I thought this could be fun and might provide me with information to help me decide. I have narrowed my search to these two cars:

1) 2020 Mini Cooper S 4-door, iconic package (leather seats, premium audio, 8.8" touchscreen navigation, head up display, 18-inch wheels with summer tires). 32k miles. Solaris Orange with satellite grey seats. $28,000 OTD. Non-Mini dealer.
2) 2021 Mini Cooper S 2-door, Coral Red edition (premium audio, 6.5" touchscreen navigation, 17" wheels, leatherette seats). 24k miles. Coral Red with black roof. Certified used. $30,000 OTD. Mini dealer (leased before).

I am leaning towards #1; seems to me I get more for less (4 doors, leather seats, head up display and even alarm which could be handy since I park on the street). But I would have to swap tires (if not wheels) as well as buy extended insurance for it.

The coral red is very pretty too and it is CPO and has less miles (also a year newer). But even taking into account the CPO it's still $1000-1500 more....

Both are one-owner vehicles in like-new shape.

Thoughts?

 

Certified has a better warranty, I'd bet. The non-Mini dealer has no warranty, I'd also bet. For used cars (especially Mini), I'd want the warranty to make sure there is nothing waiting to bite me.

 

Both cars are still under warranty for a bit and for the orange one I would get a Carchex warranty. It is at Carmax so it has gone through their inspection process and they have a limited warranty on all their cars too (plus the 30 day return policy). The CPO is only an additional year though I am thinking I could try to negotiate an additional year instead of a price decrease to make it worth the $$ they are asking for it.

 

You have a good plan going for the warranty from Mini, not some other group. Good luck!

 

The Mini CPO warranty is the better deal:
https://www.miniusa.com/model/mini-c...-preowned.html

The car is covered for an additional year and unlimited miles AFTER the factory warranty ends. So the 2021 would have factory warranty with unlimited miles until 2026-ish. And that includes 24/7 roadside assistance. That is the car I would pick.

 

Hmmmm..... appreciate the input though I am not sure the Mini warranty is that great. It's only one year extra (so 2 years total) and I drive very little (about 3k a year) so the unlimited miles or the maintenance are not things I would be able to use. For the extra cash, the third party warranty gives me 5 years of warranty (so 4 additional) and I can take the car to any dealership. It includes roadside assistance too and it's highly rated. Hence, to me it's a bit more of a dilemma..... 1 extra year of warranty with Mini or 4 extra years with someone else at the same cost.

 

I'd think the real question is 4 doors vs 2 doors ! What do you plan to use it for ? Carry or spirited driving ? If you really like the 2 door - get an extended warranty on that. The total cost might be small divided by 4 - 5 years. Don't let the warranty determine what puts a smile on your face and makes you excited to drive

 

Of course not! I liked the idea of 4 doors simply because I find it more practical.... the 2 doors I have to be moving the seat and bending over just to put a bag back there. Also because with the iconic package I got a bigger touchscreen, 2 USB ports, the leather seats and an alarm to boot. So I really liked the 4 door and the solaris orange color, but alas, Carmax just confirmed it has a tint and it's not legal where I live (and that is not something I am willing to mess with). So I guess the coral red wins but I am a bit bummed.... funny the power these little cars have! )))

 

Sorry to hear. If of any value, most of the cars in Florida that end up leaving the state have tints darker then legal

Just think of someone moving from NM to CA and bringing their car.

Auto tint can be removed ( hair dryer and elbow grease. Just say "Tint on, Tint off" usingyour left and right hands ... ) - they might be eager to move the car if not legal in the state they are selling, that is if they care

 

That dark tint is a nightmare for cyclists and Florida has a history of a high number of cycling /car accidents. I am sure most of you could give a ****, but it's a real problem for cyclists at intersections.

 

Agreed! One of the reasons I traded my out-of-warranty 2019 for a CPO 2020 (besides the extra 70+ HP).

 

It's been educational to say the least.... I also noticed that cars from Florida (or any warm state for that matter) also have summer performance tires and 18" wheels. So another complication given that there are no all season RFs for that size and even NRF I only found one. But I was willing to deal but tint can get complicated. I saw comments on other forums from people who do professional tints saying that sometimes in order to be able to remove all the tint they need to remove the windows! Not running that risk.

The car was at Carmax and I was getting it shipped to me from Georgia (originally owned in Florida), so it was all legal. My only gripe with them is that originally they told me it was factory tint but when I processed the shipping is when they said it was aftermarket and would be illegal in DC (the pictures they posted had terrible lighting). Another issue was that I only had 5 day to pass inspection! Agh, no, too much pain. I'll find another Mini to adopt

 

The non-Mini dealer has no warranty, I'd also bet. For used cars (especially Mini), I'd want the warranty to make sure there is nothing waiting to bite me.

 

In the end it's going to be another car I found at Carmax (the orange non-dealer car was Carmax as well but I did not want to have to deal with removing the aftermarket tint it had and which is illegal where I live). The problem I have found with dealerships is that they charge about $2000 more between higher prices and dealer fees (it used to be that Carmax was more expensive but not anymore). And the difference is only 1 more year of warranty because all the cars I am looking at still have the original warranty for about another year. Carmax does provide their own warranty for 90 days or 4000 miles plus a 30-day money back guarantee (so I can have the car checked or serviced at the dealership in that time to make sure everything checks out). I agree I would probably not buy from a non-Mini dealer, that is definitely more risky. There's also third-party warranties that I can get that are way cheaper than Mini's, provide same level of coverage, and allow me to take the car to any dealership. I have not used them before but they have a good reputation. So those $2000 buy me an extended 5-year warranty instead of just one more year.

 

The non-Mini dealer has no warranty, I'd also bet. For used cars (especially Mini), I'd want the warranty to make sure there is nothing waiting to bite me.

 

If you read my prior answer, it did come with a 30-day money back guarantee and a few months of warranty, plus it still had manufacturer's warranty for another year.

 

The saga is finally over and my new Mini is home. It turned out to be neither of the three listed here, and instead it was one that popped up at one of the area dealerships at the last minute which I grabbed in a hurry.
Say hello to "Nemo." Mini Cooper S 2021 w/iconic package and driver's package, certified and 17k.