Love at First Drive

I went to visit my Mini this afternoon. I took it for a test drive, during at which time it started to smoke from under the bonnet. We got it back to the seller's shop and he believes it's a leaking bypass hose. Hopefully that's all it is.

The plan for this week is as follows: I'll forward my insurance card to the seller, and he's going to see if he can register the car and get it inspected on my behalf. He's also going to finish some loose ends which include addressing the newly discovered overheating issue, fixing a small oil leak, adhering some pinstripes and the bonnet emblem, affixing the MINI lettering on the boot, finishing the dash, and popping a small dent at the right rear quarter. So basically a lot of small, quick jobs. He told me everything will be done this week so I can pick it up on Saturday.

The pedals don't have covers on them yet, and my tractionless Converse shoes were slippin' n slidin' all over the clutch pedal. So with that going on and the smoke emitting from the bonnet, I wish I could've enjoyed my test drive a bit more. Getting into third gear was a bit different as well. Nonetheless, it was quite a thrill driving my Mini for the very first time. Even at 6' 2" I was quite comfortable inside the thing...which boasted much more room than my Midget. The smaller engine was also apparent during the lap (noted mostly when driving uphill).

Although the Moonraker Blue finish wouldn't have been my first color choice, I like that it's unique and I think it does exude a certain bit of class. And after going through this whole ordeal, I'll just be happy if I can pick up the car on Saturday with everything working and completed. While standing there in the shop, with the car overheating and seeing this laundry list of yet-to-dos, I realized how insignificant the color is at this point. Let's just get her home.