Hi, long time lurker here and huge Mini fan. The biggests thing holding me back from pulling the trigger is the dealership location. I am on the western slope of colorado and Denver is about 250 miles to the east and Salt Lake City about 280 miles to the northwest. Any advice?

 

Yes, move closer to the dealership The MINI is worth it, you'll never regret relocating for the ultimate MINI

 

MINI of the Hamptons!

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...=mini+hamptons

 

I, too, live about 250 miles from the closest Mini dealer, and I decided to take the gamble.

Ordered my 2007 MCS in March and took delivery on April 28. My dealership possibilities were Minneapolis, St. Louis, Naperville or Schaumburg, Illinois. I am most familiar with Schaumburg, so that's where I met Jen, my Motoring Advisor at Patrick Mini.

She arranged a test drive for me. I drove 500 miles round-trip to try a 2006 MCS last summer in Schaumburg, fell in love with it, and decided I had to have the 07 as soon as I had the cash. In March I drove another 500 miles to try the 2007 MCS. In April I drove another 500 miles to pick up my Mini.

Naturally, like you, I had to weigh the various factors.

I'm not rich. It's my only car. Saved for a long time to afford it. I have to drive 14 miles round-trip to work every day. The nearest grocery store is 24 miles round-trip. Kids are grown up and moved away, meaning no one depending on me for a ride. Warranty sounds good. Patrick people seem solid. Designed and backed by BMW. So I felt I could take the risk.

But what a marvelous risk: sports car handling and power, 35 mpg average, feels very solidly built. And very pretty.

 

I'm around 200 miles from the nearest dealership (that's in the same country, anyway - the Montreal dealerships are closer than that, but...).

You're really going to have to make sure you are comfortable with the dealership in question. Will they go above and beyond for you? Service appointments that unexpectedly take longer than planned can be a big problem. My service center has done all kinds of great things to help make sure my car will be back in my hands the same day.

If you have any doubts about the dealership, it will be a tough decision. If you don't - go for it.

 

I'm about 200 miles from 2 dealers. We bought at the one near Washington DC because we go there a few times each year. It is a risk, but the car is too tempting to pass up. We have a neighbor who is on her second MINI. She's been able to live with the distance. We know it will cause us some difficulty at some point, but we've wanted a MINI for about 5 years and it was finally time to get one.

 

I'm about that far from the nearest MINI dealer (Mini of Murray - SLC). I did much of my purchase via the internet. I have had one mechanical issue with my MINI (heater fan) and they worked very closely with me to correct the problem. I have been happy with them.

 

Thanks for the replies!
I do not have a problem with purchasing a vehicle out of town and have done so in the past because of better deals and selection. I also do not have a problem with scheduled maintenance trips as I can plan for this and make a "mini" vacation out of it.
What worries me is a disabled vehicle 300 miles from the dealership or a repair
that might take several days. The warranty is great but when you factor in fuel for 600 miles, hotel, food, etc. any repair, even under warranty, can get very expensive.
I won't get into run flats at this time. haha
Thanks again!

 

Hi all! First post here and I feel a little bad now seeing how far some of you have to drive to get to a Mini dealer. I live between Tampa and Orlando and have 2 dealers near me. They are 48 miles to my west and 60 miles to my east. I was wondering if I should consider a MINI because of the distance, but I suppose it's not a big deal after reading this thread.

 

I have to drive over 4 hours to K.C. Mo. to get to my Mini dealership. But I've only had to go once and that was to pick up my new key. My MINI has'nt given me hardly any trouble at all.

 

Hi all -

I'm in the process of deciding what I want (and who I want to get it from) also. My nearest dealer is in Tacoma (300 miles) and the next closest is in Portland (350 miles). I'm on the WA/ID border.

I've been talking with Sara at Rasmussen (Portland) to set up a test drive but she just emailed me saying that they only have one MCS to test drive and it doesn't have sports suspension. Does this sound right? It doesn't sound right to me. Were others able to drive more than one when they did their test drive? Now I'm having to re-think my decision to test drive there. I'm checking with Northwest (in Tacoma) to see what they have. This living far away is a pain!! (although I realize that, in time, it will all be worth it....)

Thanks,
-holls-

 

My dealer had one demonstrator in March. It didn't have exactly the equipment I was interested in, but close enough to give me a good idea of what to expect. The biggest thing for me was that it be an MCS, since I wanted the turbo.

About warranty... I just put my trust in the warranty claim that MiniUSA will send a truck if my car is disabled anywhere in the U.S. Anyone have experience with that?

 

Thanks for the reply, oldsbear. So, maybe that is just the way it goes. One of the sticking points with me was whether or not I wanted the sports suspension, so I was really looking forward to see how the ride differed between the two. Hmmm.......

 

I ordered the sport suspension and 17" wheels. It's a bit harsh on potholes or otherwise bad pavement, but I don't object. I like the solid, precise, under-control feeling. If you or a significant other likes a gentler ride and/or often deals with less than ideal roads, maybe the standard suspension and 16" wheels would serve you better.

I have admired "sports car suspension" since I was kid in the only car I could afford -- a 1955 Ford -- while my friends were driving MGs. Always liked the idea of not slowing down for corners . Now that I can actually afford a car that performs, I am loving it! So maybe I'm not the best person to judge the ride.

For what it's worth.

 

I appreciate your feedback!! Yeah, I guess we're going to have to talk about how important the ride is....versus the handling.

I *did* find a car with sports suspension to test but it is in Tacoma (and I plan to test drive in Portland on Friday). The bummer of living in the middle of nowhere (which is where this thread started!). I guess I can drive up to Tacoma while I'm in Portland...it's about another 2-3 hour drive (which wouldn't be a problem in a MINI!!).

 

Hello fellow "MINI of Murray" crowd! I live about 240 miles north of the Murray, Utah dealership. There is no dealership in Idaho (drats). They have been good to deal with, although just a tad pushy on the service end...you know "lets look at this, lets look at that @ 90.00 an hour". I bought my car online, as using anysort of locator sevice was futile, unless I wanted to drive a billion miles. I wrote down everything I wanted, and watched online for several months until (our truck was paid off), and I located the exact car that matched my list. The car I found was at a dealer in Chicago, who were very nice to deal with. They put the car on a truck for me, and low and behold, I have been smiling since! Im not terribly concerned with whether or not my car gets to the dealer 'cause its out of warranty anyway. It just has to go for an eternally lit airbag light (which is under warranty). I am a very very lucky person. My husband is like the best certified mechanic around, now if I could just get him to work on my stuff....

 

OH, OOPS....I forgot what I was going to say...about the suspension. The only thing I think that I would do different, is that I wouldnt get runflats again. I got them on the 17" wheels, that paired with the suspension, and the roads = my need for camber plates to fix the common strut tower problem. Next time for tires I will be going with the standard ones, which are about 1/2 the price of the runflats, and buying a can of that slime stuff and a little compressor.

 

I'll be moving to western CO soon myself (Durango area probably), after my work project in Texas is over. Knowing that delayed my buying a MINI also, but in the end I felt it was worth it. At least the drive to Albuquerque (closer than Denver) is a scenic one.