Greetings,

Just discovered this great site recently and decided to join up today!....this is my first post..

Been smitten by the Mini's since the new series came out a few years back, but only now at a point where I might have a positive WAF....due to my trusty ol' 96 Acura Integra starting to show its age (191,500 miles...).

Now I either have to put $2-3K into it for maintenance and it will still only be worth about $2K or just sell it and put that cash towards a Mini!!!

So now a few questions for everyone please.....hope they're reasonable questions....


1. 2006 vs 2007 Mini / Pricing

It seems that all things being equal, it would now make sense if one buys a new Mini now to get a 2007 instead of a 2006, assuming you can wait a bit for delivery in USA.

I would think that the only significant reason to get an 06 now besides being able get one right now, would be if you can get better price on an 06 than 07. Otherwise, why not have the new series??

As I also assume that you can no longer order a 2006 Mini with and get it with the options you want....so you have to buy one off the lot the way it is setup.

Timing wise, I can wait until the 2007 arrives, think my Integra can make it a bit longer....

2. Mini vs Mini S

I know that the main difference is that the S has more power and better suspension/handling, right?

For my weekday driving, mine is about 22 miles each way to work each day, almost all on Highway 85/101 in SF Bay Area as I live about 1/8 mile from freeway entrance and some miscellaneous neighborhood/freeway driving on the weekends plus an occasional trip outside of our immediate area, but not too far (maybe 2-300 miles each way).

I do like the idea of having good handling with some pep to it, but not a roadracer either...don't usually drive much over 75-80 on freeways...

So would the 'S' model make sense over the base model??

3. Manual vs Auto

Of course, I'd want the manual tranny, but I know my better half will push for the auto as she can't drive a stick and I'll get the 'well, what will I do if I need to drive your car....". Think I can navigate around this hopefully, but just in case, any comments on the auto tranny???

4. Where to Buy in SF Bay Area??

Have read a little bit about some of the Mini dealers around the SF Bay. Seems like they all have mixed reviews at best....reminds me a lot of the VW dealers that we take my wifes New Beetle to, but that's another forum....

Anyway, I'm located about 2 miles from Mini of Mountain View, but have some concerns from reading other posts about them here and on another Mini forum....also, I understand they usually charge a dealer markup fee...

So any suggestions whether go to MoMV or ????

Consider going outside the Bay Area to buy??? My parents live up in Oregon, so could take a trip up there possibly and avoid sales tax???

5. Pricing??

I'm assuming that in the SF Bay Area I'd pay about $30K for a new 'S' and about $25K, 'out the door' price (including taxes, registration, etc...), right???


Thanks in advance for any and all feedback!

Happy New Year!

Mark

 

I just bought a mini from SF Mini. Although my MA was great, the dealership gouges everywhere they can get away with it. Probably one of the most expensive dealerships in the country. Ung, my rearend still feels a bit sore from it, but I was carless and the convenience factor was sort of paramount. I'd recommend the service (friendly, no stress, helpful, etc.), but if you're price sensitive... I'd stay away.

Oh ya, the dealer markup at SFM was $2500. The accessories were 'list', but the install prices were ridiculous. I paid around $36k for what's in my signature (it also has an arm rest, boot net, grocery bag holder, map light, floor mats, and wheel locks). The taxes and fees were stiff, but you can't do much about that.

East Bay Mini is an MSRP-based dealership. You may want to check them out. I thought South Bay Mini was, as well (they have a forum here, I think). I'm not sure if they make up this generosity with poor service and/or raised prices elsewhere, though.

 

Hi Mark,

I’ll share some of my thoughts with you.

1. 2006 vs 2007 Mini / Pricing
You will find there are people on this website that prefer the 2006 over the 2007 and vice versa. The most common reasons cited for preferring the 2006 over the 2007 are long-ish production run and belief that supercharger is better for street driving

You should be able to get a 2006 with any feature you want.


2. Mini vs Mini S
The S is very peppy and a lot of fun to drive. They are quick, but not race ready in stock form. I have an S. It never occurred to obtain the normally aspirated Mini. The supercharge assures that you get to your max driving speed quickly. If you really wanted to cruise at the car’s top speed, then you’d probably prefer the turbo (but we don’t get to drive that way in the US).

I use my car for a lot of travel around the Bay Area for meetings and sales calls. I think it is perfect for this. I also drive it to meetings in Ventura and San Diego, too.

3. Manual vs Auto
With a little engine and little car, especially a quick one, there is no reason to have anything except a manual transmission. Some of us that have driven automatics, especially in the normally aspirated Mini, find them slow. Not as slow as a diesel VW Rabbit, but not worth owning either.

