I've been to the dealership a couple of times. The first test drive was in a Clubman S and I liked it but I definitely felt like it needed more "fizz". The Countryman was next on my list and I saw they had this JCW model on the lot and I liked it a lot better almost as soon as I pulled out of the dealership on the test drive. Not only did I appreciate the extra power I also really preferred the way the Countryman rode and the interior space it offered. This particular one is a JCW Countryman Signature trim with a couple of cosmetic add-ons (JCW Pro Design Mirror Caps and Side Scuttles). So as of this evening I've been talking to my salesperson and the sales manager (both of who have been excellent to deal with) and have made an offer on the car.

It's a situation where I don't need to change my car but I am interested in the possibility of an improved interest rate and the fact that trade values on cars are so high right now. If they are willing to meet my deal then that's great and I'm sure I'll enjoy the Mini. If not then I will still be ok other than a bit of disappointment. Anyway, I've been lurking here for a while as I've been a fan of the Mini ever since they were reintroduced to the USA back in the early 2000's. We'll see what happens!

 

Good luck with your offer! That’s a sweet ride.

 

Thanks! After one more counter-offer I believe we have come to terms. I am scheduled to go to the dealership on Saturday and finalize. I am excited to potentially be joining the Mini family and will post more once the deal is done!
Link to the car in question.
I think it's a pretty good spec although I will have to do something about those chrome surrounds on the headlights considering absolutely everything else is blacked out.

 

Sounds like you enjoy the dealing part, as do I. :-) That is a nice spec. Looking forward to seeing it in the pictures thread.

 

Definitely enjoy the deal-making process as long as it's with a pleasant sales staff and this experience has been smooth and easy. I will absolutely be posting up pics this weekend!

 

If the trade in on your current car isn't what you want, try CarMax. Mini offered 11K for our 2017 Hyndai Sonata 2 weeks ago. Took it to CarMax and got a check for 15K. CarMax sells a LOT of used cars and knows what they can get for them now. Most Mini dealers are going off blue-book values, which are out of date within days with the crazy market right now.

 

Mini actually gave us $3k more for our trade-in that what Carmax offered so I was very pleased with the trade valuation. Anyway, here's some pics now that he's safe at home! Wife and I had a great time with the delivery process and we were out of the dealership in a little over an hour. I'm definitely going to need to black out those headlight surrounds!

 

Looks awesome. Great gateway car to the MINI ownership experience! Welcome aboard.

 

Ok, looking at my first mods now. I coded the Active Sound Design off today with Bimmercode and would next like to change out those chrome headlight rings for some black ones. Doing some casual google searching reveals a lot of different options with a bunch of different prices and I'm honestly not sure which one I should go with. Does anyone have experience in this area that could point me in the right direction?

 

I like the chrome. Maybe some stripes?

 

Really? Even though most of the rest of the trim is black? I mean there still will be some chrome accents even if I change out the headlight trim but for some reason that particular trim piece is more obvious to me in terms of not matching the rest of the car.
And yes, I am thinking about stripes. Probably keeping it subtle with black hood stripes but with red or lighter gray edging on the stripes. I definitely have some thinking to do!

 

I bought new Black rings from ECS Tuning...about 60.00 each if I recall correctly. Not hard to do, just take your time...pop out and pop back in using plastic clips (which are included on the new ones). (Oh, but mine is a 2019...don't know if they have 2021, or if 2021 is different!)

 

Yup! Many cars aren't all black or all chrome in their trim. The chrome picks out the shape of the headlights nicely. I think with that colour, that black rings around the headlight might make it look like a raccoon. Personal preference but that is half the fun of the MINI experience. They are so customizable!