So I ordered a Countryman S ALL4 (Cosmic Blue, chrome details, white roof, white racing stripes) on Saturday.

The day before, I accidentally walked into a "MINI Rocks the Rivals" event at the dealer. I was just there to check out some options before I decided if I wanted them on my car, but I got a coupon for $1000 off anyway. Here's the kicker. The $1000 applies to any MINI, including the Countryman, so long as delivery is by July 5. My dealer says they're out of slots for June delivery but that the Countrymans (Countrymen?) have been arriving a little early and they're 97% sure mine will arrive on time. They also said they would try to get a slot from another dealer so mine will arrive by the end of June.

So here are my questions: what are the odds that I can take delivery by July 5? That would be 9 weeks and 4 days from the order date, though that was a Saturday so maybe it only got ordered this AM. Still 9 weeks and 2 days in that case. How long have people waited on average for their Countrymans during the last few months? Anybody wait significantly longer than that?

Any chance my dealer might be fudging the truth a bit about how deliveries work and how long it might take?

I'm on the east coast if that has any effect on delivery schedules. I imagine it does, since all the cars are made in Europe and have to go by boat.

My MA said he would call me on Wednesday with the info I need to log into the OL and get more details.

 

You have a very good chance to make that date being on the East Coast. My car is already in US waters and it has only been five weeks.

 

Thanks for the words of encouragement. There are a couple of things that need to be done to it before I get it, like stripes and mudflaps. Would that delay me in "taking delivery?" I wonder if I could head down there and pay for it once the dealer has technically taken possession and that would count as "delivery" so I could get the thousand bucks.

 

You could take delivery and then pay for the stripes and mudflaps separately, after delivery. Have that done the next day or at your convenience.

 

Well everything has to do with the dealers slot, and when its made. Mine took seven weeks, that was with the build starting the week I ordered (end). It would be close but you would need to find out when it would be built.

 

Right. I could even show up, pay for it, and then leave it with them for as long as they need it. That would probably technically be "delivery." I bet they'd let me keep my old car until they were done.

 

Once you trade your car they will probably NOT let you keep it. Insurance reasons. They may give you a loaner. You also may want to see if they will wave the July 5 when you order the car. They did that for me when I had a credit that expired before my car arrived.

Bill

 

It depends. As long as they don't take ownership of my car that day, all insurance and liability would still stay with me. Unless they had to take ownership in order to run the financial paperwork. We'll see. If it's just a couple of days, I can live without the Jeep in order to save the $1000.

It may all be moot and the car may arrive in plenty of time. After all, it has 9 more weeks to get here, and they have apparently been arriving relatively quickly.

I think the dealer should take the risk with me. If the $1000 comes in, all's well. If I can't get it, they should give me a $500 on the car or a $1000 credit for accessories. That would have the added bonus of putting a financial incentive on them to get it all set on time.

 

Ours was 6 weeks from order to pick up. It all depends on the slot you get, if it gets into production in the next 2 weeks you should be golden.

Annette

 

My MA said that he'd call me on Wednesday with more information about my order. I hope that's the information I need to track the car.

 

That is SO encouraging. Six weeks would be awesome. Let's not forget that, money aside, I'm totally itching for the car anyway. I mean, I've joined NAM and posted in like a dozen threads within 48 hours of ordering the car. I'm obviously at least a little obsessed.

 

Is this a dealer issued coupon or a MINI issued coupon? Either way, unless they are real schmucks, it should be a non-issue. $1,000 is pretty much the standard discount to make you feel like you got something. Dealership should be offering it anyway. To the best of my knowledge, they will not stack discounts or offers. Just tell them to write the $1K into the agreement.

 

So os this a MINI US discount? If it is then hopfully I can get it as I am taking delivery on mywife'snext week.

Ours was ordered on 2/26 and will not be deliverd until 5/10.

 

This is a MINI issued coupon/incentive. They're running a promotion ("MINI Rocks the Rivals") to get non-MINI people into the dealership and driving automatic-trans Countrymans. I think it's part of a push to widen the appeal of the brand.

