Nice Ken. With pickup at 4 you should get in some good motoring in daylight!

well..not much..I teach until right before I pick up the car..then I have to turn right back around and go back to campus for an Awards Ceremony. But it will make driving back home fantastic. To me the idea of driving with the top down at night seems like a wonderful thing.

Thanks for posting the list of programable options..I think I'm actually fine with everything that's preprogrammed. All they have to do is add the IPOD adapter to my car and I'm on my way. I didn't get much dealer installed stuff.

okay..then the good news..just a few minutes ago the finance manager called and said "Your car just came in..it does exist. What's your Wednesday looking like" and I said "It's looking like I'm going to get a mini...How's 4pm?"

So...looks like I'm getting my MINI at 4pm on Wednesday!

Ken, that's great news. You're getting your Mini before mine and mine arrived a couple of days earlier :eek: Don't feel bad. I also get the feeling they don't want me around unless I'm throwing gobs of cash around....Wait, I am doing that - I'm spending a lot on a new car :rolleyes:

Anyway, congrats on "the call"

To me the idea of driving with the top down at night seems like a wonderful thing.

Ken,

My current car is a Miata, and there are few better things in life than driving with the top down on a clear night. Enjoy your first night with your new "baby."

Ted

btdoyle, the S does come standard with with the Sport Plus suspension.

Ken, the iPod adapter is way cool. I bought a 40GB photo for it and have been up late almost every night for two weeks trying to organize all my music files and rate them so i only hear the best stuff. :) I needed another obsession after i got my car, so i also took it upon myself to re-rip every CD i had at 190k :).

I've already been challenged to street race twice now and ive only had it a week. I think people see the two tail pipes as they appraoch from behind and just assume that i'm ready to punch it and throw caution to the wind. :rolleyes:

So...looks like I'm getting my MINI at 4pm on Wednesday!
Finally, huh?!

You know almost everyone that's posted in this thread is gonna be here wednesday night to read about the huge grin that'll be on your face that WON'T come off! We were rootin' for ya bud!

In this case, it's OK to go a little nuts, eh? :D :D

HAVE FUN!

I've been lurking on this thread for the last month, but I finally felt the need to post. I called my MA today and he said that our MINI should arrive @ the VDC tomorrow. Unless it gets released and shipped to the dealer by Thursday, my wife and I will have to wait until next weekend to pick it up. I haven't been this excited about a purchase since I bought my car 6 years ago. The MINI will be my wife's car, but I seem to be the one losing sleep waiting for it to show up. It really is adult Christmas. Congrats to all who are motoring already!
First off...Welcome to our little corner of the forums..
Second, You are not alone with what you have been through. I too, bought the MINI for my wife but was more nerve-wracked than she was over all the little details and the timing of it all. (I spent untold time looking at the OL and calling ASKMINI)
Hey, it's what we do. :D :D
She's happy..therefore..I'm happy :cool:

"Your car just came in..it does exist. What's your Wednesday looking like" and I said "It's looking like I'm going to get a mini...How's 4pm?"

So...looks like I'm getting my MINI at 4pm on Wednesday!

CONGRATS KEN!!! WHOOOOOOOOO WHOOOOOOOOOOO

I'm so jealous. I should be getting the call Wed!!! Two more days, the only dealer installed option are the Checkered Flag Mirror caps... should be fun... 4500 is going to be tough!!

Hey taz, did bill jakobs charge you any extra fees on top of the cost of your mini ? there is a 55.30 documentary fee and a 15 dollar license and title fee. Was their any other fees they charged you at the last minute? Thanks

[/url]
(http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59591.jpg)

(http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59593.jpg)

[url="http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59591.jpg"]http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59591.jpg (http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59595.jpg)
http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59592.jpg (http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59592.jpg)
http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59593.jpg (http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59593.jpg)
http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59594.jpg (http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59594.jpg)
http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59595.jpg (http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59595.jpg)
http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59596.jpg (http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59596.jpg)

Bruiser




[/url]
(http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59591.jpg)

(http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59593.jpg)

[url="http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59596.jpg"] (http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25207/59595.jpg)

Great work... what a proud dad...

this is so cool to see everybody getting their cars. I've bought plenty of new cars in my day and I can say I've never felt this kind of anxiety and excitement before. I think having all of us in the same state of mind has made it even that much better...

This has been a great experience... and I don't even have the car yet...

To all my brothers and sisters... Let's motor !

