Hey guys
Im wondering what the order process is like for the MINI. Is there an upfront charge for ordering? If it exists does that charge get refunded back in case of a change of mind? Also how long is a typical wait from the order to recieving the mini.
The reason i am wondering is because i have a final tuition payment to make soon and it will take me at least a month to recover. I also want to order an mcs since there seems to be a wait but if I can get a good deal on a wrx that ive been looking at I would probably go that way.
The MCS is what i really want I just hope that it works out for me

thanks for any help

 

When I ordered my Mini from Moritz in Dallas, they had me give them a check for $1000.

BUT.... they don't cash it. It just sits in a folder.

When you go to pick up your mini, they rip it up, or cash it as your down payment, or whatver you want so long as you are completing the purchase of your car. The only time they would actually cash the check is if back out of the deal. It's more of a security deposit that never gets deposited, so long as you end up buying the car when after it's built.

Not sure if this is true for all dealerships, but it's how my dealership handled it. From what I hear though, it's standard operating procedure.

 

My dealer also required the $1000 deposit but they did cash it. It will either be refunded or subtracted from the cost of the car when I go pick it up. In the event that I did not buy my car they said that my deposit would be returned to me once my car was sold by them (which they said usually doesn't take very long) As for wait times, from what I hear this also depends greatly on the dealer you use. I have heard of several folks in my area getting their car in 1.5-2 months, but in SoCal it seems like some dealers have a ridiculous 1 year wait?!

Alot of our friends drive WRX's and they like them but it depends on exactly what you want. I would personally take a MINI over a WRX but they are both fun cars.

 

I had to put $2000 down here in Albuquerque and used my credit card. Now I get to pay interest on that but I did ebay a lot of old computer things so I payed most of it off already.

My wait is about 4 months here. Ordered right before Christmas and the car is due in May.

Brad

 

also wanted to see if anyone could answer these questions with experience at mini of the hamptons. That is the dealer i will most likely be going to since im on long island and hear nothing but good things about.

thanks again for the responses

 

Mini of the Hamptons (MOTH) =
I'ld give them but MINIUSA only allows as the best.
$1000 refundable deposit.
Order placed 01/07/04.
Arrived at MOTH 02/14/04.
JCW added and put on a train to SoCal.

 

If I can add to this thread....

What about the wait time on ordering a MCC? Anyone know?

 

The wait times depend on the region you live. Wait times between local dealers can vary depending on things like markup or selling at MSRP. Best thing you can do is pick up the phone and call and ask. Production in England to dealer delevery is about 6 weeks. The rest of the wait time depends on how many people are in front of you.

 

Make sure you ask and get an clear answer. My dealer was vague and now I have no idea when I am getting my car. I asked the right question now and I hope the will be honest with me this time.

If you are interested in a MCC don't wait too long. They are already popular, and alot of people don't know about them yet. Wait till the weather turns and all the ones people have been getting over the winter start driving around. Demand will skyrocket.

 

mex - Welcome to NAM

Usually when you put an order-in for a MINI, they ask for a deposit. The $2 grand that nerd put down is the most I've ever heard of...my 2nd MCS the dealer knew I was "good for it" so they didnt' ask for anything. Most dealerships will be comfortable with a $500 deposit; it's just something tangible to attach the order to you. I doubt it's "required" to leave a deposit, but probably just a good-faith sort of thing. If you can't fork up big money, don't let the dealership weasel you.

Second; yes your deposit can be refunded, though the terms may vary from dealer-to-dealer and state-to-state.

Last; order wait times are entirely based on the individual dealership. SoCal dealers still seem to have extensive waiting periods, where as Classic MINI and others have much quicker order times.

I hope that helps,
Ryan

 

Same here, except for the JCW part. Jerry was great to work with.

 

I put $1000 on my CC.


At the dealer I went to, I was told the deadline for a factory order is the 15th of the month. If you miss it, it gets bumped to the next month. If I had placed my order on January 15, I was looking at an end of March beginning of April delivery in the Vancouver BC area (Canada). Right now, it would be end of April/beginning of May delivery.

So it sounds like a 3 to 4 month wait for a factory order.

 

I had to put down $500 deposit on a Cooper S when I ordered it from Classic Mini in Ohio. It became part of the downpayment. I ordered it on 11/18/04, it was built on 12/8/04 and was at the dealer 1/3/05.

Cheers,

 

My dealer asked for $1000, took $500. He also told me that depending on what you order (it seems some people have crazy ideas on what color roof will look good with what color body) that he has asked for $2700 non-refundable deposit on an order, which is he claimed is the cost of repainting the roof. Seems to me you should be able to paint the entire car twice for that kind of money.

Joey

 

We put down $1000 in the middle of December and got told that the car would be delivered in early of March. Things appear to be going ahead of schedule, so it seems to me that the waiting period is not hard and fast. Our Cooper wasn't supposed to be built until the second week of February, but it is currently built and awaiting transport. And yes, our dealer cashed our check but told us that we could get a full refund if we decided to cancel the order... not sure that happens too often, though....

 

Nov. of 2001 left $500 deposit ,refundable up to specing the car.Took delivery the last day of july 2002 (9 months!)