I happened to wander in that particular day, so I signed up for the coupon. And I wanted to order the car the next day anyway, so it turned out to be a great coincidence for me. This would be on top of the deal I already got with my dealership on the car and accessories prices themselves.

I probably should have played harder on the additional $1000, but I had already started myself off at a disadvantage in the negotiation by falling in love with the car, so it was hard enough to negotiate for what I actually got in the first place.

 

It's a one-time promo thing. You have to go to a "Rocks the Rivals" event at your dealer. I don't think you can even go to a different dealer and then bring the coupon back to your dealer. And my coupon is very clear in its disclaimer that it cannot be used on cars that are already ordered.

However, you could probably show up at your dealer a little miffed that you weren't told about these events and see if you can get a little more off the price.

And wait, you're waiting 12 weeks for your car?!?!?!? That's not encouraging news to me. Eek!

 

Wait for husband's CM-S was 11 weeks, but most waits since ours have been much shorter. We ordered on Valentine's day, it immediately went into production, but then took its sweet time in getting to our Dallas dealership (arrived on April 27!!). There were some rail (meaning choo-choo train, not center rail) problems in late Feb/Mar that affected some of us. Yours will probably arrive in time, but nothing is guaranteed.

 

Ack! You guys are scaring me...

 

I can't tell from your posts whether you ordered an automatic but if you did it may delay things if my MA is to be believed. I just ordered a manual Clubman today and he said it was good it was manual because the auto transmissions are made in Japan. With all the tsunami mess going on it could take 4-5 months for new automatic cars to be built. Sounds excessive to me but that was what he said. You may want to touch base with your guy to see if he's heard that too.

 

Oh - thanks for the update and theory. Fortunately, I ordered a manual. I wonder if the folks with wait times over 9 weeks are all automatics.

For future information:
ALL4 and manual trans
Cosmic Blue
White Roof
Chrome line exterior and mirrors
Standard 17" wheels w/all weather runflats
Racing stripes
Cold Weather/Premium/Convenience packages
No MINI-Connected
Leatherette interior
Fold-flat floor
Roof rack

 

Husband's is a manual. But, of course, his was ordered waaaay before the troubles in Japan. Like I said, his was produced very quickly, it was the later logistical problems that caused it to be 11 weeks.

Really, I enviously kept track of how short the wait times were for EVERYONE ELSE (well, excluding "Quebecker") and it seems most people received their CM's in 6-8 weeks.

 

I was surprised when I got my CM, the sticker said the transmission was made in Belgium (and yes I have an auto), I don't know if there is a difference with the CM (I know my Aisin tranny in my R56 was made in Japan) or if they switch to a plant in Belgium as a result of the Earthquake/Tsunami.

 

Well as the unofficial North American record holder for the longest wait, 13 weeks to be exact, I can safely say the issue was not my automatic, it was sitting for four weeks in the Bremerhaven port, then taking 11 days to get to the dealership from landing here.

It seems like there is huge range in delivery times. I would get the dealership to agree to honor the discount no matter what the delivery date is. In fact they should do like Macdonalds and offer a free car if you wait longer than a specific time.

 

Ooof. That is a record you are absolutely welcome to. I've got 9 weeks from today to get mine in order to get the discount with no argument. If we start to get close, I'll start to make grumbly noises at my MA about how they said there was a "97% chance" it would arrive by 7/5. I'll actually be grouchy from the wait anyway, so it won't be too hard to let some of that bleed over at the dealer.

 

I ordered my Countryman March 14, arrived at Baltimore April 28, anticipated delivery to dealer (Wisc.) May 8. It is an automatic, strips and mudflaps being installed at port. So about 8 weeks. I can't wait, this has been the longest 10 days knowing it is stateside. I want my car!!

 

I have the advantage of being really close to the major east coast shipping ports, so that should help a little too. You guys with the longer deliveries seem to be places like Texas, mid-Canada, Wisconsin, etc. That's a lot more truck time.