I'm in the process of trying to find a dealer to place my Mini build order. The economy is changing fast so what was true last month seems to be old news today. Dealers are reluctant to be very specific on pricing over the phone. Does anyone have recent experience with Northern CA dealers and MSRP/Dealer markup. I'm anxious to order my Mini but not so anxious to pay extra $! Help!

 

I just ordered from East Bay MINi last week, they were very helpful and no markup. Also they had a very good selection on the lot.

 

I ordered from Jacque (sounds like Jackie). Under MSRP and mats. She's super responsive. I did everything over the phone and email.

Jacque Vavroch
MINI Motoring Advisor
jvavroch@minisf.com
(415) 293-7024 direct

 

Hi Kewlby, just wondered what they gave you as a delivery date ? I ordered on 12/21 and I'm looking at March :-(

 

I'm planning to call 1-866-ASK-MINI and ask about my production date this coming week. The factory at Oxford is closed until 1/5/09, so the first production week will be week 2. I think we'll be in week 2 or 3. I'm guessing our MINIs will be out of production by 1/15. Based on my last MINI, it took about four weeks to go from end of production to the dock, across the Atlantic, through the Panama Canal, up the west coast, through the VDC, and to my dealer's lot. So I'm guessing our cars will be here by the second half of February.

Probably more info than you wanted to know.

 

Dont be silly, when it comes to my 1st MINI I cant get enough information

Thank you and please let me know via PM (if you dont mind) if you get a production date.

 

Just called 1-866-ASK-MINI. Looks like I'm in production week 5. So it will go in production the week of 1/26/09. SA said it could be earlier, right now, it's week 5.

 

My sales representative at SF Mini says there are lots of Minis on the lot that management wants to get rid of.
Did any sales people try to steer you guys towards something on the lot with a heavy discounted?

 

Hey Bob,

You know I went with SF MINI. I was very specific in what I wanted and Midnight Black is a new color, so they didn't bother steering me to a MINI on the lot.

Dealers will almost always give a better deal for a vehicle on the lot than an ordered vehicle or one they have to get from another dealer. Each day it sits on their lot, it costs them $$. Btw, I've been monitoring SF and East Bay's inventory for awhile and they've only moved a small handful in the last few months. If you see something you like, name YOUR price and see if they go for it. In otherwords, you make the offer, not them.

 

Bob
I was at East Bay MINI at the weekend and they had sold more than I expected since my last visit (Dec). Having said that they still had a fair few cars on the lot.

I did think about getting one from the lot and the wait is killing me but I'm glad that I ordered exactly what I wanted. In the long run I think I would have regretted just settling for one on the lot. But there really wasn't anything close to the specs I wanted. As Kewlby said if there is something close to what you want give it a go. But remember dont be afraid to bid down, its easer to increase your bid than say oops I never thought I would get it at that price

 

bought mine at sf mini off the lot, impatient! but really happy with the car,dealership eb mini seems to have best prices.

 

Thanks guys for all the good info,

I just got back from SF Mini and my Rep showed me a couple cars.
The base with auto trans for $20,950. It was the best deal but I didn't care for the color which was a premium color so I certainly won't pay for that and I'm sure he'd take the $500 off but on a base model I don't know how much more I can ask for?

I Liked the other one better ($22,650) with sun roof,cruise control,auto air,sport seats and stripes! I'd have to get at least $1000 off or I couldn't do it.

I suppose I should get hold of EB Mini and see what they have.

Because it was raining they had the outside closed so I couldn't see how many they had parked outside but as I was leaving it looked like there was another lot full of Mini's.

 

yee haa! from fairfax marin co. usa

 

East Bay Mini in Pleasanton. Good liuck!!

 

+1 - they tend to have the most stock out of all the Bay Area dealers and I had both good buying and service experiences there.

Plus, use the dealers' websites to see what they have before you make a long drive...a lot of them will list everything they have in stock, maybe you'll see something you like before you even head out!

 

I'm trying to spend as little as possible and Mountain View has a base with auto-trans. Some of the other options sound nice but I don't want to pay for them

It's $20,450 + tax (do any other counties have cheaper taxes?)
any idea about the extra "Gotchas".
Which ones you have to pay and which you don"t?

I've read that dealers are reimbursed for prep-fees.
What about Title/documentary, registration,tags,insurance and certificate of compliance fees?

Thanks again for all the help.
This forum has been a vast wealth of info

 

Niello Mini in Sacramento is the best experience I ever had in buying any car. Talk to Wade or Crystal.

Got it at MSRP, and the service has been superb!

STAY AWAY FROM MINI OF MT VIEW.

 

Sales tax does vary by county, and Santa Clara has 1/8% or something like that going to public transport. When we got Shawn last year sales tax was 8.25%, I don't know what other counties charge. Acording to the State Board of Equalisation, the state rate is 7.25%, Concord is 8.25%, Pleasanton is 8.75%, SF is 8.5%, Sacramento seems to be 7.75%.

The other things they charged for were:
$55 Document preparation fee, that's the highest they're allowed to charge
$171 Licence
$64 registration
$7 CA tires

The last 3 are all passed to the state, I assume these vary with the price of the car. All the dealer is allowed to keep is the $55.I don't know what you mean by that. I thought vehicle prep was included in the $650 destination charge.

 

That must be what I read.

Thanks Btwyx, This really helps. I may save a few bucks in taxes at Mountain View as opposed to Pleasenton (.5%) And It's definitely closer so I'll save a little gas too.

It does seem that Mountain View is not as popular as the other dealers (except maybe SF) so I hope they treat me square.

 

Greetings,

Purchased my MINI at MINI of Mountain View. I've bought a few BMWs at BMW of Mountain View. Got the "Loyal Customer discount" for purchasing my MINI at MINI of MOuntain View. Cost was $650 below MSRP. I've gotten great service and support there. Purchased my MINI through Katy Langlois.

I also know a few folks at East Bay MINI -- They're really friendly there. I live in the San Jose area which is why I purchased my MINI at MOuntain View.

Good Luck!

 

the people sf mini dealed with me on price gave me extras,floor mats & stuff. when i walk into service dept they remenber my name. they do everything they say and on time. i just feel like i matter

 

hi ricbow
what other stuff is there besides floor-mats?

 

they changed the wheels from 5 spoke 15s to 6 spoke 15s .order sport strips& mirror caps discount on instal l

 

While the sales tax does indeed vary by county (and in some places by city), the tax rate you pay will be the same no matter what county in CA you buy your car. The dealer's computer will charge you the tax rate of your location, not the dealer's location.

Enjoy your new car!

 

Anyone have any recent experiences with Bay Area dealers they can share?