Seemed to me that while we're still missing the dealer rating system we could use a place for our various praises & rants...

I bought in Chicago so can't speak for the MAs out here much. Tate was really nice to us at the breakfast this month. Sterling was open for a cabrio preview, but they didn't know much about the cabrio yet. I've never met the Towson MAs.

I use Towson for service, but I've decided only to deal with Wayne. My experience with other SAs have been mixed, though not terrible. Wayne is great and very good at the service part of customer service -- I wonder if he came from the BMW side. My only gripe with Towson would be that they should get their policies straight. I get different stories about whether I can make an appointment, get a loaner or other policies depending on whom I talk to. I prefer it when everyone gets told the same thing... silly me!

I tried to use Sterling for service twice, but they were always making appointments 3-5 weeks out. I'm not that patient. That's how I ended up at Towson -- that and the easier drive (reverse commute so less traffic when I'm going).

Anyone else?

 

See the thread entitled "Sterling/xm" for my buying experience from Sterling. I did ask the service rep about service loaners and appointments when I bought the car, he said that they'd gotten the backlog (as of August 2004) down to approximately 3 days and that you get a service loaner if the car will be in for more than 2 hours. He also explained that this was a truism for any mini dealer.

Tony

 

Sorry... yeah, they say that... Depends on the dealer, your problem, how much they like you, if they have MINI loaners or are willing to foot the Enterprise bill and the alignment of the stars....

 

I ordered my car there June 10, 2003, and it arrived August 22, 2003. I picked it up on August 26, 2003 VERY late, in fact three of the guys stayed WELL past closing to accommodate me (they knew me well enough after the 50 gazillion visits I made during my wait). I have been there only one time for an unscheduled service visit, which was handled promptly and as promised. They paid for a rental (out of loaners for the day) and had the MINI for the day but were done with it before they said they would be.

I've been there for my 10K service and had them upgrade my ECU to v36. I am SURE they've seen all the mods on my car, but have never once refused service or told me I'd have to pay for warranty items. The MAs are top-notch, especially Benn Edwards and Barry Wilson, and the rest of the crew gets high marks from me. Except for the new girl who works at the parts counter...what a *****!

Yes, they're a drive from Arlington, but IMHO well worth it. Their SA, Wayne, is as Deb opined grade A.

Give them a shot if you are so inclined.

Marty

 

Here's my tuppence:

When I first started looking at MINIs (around the end of March), I first went to Sterling. I walked in, looked around for a bit, and stood there trying to look obvious that I wanted some sales assistance. That didn't work. So I eventually flagged down a MA and said that I was interested in looking at some MINIs. She told me that they were outside and walked away. Uh huh. I want outside and left.

I have been back to Sterling for parts though (it's on the way home from an office I occasionally work out of), and their parts guy (forgot his name) seems to be a really nice guy. I chatted with him for a few minutes a couple of times when ordering/picking up parts. He even admitted that most MINI enthusiasts know much more about what's available for the cars than the MA's / parts dept.!

So, 0/5 stars for sales, 5/5 for their parts dept.

---

A day or two later I went to Towson. I was nosing around at the used cars in the lot, and Barry came up and introduced himself. Seemed to be a nice guy. I asked him a bunch of questions, and he seemed to be reasonably knowledgeable. He got the keys for a few cars, and let me sit inside and play with them for a bit. No offer for a test drive though, and he didn't bring me inside the dealership to really see how interested I was in buying (very). He did show me that I should really consider new over used considering the minimal price difference.

So I'd give Towson 3 and a half out of 5.

---

A couple days after that, I went to Tate. I walked in, and Scott introduced himself. I told him that I was interested in a CVT, but not too sure on new or used. He immediately offered me a test drive on the demo CVT they had. He told me the route, handed me the keys, and told me to have fun. Well, I did have fun and I fell in love with the car. :smile: I came back, and we talked for a while. He showed me what was coming in in the next few months, and explained that I could also completely customize an order. He also agreed with Barry that there really wasn't a reason to go used, and answered all of my questions, and definitely came off as a good guy. Not a bit of slimy-car-dealer-feeling. When I asked him about a trade-in, he told me that while they would do one, since it was a Nissan, they really wouldn't give me anything for it. He recommended either privately selling for max $, or CarMax for reasonable $ and minimum hassle. So I shook his hand, and left with a good feeling in my gut. I didn't feel pressured at all to buy, but not a "I don't give a f--- if you buy or not" feeling (a la Sterling) either. That good feeling turned into excitement once I discovered that CarMax would indeed give me a good price on my car, and I figured out that the demo I drove was almost exactly what I would have spec'd!! So I went back a couple of days later and sealed the deal. The only thing that slightly annoyed me was the 'paperwork' fee, but they did throw in rubber mats (standard), so it more or less worked out.

