I found this 2014 MINI online, with a 2 good to be true price all the way on the other side of the country. (I am in SD CA)

so I started researching it, then requesting photos of it, then the car fax, which is completely clean. 1 owner, no accidents, never even dinged. It was a Leased vehicle. it currently has 15K miles with a fairly big list of options. By the pictures I received I can see it has paddle shifters, JWC Steering Wheel, Nav and Harmon Kardon.

I contacted a MINI dealership, gave them the last 7 of the VIN and this is what I received. (posted above) they also said the warranty is valid for several more years or 50K miles.

Can anyone make out what the heck I got? I would love to know what packages are in it. Can you find out by the numbers? if so, how?

I got it from a fairly large, new and used car dealership that does not sell MINIS so they had absolutely no clue at all....


thanks in advance

 

so, what kind of price are they asking?

 

 

I already purchased it. here are a few photos.
would like to get the packages confirmed and I will show everyone.
can anyone help?

 

You have Wired, MINI Connected XL, and a few goodies. Use MINIUSA's configurator to pick out what you have. not too many changes since 2014. Its not surprising seeing low milage and a trade in or for sale. We've had quite a few peoploe completely load up F56's and come back a couple of mnths later and say the car has too much tech in it and they don't like it. Check the service records if you can, we put in an engine on a Cooper S at 11k and an engine on a Cooper at 3k already.

 

ouch but they were warrantied, no?


MINIUSA configurator? I will go to their website and see...


I will see if I can post the car fax to get your opinion.


thanks!!!!

 

Based on the description and the photos, this looks like one of the original F56Ss sent to dealers for demo purposes. My local dealership still has theirs as far as I know, looks exactly the same inside and out.

Run the last 7 of your VIN through this decoder and you should get a list of packages/options, and they'll probably mirror what you posted.
http://www.bmwarchive.org/vin/bmw-vin-decoder.html

In a nutshell, this is what you seem to have:
Fully Loaded Package (includes Sport package, NavXL, Premium)
- Sport Automatic w/paddles
- JCW steering wheel and shifter but not the JCW interior package (no chrome pedals that I can see)
- Dual climate control (which I think was an option or part of a package for early 2014 models)
- MINI Yours Off-white color line
- Black Pearl leatherette / cloth sport seats
- 17" Tentacle Spoke wheels with A/S tires (as-delivered anyway)
- White turn signal indicators
- Sunroof

 

so what would a fairly good deal be on this?


good car? should I be worried? lol

 

yes they were.

 

You've already purchased it, according to your earlier post. So if you feel you got a good deal, that's all that matters

Using the VIN your local dealer should be able to find out if the MINI has any outstanding recalls, etc. And by reading the key they'll know if there are any issues (service calls, etc) to address. All should be under warranty, considering the age and mileage of your MINI.

 

If it is a dealer demonstrator, it means it is...
A VERY EARLY PRODUCTION CAR...so all the baggage that comes with...
Very well broken in...lots of "test" drivers...er..I mean joy rides....
I would value it similarly to pricing a former rental....
Consider the fact that MINI did not sell it on THEIR lot, unless you find from the Carfax it Was a local trade-in...
As for "stealing" it...lol...the free market tends to price cars very well....few dealers are so incompetent that they "give" stuff away...they markup the % they need, and sell it...I would say MANY more buyers are "taken" for a ride...let's face it, a dealer of any size sells multiple cars a day, a individual one every couple years on average...

FRom the posts sounds like you already bought the car...
I would not worry...
You sound happy with wglhat you paid...
Enjoy your car, and know the "bugs" were likely worked out of it by the prior drivers when the car lived at the MINI dealership!!

 

cool. ok thanks and yes, they have my money (and the car) for a at least another week or so.


and yes, I ran the vin and it is pretty much exactly but it does list the packages so that did help.
thanks

 

car fax reports it was with one owner who leased it and had a lien against it. if it was in used as a demo or loaner car, would not car fax list it differently?

 

Not as far as I know. It could have had 50 miles or 500 (or 5000) miles on it when it was sold.

 

The OP said it was a leased vehicle, not a dealer demo. Dealer demos won't have 11k miles on them either. But he never said what he paid for it, so who knows if it was a good deal or not. He bought a used Mini off a used car lot, not from a Mini dealer either.

 

The "tell" would be the number of miles on the car when the first owner registered it...
2014 gen3 cars were sold/delivered in TINY numbers...only a few months before the 2015 were sold with a slightly updated motor...

 

I just got off the phone with the service dept of the dealership that sold the car (20 miles) and serviced it up to over 11K mileage. the tech was nice enough to look up the vin in their database and told me it was owned by a woman. (no name was given)
anyway, it may not be a dealer car as suggested but either way, I will find out its condition in a few weeks and report back.


BTW - anyone have any connections to an auto transport service? I need to get the car from Kentucky to San Diego.

 

Sounds like it was an early adopter that had it for a very short time as a lease car...
So...
You are buying a car, sight unseen, no test drive, from a 3rd party non MINI dealer thousands of miles away??
Think any $$ you saved will get eaten up by the transportation fee's, and then add the risk of buying and shipping a car...
OUCH...brave man!!

 

I purchased this 65 Lincoln like that almost 15 years ago. Site unseen. Running strong to this day. We shall see if lightening strikes twice!

 

Didn't the launch MINIs have special scuttles?

 

you asking me? I have no idea what you are talking about! lol


I am going to post the car fax in a sec. maybe the people in the know here can give me an opinion.

 

 

Well, you got what looks to be a nicely equipped '14 MCS. I'm sure you like it a lot. No red flags that I can see. Decent mileage for a '14. My '14 MCS has 8,500 miles on it and I took delivery in mid-March of 2014.

Congratulations!

 

Wish you the best of luck!! Hopefully your work pays off with a great car!!

 

I have my fingers crossed. thank you all for the assistance and feedback.
I will report back once I get it, take it into MINI of San Diego for the once over and put a few miles on it.


CobraBob, you are correct, it is a bit high in the mileage dept but I will average maybe 2500 per year with it, so down the road it will be normal like the rest. Hopefully they were well cared for highway miles! one can only hope!


Now, anyone interested in a set of 17" rims? and anyone selling any Black ones?


time to start thinking about the mods!!!! :D