Hello, I've decided to buy a Mini Cooper, and I went to the dealer in Mountain View. I was told that there is absolutely no space for bargain. is that the case for Mini that we have to order or buy at MSRP? I found it ridiculous plus the sales gave a pretty bad attitude as if he was selling the only car that can fly..... what are the prices that people usually pay for the Mini?

I'm also kinda confused about the differences between 2008 and 2009 model. is there anywhere i can find those information? I cant get anything from the dealer since he postured himself like a liberty statue...

From reading a few articles here, it seemed that if I order a 2009 model, I cannot get it until Feb 2009, but can I still order a 2008 model?

thanks all~ any help will be appreciated!

J

 

Paying MSRP is pretty typical. Some guys have reported paying under MSRP (not many though), some over. Probably depends on how the dealer is doing against his quota. I would think if you ordered a new Mini, you'd get it before Feb '09. Ordering is the best way to get exactly what you want. Call another dealer and ask them the skinny on what year you can order and when you'd get it. I would suggest Murray in Salt Lake or Rassmussen's In Portland. Either will treat you like a human. Can speak about all of them, but from what I've seen, most California dealers are high in price.

 

Thanks for the response Cougsfan~ Yes, I'd like to treated like human. but I dont know how I'm gonna get the car here in CA if I order it in Salt Lake or Porland....I was also told by the dealer in mountain view that the price they sell is MSRP + $1500 which includes all license fee and tax and bla bla bla... I'll start asking around tomorrow.
So the rumer about that the earliest time you can get 09 Mini is Feb 09 is not true? or...it varies by dealers? thanks!

J

 

Check out the cost of a one way plane ticket. It probably isn't as expensive as you'd think. Far less than the $1,500 the Mountain View dealer is trying to nail on you! (Including Taxi fees if needed.) (My friend bought his Mini at Murray, Utah which is 12 miles from the Salt Lake Airport. He flew in, took an airport shuttle to a hotel near the dealer, and walked the final half mile to the dealer. He didn't even stay at the Hotel. The guy is even cheaper than I am). Last time I checked, niether of those dealers added anything over MSRP. And...There is nothing like enjoying your brand new Mini on a "getting aquainted" road trip back to your home. It isn't that far from either of those locations to the Bay area. A fairly easy day's drive.

I don't know the exact delivery of new Minis these days. I am just saying that September to February seems awfully long. But you can sure call them and ask. You can also find out if they have anything interesting in stock.

Good luck on whatever you do.

 

I live in Spain and i'm thinking about getting one. The R56 starts at 19k. US spec. So shipping is only like a thousand dollars so its a great deal.

 

Hey,

You're out of luck in SF Bay Area. My wife's car died and we had to get a new one. I did not really want to get a Civic since both of us were drooling around Minis for a long long time. After calling every dealer in the area it was obvious that they either had no cars that matched our requirements and that if ordered we would get a car around mid December. This was unacceptable since my wife has to commute every day and due to her line of work we cannot use public transportation.

Here is the deal, if Mountain View mini offers MSRP + 1,500 for tax and registration, then it is not a bad deal given the fact that these cars are freaking hot. The tax in San Mateo country is 8.25% which means that for a car that costs 23,000 you'll be paying 23,000 x 8.25% =1,897.50 in taxes. Then add $240 or so for registration and you have extra $2,000 added to your MSRP. If Mountain View does this for $1,500 then you win.

Guys at East Bay Mini asked for MSRP + $2,000 + taxes + registration. I told them to get a hike. They offered to split the $2,000 markup and I refused. After some negotiations we settled on MSRP + $200 + free rubber mats all around + tax + registration. Essentially, I paid very little over MSRP. I don't feel bad because not getting a Mini today meant spending more freaking money on my old beater just to get it to run (that'd be around $800) and then getting a Mini in about two months so in my situation I won.

My best advice to you is not to hurry because you never ever ever need a Mini (you may need a method of transportation, but not an expensive car). Order one at the place that charges you the least. Had we had time to do that, I would not be paying extra $$$ for stupid not-so-hot wheels and other accessories I did not really want. Good luck!

 

I went through a similar experience trying to buy a JCW last August. Salt Lake City (Murray, UT) was my closest dealer but was not interested in my trade and new orders were out to Jan. Called Denver and they were out until Feb. Called Phoenix and they wouldn't sell out-of-state. Finally called Las Vegas and they had an opening to order a JCW for end of Sept delivery and they would treat me fairly good on my trade.

I ordered the car as I wanted it and took delivery on Sept 24th. They also wanted about $2,500 over MSRP, but I refused anything higher than list and wished them well in finding a buyer. In a couple days, they called back and agreed to an MSRP figure. From then on, the process was very user-friendly.

As a side note: The JCW is a fantastic car. You just cannot believe how strong the motor is at any rpm above 2,000. Pulls like freight train. You'd swear there was a V-6 under the hood. My strong recommendation is to spring for the JCW if you can. Unfortunately, the allotment is very small for most dealers and Vegas was only allowed 10 for the year..........you guessed it, mine was number 10.

Good luck.

 

ive heard mini of concord was a nice place to deal with, i purchased mine at minisf, but wished i had gone with concord. at concord, they actually let you take the car for a spin without the salesperson. =) i strongly do not recommend the sf dealer, both sales and service center sucks.