I was quoted a 12 month wait for a MCS at NW Mini... soooo I too ordered from MofM.
Ordered 5/26, hit the production line 6/22... hope to be picking it up early August. I'm already planning the my route back from Utah to maximize twisties!

 

that the Jeep/Eagle dealer you worked with was braking the law.... But that's another story...

Mini of Mountain View does the warranty work on my Mini of Murray purchase. No muss, no fuss.

Matt

 

Bought my '05 MCS from George at MINI of Pittsburgh. At the time, they were offering free door-to-door shipping! Paid MSRP and got it in about 2 months! My DVD experience was similar to yours. Plus, I didn't have to wait for plates!

Best and easiest car buying experience I ever had! Car came with a full tank, too.

MINI of SF serviced my MCS. No problems.

 

Just wondering how you got it through California's 7,500 mile requirement?

 

Buying out of state can be the best move for LOTS of us.

In fact, I don't know a single person in Alabama who has not ordered their new MINI from an out of state dealer!

We bought our new Cooper from Classic MINI in Ohio and enjoyed having the engine broken in by the time we got home. We combined the new car delivery with a family reunion in the area and had one heck of a fun weekend!

 

Debbie Linge met me at the airport, and in a very short time I was on my road trip back to Los Angeles, with an overnight stay in Las Vegas.

(This was back in November of '04)

Car was in great shape and dealership was very professional. The money I saved on the 'California' premium paid my state taxes.

- Charlie

P.S. jchanger I did not have any issues with "a 7,500 mile requirement" from the DMV. I had less that about 700 miles on it when I brought it in, and they recorded my milage when I did.

 

I'm buying my MINI from out of state (I'm in Washington, buying from SLC) and when I went to my local dealership to test drive an S and see about how long it would take to get one, the motoring advisor told me that if I bought from another dealership, I wouldn't be able to get a loaner if my car needed repairs from them.

Now, clearly, someone working for a particular dealership is going to want people to buy from them instead of another dealership, but when the ONLY "incentive" is a threat that you'll get bad service from them if you do, it's not going to make me more likely to order from them. In addition, I was looking for an '06, which my local dealership couldn't promise me. They told me that I'd get what I got, basically. Classy!

Anyway, I haven't actually had to go in for anything at the local dealership, so I'm just hoping that I don't get any hassle when I return for scheduled maintenance. And hopefully, when I buy my next MINI () the wait won't be so long, so I can save a bit of travelling money and get my car from the local dealership! IF they prove themselves worthy...

 

Tethernaut! That's exactly what I'm doing, and your production week is only a couple weeks behind mine! Or, uh... ahead of mine. Or something. My production date was June 5th, and my car is heading across the ocean as we speak. I should be picking it up at the end of July. We'll have to share driving routes!

I was actually out in SLC just last week for something else. Highly recommend stopping for some grub at Squatter's Brewpub on your way through downtown. They have great food and homemade beer.

 

I got mine at Niello Mini in Sacramento with no mark up or extended wait. In fact, got the car a little sooner than planned.

In CA you can make appointments at DMV so you don't have to wait in line.

 

Hmmm this has me thinking of going and ordering out of state, how much sales tax does Utah have? CA is obscene, and how long was the wait?

 

...and what is a "7,500 mile requirement"?

 

With most out of state car sales you pay the sales tax based on the zip of your residence; sometimes it can be done at the OOS d'ship, but most of the time YOUR state DMV, like CA, will hit U up for the sales tax when U register the vehicle. IOW even if I bought a car in Oregon (no sales tax), the Colorado DMV would still hit me up for sales tax. Sad but true.

And if U want an 06 U better hustle because the dealer order cutoff date is July 31, and I'm not sure there is wriggle room here because Oxford closes again in early August for further 2007 model retooling. JB

 

Well I did have to pay California sales tax but not Utah sales tax. I guess Utah considers the sale to be in California and doesn't charge their sales tax. This seems fair as who would willingly pay sales tax in both states.

The DMV collects the sales tax at the time you register the car so you gotta consider that if you are financing.

 

Thanks Sequence, I plan on ordering my car in about 2 weeks anyways, but I was wondering how ordering from out of state was more beneficial. How does one save money on the Mini from ordering out of state? The dealership I went to in Mountain View California told me they will charge me MSRP as I figured.

 

I ordered mine in April and MofM said they'd have it in 4 weeks - they were right. Debbie gave me an arrival date so I could buy a 21 day advanced airfare. I added a week to my SLC arrival so I could drive back through Northern California and do the Sierra Bicycle Century on my way back.

I have a touring bike that has couplers and breaks apart to fit in a small suitcase. That suitcase goes on the plane at no extra charge and fit in the back of the Mini with the seats down. I even had a large duffle bag with camping gear and could still see out the back window - its amazing how much stuff you can get in a Mini.

My only regret was not scheduling a couple extra vacation days so I could motor down the coast - Montery, 17 mile Drive, and Big Sur would've given me some incredible Mini photos.

 

That's ridiculous. So, if someone moves to WA from another state, they won't give them good service on their MINI? That is soooo stupid. You should complain to the MINI regional rep (whoever that might be) about it.

 

Really, the only benefit are shorter waits and no markups. In 2004 I waited 9 months for my MCS thru Denver, but had really considered Jackie Cooper in OK City because there was no wait list to order, and the car was there in 6-8 weeks after placing the order (no journey thru the canal that added another 2.5 weeks).

