I passed a fellow Mini owner the other day in downtown Buffalo and waved.... they made a steering wheel motion with their hand . . . is this something new? Did I miss the memo? Also there is someone downtown that has a Hot Orange convertible (like mine) that totally blew off my wave this morning . . . now how do you not see another Hot Orange Mini driving down Niagara Street and not wave back?????
I started a thread on the old website on this topic, and I'm glad to see someone else is surprised by non-wavers. I think the world is divided into 2 kinds of MINI owners - those who wave at other MINI owners, and those who are afraid other MINI owners will wave at them.
Having done my first few MINI events in the last year, I've found the people in the clubs to be unusually interesting and friendly, so it astounds me that there are others who are not. If you were just a typical jerk, why would you buy an atypical automobile? A MINI is a very distinctive thing to drive. Who would buy one and then be afraid to get noticed?
There is a lady with a yellow MINI in the subdivision behind mine who, after 1 1/2 years, is now willing to cautiously wave back, but it took some effort. What an unfortunate thing, to deny yourseldf any of the fun of MINI ownership. Like Laurrie said this summer, I had no idea I would get to know so many great people just by buying a car!
That's the joy(?) of MINI. They appeal to the hard-core MINI lovers (like us and other wavers), and people just looking for a small car. While we might love more and more enthusists driving, without the casual MINI driver, the brand will never survive in the stats (heck, there are still people who have no idea what a MINI is).
That being said, I'm a waver/headlight flasher all the way..
In my neighborhood we have a friendly way of waving at people when the walk/drive by. I don't even know half the people but I still throw a hand up and greet them. All Mininess aside, it's just downright nice to be recognized. By the same token . . . My step-son (19) has a MCS all black and I guarantee he is not out there waving at other Mini owners, he's "too cool". I used to be a Saab owner, and it used to be common practice to blink your lights when you saw another Saab driver, but that disappeared over time. Keep on waving....
My first car was a Renault LeCar, and other Renault owners honked at each other. My theory was that it was to prove you knew where the horn was (at the end of the turn signal stalk). Keep waving!
I'm a waver/flasher (lights) too. Sometimes I find myself getting frustrated during the winter months when I want to wave to another MINI owner while in my Aspire. I know my wave would go unnoticed.
