it is with a heavy heart that MINIDER and friends will not be attending the AMVIV 7 this year in Las Vegas. This trip was to be a highlight of my year but as I type this message from my hospital room, now moving into the second week, I feel its time to bite the bullet and rescind my registration. I still have a room booked at the Allante Hotel with a King bed for anyone wanting to co-ordinate the takeover of my reservation. As for the release date from he hospital, maybe another week and then a long road to recovery. When I finally do get home, whoever wants the reservation for the hotel room can call me. I'll post another message when I'm ready to cancel.

I FEEL that HEAVY heart.....your pain is transending!

If I had an updated passport, i'd be asking for the room....if the passport arrives....I'd fly down there and RENT a Mini. Or, better yet....I can be the supply vehical, the one they use for the SNOW tires and stuff.

Ouch! MINIDER, I feel your pain (or at least the pain of not going!) but there's always next year, and don't forget Mini Meet West in BC is coming up next ... !

I've done a few of the earlier AMVIV's and they were fun -- so much better if you have a group of folks caravan'ing down, the road-trip itself (getting there and back) also makes for a memorable experience! You can see a podcast we did from AMVIV here...

One year I ended up flying to vegas and then renting a MINI in town -- there WAS a place called "Rent-A-Vette" which had both convertible (punched-eye purple cabrio) and hardtop (MC40 edition) Cooper S, along with airport pickup and drop-off service, for $99 a day it was worth it.. but they seem to be temporarily closed this year Maybe other places will rent MINIs, I would check with Hertz, Enterprise, Avis, and other large national chains..

I don't know how many classics there are in Calgary, but that said, AMVIV is definitely oriented towards the newer model MINI, so classic owners fill-up often and plan accordingly hehe

Here's a video we shot at an earlier AMVIV for those interested..


Our podcast, along with MC2 Magazine, did much coverage for earlier AMVIVs, here are some posts (audio and video coverage) for those interested..
Miniology AMVIV coverage

well, I'm home now and will be cancelling the reservation in 10 days from now if I don't here any response about wanting it. Maybe next year??

There are only 3 cars from Canada registered for AMVIV this year so far. Is it true only one car from Calgary going down?

Gonna miss you all.

So there are going to be almost NO Cannucks there???




who is going?

XIEK wrote:
So there are going to be almost NO Cannucks there???




who is going?

I'll be there....but I'm from Vancouver BC.
According to the AMVIV website, the only other Canadian registered along with Xiek and Beken and Scott&Cheryl from Calgary.

Ill be there for the first 2 days of it. Im going early to get a new head/cam/injectors/tune from Jan in Cali then going to Vegas from there!

Well Betty won't be there.. but XIEK will... driving BANZAI... more details to follow when you get there...

so look for a Chili Red 2003 S, with checkerboards on it, and Japanese roof decal!

I saw Xiek there (though he probably doesn't know what I look like), I should have introduced myself.... I also saw Kenji from Edmonton there.

I think that was the Canadian contingent this year.

Here are some pix I took.

Was yours the car I tagged? Was hoping the cannucks would come over and say HI!

Or were you the one that I tossed a coffee crisp too?

Looks like you spotted Lil' Red also!

XIEK wrote:
Was yours the car I tagged? Was hoping the cannucks would come over and say HI!

Or were you the one that I tossed a coffee crisp too?

I didn't see any tags on my car. Mine was the Black-eye Purple car with BC plates. However, my license plate holder hides the words "British Columbia" so it is difficult to tell where the car is from.

Ferroequine wrote:
Looks like you spotted Lil' Red also!



Oh good. So I did see the other Canadian car.

beken wrote:
XIEK wrote:
Was yours the car I tagged? Was hoping the cannucks would come over and say HI!

Or were you the one that I tossed a coffee crisp too?

I didn't see any tags on my car. Mine was the Black-eye Purple car with BC plates. However, my license plate holder hides the words "British Columbia" so it is difficult to tell where the car is from.

with very SHINY chrome wheels? parked near me in the car show?

XIEK wrote:
beken wrote:
XIEK wrote:
Was yours the car I tagged? Was hoping the cannucks would come over and say HI!

Or were you the one that I tossed a coffee crisp too?

I didn't see any tags on my car. Mine was the Black-eye Purple car with BC plates. However, my license plate holder hides the words "British Columbia" so it is difficult to tell where the car is from.

with very SHINY chrome wheels? parked near me in the car show?

Nope...no chrome wheels. My car looks like this:

I was at AMVIV thursday and friday but couldnt stay for the weekend, had to head back lol

mgwatson wrote:
I was at AMVIV thursday and friday but couldnt stay for the weekend, had to head back lol

Ah...that explains it.

We arrived fairly late Thursday night and on Friday, we spent most of the day finding our way back from Death Valley as we fell behind the group and then took a wrong turn somewhere.

I just saw this picture on DBMini.us. I believe this MINI belongs to one of our local guys. Anyone?

"sharpie".. now where have I seen that car before.. MINI Crowfoot?

I recognize the red one behind it, that's Redwood Empire Mini Enthusiasts' member "Checkers" from Northern California .. they go every year to AMVIV without fail hehe.. I heard some of the parties this year got pretty crazy (though, what happens in Vegas...)

DBmini - that's my so-cal buddy Don's website, he is one of the guys on that college-format talk radio show White Roof.. ah good times with him back in the day.. I didn't realize they were still doing it, thought they broke up and quit long ago hehe..