No tracking for me either. According to to the automated system it is awaiting carrier, but the customer service rep said it was in QC still. 7 days in QC? That's a bit disconcerting. Any of the other week 36'ers waiting for a JCW?

 

Nope. Haven't been assigned to a ship yet. ASK MINI doesn't track it once it has been released to the carrier. No worry here although it will be nice when it's official.

 

After 3 days in bodyshop and 3 days in the paintshop my clubby is ready and waiting to be released to carrier. There is no tracking available on WW web site though .

 

Your vin# should show up about three days after your build date on the WW web site.

 

Nothing for me with WW either, but I suspect that mine is going on K-Line's Caribbean Highway, which is the next ship to Charleston. It's too bad that K-Line doesn't have the VIN check like WW, but it is usually faster to Charleston, as it doesn't stop in NY for a couple of days. I'll ask my MA about it on Friday if nothing shows up by then. Who else still needs to catch a ship to Charleston?

 

Blah, I'm still waiting on mine as well. Considering it finished production on 9/2 I thought it would've been on it's way here. I was doing so well with this waiting thing but now I'm really starting to get anxious.

 

Mine was born on the 6th and heading to Charleston too. WW still doesn't list the VIN. The first boat for WW is the Tombarra which left on the 8th and arrives on the 20th, but since my VIN isn't showing up I doubt we made that boat. The next WW boat is the Independence II which leaves the 13th and arrives the 27th. On K-Line the Caribbean Highway leaves the 10th and arrives the 25th. I'm thinking this is where we'll find ourselves.

 

I guess some of us are having the same issues....3 days in the paint shop for me while 1866-ask-mini says that the car is done with it's QA check. I really wish these guys had their info connected with one seamless system instead of us having to get conflicting pieces of info. WW website does not show a VIN and I am just sad I cannot track her accurately

 

At the dock--but no VIN on WW yet either. The information blackout is a killer!

 

I'd like to ask some advice of you guys>this is the second time I've purchased a car from a dealer (earlier experience was from a private seller). The first time was in March of this year, where I financed with the dealer and ended up getting my money back after months of undiagnosable mechanical problems.

Anyway, this time I'm getting financing through a credit union, totally unaffiliated with the dealer. I got my loan approved yesterday, and the lady at the credit union told me that I would need to go to the dealership, get them to fax the credit union an invoice, and then the credit union would over night the check for the MINI. This seems to be a two-day process. I want my MINI ASAP - is there any way to speed this up? Would it be foolish to get the invoice faxed to the credit union a few days before my MINI arrives at the dealership, as I may wish to not accept it because of some noticable defect?

Do you guys have any advice that might help me streamline this process and drive my MINI earlier?

Thanks in advance!

 

Engender,
I'm in a similar situation although still waiting on BMW/MINI for financing info. Did you consider financing through MINI?

 

Engender, I am in a similar situation as you. I couldn't pass up the rate from the CU (4.75%). Like you, I hope it doesn't delay anything. My CU said I just needed to bring in the pre-approval letter from the CU, and that is as good as cash to the dealer. The paperwork to get the money from the CU to the dealer is done behind the scenes. We'll see.

 

I have a similar situation with the credit union because there rate was lower then MINI financing. They just told me to bring the bill of sale or something like that and they would cut the check within 10 minutes and I could be on my way directly to pick up my mini. Another credit union worked the same way when I bought my last car, tell us how much and we will cut the check for you to take to the dealer. Not sure why they do it behind the scenes.

Oh and the owners lounge moved to awaiting transport this morning- but still VIN# not matching on W&W site. Very curious what they are doing with our mini's

 

I'm chiming in with a 'me too'. I'm also waiting for tracking information.

My car was scheduled to be built on 09/03, was told that it had entered production on the 3rd, called on the 4th and was told it was in final QA. When I called yesterday it hadn't entered production yet =P.

I think something is screwy with the tracking system =).

 

I'm getting a rate similar to Deepscuba, which is way lower then anything MINIUSA will offer, as I understand it. My credit union is out of state, so it complicates things a bit... I guess I should contact my MA and see if they will take the pre-approval letter in lieu of the check as well.

Out of curiosity, what dealership are you dealing with, Scuba? Is the CU you are using well known and local? Is it like "we know that CU, so when we see a letter, you're good"?

 

8 Days in QC. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

 

My gut is telling me that those of us heading to NY and have not yet been confirmed on the Independence II.....will not make it. The good news is that the Don Quixote leaves only three days later, arriving on Sept. 25. Got to make it onto one of them sooner or later!

I have agreed to sell my '06 to a guy who wants to take possession by Sept. 30, so I may have to find other transportation for a few days.

 

My wife and I both work for a credit union. She is currently a loan officer and I was one for years, so I can tell you there are couple ways of doing this to make it very easy.

First, the dealer can prepare the sales agreement before you are scheduled to pick up your MINI and fax it to the CU. Basically, the CU just needs to verify the VIN and the purchase price. They can either send the check to you and you can bring it in when you pick up your MINI, or they can send it directly to the dealer.

The other common option is to go pick up the MINI at the dealer, but tell them you are financing through your CU. They will set you up with "contingent" financing to protect themselves, but will give you typically 4-7 days to pay in full without accruing any interest. You can then get a copy of the sales contact to the CU and they will book the loan and send the check directly to the dealer. Talk to your CU, but I can pretty much guarantee you that they will do everything they can to make the process as easy for you as possible. Either way, you shouldn't have to wait at all to pick up your new MINI.

Cheers,
Chris

 

tancred, I'm with you on this one! My MINI is waiting to go to Charleston. Built 9/5 and I asked my MA for a ship ID...and he didn't know as of yesterday. Feel so out-of-the-loop not being able to track anything now....

 

I was scheduled for week 37 (my car started early and was finished yesterday 09/09 I guess that makes me a 36 1/2'er) it was released to the carrier per the MiniUSA rep. No further info could be provided. They did say the my MA should know.

FYI- Hopefully you get on one of these ships:
Next (WW line) ships leaving out of South Hampton that stop in Charleston; Independence II (Departs 09/13 arrives 09/27), Don Quiote (Departs 09/16 Arrives 09/30) The cool thing is once your car is on the ship, you can look it up via the VIN number on the WW website.

 

I thought I saw someone indicate they had already been booked for the Independence II. If I'm wrong, getting on it is still a good bet. I hope I was wrong!

 

My JCW "Rupert" was completed 9-6 and OL indicates it is awaiting transport,but so far his VIN is not showing up on the WW line and my MA doesn't have a clue!
MsBrit

 

The ASK-MINI says that my Clubby is being transported to the port of exit, still no tracking info o the WW site. I am hoping tomorrow is the day he gets on the ship and soon thereafter will be on the voyage over the pond .

 

But first, thanks WYSIWYG for the CU tutorial!

Okay, now for trivia... When checking AIS for the Independence ll, it shows a rather elderly looking ARC vessel. On vessel tracker (yes, I know the free version has a time delay) I see the Independence ll in Antwerp, but click on it and it shows a completely different ship, and the name is the Independence li. But if you check the IMO number it's the same as the Lloyd's number on the WW schedule! Looks like it was renamed after being sold earlier this year. I think this one is our chariot of the sea.

Keep keeping the faith Herby74, if Mr Ray is right we still have until tomorrow to get booked on the Independence!

 

I was told today our car is on the Western Highway!