thanks again for all of the nice comments. I was so excited that it was very nice to have a place to come and show pictures. I can't wait to see all of the others too. They are just all so cute.

Debbie

dpacker-

Awesome with the chrome! The chrome fits that color combo perfectly, and those rims are sweet, I want a set of those!

I agree, dpacker, the chrome looks great!

Now a question for all you folks that have recently received your cars. Even though it hard to imagine that I won't love my MINI, I'm little worried I'm going to experience a bit of a "let down" feeling when it finally comes. With all the build up, all the anticipation--well, it's a lot for one MINI to live up to!

Do any of you new MINI owners have that "now what?" feeling of a kid who's just finished opening all the presents under the tree? Or are you just plain thrilled and happy? Is the car even better than you expected or do you find yourself bugged by thoughts of "I should have ordered the blah blah blah"?

I mean everyone sounds really excited and happy--I guess I'm just trying to imagine what it's going to be like when my day finally comes.

Hey Crosebud,

I just looked at your MINI profile..it looks terriffic! I can't imagine what you would have wanted instead. Every now and then...I wonder if I would have wanted an S vs the "non S" Cooper, but I know how I drive and I think it's the best for me. Plus, with such a great resale value...you can always sell it and get what you really want later.

I know for me, this is the first car I've gotten in my entire life where I got EXACTLY what I wanted...I didn't even consider price and I feel pretty good about my decisions. I'm actually not a "car guy". To me, cars are just big chairs that move. That being said, I'm thrilled with the idea of the MINI (I'll tell you where I am with it in a few months) and I never seem to stop seeing people point them out. I think the fact that someone made a car just for me and that the buzz continues about this car will make the magic last.



I agree, dpacker, the chrome looks great!

Now a question for all you folks that have recently received your cars. Even though it hard to imagine that I won't love my MINI, I'm little worried I'm going to experience a bit of a "let down" feeling when it finally comes. With all the build up, all the anticipation--well, it's a lot for one MINI to live up to!

Do any of you new MINI owners have that "now what?" feeling of a kid who's just finished opening all the presents under the tree? Or are you just plain thrilled and happy? Is the car even better than you expected or do you find yourself bugged by thoughts of "I should have ordered the blah blah blah"?

I mean everyone sounds really excited and happy--I guess I'm just trying to imagine what it's going to be like when my day finally comes.

Hey Crosebud,

I just looked at your MINI profile..it looks terriffic! I can't imagine what you would have wanted instead. Every now and then...I wonder if I would have wanted an S vs the "non S" Cooper, but I know how I drive and I think it's the best for me. Plus, with such a great resale value...you can always sell it and get what you really want later.

I know for me, this is the first car I've gotten in my entire life where I got EXACTLY what I wanted...I didn't even consider price and I feel pretty good about my decisions. I'm actually not a "car guy". To me, cars are just big chairs that move. That being said, I'm thrilled with the idea of the MINI (I'll tell you where I am with it in a few months) and I never seem to stop seeing people point them out. I think the fact that someone made a car just for me and that the buzz continues about this car will make the magic last.

Thanks for the encouragement, Ken! It's actually hard for me to imagine that I won't be happy with my MINI. I wonder some about the S vs the "non S", too, but 90% of my driving is "scooting around town" and I think the MC will be good for that. Mostly, I wonder about little things like whether I should have ordered bonnet stripes or fancier wheels/spokes. But if I really want those things, I can add them later. I'm not a "car guy" (well, girl) either. I was drawn to the MINI because of its size and great design. The look of the MINI just wows me.

Hi all,

I have been using this forum for a couple of years (and especially this thread) now but am just posting. I ordered my second Cooper back in March and got it last week. I was trading in my 2002 Cooper BRG/White for an MCSa PPR/BLK w/ blk stripes and chrome grill. I never thought i could be happier with my second MINI than with my first MINI, but i actaully am. So much so in fact that it inspired me to finally post.

What I really wanted to respond to though is what AprilWhine mentioned a few posts ago. I have had my 2002 Cooper for three years up until last week and I can definitly say that even my Cooper with nearly bald tires seemed to handle corners better than my brand new MCSa. The weight distribution is almost identicle, so i'm at a loss to explain why. The main difference is in the way the back end seems to have more body roll. It's more of a sensation than actual physics. Both had 16" wheels.

Anyhow, congrats on those other in the March group on your cars, and hang in there for those still waiting. It's just so damn worth it, even a second time around ;)

For some reason I thought that the chrome-line exterior was part of the premium package..now I'm realizing it's not...but I want to add it..is this something the dealer can do?