Hello all, My first post tho I've lurked about trying to learn all I can for the last couple months....I'm getting a little worried about the last chance to spec a 2006 MCS. I put in a deposit for a build slot back in April and the dealer is saying I might get in July or August, basically the end of the road for a new 2006....2007 is not an option....Ohhhh, the waiting starts before the waiting begins...Looking forward to being a part of this great community!

 

Hey neighbor.. we're getting out 06 MCS in July. Hope you get your soon also.

 

Welcome to NAM, PEZdragon! Did you get a production number yet? Call your dealership and press them for info!

 

If you're TOO worried, screw the BA dealers, and quickly place an order with Murray of Utah or Classic of Ohio or MINI of the Hamptons - most out of State dealers will get you a car more quickly, and you get the added bonus of a road trip home!
Welcome to NAM!

 

Have you tried Niello in Sac? They may be able to get your order quicker if you dont want to go out of state.

 

if you put an order for a cooper in april , you should be able to trackit in the owners lounge at the very least. If you merely placed a deposit, that really isnt the same as having the MA put an order in for your car.

 

What I meant to say is that I put in a deposit back in April to get in line waiting for a allocation slotto open up. I have not place an order yet and am worried that I may be to late for a slot, sorry for the confusion

 

Welcome PEZdragon!!!! If I were in your shoes I'd definitely consider checking in w/ some of the fine out-of-state dealers who seem to have no problem circumnavigating locality-based waiting lists and dealer markups. Couldn't hurt...and you might be motoring far sooner than you think!! In any case, I hope you get the MINI of your dreams because they sure are a blast!!!

 

Gosh...still a wait to order a MINI in CA. sheesh

 

possibly try Oregon too. That's a great road trip home to boot!

 

Yeah, and CO. And UT. And OR. And AZ. And WA. And many other locales in the West. Given the dearth of MINI dealers in the West outside of CA (only 4 in the Mountain Time Zone), I have no idea why easterners seem so surprised here....

Pezdragon call the Albuquerque (Sandia) or OK City (Jackie Cooper) dealers ASAP, they may be able to get you a build slot at the last second, plus no markup. Prob is you're running up against the 7/31 deadline, and I dunno how much wriggle room there is here. Sounds pretty concrete since the factory is closing again here in August for another short retooling spell. Good luck! Jimbo

Or try Classic in Ohio, perhaps they can help. I think it's what $500 to ship to CA?

 

Just got to Sacramento or out of state. We're getting our second MINI. We bought it from Niello and delivery is tonight! Placed the order mid April...

Good luck!!

 

PEZdragon - deposits are refundable. Hope you can get the 06 that you want, but as others stated, check out other dealers as well.

 

PEZ
did you put your deposit down with MINI of Concord? I'd be very surprised if they can't get you what you want. They were VERY helpful for me. Additionally, they carry a good amount of dealer stock as well, so you can see what's on the lot.

 

I did check them out but was put off by the $2500 "fair market" mark up and that I could not spec my own. I'm going to East Bay Mini tommorow and try to nail them down as to a date!

 

I guess I just figured 4 years after the MINI hits the states that the draw for the car would be loosing steam.

 

Nah it's actually gaining steam a little because CR now recommends them, and therer are a lot of urban areas in the west with very few MINI dealers. That's why I recommended OK City to Pez, for they were my backup dealer 2 years ago as I waited 9 months for my S from put name on list to delivery thru Denver. OK City had no wait list, immediate build, 6-8 weeks total to delivery, no markups.

But then there were numerous MINI dealers in Texas to the south. Denver had no such luxury (until Albuquerque.) Western US-wise, it's the most demographically whacked dealer distribution system I've ever seen, I mean Seattle alone rates two dealerships! (Oh and a plug for Anchorage too ) Jimbo

PEZ which BA dealer did U place an order with? Although someone else recommended Niello the one time I was there I was offended by their 1. snooty attitude, and 2. the markups and mandatory dealer "paks" where accessories were marked up 200-400%. What a rip--with attitude!! (a friend of mine that lives in Folsom went to East Bay MINI instead, and while she had to wait, there no markups, no accessory paks, and they treated her like a human being.)

 

There's no question that paying a mark-up is sub-optimal. However, everyone has different priorities. SOme would like to wait, and maximize savings. Some want it NOW and pay a premium. I fell in the middle in my negotiations. My back up dealer was in Torrance, CA, a large shop with MSRP-only prices, and while I don't know how hard it is to custom order there, I had given them my specs, and in the 4 months time I was researching, they called me three times with my exact model with exact options, in stock. So it's worth talking to them. You get to do some break-in miles on the way back, (cast of a plane ticket: $125 or so on Jet Blue) or pay about $700 to have it shipped to you. Since I was doing a trade-in, remote dealerships just didn't end up making sense for me.

 

Don't forget to check out your options in Socal too, as posted many times South Bay and Longbeach are great MSRP dealers.

I do have to say though that given the time I would go through East Bay if possible - they are fair and the service has been very good.

 

So I went proactive yesterday and drove down to East Bay Mini to see where I stood. They were VERY helpfull and reasuring that there would be no problem as I was #11 in line for a build slot and they were predicting a large allocation for July and August.They even took my spec's and signature so as to order if they could not get ahold of me(thus avoiding being bumped back) I think I may get in during July. If there is anybody in the area who is on the fence about getting a spec 2006 Mini do NOT stall any longer, The door is starting to close. I'm REALLY excited!

 

Hmmm, maybe there is some wriggle room beyond July 31 stretching into August-- but I'm sure it can't go much further than this. EB is prob. the best all-around BA dealer. Nothing but kudos Good luck Pez Jimbo

 

Pez, just curious. Did you get your order in? I walked in to International MINI in Milwaukee WI on 7/7, ordered and got a prod. # the same day and $500 off of invoice on a 06 MCS/JCW to boot! Its in production with a completion date of 7/19

 

I am not trying to cause anxiety or sow dissension, BUT.... Being #11 in line for a build slot is not any kind of guarantee that you will get a car. If you wait until July or August to see if you get your build slot and you still don't get a build slot, you are basically screwed. If it were me, I would start calling around to see if I could get a firm production slot now; not tomorrow, but NOW! I would try every in-state dealer first. Some of the So. Cal dealers may have available production slots that they would sell you a car for at MSRP. If you strike out with California dealers, you will need to expand your search out of state. Classic is a great dealer (I got my '05 from Julie - she was great to work with); I imagine there are others that will come well recommended. Net, net, if you want an '06 spec'd to your exact requirements, you have no time to waste.

 

YES!!! I,m thru the door with a production # in hand and all specs are nailed down. There were only 15 or so authorized production slots left for the last of the 2006 model (from my dealer) when I recieved my prod. #...close call...and I got in line in April! I'm going for a MCS manual/ AB/W LSD/Tartan red/black leather seats/moonroof and other fun stuff. Hope to have it in September, meanwhile i have ordered a few things like M7 strut tower plates and am looking for a good ipod adapter...u know..to ease the waiting..

 

Good to hear PEZ, glad you got a number... now the wait begins. There is a lot of helpful information in the 1st gear section for tracking. Read through there... Good luck. Maybe we'll catch you at a MINI even in the future!