I decided to stick with the CO dealer because a longer wait meant more $$ saved for the down, and the CO dealer charges no doc or prep fees. Plus I get treated like a VIP when I take EFR in for service (free washes, 3-series Bimmer loaners, free feature reprograms, cheap oil changes, etc.)

At that time, a lot of Californians (and other folks in areas that had lonnnng waits like Seattle and Denver) ordered from out of state to avoid markups and get their cars faster. Classic MINI near Cleveland catered to these folks, as did MINI of the Hamptons near NYC.

But when U say "order" your MINI in two weeks does that mean Mtn View has a build slot open for you and U will be able to place the actual order, with production number? If so, then I would stick with Mtn View. No use hassling with logisitics elsewhere, esp. since the window to order an 06 is slowly closing shut (end of July.) Just think: you'll have one of the last 06 models! Jimbo

 

It happens, unfortunately. Not everywhere, but some unscrupulous dealers treat "carpetbaggers" differently than those folks who purchased their cars there: no free loaners, no washes, waiting a little longer for service (prioritizing) etc . You're right, it is ridiculous, but it's not as bad as it used to be. I think enough people complained.... 'quence

 

I mean I will put my order in for my MINI July 14th with all the specs I want, the guys there were really cool and told me that the wait is about 2 months, which is fine since I will be out of the country on a business trip til mid September, the important thing is to get all my finances and insurance in order.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by hudmg0kw
It's crazy you can buy a new Mini, out of state (even with airfare and/or gas), and have a shorter waiting period. Seems like something Mini needs to address.

My concern would be how your local Mini dealership's service accomidates you when warranty work needs to be done.

Anyone had good/bad experiences getting warranty service from a dealership they didn't purchase the car from?


Snip

Every MINI dealer gets an allotment of cars.....more are sold in CA than anywhere else so the CA dealers run out. Then they buy them from other dealers around the country, paying sticker, shipping them to CA, and then selling them for enough to cover cost, shipping, and profit (which puts them over sticker ).

Thanks for making my point. If CA dealers, or any other area of the country, sell their allotment before dealers located in other states, shouldn't Mini allot more cars to those dealers?

Quote:
Originally Posted by pancakex
I'm buying my MINI from out of state (I'm in Washington, buying from SLC) and when I went to my local dealership to test drive an S and see about how long it would take to get one, the motoring advisor told me that if I bought from another dealership, I wouldn't be able to get a loaner if my car needed repairs from them.

Now, clearly, someone working for a particular dealership is going to want people to buy from them instead of another dealership, but when the ONLY "incentive" is a threat that you'll get bad service from them if you do, it's not going to make me more likely to order from them. In addition, I was looking for an '06, which my local dealership couldn't promise me. They told me that I'd get what I got, basically. Classy!




That's ridiculous. So, if someone moves to WA from another state, they won't give them good service on their MINI? That is soooo stupid. You should complain to the MINI regional rep (whoever that might be) about it.

I apologize but my original post wasn't detailed enough. The Jeep dealership I worked at refused to perform warranty service on vehicle bought at competing local dealerships and yes, salesmen used this as a threat if they thought it would help them make a sale. If someone moved from another state, we were allowed to do warranty work (along with all other vehicle services.) Loaners were not given to vehicles purchased at other dealer, period...

Hmmm this has me thinking of going and ordering out of state, how much sales tax does Utah have? CA is obscene, and how long was the wait?

Can only give details of my experience. Live in KY and purchased in TN. Only had to pay sales tax based on KY rate but TN has a charge, I forget what they called it, which was about $200.00 which was a tax by a different name.

that the Jeep/Eagle dealer you worked with was braking the law.... But that's another story...

Not a lawyer but suspect the law isn't that simple. Doesn't really matter, if it's not enforced. My suspicion is, even if it's illegal, refusing warranty sevice on a vehicle purcashed is so far down on law enforcements list of things to do, it doesn't happen. I think we can agree on the fact it is wrong.

 

If you look at the big picture I did not really save money by the time I drove the car back to San Diego. What I did save was extra wait time. I wanted the car for summer. Also MofM treated me like no other dealer in my past experience.

But since you asked here are a few things I saved money on:

1. MofM threw in the floor mats as part of the deal - $99.00
2. I had an iPod adaptor and auxillary input added by the dealer. Their install prices were quoted about $200 cheaper than a Southern Calif dealer.
3. They sent me off with a full tank of gas - almost $50 at today's prices.

Here's what cost me extra by buying in SLC:

1. Airfare SD to SLC - $134
2. Three tanks of gas to drive home the long way - $140?
3. CA Smog certification required for out-of-state car - $50

But then there was the experience of taking the long road home:

1. I took a detour to do a bicycle tour I've wanted to do for years.
2. I drove the twisty, snow-capped roads in the Sierras -
That was Priceless
3. I have the car Now and I'm driving it...It's so fun it should be illegal.

 

We had the same fine experience with Mini of Murray and Debbie Linge.

The ride home to Boulder through a blinding snowstorm was....priceless!

 

koldkoala, if you buy out of state from MINI of Murray, they don't charge you Utah tax. You pay tax in your own state when you register the car there. That's what I'll be doing in Washington. So I'll pick up the car in SLC, and just pay the registration/doc fees. Then once I register in WA, I will pay state tax there.

 

Um, seems like I just said this, see post #37.

 

And so you did! You've got a sharp eye.