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MINI Cooper Prices Paid and Buying Experience

1491 messages,  Last post on Apr 23, 2013 at 2:35 AM

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What is this discussion about? MINI Cooper, MINI Cooper Clubman, MINI Cooper Countryman, Coupe, Hatchback, SUV

Messages Page 48 of 150

#463 of 1491 Re: Help, please, for vehicle-challenged woman ready to purchase [heyheyjud by mini_dreams

Aug 24, 2006 (8:43 pm)

Replying to: heyheyjude (Aug 24, 2006 2:56 pm)
No problem... glad to help and inspire. I've gotten some good advice and help here, so I'm trying to give back. I'm obviously a bit of a miniac even without having one yet. Once I have mine, I'll be able to provide more concrete info. and experience. But I know I'm going to love it as most people here seem to. Having a car you actuallly like to drive makes a big difference, I think.
 
If you're in North Carolina, you should check the dealers nearby. There's one in Winston-Salem, NC, that has a good website... like the Memphis dealer, it has "real" pictures and info. It's www.flowmini.com. In terms of seeing how their prices are, find a car on there you like, then go to www.miniusa.com and build the same car and see how the prices align. Then you can see if they are raising the price at all. It might be hard to determine exactly because many dealers install little extras like floor mats, chrome tail pipe covers, aux. input jacks for MP3 players, etc.
 
You could definitely deal with the dealer here in Memphis and then pick it up, but i would suggest seeing the Mini in person and driving one if you haven't. There are so many custom options on the Minis that each one is different, so you need to make sure you know what you like -- i.e., what color dash you want, whether you want sport seats or regular seats, all the color combinations that are available. (FYI, I think the sport seats are a great improvement over the standard seats. And I think the mult-function steering wheel is great.)
 
The only two colors that are "free" are chilli red and pepper white. All of the other colors are $450. When you order, you can select whatever color combination you want; this doesn't add any time to the order. The biggest time issue is shipping the cars from England and then to the dealer, but I think they dock in South Carolina, so it should be quick to you. The avg. wait is 6-8 weeks after an order is placed. The other reason to order is you can customize the car exactly to your liking.
 
If you buy from the lot, most dealers order a mix of colors. I ordered the pure silver with black roof, but there are so many great color combinations that I'm still unsure if I made the right choice! I feel that I would get tired of the red quickly. The green is nice, too, esp. with a white roof. I usually don't like white, but Mini's Pepper White with a black roof is pretty cool. I think having a contrast roof is key, but there is an all Space Blue Metallic S on the Memphis lot that is pretty sweet. However, mine's already in the works and I'm sure I'll like it once it is here. The pure silver definitely doesn't show dirt as much. And I can always change to another color in the future!
 
Don't worry about the salesmen!! They are making money. These guys will not sell a car without making some money. Check what this poster wrote:
 
martijnh, "MINI Cooper: Prices Paid & Buying Experience" #459, 22 Aug 2006 12:38 pm
 
As far as I know you have to go through a salesperson. That's their job and they are getting paid something. In fact, they probably have a quota they are trying to make so they want customers. Just find one you like. Although I've only dealt with the dealer in Memphis, I think, generally, the Mini "culture" tries to promote a fun, friendly experience, not like "typical" car salesman, although based on posts from West Coasters, that may not be true there. The only thing Mini dealers won't do, is barter on the MSRP like other car dealers. They can sell their cars for MSRP and do.
 
As for the premium gas thing... I know the S requires it, but I'm unsure about the Cooper. I've heard all different theories. Some say you can swap between regular and premium, others say only premium. I'm going to see if I can find more about that and also ask the dealer and get their input.
 
So, go to the Winston-Salem or Charlotte dealer and drive one or two or three. Check out all the different options they have. I'm an automatic guy, but actually ordered a 5-speed because they are fun to drive. And most of all, don't feel pressured to buy one on the spot. Mini's are lesss of a commodity than other cars. They are specialty cars and the dealers know this. If you don't find the Mini you want on the lot, ask them what is "incoming" and see if it fits with what you want. Dealers can lookup what cars they have on order, and also what cars are already being shipped and are unspoken for -- this is a piece of info. I learned form the Memphis dealer - some cars are shipped but not allocated to a particular dealer until they hit U.S. shores, so dealers can put a request in for these cars. I test drove about 3 or 4 at the Memphis dealer. They were patient and then helped me place my order for the one I wanted.
 
Good luck!

