...dealer.

Was there any problem with additional (more than factory delivery) miles on the car? What is "factory delivery miles"? I've seen a few carfax reports on used MINIs that show only 15 miles upon 1st registration. (The last couple of new cars I've bought all came with 15 miles or less which my research indicated was put on at the factory during the post assembly test drive.)

I'm concerned that I'll not be able to schedule a pick up of the car immediately after it arrives at distant dealer. What's to keep the dealer from using the car as a "demo" until I can arrange to pick up car?

For those in CA and ordered their car from an out of state dealer, how did you word the order to ensure the car was outfitted with whatever is necessary (decal/sticker and of course the hardware....) to conform to CA emissions so there was no problem registering the car.?

I'm ready to place my order but want to make sure I cover all bases before I order.

Thanks.

Sincerely,

RockC.

 

I have found dealers unwilling to let a "sold" car go out for test drives by anyone other than the guy that bought it.

Vince

 

The MINI is a 50 state car, so no worries about complying with Cal emissions.

Regarding the miles on the car, every new car I have purchased has had just a few miles on it, the MCS no exception at, as I recall 5 or 8 (something so low that I looked at it, was happy, then put it out of my mind ). The MCS was sorta long distance as I am in San Francisco and purchased it from South Bay in Torrence SoCal and it was no problem. Just let the dealer know what you expect with regards to that (that it not be driven beyond what is needed for prep, not be used as demo), and anything else like not wanting them to drill for and mount the front lic plate, have them write it on the contract even and fax it to you so there is no mix-ups and all should be fine.

Overall the best you can do is have everything in writing and be prepared to inspect the car and make sure all is what you want, everything works, nothing damaged, etc before taking delivery since the best time to have them do anything about it is before you drive it away. Everything should be fine but its just good to be prepared to deal with things on delivery day and have that dealer handle anything needed at that time since you will have issues trying to have something like damage to the car, wrong equipment, incorrect programming, etc taken care of once you bring the car back. (For example our programming was not right and the local dealer would not redo it for free, and somethng like a damaged wheel would be impossible to claim once the car rolls off the lot.)

So what are ya getting?

 

+1 But how long do you suspect the car will wait for you

 

You never know.. I still am wondering about the test drive car from this thread - https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...&highlight=jcw ..

 

I bought mine in Sacramento and it only had 7 miles on the odometer when I picked it up to drive it home.

 

It had about 35 miles on it, because my sales guy met me at the airport in it!

For importing into CA, there are no problems at all, but you will have to get an inspection at a DMV, and the dealer will give you a certificate (can't remember what it's called) that you normally never see on cars bought in CA cause the dealer sends it straight to the DMV here.

It's not a problem to do this, and I'm sure more an more of the out of CA Mini dealers are aware of what it takes for a CA customer sale. Call them, to make sure there are no problems lying in wait. Also let them know about your finance details (I had a check from a web-based auto loan outfit, and that took about 1/2 hour for the dealership to "digest") so that everything goes smooth.

Matt

ps, the good thing about buying out of state and driving it back, is that when you pull into your driveway, most of the break-in is over! Also, some places will ship your car to the local dealer for a very small fee. I think classic does that for $500.....

 

I will perform a new car pre-purchase inspection and will tell the dealer that I intend to do this before accepting the car when I order the car.

Also, if I find nothing amiss during the inspection -- including a vital fluid level checks -- I'll then give the car a test drive. Nothing fancy, and certainly nothing but gentle, just to assure myself the various systems work: tranny, brakes, steering and car feels ok.

(I have almost 2000 miles -- provided the deal happens -- to go to get the car back home, so I want to be sure the car's very road worthy before setting out.)

I'll not accept the car, nor of course pay for it, until I've satisfied myself the car's as I ordered it, and in acceptable condition.

Haven't ordered the car yet, but I've *decided* on MCS, 6-speed, BRG with same color top and mirrors (though I've been advised that a white top and mirrors look real good on this color car), standard MCS interior, LSD, multi-function steering wheel (mainly for cruise control), on-board computer, front/rear fog lights.

That's it.

Sincerely,

RockC.

 

Don't know how long it can be until I can pick up car. I'm hoping I can arrange to get there within a week after it arrives, but work may prevent me from getting there for maybe several weeks.

I'll have given the dealer a reasonable deposit -- 1% to 2% of the price of the car -- but if I can't get there in a couple of weeks and dealer gets antsy, ... not sure how this gets handled. Probably should discuss this with dealer beforehand and let him know that I might not be able to drop everything as soon as he lets me know car's there.

Sincerely,

RockC.

 

I ordered out of state. The car had 6 miles on it when I got it. They guaranteed that it was locked in the showroom, which it was as I got a picture for comfort, and it was never used as a demo. As for CA and emmissions, once I received the car, because it was transported via truck, I got it smogged and then registered it. No biggie.

