Where's my baby??? |
| 30-August-2002 |
Status is finally at your mini dealer !!!!!
Woo-Hoo!!!! I sold my old Jetta (it did not quite make it to the MINI delivery date anyway...) so I was able to swap the old EU-772 plates for new vanity plate. |
| 27-August-2002 |
The MINI has been fully processed and discharged from the VPC. It was
released to carrier today, so it is likely that its en route to the dealer!!!
Woo-hoo!!! Just a few short days away from motoring, I hope! I also received the confirmation card from DMV today stating the vanity plate is in and waiting for pick up!! Ahh... It's all coming together now!!! Hehe... Submit your plate contest entry in now before its too late! |
| 26-August-2002 | The MINI has finally escaped the seagulls on the docks in Bayonne, NJ and status is now at Vehicle Distribution Center (VPC) with the workorder printed - the next step is for the VPC workorder (prepping) to be completed and then released to the trucking company. Delivery at the dealer will probably take place with in the next week or so! |
| 22-August-2002 |
The MINI status has regressed as previous status of entering the BMW Vehicle Processing Center (VPC) at port in Bayonne, NJ and heading to dealer on 8/20 was completely false!!! MINI-USA was feeding me inaccurate information. There are untold number of stories now as to the cause of the delay of mine and countless other MINIs. The most believable are: (1) a bottleneck of over 4000 MINIs and BMWs hit the port almost simultaneously, and (2) processing is taking longer to avoid mishaps that get passed along for dealers to contend with. I am taking this in stride as the MINI STILL sits target for seagulls on the docks... |
| 19-August-2002 | Chili-Red is in the BMW Vehicle Distribution Center today,
on the docks at Bayonne, NJ where its getting an all 'round checkup and
new programming! Let's just hope the new programs add new LIFE to the little
red firebox... Its should be on a truck 8/20 heading the New Country Motors
in Hartford, Conn. It won't be long now!!! 
|
| 12-August-2002 | The Hudson
Leader arrived in New York Harbor early AM and docked
in Bayonne, NJ at the North East Auto Marine Terminal (NEAT) for BMW!!
After a long day of unloading 826 Minis, my Chili Red was unloaded at 4:05pm.
It's officially been DISCHARGED from the freight carrier, Status
code is now 196 from MINI-USA. Now
it awaits its turn at the Vehicle Processing Center (VPC) at NEAT. In the
mean time, Lady Liberty will be watching over it and all the other new Mini's
as they adjust to their new homeland in America and try to understand the
funny accents of the surrounding voices... |
| 09-August-2002 | Estimated delivery date to the dealer, New Country Motors
in Hartford, is now 8/21!! Only a couple more weeks to go!!!!!
Status code
is now 195 from MINI-USA. |
| 02-August-2002 |
The MINI ia at sea on the Panamanian cargo ship Hudson
Leader The ship left a day later than planned to load more MINIs on board. Hey, the more the merrier.. and what's one more day. Click to view the ships ports of call. Also of interest is the Hudson Leader message thread from mini2.com. |
| 01-August-2002 |
The MINI is officially LOADED ON VESSEL as of 15:38GMT (10:38am EST) from the Southampton docks!!!! Its ready for a lovely ocean voyage across the Atlantic on the Panamanian ship called Hudson Leader... Status code is now 194. For an interesting read about lamented souls who missed successive ships as they witnessed their perspective MINIs sit on the docks (as I did)... Check out the forums on mini2.com. There is both an AIDA thread and a HUDSON LEADER thread. |
| 31-July-2002 | The MINI was NOT loaded onto the AIDA or ISOLDE for shipping
to America the weekend of 27-28 July. It is now booked for a ship called
HUDSON LEADER scheduled to depart Southampton
on 1-August... Let's hope the little devil is behaving amongst its brothers
and sisters on the dock so it can get on this ship!!! |
| 28-July-2002 | Well... I still do not know that the MINI was loaded onto
the AIDA for shipping to America, but there is another WW ship called Isolde
in port at Southampton being loaded. There are still HUNDREDS
of MINIs on the docks awaiting transport, so its likely mine is still
there  |
| 27-July-2002 | The MINI was scheduled for transport via cargo ship called AIDA today from Southampton to New York (via Halifax), but not sure it made it onto the ship. The Wellenius & Wilhelmsen website of the shipping company still shows a status of "Received at Terminal". BUT there are pictures of the AIDA being loaded with hundreds of MINIs today... Fingers Crossed!!! |
| 26-July-2002 | The cargo ship AIDA is "In Port" in Southampton... Here is a map of the docks charting her position at the docks. Roughly 600 MINIs are scheduled for loading. Here are some pictures of the AIDA being loaded: pic1 pic2 Let's hope mine was the red MINI one in pic2!!!!!! |
| 20-July-2002 | The MINI enjoyed a lovely train ride thru the English country side to the sea and port of Southampton where it will await boarding a ship for a cruise to America... Status code is now 193. It is scheduled for the auto freight ship AIDA (Voyage ID: EA229-AID), which arrives in Southampton 26-July and departs 27-July, ariving on New York on 6-August... |
| 19-July-2002 | IT'S ALIVE!!! The MINI has passed thru the "birth canal" of the Oxford Plant as of 9:30 am EST!!! Status code is now 160: Production is complete and the MINI awaits a lovely a train ride from Cowley/Oxford to the docks of Southampton... Estimate is now 4-6 wks to delivery to the dealer in Hartford. |
| 08-July-2002 | Status changed from On Order to Scheduled For Production and I have an official V.I.N.!!! The V.I.N. is WMWRC33442TC37168 and the production date is 7/19/2002. |
| 21-June-2002 | Received a Production number and joined the MINI Owners Lounge. Status is officially On Order... |
| 13-June-2002 | Rhode Island vanity plate ordered... Check out the Vanity Plate Contest and guess what it might be... |
| 01-June-2002 | Test Drove a MINI for the first time at New Country Motors in Hartford, CT and ordered Chili Red MINI Cooper!! |