4. Where to Buy in SF Bay Area??
I bought mine at Neillo in Sacramento. Sometimes I buy parts and accessories at Concord. Pleasanton is another option. I solicited pricing from about 8 dealers in CA. Neillo offered the lowest price and negotiated following this. I liked the guys in Concord, but they weren’t dealing. If you contact Neillo sales, ask for Crystal.


If you buy out of state, CA DMV will get you for it when you register the car. There are some laws that cars brought in must have so many miles on them. There are ways around this that I don’t know much about. I do know that a New England or Northern Central US dealer freights cars all over the US. So, someone knows how to manage all this

5. Pricing??
Sound about right. You might select some options that’ll push you up above what you are thinking.

Billie
Vacaville, CA

 

One at a time

1. I would not assume you can get a discount on 06s, especially in CA which historical has charger surcharges until the 07s are out. While some ppl are stuck on SC whine, turbo is the way to go. The SC was a cheap way to get the car out to the market. Now its time for a turbo
2. Sounds like the MINI is better for your usage and better gas mileage
3. cant speak about the rest

Best of luck

 

Hi Archi - I'm coming off an Acura Integra as well. As much as everybody here loves their Mini's, lets not kid each other - you are not going to see as solid a car as the integra for a long time! That said I had many of the same questions as you and I ended up ordering an 07. The dealer had many 06s on the lot, but for the most part they were optioned up beyond what I wanted to spend. If that's not the case for you then you have more choices. The dealer said that they expected all the 06s to go for mrsp so there were no deals to be had there. I preferred to get the newer engine design, newer suspension and all, so price would have been the only motivation for me to buy 06 and it wasn't happening.

I had the same question about MC or MCS, so I test drove one of each 06 models figuring the difference between the two would be similar for the 07. The MC has about 118hp and the car weighs about 2500lbs, My integra is(was!) 140hp and to its credit only weighs 2600lbs (similar amount of interior space btw, much more space in the hatch!). Granted the integra has more power, in classic honda fashion it comes on at higher rpm. Whether it was the gearing or a flatter torque curve I felt that the MC pulled just as strong as the integra for daily driving. The higher rpm power surge was not nearly as pronounced as the integra, but the pull at lower rpms felt as strong. The MCS was a completely different story - it felt like where ever you were in the rev band there was always more torque at your disposal if you wanted it. That made it really fun to drive.

So for me, optioned the way I wanted it the MC was about 22k, and the MCS about 24k. Nothing on the lot was this stripped, and no dealing was going to bring a more optioned car down to make it tempting so an 07 was a no brainer. Getting the extra umph of the S for an extra 2k was an easy leap.

Oh - I taught my wife to drive standard when we got the Acura. It took about two days - one day practice just to get the shifting down, the second day practice starting from rest on a small hill. Once she got the hang of that all kinds of fear was erased.

 

Thanks for all your thoughts, ucbmckee!!

About SF Mini.... Ouch!!...luckily I have my car still (knock on wood...) so can go pretty much wherever to get new wheels...

Read pretty good things about East Bay Mini....

Only thing about South Bay Mini is that it's down in LA I think??? Although haven't visited LA in a while....

Thanks,

Mark

 

One thought...It seems that if you get an '07 your are going to pay a good deal more for it than an equally eqipped new '06...not because the '06 is on it's way out but because they '07s are more expensive from the get-go & Mini seems to have removed some items that were previously included in package prices & made them a la carte (so essentially the packages shrunk but the package prices didn't go down) so I guess it's all about what you want to spend.

 

Lots of great input...Thanks, Billie!!



Mark

 

More good stuff, chows4us!!

Although I thought that turbos tended to have issues over time and expensive to fix if that happens....never have had one but that's what I thought I've heard....

Thanks,

Mark

 

Hi fellow TEGster !

You're right about the Integra being a solid car. No complaints in that dept...

My wife drove a stick a bit many years ago...she has no interest in learning again, she doesn't understand why 'I'd want to do all the work' as she puts it....

Thanks for all the great input!



Mark

 

This is good info to know, bamatt!

Thanks!

Mark

 

Welcome to NAM!

 

I don't think this is right. Prices went up a little bit, but anything that came out of a package was because it was now included standard. Get a cost breakdown on an 06 you like from the dealer, and then use the configurator to compare an similarly equipped 07.

 

Thanks for the welcome, R56MCS!

I see you're one of the lucky ones with an 07....

 

Good suggestion, Greg....will try that....

 

I've never understood the need to make a purchase based on what someone else in the house MAY need to do every once in a while.
If you like the manual, then get it. If your wife needs to drive the MINI on occassion and she's driven a stick in the past then she can do so in an emergency (I'm not talking running from a serial killer, but in the case of a mechanical issue with her car or something ). If you truly enjoy driving a stick, then you will regret not getting it. If it's not a real issue for you then get an auto.