#464 of 1491 Silver MINI S Convertible on the lot since 3/06: Red Flag? by bobo_c

Aug 25, 2006 (12:57 pm)

Hi-
I'm new to the board so please forgive me if this question's been answered in one form or another.
 
I just moved to Dallas, and am looking at Moritz Mini and BMW of Dallas.
 
The particular model I'm looking at (Moritz) is a new silver Cooper S Convertible that's been on the lot since March (it's nearly September). Is this a red flag? If the color was undesirable, this would be understandable, but that's
not the case. It has black leatherette seats, steering wheel controls, and the Cold Weather Package. Does the long time it's been sitting on the lot give me any leverage in terms of negotiating?
 
Secondly, more of a general car industry question, as I'm going to buy now, but... is there a point when dealers will do ANYTHING to unload '06 models, or do they have some alternate methods of taking care of old excess inventory that don't involve selling in a panic?
 
Thanks for all your help...
 
BoBo_C

#465 of 1491 Re: Silver MINI S Convertible on the lot since 3/06: Red Flag? [bobo_c] by markjenn

Aug 26, 2006 (9:51 am)

Replying to: bobo_c (Aug 25, 2006 12:57 pm)
It may be that a relatively lightly-loaded convertible (e.g., no leather) isn't a very popular car as most drop-top buyers are looking for more bling. Or perhaps the dealer is leaving it on the lot as a semi-demo model - they may be selling it as new, but I wouldn't be surprised if it has a few hundred miles on it. There is no hard rule on how many miles a car can have and still be sold as "new".
 
Yes, you can use the time it has sat or the demo miles on the car as negotiating tools. How much discount can you expect? Hard to say. Assuming the car has less than 50 miles or so and assuming it is the car you want, I'd start with maybe $2K off and see what they say. My guess is that they'll come off a grand at most.
 
Dealers will discount models that are not moving, but you're not going to get them to take $5K off or anything. They know what the car is worth and they understand that eventually a butt walks through the door for every seat. They're in the business and aren't going to be panic-selling anything at a fire-sale price. They'll probably negotiate, but have reasonable expectations. It all depends on the local supply/demand situation and it varies from month-to-month and even day-to-day.
 
- Mark

#466 of 1491 Rear bicycle rack? Anyone have one of these with the Rear Park Distance? by bfromhold

Sep 03, 2006 (2:37 pm)

I've just been notified that my Mini Cooper S is making it's way across the Ocean. I'm s-o-o-o-o excited!
 
I'm still debating whether to add the bike rack that fits on the rear of the Mini. Does anyone have this accessory on their Mini? How about installing one with the Rear Park Distance Control? I was told by my dealer that the "alarm" would only sound if I had bikes on the rack. Another dealer told me the opposite (that it would sound all the time whether there were bikes on the rack or not). Does anyone have any experience with this that wants to give me their take on it?
 
Thanks in advance...

#469 of 1491 Mini Cooper S GP Edition - Future Value by leeshuck

Sep 04, 2006 (11:14 am)

One of my local dealers has one Mini Cooper S GP Edition available for $7,500 over the MSRP of $31,150 They are going to put another one on the floor for $10,000 over MSRP. The cars are supposed to arrive in late October.
 
Since only 2000 Mini Cooper S GP Editions are being produced worldwide, with 415 coming to the US, what do you think this car will be worth short term and long term?
 
Thanks,
 
Lee

#470 of 1491 Re: Mini Cooper S GP Edition - Future Value [leeshuck] by markjenn

Sep 04, 2006 (11:35 am)

Replying to: leeshuck (Sep 04, 2006 11:14 am)
Hard to say. But I don't see these ever being worth the money to justify these markups. In fact, I wonder if, once the hoopla dies down, that they'll be able to sustain anything over MSRP. It's a cool Mini, but I don't see very many people paying $40K for a FWD souped-up econobox. There are just too many wonderful cars available for this kind of silly money. We're talking BMW 335i money here. I think this dealer is fishing for a sucker.
 
And you've got the new turbo cars coming - it's quite possible that within a year or two, Mini will produce a variant of the new model for $26K which blows the doors off this model for $14K less. This just feels like a last-gasp attempt to inject some new life in the old model.
 
- Mark

#471 of 1491 Buying 2006 Mini Cooper S by jaydeepb

Sep 12, 2006 (6:15 pm)

Hi,
 
I'm interested in custom odering a 2006 Mini Cooper S and wanted to know how the experience has been. Is there anything that can be done with pricing? I'm in the Tri-State area.
 
Thanks for the help!
 
Jaydeep

Messages Page 48 of 150

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