[CooPz]

I wish I had home internet now! haha, great to hear everyones opinion. I am holding the next run under the QMCC(Queensland Mini Car Club) banner thanks to Silvertop, so we will be indemnified for the Great Southern run. But after that we really need to work out who we want to be.


J.

P.S. It's the MINI Garage that we would be associated with, we are not BMWs or so BMW have told me.

[swamos]

I'm happy to go along Saturday afternoon to whererver. Only thing is I have to work from about 3:30 on

We could meet somewhere for just coffee if you want?? The best coffee I know of is at Mt Glorious

[jasemini]

Quote:

Originally posted by swamos
I'm happy to go along Saturday afternoon to whererver. Only thing is I have to work from about 3:30 on

We could meet somewhere for just coffee if you want?? The best coffee I know of is at Mt Glorious

YOU ARE ADDICTED TO CORNERS!!! I was perhaps thinking somewhere a little more local and around lunchtime or just after? any thoughts.

[swamos]

Quote:

Originally posted by jasemini
YOU ARE ADDICTED TO CORNERS!!! I was perhaps thinking somewhere a little more local and around lunchtime or just after? any thoughts.

Park road is good for a pose, but I'm not sure what the parking is like at lunch. If it's rainy it shouldn't be a problem.

On the other matter....

Therapist - "aaaah group (with American accent), I'd like you to meet someone new tonight... Would you care to say a few words about yourself??"

Swamos - "Hi there, my names Steve, and I....I....I think I'm addicted to corners.. (sob sob). My friends and family have urged me to come along tonight... I'm having trouble sleeping, I wash my MINI all the time.....I just can't think or talk about anything else..... (more sobbing) I was hoping this would be the first step.... (group claps) "

Therapist - "Well, it was very courageous to come here tonight. Don't worry, we'll have you driving a Commodore and happy about it in a matter of months (group claps)......."

[jasemini]

Then suddenly MINI MAN busts the door down and whizzes round the room grabbing Steve and whisking him away to the safety and comfort of the Lapis Blue Leather Interior of MINI MAN's JCW packaged Cooper S

Who needs therapy when you've got friends like us, ignorance is bliss

[AussieMini]

You're freaking me out guys!!!

[LUV2MINI]

not sure if any of you are interested in a "Female" point of view as well but anyways as i am "Female" i will go on and say it regardless whether you guys deciede to listen or not

I totally agree with what jase said about the joining fee and all and freebies with the membership will definitey entice up ladies as we all like a bargin however the limit on numbers is not really fair and really it be really hard to work out who is "worthy'

Also so female mini owners like myself not only like to run around the shopping malls and have tea we also like to have a bit of a drive on around nice corners and push the pedal to the metal when the police aren't looking and of course when it is safe

Also workshop nights and driver training days are also great, something that BMW offers already as i used to be a member and they are really informative for the guys and girls so that is a positive of joining with Mini garage(BMW) to form the club as they have connections and it much eaiser for them to arrange some mechaincs from the workshop to chat to us on maintenance and stuff

also last point but is if you start a club fresh is someone prepared to look after all the paperwork and registration of all the new members and honestly i would rather pay someone else to do it

anyway these are just my thoughts so if have offened some on sorry
lu

[swamos]

Quote:

Originally posted by LUV2MINI
not sure if any of you are interested in a "Female" point of view as well but anyways as i am "Female" i will go on and say it regardless whether you guys deciede to listen or not

I totally agree with what jase said about the joining fee and all and freebies with the membership will definitey entice up ladies as we all like a bargin however the limit on numbers is not really fair and really it be really hard to work out who is "worthy'

Also so female mini owners like myself not only like to run around the shopping malls and have tea we also like to have a bit of a drive on around nice corners and push the pedal to the metal when the police aren't looking and of course when it is safe

Also workshop nights and driver training days are also great, something that BMW offers already as i used to be a member and they are really informative for the guys and girls so that is a positive of joining with Mini garage(BMW) to form the club as they have connections and it much eaiser for them to arrange some mechaincs from the workshop to chat to us on maintenance and stuff

also last point but is if you start a club fresh is someone prepared to look after all the paperwork and registration of all the new members and honestly i would rather pay someone else to do it

anyway these are just my thoughts so if have offened some on sorry
lu

Lu,

You haven't offended anyone, and it's refreshing to have your point of view in here. We could do with more people taking the time to express their feelings about a club.

You seem to be interested in pretty much the same things as everyone else, so should be easy to please

We look forward to seeing another red MINI along on one of the runs soon. Then we will have the same number of Red to EB Mini's !! Whohooooo

[silvertop]

Here's my tuppence worth,yes we need a club!
It's a bloody Mini - no BMW badges here.
Mini Australia will support us but won't pay us to form a club.
Litigation, discrimination, speed cameras and hooning laws are a fact of life.
The cost of setting up a new club, rules, regulations, insurances etc run into lots of dollars and time (much better to be a majority in an existing club - this may deserve more consideration).
Brisbane Mini Garage have offered us the use of their boardroom for this meeting. Their staff would not be present, only new Mini owners. Once we have decided on a course of action, then we can approach them. Playing one dealer against another won't work for obvious reasons.
Just reading these posts - every club has politics it's just that some hide it better than others (ours won't be any different no matter how hard we try).
We have the car (with all its baggage) German owners, English Factory, World-wide drivers, 40 plus years of history and a group of Queensland drivers who have the eyes of Australia upon them. What we decide may impact the Mini world (he,he !!).
If you can't attend these meetings, love to hear your point of view, my phone number is 07 3814 2515.

[AussieMini]

Quote:

Originally posted by silvertop
The cost of setting up a new club, rules, regulations, insurances etc run into lots of dollars and time (much better to be a majority in an existing club - this may deserve more consideration).