Annette

 

I really don't feel like trying to re-research & prove my point because I have no desire to buy on 07 but when the configurator for 07's 1st came out many people including me went & configured them & were shocked by the price increase & there were items that used to be in packages that were no longer there & they weren't miraculously switched to standard features either.

 

Annette,

I never understood that either....

However, I've found that it sometimes a lot less aggravating and much better in the domestic harmony dept to make compromises, thus probably extending my lifespan by a few years.....

Believe me, my wife couldn't drive a stick now if her life depended on it...she was very young when she last drove a stick a little bit, that was many years ago...

She's totally clueless in the mechanical/technical ability dept (but brilliant in many others...). She barely can make a call on a cellphone (only uses it a few times a year) and does not use a computer!

Anyway, I was merely pointing out in advance one of the hurdles I'll have to jump through in discussing specifics with my better half....

Even though it's been 10 years now since I got my Acura, I still remember this subject being 'discussed', she won last time as my Integra has an automatic...she probably has driven it 1 to 2 days a year if that and hates every minute of it and she's vertically challenged and says she can't see out the back.

So it really has turned out to be a non-issue in my mind...I think....

 

ArchiMark,
You are a good man !
Regardless, whatever MINI you end up with will still be more fun than about 95% of the cars out there.

Annette

 

From what I understand MSRP went up 600 on the MC and only 300 on the MC. Can't speak for prices of options.
Seems like the car is pretty decked out in terms of what is standard. The link below talks of some features that are now standard. Check out his link for info. Delivery charges also went up a couple of hundred. Don't seem to be draconian price increases considering a newly design and improved engine and suspension.

http://motoringfile.com/2006/10/29/2...g-and-options/

As far as automatic vs manual goes, I went back and forth on this. I ended up with an automatic, partly because the manual on MC wasn't available until 3/07 builds and I didn't want to wait, and partly because I had driven a couple of friend's 6 speed S with manual mode and paddle shifters and it was alot of fun!! They dropped CVT and now have 6 speed auto w/ manual mode and paddle shifters in the MC as well. In addition the 6 speed automatic for 07 gets better gas mileage than the 5 speed manual 06.

For a while I started to go MCS and 6 speed manual but most reviews I read seemed to indicated the MC was quick enough for normal driving. It is hard to find alot of reviews on the base MC as most are on the S. Go to the Motoring file link above and they have links to many reviews. The link below also provided a solid review of ths base MC in terms of power as did the mini2.com site. I also toyed around with not waiting and buying an 06, but after reading about upgraded engine with more power, flatter torque curve, and better fuel economy I decided on the 07.

Don't know how hilly it is where you are, which might speak to an S and manual transmission, but I think the MC with automatic and manual mode can handle most situations from what I read and read in forums.

http://www.carenthusiast.com/roadtes...rticle&id=1586

All in all after alot of research I ended up going with the following:

MC w/ 6 speed automatic
DSC
Cold Weather package
multi function wheel w/cruise radio controls
BRG/ w/ White roof/bonnet stripes
Center Arm Rest

Pretty much it.

Good part is it is built and leaving Southhampton Port today on its way over!!!

Good luck, and welcome to NAM! What ever your decision, you'll be pleased I'm sure. Only real advice I'd give is if East Bay Mini is in Oakland as I suspect, I'd definitely go across the bay and save the 2500 mark up, that is highway robbery, regardless of service.

 

Get a manual if at all possible. If you must go automatic I highly recommend getting an S. I have driven automatic, non-S loaners from the dealerships when getting servicing & they are painfully slow.

 

That may be true of the 06 an earlier automatics with CVT. No one here has driven an automatic in 07 with Aisin 6 speed automatic paired with new BMW engine. The posts I've seen from the UK like it. But the S in Aisin 6sp automatic was fun, I'll admit.

 

Yea I'm sure the extra 5HP in the MC & new tranny will make it a speed demon

 

Mark,
Within our very own NAM website, there is a vendor that ships new cars around the US. It might be interesting to learn how they address sales tax and state laws that discourage bringing new vehicles in.

Here is their present post from the Vendor's page. I know nothing more about them than what is stated below.

MINIoftheHamptons vbmenu_register("postmenu_1293826", true);
Dealership
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 24

Gallery
FREE Shipping on all 2006 MINIs! Coast to Coast! At MINI of the Hamptons!
FREE shipping to anywhere in the continental United States on all 2006 models. All of out MINIs are sold at MSRP with no added extras or hidden dealer fees. Visit us at www.miniofthehamptons.com to see our current inventory or email us at sales@miniofthehamptons.com to find out our current availability.

MINI of the Hamptons
Authorized MINI Dealer
(888) 871-5599
sales@miniofthehamptons.com

 

BTW, I'm just up the road from you in Huntsville!!