Month: August 2006

Gas Prices

What a difference a day makes! Last Thursday I bought gas in San Diego for $3.33 a gallon but this morning’s fillup in Brawley to come back was a (by these days standards) decent $3.19! Regular gas is $2.99 everywhere at home, would love to see premium come down to that but I’m not hopeful. Of course, those travelling the country right now are getting prices better than even that.

Speaking of gas, I’m jealous of the mpg figures that Ian is quoting. This morning the OBC was indicating 26.7 but the actual was 24.8 – eek. I wonder how easy it would be to take the back seat out of Carrie, no one uses it as I know no one who is willing to sit back there cramped up. Might be good for a couple extra mpg….

What a Great Looking Car

I don’t often get to see my MINI on the road because, well, I’m driving it, but yesterday the wife was in Carrie and I was driving the Camry and I got to enjoy seeing my beauty on the road. And I couldn’t help thinking what a great looking car the MINI is.

Its the one year anniversary tomorrow and its been a pretty good year I think. A couple of irritating problems but mostly trouble-free, and always great to drive. Much to my shock I will be about 100 miles shy of 20K for the first year – yikes. I don’t know where all the miles have gone.

MTTS gets in full swing this week. I’ll be keenly watching Ian’s blog(s) (and here) for updates. I like Ian’s style and his honesty, very little of the “MINI could sell poo on a stick and I’d still rate it highly” that I see in on some other places.

Burn Your Bras!

On my way out of work last night I was alongside a BMW that had one of those bra things on. I understand the thought behind it but I hate them. If the car was meant to look stupid it would have been designed that way (see PT Cruiser). And what about when you sell the car – look at what great condition the bonnet is in! Yes, its a totally different shade of red to the rest of the car but doesn’t it look great with no stone chips?? Ack, I hate it. Oh, and this car had covers for the back of the mirrors too, never seen that before.

Hmm… if a bonnet cover is a bra? What does one call the mirror protectors?

The “Black Box” Is Here!

Talking to my wife last night, she told me that a black box from MINI had arrived yesterday, so it sounds like the famous “secret decoder kit” has finally arrived. But is it too late to use? Have all the ads run already? Still, at least its nice to know I am still on the MINI mailing list, if at the bottom of it. I’m looking forward to checking it out when I get home this evening.

Losing My Touch

Back home in the UK I was fairly proud of my parallel (or if you prefer, reverse) parking skills but 10 years of living in the US has left them unhoned since you rarely have to exercise them. Especially in Southern California where everyone valet parks 🙂 In the summer time the on-street parking at my San Diego apartment is pretty tight and I would regularly have to back Sarah into a spot and I was getting good at it again and, lets be honest, the MINI can get in pretty much anywhere. But with Carrie, the lack of rear visibility is making me a nervous parallel parker, to the point where I’m driving a few blocks to find somewhere “easy” to park. The reason: I hate the idea that people are watching “that incompetent MINI owner” taking several attempts to reverse into a spot “big enough for an H2”. But, honestly, its not my fault, I just can’t see behind the car and when the blinking beeping starts going crazy I’ll pull up and try again. I miss my rear vision.