 

I live in CA and bought from Dreyer & Reinbold in IN. Malibu Stacy had to wait several weeks for me to pick her up, and had only 15 miles on her. While plenty of people saw her at the dealer and wanted to buy her, my MA of course told everyone she was spoken for and did not take her on any test drives.

MINIs are 50 state certified, though you will still have to have an emissions test done. This can be difficult, as some places might tell you the MINI is too new and therefore they don't have all the info to do the test. You should also note that the emissions tester will probably have to look for "BMW MINI COOPER" in their computer.

It's not difficult to register a new out-of-state MINI in CA, just get the emissions and other paperwork (located on the web) ready beforehand, and be prepared to pay some additional tax at the time of registration. Also, if you're planning to order a personalized license plate, do so ASAP because they aren't kidding about 8-12 week wait!

I hope the buying process goes smoothly and you will soon be enjoying your MINI!!!

 

From reading that thread, it seems like that car was on the lot - not sold. There are pockets around the country with dealers that actually have inventory. As a matter of fact, I bought my MCS JCW off the lot.

Bottom line, I wouldn't worry about your car.

Vince

 

I agree as a whole, it's just that the in this area the MINI dealers, including East Bay, have long back logs and generally do not have a lot of unsold cars sitting around. More power to them if they ordered a JCW for a demo though.

Back on topic, I love BRG white (I'm all about the Mini contrasting roof). I think BRG silver would look good too

 

I am in California and ordered mine from Patrickmini in Ill. I am going to fly back and drive it home the second week of march. I have no worries. My wife has worries. MSRP and only 8 weeks. Should have been 6 weeks but kept missing the boat...

 

14miles on delivery

 

Purchased mine from Mini of the Hamptons,great experience would recommend them.If you want further information pm me.Q

 

I was all ready to buy out of state totally based on exactly what eVal says. The Bay Area dealers like their long waits and/or fat markups. I was working in concentric circles out from SF as I wanted to be able to drive home w/in a day. I didn't want to worry about shipping on an open train car or the extra cash for enclosed trailers.

I had almost settled on Salt Lake City but was worried about coming home in the snow in Feb/March. Then, based on recommendations from NAM and a coworker, I wound up with Long Beach MINI. I'm in CA, so no extra day at the DMV and I've got an under 8 hour drive back home. Even better, I've got a cheap Jet Blue ticket from Oakland to Long Beach as my only extra outlay.

Then you just have to wait for the damn boat. That is the hardest part.

--dwf

 

I'm also debating about switching my South Bay MINI (LA) order out of state (Hamptons)... how does the sales tax issue work? If someone could explain their experience, I'd appreciate it... Thanks!

 

First I paid whatever the sales tax percent was in Indiana when I took delivery of my MINI, then when I registered in CA, I paid the extra percent difference (CA tax rate) of the total purchase price. The DMV does the math for you. It's really not complicated.

 

I also purchased mine from MOTH (MINI of the Hamptons) They will not charge sales tax on an out-of state purchase. Arrangements were made by phone. papers signed by overnight mail, shipping arrangements were handled by them. pretty easy transaction.

For kansas you pay sales tax and fees when you register the vehicle. I would imagine thats how it is in most states. I call to your local DMV will confirm this!

 

Same deal as above for Michigan tax. My out-of-state dealer even offered to add my tax into the financing and give me a check for it! I passed though, and wrote a big fat check at the Secretary of State.

 

Thanks for the comments. So, it sounds like you pay the tax when registering it in your home state (not to the out-of-state dealer). For CA, I'm guessing I'll have to get it smogged (shouldn't be an issue for a brand new car) before taking it to the DMV for registration, and that's it?

 

That's it. Drive the Mini to the DMV, they'll want to confirm it has the emissions stickers on it saying that it's a 50 state car.

Matt

 

This seems to depend on where you buy it. I paid the bulk of the sales tax to IN, and made up the difference in CA. Your MINI will pass the smog test with flying colors. The problem may be in finding a test site that is equipped to handle it. I found one attached to an import auto parts store and had a great experience! I had to show the guy where everything on the MINI was, but he was very nice and appreciated just how cool MINIs are! He tried to trade me a drive in his Corvette for a drive of my MINI, but I don't pimp out Malibu Stacy!

Originally I was concerned that buying out-of-state was going to be complicated and frustrating, but it really wasn't. I saved money and had a great time breaking in my MINI cross country!

 

Mini of Moutain View was doing a $2.5k markup, long waits. I just called all the dealers in ever increasing radius to find.

1) No mark up.
2) Factory order with options that I wanted.
3) Shorter waits.

It was pretty funny. Some of the LA dealers were looking for $6K over! In Las Vegas, they had a $2.5K markup, because of all the people coming over from LA! Soutwest ticket for $69 bucks, and I was off!

Matt