4.5/5 stars.

----

As a bonus review, the first place I looked was Select Auto Imports in Alexandria (?). They had a Velvet Red 2002 Cooper if I remember correctly. (Am I the only one who likes this color??) This was my first up-close and personal view of a MINI. As I walked out of the car, a sales person almost ran up to me. I forgot the guy's name, but he was Ukrainian with a pretty thick accent. He took me for a test drive in the car. He really wasn't knowledgeable at all about the car, and kept on telling me how he was new. I got back, we walked me into the office, and started to fill out the paperwork for me to purchase the car!! I told him that I was only just looking at the moment, and had no interest to buy at this time. He brought out the sales manager. Now, if you looked up 'Used Car Dealer Scum' in the dictionary, it would show this guy. Quick speaker, slicked back hair, cheap suit, the works! So, he tells me that the car is $26,000 (and remember, this was only about 6 months ago, and the car was a used 2002), but he was going to 'cut me a deal' and offer it to me for $24,000. Now, keep in mind I really was only looking, and hadn't even looked at prices online. I was in no way, shape, or form going to buy a car at that moment. So I really didn't know prices yet. Oh, this was a base model CVT, BTW. So he sends his minions to look at my trade-in car, and that give it a clean bill of health. The dealer-scumbag goes online, looks up the price in Kelly Bluebook, and clicks on the 'fair' valuation for it. I exclaimed that my car was in near-mint condition, but he told me that all they ever give trade-ins was fair, and that it was standard procedure. Riiiight... The value that he offered me ended up being $4,000 less than what CarMax offered!! Anyway ,so then the scum then proceeds me to ask, beg, plead, whine, etc., for me to buy the car right now. It was so bad that when he got up to take a phone call, another sales person a few desks away mumbles above her breath 'he isn't going to buy a car today, back off!". Eventually I got sick of it, so I finally got up, said I'd think about it, and left.

Here's the kicker: The 'great deal' that he offered me? Ya know, for $24,000 after knocking the price down from $26,000? THE SAME CAR WAS LISTED ON THEIR WEBSITE FOR $22,995!!! Needless to say, when they called back a couple days later to see if I was still interested, I had a few things to say! Thinking about this still gets me wound up...

-3/5 Stars

So all in all, I wouldn't buy from Sterling, but Towson and definitely Tate I would happily purchase from. And as for Select Auto Imports...


-Paul!

 

Check in the Sterling/XM thread. I have had a great experience with Mini of Sterling so far.

 

Last week I had some minor things done to my '02 Chili Red/White, (squeaky window, boot rattle). When I called MINI of Sterling for an appointment, they gave me one less than a week away. They did everything they promised, explained all the work that they did, and called me the minute the car was done.

I think the new service guys are doing a great job!

I picked some parts too, and it felt so good to flash my DC Metro MINIS club card and get 10% off as well.

 

I bought my car at Tate in 2002. I've had it since aug.7th of that year. The sales staff at Tate changes faces every few months. When I went to drop DCMM stuff there recently, there was only one of the original staff. When I bought my car, I knew more about it than the sales staff. They finally got it together in the sales dept....I hope.

BUT

their MINI service dept. rep is brain dead.
They have the "we don't care cuz we don't have to" attitude. They have a captive audience, more or less, and they know it.
The work gets done, but it's like pulling teeth. They tend to forget small details.
It's too far to go to Towson, and I hate the beltway, so I am one of their captives.

I hope that their service dept. gets better. Until then ...caveat emptor.
I hope that

 

I rest my case...Ben, who had been enthusiastic, personable and supportive of DCMM is no longer there. He was sales manager for 4 months. He's been replaced by the manager who was there when I bought my car, who is a complete and utter a**hole.

 

I think we met him. We were asking about the Mini select financing and he acted like we were morons to go that way. My wife, as usual, presented a good argument, but he took an air of superiority regardless. We've been talking with Darrin Fowler over two test-drive visits and several emails. He's really friendly and tries to answer all our questions. But I think I'm a bit more informed than him after reading NAM for a couple of weeks.

We plan on placing an order in January.

I'm in Alexandria. Should I make a special trip to Towson to get good service? I've been emailing Darrin several questions about getting driving lamps, the January release options and financing. I get the sense that he's usually waiting for info from the sales manager or the service manager.

 

I'm in Arlington and drive to Towson and have been very happy with their service department. I always get a quick response. I hear that MINI of Sterling has made a lot of changes and is getting their act together. But I have been going to Towson long enough now that I know everyone and everyone knows me, so I am comfortable there.