;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)

We flew to Las Vegas and were met at the airport by a representative of the dealership. Unfortunately, the MA I've been dealing with was sick the day we got there, so I dealt with his partner, Roger. He was attentive as he could be whilst doing his best one armed paper-hanger imitation. Which was kind of interesting, as there seemed to be no shortage of BMW salespeople around twiddling their thumbs. I guess they're not allowed to sully themselves with us proles who buy mere MINIs.

Three hours and some fiddling with financial paperwork later we were on our way. We drove down the street to Marie Calendar's and grabbed some lunch, then headed north out of town. The traffic in Las Vegas is terrible, and with a chomping-at-the-bit MINI it was that much worse. I wanted to go fast, Bruiser wanted to go fast, the traffic was not cooperating. Finally (it seemed like more hours) we escaped. I must admit that the black roof would not be a good choice if we lived there, even on an 80 degree day Bruiser had to work for a few minutes to cool things down, but soon the automatic HVAC had things well under control.

We spent a few hours dashing across the desert, flying past Area 51, past the brothels (it's pretty startling the first time you see their gigantic billboards) and finally into the mountains. The automatic transmission did a great job in the curvy up-and-downy stuff -- of course you can always hit the paddles, but if you're headed downhill and the car starts speeding up, a tap on the brakes and it downshifts automatically to provide more engine braking. I tried the SD mode, it seems to shift much as I would, of course it's not psychic and needs a hint from the paddles when a corner's coming up.

We were very good about keeping the RPMs low for break-in, the only time that got violated was in Carson City when we were trying to turn left out of a gas station in downtown, after 5 minutes of waiting I finally saw a window big enough for a MINI and punched it -- Bruiser leapt into the hole with a howl and off we went. :D

We're very happy.

:) :) :)

If I had to grump about something, the "dead" pedal on the MCSa is a joke. If my left leg was two inches longer than my right, it might be at the correct height. I'll have to see if I can come up with a block that's not too unsightly to put on it -- I feel like when I was a little kid and my bicycle had spacers strapped to the pedals so I could ride it.

-- Roger

Hey taz, did bill jakobs charge you any extra fees on top of the cost of your mini ? there is a 55.30 documentary fee and a 15 dollar license and title fee. Was their any other fees they charged you at the last minute? Thanks
Nope, that was about it, bt. I didn't see any "hidden" charges but I didn't see any discounts either :rolleyes: . They were fair and above board with us from the start so I can't complain. Good luck with getting yours! Another Marchite gets the Gold! :D

rsinsheimer...GREAT photos! Oh yea, the car is nice looking too ;) .
You did a great job describing your first trip, but being from the midwest here, I thought you could have expanded on passing the brothels :cool: . Face it..some of us have to live vicariously through others :D .

Excellent looking ride...

Bruiser pics and story -> Excellent!

Update on MINI-tracking:

It's still a little too early to call the dealer this morning, but I know that Murray was on a truck yesterday, heading from Port Hueneme to Torrance (maybe 50 miles, but through congested LA), because my MA told me.

This morning, I checked the MINIUSA Owner's Lounge website - of course it has yet to change from "En Route", with no estimated delivery date.

I also call ASK-MINI, did the automated bit, and got the "At port; Awaiting shipping vessel" message.


There's a very good chance I'll be picking up Murray today, since my dealer add-ons were few (I bailed on the JCW intake for now, so the "biggy" is the iPod adapter), and I was informed that Murray was the only MINI on this particular truck, so there shouldn't be much competition for the required attention.

It definitely helps, knowing the car has made it through VDC, but it's still difficult to deal with the last bit of the wait.

_Dave_


_Dave_

The Ipod adapter takes less than an hour to install. :)

Thanks April!

(Love your sig by the way... LY MCS Soft tops ROOL! :D )

_Dave_

The Ipod adapter takes less than an hour to install. :)

April !!! Welcome back!!! We've missed you !!!

How's the beautiful LY Mini?

Anybody from the chicago area who were on the andes highway or resolve get the call yet?

It's been over 30 hours since Ken's last post! Ken, I need your gregariousness! Well, that and pics!

Rsheimer -great pix - I'm Jealous - I Love the Southwest - can't wait to motor out there topless :D

Ken- won't be long now

Btdoyle - your Mini should be coming too along with others on the Andes Highway chain gang

Me - it's getting tougher. I know the car is just sitting at the dealer waiting on the alarm to come in - Just a few more days... :rolleyes:

Dave, et al:

I'm just about in the same situation, but, now, perhaps with a touch of irony, Black Jack still needs to go to SLC, so he'll travel farther away from me before I can get him. A final test of time, maybe?

I called my MA yesterday, and she said that it'd be safe to come and get 'im on April 29th! Could it be?

BTW, is anybody getting the JCW Suspension?

