In buying a new mini is there any room for haggle? Or are we just cursed by the MSRP

 

Yes there is room.
No you are not cursed. It is all in the approach to negotiating the price. Don't be scared to get up and walk away if your not getting the deal you want.

 

It also helps if you have a pretty optioned-out MINI (i.e. >$30k)... like above, you really have to be ready to walk away from the deal if you want them to budge. Finally, it also depends on the location/time... dealers in the Northeast (e.g. NY) are probably more likely to bargain duirng the winter months, whereas SoCal dealers are pretty reluctant to go below MSRP all year long...

 

I'm ordering a custom '06 with a number of options, but the total is around 26k.

My goal is 25

My local dealers (northwest) are rediculous. I'm trying Patrick Mini in Illinois and Classic Mini in Ohio.

 

I can only speak for this time last year in NJ/PA. I was being offered $500 off msrp for anything in stock.

 

help me get started

 

I've never bought a new car from a dealership before. Exactly how do you haggle? Especially when it comes to a MINI, which pretty much sells itself. Do you e-mail the specced car you want to different dealerships and ask how much it would be if purchased through them?

 

I agree that if you are to get below MSRP buying off the lot is your only chance. If you order your MINI I wouldm't expect a price break from any MINI
dealership.
Cheers

 

I actually got $500 off MSRP + free delivery (from NY to Los Angeles) + free temp registration and no paperwork fees... all for a custom order. My MINI has the JCW, however, which pushed it close to $35k... I also ordered from the NY dealer in mid-Februrary, which is probably the best time to deal with NE dealers...

Anyway, it was relatively easy for me to haggle as I already had a MINI on order with a local SoCal dealer at MSRP. I basically told the NY dealer that I was only interested in switching my order if they made it worth my while (i.e. less than MSRP out the door). They also were able to get my order into production more than a month ahead of the SoCal dealer, which was a nice side benefit, but wasn't the deciding factor...

 

A dealer in West Palm Beach, FL (Braman?) I think offered to sell me one at 1000 below MSRP, I had to choose from what they had on the lot thought...
i ended up buying pre-owned...more room to haggle...

 

If you have several dealerships to choose from I would e-mail them the specs and give it a shot. Depending on the dealer & their sales depends on how much they will negotiate. EVERYTHING is negotiable! That doesn't mean it will be cheaper but if you can talk then you can negotiate .

There will not be as much room to haggle if you are buying it new though, unless like others have said, you buy with options in excess of $30K.

Good Luck & welcome to N.A.M.!

 

Me??? If they had offered me $1k off from the lot, I would have found SOMETHING to buy.

It might have been a shotgun wedding, but I'm sure as time went by we'd grow to love each other

 

Nickle to dime ($500-1K) discounts on demos and on-lot new models are possible, and more so with the MC vs. MCS. Geography has a lot to do with it too: the more MINI d'ships in a specific region, the more likely a discount to get your biz; for example many in the NE vs. two in the NW. However, don't count on a discount for an custom-ordered model. The gap between invoice and MSRP isn't that much on these cars, plus as long as demand is high and supply is low--and that some dealers are still charging and getting heavy markups in some markets--discounts will be minimal and far between. Reality check here for those who have to haggle.

Just pay MSRP or a couple hundred less like the majority of us and get on with your motoring, for you're not buying a pre-devalued GM or Ford product or some Japanese appliance with all kinds of offered incentives. Buying a MINI is different; just accept this fact. And with 06 production curtailed somewhat due to retooling Oxford for the 07s, discounts will be rare, esp. with ordered models under $30K--which are the most popular cars. Good luck Jimbo

 

Reason they did this is because at the end of the month dealers have to pay interest back to the manufacturer on new stock still sitting on the lot. The dealer would rather get rid of stock that's lounging around by offering you a dime discount, rather than risking the car sitting around longer and paying more interest back to the mfr. This is why end of the month is such a good time to negotiate any car sale. It's a wonderful business! Jimbo

 

Just FYI, I bought the car, MSRP + free installation & discount on dealer add ons, free floor mats, and some other little extras (standard fare for the dealer - for NAM members)

 

got $2000 under MSRP in NY metro area. FAX'd spec sheet around and knocked them down as far as I could. Although about half wouldn't talk below MSRP so I crossed them out quickly. One placed acted shocked that I would ask the question...do you deal below MSRP...they wanted me to tell what dealerships were doing it. They said the dealerships were not supposed to do that. What a joke. This car is highly optioned tho...over $30k. But many of them were willing to talk below MSRP without know option list. Lots of dealerships in the area is a good thing.

 

I got a price break, ordered to my spec. Don't make assumptions about what a dealer will or will not do.
Again, your best bargaining tool is the ability to walk away if the deal does not work in your favour.
Be prepared with data on your car, what the price range should be and what you will settle for.
Worst case scenario, you find another dealer or a different salesman hungry for a sale around month end.

 

Yeah, but I found one exactly like I would have ordered in 2002 sitting on a lot less than 5 miles from my house...Car was cherry and I really wanted a first year car (call me crazy:impatient )...
I thought it was too much of a coincidence so after the test drive (and the woody I was sporting afterwards) I just bought him....
Damn I love this car....

 

the problem with this car is it's so much fun.. that if the dealer said "you'll have to give me one of your amrs for this car" you'd just reply "which one? right or left?"

 

Ummm...no, the answer is obvious. The left arm, else how would you shift???

Paul

 

My sister just ordered a Mini today from another Chicagoland dealer that quoted her $500 less than Patrick. All the guy from Patrick would do was call her at work.

 

There's something to be said about buying from where your going to get the car serviced I've found a good relationship with someone you do regular business with can save you in the long run. A good service oriented dealer,MA and service adviser who are on your side could save you later. And the truth is about one month after you've owned a MINI you'll be having so much fun that you'll forget what you paid for it.

 

It wasn't easy but I was able to get $500 off MSRP for a custom order.

 

i talked to my local dealer and told him my situation. he said "look, i'd like to have your sale, but as one human being to another, getting your mini sooner and for less money just only makes sense"

i ordered my '06 from the local dealer in november... when i last talked to them it was going to be a september delivery hence, the chicago order...

 

I Think NW MINI just got an allotment bump. I also ordered in November and just got my production number today.