Over 1,000 miles!

Yup, sometime during this morning's commute to work -- probably as I was crossing over from da Bronx into Westchester on the lovely (and very rarely traffic-free) Hutchinson Parkway -- I hit that milestone.

1K today!

Wow!!! Just slightly over four weeks of "owning" Mini-E #339 and I've logged 1,009 miles.

Yea, yea ok... technically "I" didn't do all those miles since when 339 and I first met, she already had 30 miles on her. (I suppose someone had to drive her around the UK where she was "born." And then onto the cargo ship to get her across the Atlantic... then off the ship in Jersey... then onto the truck carrier to ferry her across the Hudson... and then into the BMW/Mini Mahattan dealership... Whoa... So how many people are we talkin' here who might've been behind 339's wheel before me?!?!? ;-))

Anyway... There's probably plenty I can write about on this momentous day with my Mini-E. But since I gotta do my "day job," really quickly:

PRO:

• 339 is still very much fun to drive!!
• Driving by the neighborhood gas stations and watching the price of gas fluctuate is now more "amusing" than "frustrating"
• I'm remembering how a "small car" can be a super plus bonus when trying to fit in a NYC parking space
• More people at work are noticing how quiet and "special" 339 is -- AND stopping me in the lot or in the hallways asking for more details... AND rides!
  

CONS:

• No more "new car smell" (although that might be a "good thing.")
  
• A month into my 12-month relationship with 339 and I still ha`ve to get use to some "quirky" controls
• Have yet to see "100-mile" range on a 100% charge ("94 miles" was the best estimate I've seen on her gauge -- and then actually travel about 80, and still have the "estimate-to-empty" gauge read "22-miles." Go figure.)
• I have only 48-weeks left in this grand "experiment" with Mini-E. (Could BMW/Mini really take these beautiful cars and destroy them after we've driven them for a year? My heart breaks at the thought!)

Oh and to "celebrate" our milestone achievement together, I may be getting some nifty shirts.
Robert Ballard, who runs a nifty Mini blog called TwistyBlitz, has set up a shop of nifty Mini-E "swag." (Is it really "swag" if you have to pay for it? ;-))

Still, they're very cool shirts -- made of "organic materials," too!

And what will 339 get out of it? Hmmm... Maybe a nice, professional (hand) car wash and detailing. (I'd have done it earlier, but it's been raining off and on most of the weeks here in NYC. And this weekend seems like it's going to be perfect, sunny days!)