Bruiser pics and story -> Excellent!

Update on MINI-tracking:

It's still a little too early to call the dealer this morning, but I know that Murray was on a truck yesterday, heading from Port Hueneme to Torrance (maybe 50 miles, but through congested LA), because my MA told me.

This morning, I checked the MINIUSA Owner's Lounge website - of course it has yet to change from "En Route", with no estimated delivery date.

I also call ASK-MINI, did the automated bit, and got the "At port; Awaiting shipping vessel" message.


There's a very good chance I'll be picking up Murray today, since my dealer add-ons were few (I bailed on the JCW intake for now, so the "biggy" is the iPod adapter), and I was informed that Murray was the only MINI on this particular truck, so there shouldn't be much competition for the required attention.

It definitely helps, knowing the car has made it through VDC, but it's still difficult to deal with the last bit of the wait.

_Dave_


_Dave_

Called the dealer and they said that my car has left the VDC and is someplace on a truck which probably has a couple stops before it gets to chicago but the lady i talked to (not my MA, shes gone today) said that it should be ready by saturday which is when I can pick it up.

Called the dealer and they said that my car has left the VDC and is someplace on a truck which probably has a couple stops before it gets to chicago but the lady i talked to (not my MA, shes gone today) said that it should be ready by saturday which is when I can pick it up.

Great news :D Another charter member of the Andes highway club gets their Mini this week :D :cool: :D

Of course we fully expect lots of pix :rolleyes:

Thanks guys. I haven't been posting in this thread so Ken and Taz can duke it out for lead poster. :D

Love the pics!

Artist rendering of my mini... Yeah i was bored...

Congratulations Ken! Your day is finally almost here!

Great pics of Bruiser...the scenery wasn't too bad either! :) That looks like an awesome place to be driving around in the MINI. I can't imagine Las Vegas in a 6 spd, so I imagine the automatic was great to have driving through there.

btdoyle - looks like your time is almost here too! Cool!

gaminicool - you have so much more patience that me. I would be going crazy being that close to my MINI and not being able to drive him.

Anyone heard from Ryane? Has Valentine been fixed yet? Are you out motoring again?

Taz - be happy that you know people in your town. I'm not from here, and I have very few people to show my MINI to. I keep wanting to stop by the house down the street from me where the guy has a red/white MINI Cooper, but I figure if my husband and I show up in his driveway with our MINIs, he might be afraid to open the door. You know, a couple of crazy people that just stop by because they happen to have the same kind of car. :D

Someone else (I think it was Claudia) asked about what to do after the MINI arrives. You know, I'm still smiling about mine. Yesterday I looked out the window about 2 dozen times just to see it out in the parking lot sitting beside my husband's, and when I got off from work, I took the really long way home. I keep looking for excuses to go anywhere. I've got to work on controlling the big grin though. People probably think I'm crazy.

I think the daytime running lights were turned on. I guess I will have to motor back up and have those turned off. I don't really like the idea of the lights being on during the day. It detracts from my MINI!

Have a great day everyone! Oh - one more thing. That list of programmable options that you can e-mail in. It didn't do me any good for me...and my daytime running lights were programmed even though I didn't want them. It's funny though - none of it bothers me - don't care - just ready to drive my MINI again.

Debbie

I was on the Andes as well, and delivering to Partick in Schaumburg, IL. MA says tomorrow is ok for delivery (I didn't actually 'get the call', but he told me this on saturday). My Mini is on the truck, which should be in tonight. I think I'll stalk the dealer to catch a glimpse!! :D

BTdoyle, you're through Bill Jacobs, right? I'm thinking they should arrive around the same time, unless the truck stops along the way (indy, etc.)

Congrats Ken, et al who are getting their cars. Hopefully, I'll be posting pics by the end of the week!! :p

It's been over 30 hours since Ken's last post! Ken, I need your gregariousness! Well, that and pics!
Well...bad news...I have to wait until Thursday morning to get my MINI. I have to give out an award at a ceremony on campus and I couldn't get anyone else to do it for me. So because of a 30 second committment, I won't get my MINI until the next day. I'm a little frustrated because I've bent over backwards to help the other professors...but..you know how it goes. Another day won't kill me.

KC

Another day won't kill me.
KC

Wow, such willpower... You are a better man than I...

I'm sure your students appreciate your sacrifice...

Anyone else on the Takasago?
I can't seem to find the ship on the Marine Observation page- it supposedly left England on the 16th, and is due to NY/NJ on the 25th.
It's call sign is LACR5, but I don't see it anywhere on the map....
http://www.oceanweather.com/data/