OhBe1

Mr Brown came yesterday, bringing a set of Conti DWS & Koseis from the nice people at Tire Rack. 205-55-16 on 16x7.5 K4R

I have no idea why I wasn't there....

Don't be surprised if it tells you its real name after you get it!

Thanks all. Jan 5 is out, our son having bought us tickets for a wine event in Frederick that day. The C3M event was the meetup at Baltimore MINI IIRC late July or so.

I've posted a few responses in various threads, but it looks like my recollection that I introduced myself was based more on imagination than memory. So, here's what I hope will be a successful attempt.... We bought quirk back in June, just in time for our anniversary and vacation. In a hurry, so we got her off the lot, although the lot was somewhere in WVA rather than on the MINI of Annapolis lot, where we did the paperwork. Requirements were manual, moonroof and heated seats, so ended up with the winter package and HK stereo. Drove it up to the Finger Lakes, touring wineries & museums, then seeing Niagara for the first time. Kept the revs down in the break-in, despite lapping Watkins Glen. Got off break-in as we were returning. Mods started fairly early - actually got the Moss leather grab handle wraps even before delivery. Added other stuff in the sig. 5700 miles so far, miles being kept down since it shares DD duties with my '97 Miata and '03 Taco. Only done one MINI event so far, a meet'n'greet with C3M. Hope to link up with y'all one of these days soon. Happy Holidays!

Re the AE-1P - without Googling, IIRC, it added shutter speed priority to the AE-1’s aperature priority, making it a less-expensive alternative to the A-1. OK, not sure Google agrees with me.... http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/canon/fdresources/SLRs/ae1pgrm/index.htm

Still have my AE-1, haven't fired it up in years. I know the winder does not work (corroded battery contacts, probably more internal). Needs a battery and of course film. I did use it recently to estimate the height of a house- threatening tree. Did not need batteries for that! Vivitar Series1 200mm and 35-85 varifocal. Wish I still had my FTb, completely manual. Currently using a Sony (nee Konica/Minolta) Alpha35, but not enough.

For OEM stuff, I've been using Sewell. Register on North American Motoring for a discount, and look for Monday and holiday deals. Kumho ASX is replaced by 4X. Good test results (snow not tested yet) on TireRack, and dirt cheap, and on sale as of yesterday... Dangit, cmcveay,you've complicated my choice. I was going for GY F1 Asymmetric (also on sale). And the Kumho is available in my personal favorite size (225/50/16 on 7.5x16). Given your 235’s, seems I would not have rubbing on my stock height R56, despite the response from the TireRack rep. Negatives? Pretentious TV ads... Other tires I had cosidered were the Conti DWS, and what appears to be the only acceptble RF, the BS 960.

The speedo reading fast is an inherent characteristic of, I believe, all cars. They wouldn't want it the other way for liability reasons. Why insist on OEM, BTW?

Annual. http://alexandriava.gov/Cartax

I was referring to the property tax on cars, among other things, in addition to the usual car fees.

I'd have to pick MD (biannual emissions inspections, easy for OBD2) over VA (Annual safety inspections). Dunno about DC. And don't forget VA's double-taxing...

I tried that, decided that 3 was too few to be useful, so I reset it back to 1. One too many things different than our other vehicles. The push-start/push-stop functionality for windows & turn signals is good once one gets used to it, but wish it extended to high beams.

Standard on our '12, or at least comes with the HK stereo. It's adjustable through the menu, but not dramatic. Guess I need to drive faster.

OEM MINI 5w30 is $7.45/qt and $13.43/filter at MINI of Annapolis. Which makes OEM oil almost identical in price to Mobil's recommended Mobil1 0w40 at Advance Auto Parts. Reading the fine print on the Castrol Edge jug was not encouraging. Perhaps they don't want to spoil their deal with BMW. Mobil1 0w40, and only 0w40, indicated comptibility with BMW LL01 requirements.