I agree with this on a number of points. Yes the costs of setting up a club can run into lots of dollars but after Swamos, myself and a couple of others did some homework this week, we were very suprised at how little it would cost. I also think to say BMW or MINI Australia will not give us a push along financially at this early stage is a very premature considering they have not seen our written proposal. And I would certainly hope and pray no one has already approached BMW on the group's behalf with a simplistic question of "what can you give us." The way we have to execute this entire operation is strategical and based greatly on timing and balance.

And secondly, the only way I see joining an old club working is to strip it bear from the top down. Possibly even fold it and start from scratch because people in the current group of new MINI owners and Classic MINI enthusiasts have just about as much in common as Backhoe and Bentley owners demographically/psychographically .

Also, I agree politics are present in most clubs, but I don't however think they're just hidden better in some. Some club's politics go no further than who's turn is it next to host the progresive dinner while others is just out and out power-at-all-costs brutal. And might I add the quickest way to kill a club.

My reasons why I want to join a MINI Club. In order of importance.

1. Well first of all I don't really, I would be happy to go along as we have been but as dicussed ealier, it's a bit hard legally.
2. Because I like the social aspects of meeting our little group of people. Everyone I've met are great people.
3. I think with a bit of not-so-hard work a New Mini Club would be very unique and could cater for many people who seem to fit the new MINI brand on a social level.
4. At the end of the day we would be totally unique. We don't owe Classic MINIs or BMW much. This is a whole new car. New adventures.

[CooPz]

I guess theres more to this than I had considered. I am one of the simple people who only wanted to join the club for the saftey it provides, but the more I hear about track days and tech help nights the more my eyes light up. I know we don't owe anything to the MINI garages but if we can have a tech show us things to look for, I'd be over the moon, but then reality kicks in. These are new cars under warranty, most diagnosis is computer based, They'd never authorise us tinkering away under the bonnet with torque drivers. With public liability the way it is if someone shows us something and we goof it, they are liable.( and whilst I like the idea of Jases of signing a waiver, I also know as steven pointed out that you can NEVER sign away a your rights)

Since you've done the reseach Danny how much was it? I was keen to go down the path of joining Silertops QMCC as I thought "heck all the mucking about with setup costs, becoming CAMS affiliated, setting up club accounts, elections, newsletters, social callenders, insurance, club charter blah,blah,blah sounds like too much hard work to me" But I admit I didn't do any research. What did you come up with?

[jasemini]

Quote:

Originally posted by LUV2MINI

Also so female mini owners like myself not only like to run around the shopping malls and have tea we also like to have a bit of a drive on around nice corners and push the pedal to the metal when the police aren't looking and of course when it is safe

OH MY GOD, I MARRIED THE WRONG WOMAN!!!! Thanks for your thoughts luv2mini. Our first female contributor from Brisbane - Hurrah!! What a woman, she likes my comments and drives a chilli red MCS, WOW!

Welcome LUV2MINI are you coming on the run next sunday? We need to encourage more women to join our runs, especially one with Cooper S's.

[CooPz]

Quote:

Originally posted by jasemini
OH MY GOD, I MARRIED THE WRONG WOMAN!!!! Thanks for your thoughts luv2mini. Our first female contributor from Brisbane - Hurrah!! What a woman, she likes my comments and drives a chilli red MCS, WOW!

Welcome LUV2MINI are you coming on the run next sunday? We need to encourage more women to join our runs, especially one with Cooper S's.

and coopers too, stop being s "S" racist

[Boo]

All very interesting comments...
I think as far as i am concerned, the things that i am most interested in are track days and insurance cover for our social drive days.
How that comes into being is really secondary..

I suppose it really comes down to the fact that if there are the people available to put it all together, then there is no reason not to go it alone... Especially if we get some support from Mini Garages..

One thing the stand alone club could do is liase with someone like the BMW Club or in your case the QMCC also to get on the track as they have the CAMS trained officials to utilise..

CAMS will probably give us the support on how to do the set up in regards of the legal and technical issues.
(I know they help with technical knowledge if you want to build a track).... I wouldn't be surprised if they had a brochure they can send out.

[jasemini]

Quote:

Originally posted by CooPz
and coopers too, stop being s "S" racist

I'm an "S" racist becuase if guys like Aussiemini and Cjay they are just "S" wannabes, they have "S-Envy"

I can't believe the rubbish that flows from my fingers some times. I really am a nice guy -WHO DRIVES AN "S"

[brisoz2002]

Jase, I'm sorry to say but you are full of "S"!!!!!

cheers....Neil

[jasemini]

lol, lol,lol good one Neil, I'll pay that one. It's worth noting to those of you who don't know me, that I'm not a MINI biggot. I love all MINI's, even MINI COOPERS

as usual we are off topic again, crap, crap, crap, crap....

[swamos]

Quote:

Originally posted by jasemini
lol, lol,lol good one Neil, I'll pay that one. It's worth noting to those of you who don't know me, that I'm not a MINI biggot. I love all MINI's, even MINI COOPERS

as usual we are off topic again, crap, crap, crap, crap....

Oh oh

Just keep diggin mate ......

[CooPz]

So it's this wednesday right? whos coming?

[swamos]

Quote:

Originally posted by CooPz
So it's this wednesday right? whos coming?

I'll be there

I think the most important thing is that we get an agenda happening. I would like to propose the following...

1. What do we want from the club?
2. Is this best accomplished by forming a new club, or joining up with one of the existing clubs (QMCC,MOC,BMW)?
3. How do we proceed from here.

This is quite a simple agenda, but I think if we get this decided, we'll be on the way.

It is VITAL that as many people that can attend this. This meeting is open to everyone. Anyone who has an interest should attend