Here's my list:

-Dog MINI owners enjoy donuts from Schutt's Farm just as much as her owners (ask Ted!)
-The airbags in a MINI are programmed to go off at EXTREMELY low speeds
-Do NOT hold onto the steering wheel at 10:00 and 2:00
-If you do not learn the previous item, you will be severely burned on your arm (OUCH!!!)
-A deep second degree burn takes a full year to heal (ok, I didn't learn that about my MINI, but my MINI had a part in teaching me that lesson!)
-Two large rubber duckies that travel the world in honor of MINI owners have true celebrity status!
-You can hang out with MINI friends even if your MINI is in the shop
-If you don't have run-flats, snows cost $300 for the set (YIPEE!)
-Fellow MINI owners are TRUE FRIENDS (YEAH, I'm looking at you Mark/Nicole, Cathleen, Venno, Tom, and crew!)

Oh, I learned lots!

- I learned something that started as a whim would end up as an obsession, of sorts;
- I learned I'm not alone in this obsession;
- I learned this site (and sites similar to it) can eat up hours of my time;
- I learned that there's something to be said for hand-picking each and every detail of my (or ted's) MINI;
- I learned that when I ordered tedscar, that the smile on my face pretty much went ear-to-ear;
- I learned that the last two weeks of a two-month wait is definitely the longest;
- I learned that a MINI drives like no other car I've ever driven;
- I learned that Jill really helps to remind me to slow down, but enjoys the corners just as much as ted & I;
- I learned there's a whole bunch of people who are my friends (and with whom I'm friends) 'cuz of tedscar;
- I learned there's a lotta roads in my county that are much more fun than I realized;
- I learned Ted likes to ride in her car!
- I learned Letchworth State Park is a GREAT place for a meeting of the MINIs and their people (and dogs);
- I learned that driving to work (wherever it is) is often funner than work itself;
- I learned that a trip to a corn maze to meet other MINIacs is fun whether or not you're lost in the maze;
- I learned that cider and donuts are brain food for zombies (and ted) (and MINIacs);
- I learned that taking Jill and Ted to Gettysburg makes for a great vacation;
- I learned that there are great MINI roads and scenery outside of Gettysburg;
- I learned I didn't want to run tedscar this winter without snow tires;
- I learned that it takes a lot of toys to fill a MINI, but it's a great goal!

Well..I learned that no Tire retailer in my town can change runflat tires.
I learned that my 15" 05 winter rims will not fit over the calipers of my 09.
I learned that the Continental run flats are a helluva lot better than the Dunlops.
And.....the free GPS deal offered for said set of Continentals is GREAT.
Finally the 09 is far and away more technologically advanced than the 05....but you know, I kind of feel that simpler is better.
And...I like the sound of the supercharged motor better than the turbo.....still have them both and love them like two different children.

-- Edited by ScottG at 20:55, 2008-12-19