Category: General

…. is that in order for us to buy it we need to be feel like our existing MINIs are no good, or at least somewhat inferior. And so that of course is what I read from MINI, and MINI-apologist sites like MotoringFile, and I am instantly turned off the new vehicle. Of course the new MINI does have improvements over the current generation, as technology has moved on, but I hate being made to feel like I bought a unrefined, underpowered, piece of crap.

Which I certainly did not.

One difference I continually notice between UK and US driving is in the meaning of flashing one’s headlights. At home, it almost always means “after you” or “I’m letting you out” but every time I flash someone here to let them know to come out it is taken as a warning and they don’t come out. I’ve been doing it for years and I don’t seem to learn.

Only got one MINI related gift this Christmas – a bunch of new magnetic badges. I don’t really expect a lot of MINI news this year but I’ll continue to post pointless junk as and when I feel like it. Happy New Year, all.

Merry Christmas from the oil companies!

At a happy hour with some old Navy colleagues a woman I worked with asked if I still had my MINI. She had been thinking of getting a convertible but her husband told her that small cars were dangerous because they do not hold the road well on corners. I’ve heard some complaints about the MINI from non-owners but never that one! I assured her that quite to the contrary the MINI stuck to the road far better than most vehicles and her husband didn’t know what he was talking about. I am glad to say she is going back home and telling him she is again interested in a MINI.

Since I work on the PS3, I probably shouldn’t give our shoddy rival the press but I saw this picture and thought I’d post it anway.

Click on the picture to see a few images from the Singapore Car Show 2006, but be warned its more about the babes than the cars!

Well, never expected to see a Mini but on my way back to the office after a little walk I was passed by a white Mini Mayfair! It looked like it hadn’t aged too well but the young male driver looked like he didn’t care.

Also saw a Hummer which somewhat predictably cut-off some other car without giving a care. Good to know that Hummer drivers are a**holes no matter where they live.

We were supposed to be going home tomorrow but we’ve been “extended” until next Weds. I suppose we must do what the company wants but there’s not one of us happy about it. And, most importantly, Tokyo seems to be fully booked for the weekend and we have to move to a hotel we aren’t sure about….

On the way back from a day’s sightseeing, as I waited to cross the street a Park Lane edition S drove in front of me. My camera had long since been put away but, other than being real clean, it appeared much like any other Cooper S, although I think thats my first Park Lane edition I’ve seen.

We’re booked on a flight home on Saturday but Friday we heard that they may want us to stay until the following Wednesday. I’m already ready to come home so I have my fingers crossed that no changes get made to my schedule.

In all the jet lag I got the URL to my pics wrong. With over 200 taken I’ve split them up into sets, go to this posting on my blog for a list if you wish.

I’ve been in Tokyo for one full day and a half, was wondering if I would see any MINIs but this morning on the walk to the office we were passed by a pepper white, black roof Cooper. I didn’t have my camera with me so no picture but maybe I will see some more when I have it with me.

I had been unimpressed with the previous MINI magazine (can’t even remember the name of it right now) and so had not bothered to check out the MC2 periodical.

But tonight, in anticipation of a business trip to Tokyo next week, I bought a bunch of magazines and books to help with passing the time. I’m not leaving until Tuesday so what did I do ? Yep, started reading the magazines. One was MC2 and I must say that my first scan of the issue looked good and I am looking forward to reading most of it. If my suspicions are confirmed there is a good chance I will look for it on the shelves again.

I don’t know what it is but it seems to me that everybody wants to accelerate from a stop light as if they were a Grand Prix driver, doesn’t matter whether they are in a Kia, a F-250 truck or a Lotus Elise; gotta put your foot down and go. This presents me with a problem as (a) I find the MINI not real good at quick starts and (b) I hate being beaten off the line by a pissant car or truck. Sometimes, usually if they have moved over to the outside lane just so they can beat me to the next block, I’ll take part but I won’t break the speed limit just to get ahead, and if the distance is long enough I am usually caught up by the time we get to 40mph or so. But I do wish I could get a better start off the line. Or that I could just let them go and not care about it. Or maybe even both.