My wife’s new mini is now at the dealership. We have to drive over 188 mi. to pick it up. Does anyone have any suggestions or caveats for handling the process? We do not purchase a car very often; we keep them for at least 10 yrs. Any help would be appreciated.

 

If you don't have clear bra installed. I would pickup a blue masking tape to put on the front to keep the rocks away.

Congrat! and Enjoy!

 

Congrats!

Do your best to keep yourself calm or you'll end up like me, doing 110 on the highway before even getting 10 miles on the odometer. I slowed down immediately afterwards, but with all the 'break in period' blah blah blah's, maybe I should have waited to do it.

 

I think the main thing that people have suggested is always go over the body, wheels, and interior of the car paying attention to scratches and nicks, et cetera, and don't drive off until they're fixed.

My MA took me through pretty much the entire manual and warranty and every pamphlet in the car, and that took about two hours. Then, he went over every feature of the car, both interior, exterior, and on the key fob.

There's a lot of information about dealer programmed features, and you might want to do a quick search to see which ones you want activated and which ones you don't.

I asked that they don't install the front license plate holder, but it may be too late for that in your case.

A friend of mine suggested bringing a tire guage with me to check tire pressure--I trusted my dealer in this instance because when I visited Miles the day he got into the dealership, my MA wouldn't let me drive off because they hadn't checked the tire pressure.

People have suggested bringing in a CD to listen on the stereo to see how it sounds--I'd suggest this for when your MA will go over the functions of the car stereo (though I have H/K on mine, and I leave the mode on MINI H/K).

As always, bring a checkbook, ID, and proof of insurance.

Finally, ask for a free keychain or something.

 

Well, it's a little late now, but if you are not paying cash, I'd have alternate forms of financing lined-up, in case they don't give you the best possible rates.

Other than that, I'd say enjoy yourself, and don't worry too much about the little stuff.

There are many ways that dealerships make their money on you; the sales price, the financing rate, any dealer installed accessories, aftermarket warranties, paint protection gimmicks, insurance, and there's probably some other ones that I haven't heard about yet. Basically, all of these add-ons are rip-offs.

The "clear bra" is definitely a worth-while option though. Just know that you can probably save money having someone else besides the dealership do it for you.

Congrats and enjoy!

Michael

 

Congrats and Welcome to NAM... Just make sure you have plenty of muscle relaxers for when you get home - your faces will be sore from all the smiling...:smile: :smile:

Donna

 

Congrats,

Print off a list of all of your ordered accessories and options. Go over the list ITEM BY ITEM with your MA prior to accepting the vehicle. Check off each item as it is encountered. Spend the time necessary with your MA getting to learn the basic functions (lights, defroster, A/C, mirror adjust, etc.) before leaving the dealership. Decide what (if any) freebies the MA will throw your way as a new MINI owner. This can be a mug, t-shirt, hat, car cover, etc. or it could be nothing. Take your digital camera along and send us pics. p.s. Look your best for the camera, NAM's watching.

And another thing, WELCOME TO THE TRIBE!

 

Congrats. Make sure the available activated option is what you wanted, or make sure the service department can have it fixed later (without charges).

 

A Moment of silence for those of us who are still waiting. ENJOY!