.

Tread carefully, knowing how some of my local car salespeople work (my favorite was "if you don't buy this GTI another buyer will be in shortly to get it" ) I wouldn't be surprised if they just return your deposit and sell your car to the next person who walks in without any compensation or incentives.

Agree. Since it's not dealership's mistake, it might be very hard to ask for additional incentives or discount unless Mini USA offering something. Dealerships are also victim of this problem.

Regarding the possibility of selling "my" Mini to the next customer if I cancel, I'm not so sure that can happen.

Whose car is it to sell? If the dealer has persuaded MINI that they have "sold order", thus getting an "extra" car to sell, can they sell it to someone else in the event the "buyer" cancels? If I'm a dealer who can't get enough inventory because other dealers are claiming "sold order", I think I'd complain bitterly to MINI. If a "sold order" becomes unsold, I'd want a fair shot at it myself. Else I'll start claiming false sold orders myself.

There's probably a point in time, spelled out in MINI's rules/policies/franchises, wherein a "sold order" no longer automatically goes to the ordering dealership - if that order is cancelled. After that point the dealer cannot even have the car, much less sell it to someone else. Maybe.

I wrote this in another thread but I'll reiterate here - My dealership has agreed to compensate me the difference in fuel usage between my current car and the MINI I purchased during an assumed 8 week delay ($250). They have also agreed to pay for the 30k mile maintenance on my current car before trade in ($500) since I had intended to trade the car in well before that mileage.

Of these two I am receiving $250 to pay the difference in fuel cost. That's fair to me since I purchased the MINI for this reason. The $500 service protects their investment in the car that I'm still driving and I see no money out of that deal.

I don't feel they owe me anything besides the car I ordered and my MA/Sales manager know that which is probably why they agreed to what I asked for. I didn't frame it as "you owe me this because my car is late" I used the logical approach of 'I didn't plan on these expenses because I expected to be driving a MINI now and not my current car'.

If you feel they 'owe' you something then ask for it. Just do it politely and be prepared for them to say 'no'. Having a good relationship with your MA/Sales manager also helps here.

Certainly before you take delivery :) In fairness to the dealer, you should be talking with your MA or Sales Manager sooner rather than later. Any "compensation" may require authorization and thus delay your taking delivery of the vehicle further. And yes, be very careful about what you ask for and how you ask for it. MINI isn't going to want to lose the sale, but they are definitely not in the business of losing money either. I have no idea if there is a cap on this, but I would be surprised if it were more than $1K total per vehicle affected.


Great advice here. Honey, not vinegar!


It most definitely can and will happen. The MINI held at the port belongs to MINI, NA and the dealer that ordered it. It is technically being "held" by you with a deposit and will become "yours" when a purchase and sale agreement is signed. Until then, it belongs to XYZ MINI. So, if you cancel your order, that vehicle then becomes another unit the dealer you were working with has to sell to someone else.

MINI allocates a certain number of vehicles per month to each dealer in the US. That is usually a fixed number that does not change. Dealers have a limited time before production to modify their allocation with specific colors/options/etc. When you order a vehicle, that dealer changes one of their allocated vehicles to your special order. A very busy dealer can actually run out of spots to modify a vehicle for you, thus delaying your car to the following month which is why some (slower selling) dealers can claim to get you an ordered car faster than others. If you cancel for any reason and the vehicle has gone into production, your dealer now owns that vehicle and it cannot be modified. This is why some dealers will require a larger deposit or may stipulate a "non-refundable" deposit if you were to order something crazy like a red convertible with a blue roof and a green interior.

I hope this helps. :)

I agree that your mileage will certainly vary on this one. I got a $500 concession from my dealer to help fix the car that I'm currently in: the catalytic converter went out, and I was due for an emissions test in August. Since I was supposed to get my Mini the first or second week of August, and now it won't be until October, my choices were to fix it (and wait for my Mini) or sell it before the end of the month and get something else.

Without extenuating circumstances, however, I'm not sure I'd have felt comfortable asking for a concession. Yes, the delay is annoying; yes, I'd be thrilled if Mini had offered a concession of their own accord; no, I don't feel that I'm necessarily due anything from them except their apologies. I'm just grateful that they value my business enough to help me get through to October.

I get the feeling that dealers are allowed to offer $500 off deals by MINIUSA without asking. But anything beyond that I think they either suck it up, or need to ask MINIUSA for some additional authorization.

Agree. I was offered $500 for rental or towards clear bra.