Hi, everybody! I'm also one of the "newbies" to M.A. having just joined today! Doug, the publicity guy from our St. Louis MINI Club mentioned the 2013 M.A. Calendar and I came here to check it out and voila!! Just had to join!:wink: I, too, have wanted a MINI for some time and came upon a 2008 sparkling silver R56 about a month ago! I LOVE IT! We've named it "Gary" and I really agree to everything that you all write about handling, response, and just plain... enjoyment in driving! So... thanks to Nathan for being so welcoming and I can't wait to read more! Happy trails!! Cheers, Kevin