Yep, we want as many dealerships as possible to stay in business here in the States!

 

Good point.

My philosophy is that I'm not responsible for the dealer's decisions regarding selling profitably. That's the dealer's call.

My mantra is: I'm giving the dealer an opportunity to sell me a car. Either they can or can't meet my desired terms. Either they will or they won't.

When I offer to buy a car, I'm a ready and able and willing buyer. All the stuff on my end is in order. If they won't meet my proposed terms, I have a choice to pay more than I had hoped or move on. Sometimes I've paid more than planned, sometimes less, sometimes I've received the deal I proposed.

To me, the key is honest dealing. If a dealer explains why he/she can't meet my desired terms, then I can make an educated decision. If they blow sunshine my way, then I'm flying blind.

My last MINI deal was straightforward. The dealer (same guy I bought my previous MINI from) straight out told me $500 over invoice less incentives. He got me the one-off color combo I wanted, it was a fast, perfect order process and delivery. Happiness all around. He processed special paperwork for an additional secret squirrel incentive which saved me a bit more on top of the nationally advertised incentive, so my net was nicely back of invoice.

When he told me straight up that volume was down and he needed $500 over invoice on every deal, I was disappointed that I couldn't do a bit better but I was completely satisfied with his honest reasoning. He said, "I work for the dealership's owner. I'll do the best I can for you, but we need to keep the doors open so it's $500 over. Period." Made sense to me. And, of course, nothing cute with rate bumps or hidden fees or any of that nonsense. Just a good deal on a MINI we love.

Life's too short not to drive what you love. Whatever the deal.

 

I have posted on this before, but really believe an update is needed to stress how critical it is that you know what specials both in money back and/or financing from MINIUSA are available. Currently MiniUSA is providing up to $1,500. off depending on the model being purchased. There are finance offers of 1.9% which is I think better than other finance offers right now.

(History: special order Dec,2020, dealer first said only took MSRP for special orders so I walked. Dealer called back & accepted my offer for $1,800. off retail. Asked if paid upfront could I take advantage of MINIUSA offer but told I couldn't because it had to be in effect at time of delivery. Delivery is in next week and there is a special giving $1,000. on model I ordered. Called to tell dealer I was eligible for it as it was in effect at time of delivery. MUCH back & forth:
Dealer said normally only took $1,000.off retail and they had given me $1,800.off and that current customers were only being offered $1,000. off. AND this is where it gets ugly and unethical in my opinion. If you are offering a customer $1,000. off MSRP without telling them that there is a rebate you are entitled to from Mini and instead the dealer pockets the Mini money, you are effectively charging that customer MSRP and are acting unethically if not illegally. This is not a dealer incentive, it is an offer from MiniUSA to a customer.)

If you are currently negotiating on a Mini do NOT expect your salesperson to tell you about the rebate! (Only one out of four did with me.) It is best to get their best price and then tell them you want to apply MiniUSA rebate as well. If they have not told you about the rebate and/or once they find out you are aware they start back tracking on the offer price, I would seriously recommend you take your business elsewhere.
I think my major ethical issue is that I can see that those who are in most need of that rebate also being the group who is less likely to know about it. Senior citizens on a fixed income or people even of my generation who never got in the habit of researching on the web, folks of limited means who may not have the best access to or time to check online and lastly young people who often act impulsively are all most likely to be effected. And quite frankly it p***** me off. Acting as if you are giving something up when in truth you will be reimbursed.......okay enough said.
Fortunately folks on this website have most likely already checked the web and know of MINI USA offers but just in case I am updating an earlier post. Oh and yes I am getting the original offer and the rebate both, but not without unpleasantness. I want the dealership to make a profit, I want them to stay in business. But I don't want them to mislead me about the amount they are taking off or pocketing the money that was due to me the customer, seems fair to me.

 

MINI brand sales totaled 6,285 vehicles in the first quarter of 2021, an increase of 20% vs the 5,237 vehicles sold in the first quarter of 2020.

 

I ordered a 2022 Oxford Edition 2 door from my dealer. Ordered the Oxford Plus for the automatic but do not want the Panoramic Moonroof but the MA said they could not make the deletion (the plus includes both auto and roof for $1500). MINIUSA says it can be done thru the ordering process but no one seems to know how. Anyone have any ideas who I can talk to?

 

Congratulations on ordering your new MINI. Every dealer has a configuration tool that they use to "build" cars as part of the ordering process.

Sit down in front of the dealer's configuration computer with the sales manager at your dealer and together the two of you can discover what can be done.

Also, there are ways that the Big Guns at MINI USA can authorize special over rides if the dealer's configuration software won't automatically do what you want.

In the case of my last order, the configuration software wouldn't allow the color combo I wanted but my dealer was able to get it done by contacting his inside connection at MINI.

Don't give up. Best of luck.

 

and if the dealer won’t play ball, go to another dealer who is more interesting in selling you a car. These aren’t Toyotas being cranked out by the identical millions. If the dealer wants your money, they will use the tools that MINI gave them.

(Maybe this year’s sudden reversal of MINI North America’s five years straight of falling sales has given a few dealers a bit of hubris. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ rising tides lift all boats, but the tide always goes back out eventually.)

 

Just wanna say thanks before I forget it. Thanks for this thread! It helped me negotiate a great price on a custom factory order. I got a good deal that I could live with and the dealer did alright as well. The key was knowing the 6% markup. The dealer didn't blink an eye when I brought it up and we negotiated in good faith once that was out in the clear.

 

MINI sales are up!!

 

Huge increase in F60s for some reason. I see them all around my town now.

 

Those who have shopped for a new or near-new MINI recently have probably experienced less-than-generous incentives, limited inventory, and firm pricing.

This will soon end. The parts shortages will resolve, imprudent folks who had a few stimulus bucks magically appear in their bank accounts and have gone on their buying binges will soon be broke again, and used car prices will soften as supply catches up with demand.

So, what's the best current buying strategy now? Obviously, wait if you can. Let the market come to you, which it will eventually.

Or find something you like and pay what you have to, knowing that when used car prices inevitably soften, and new car inventories expand, many people who are paying premium prices now will be that much more upside down if they're buying cars with borrowed money.

A few lucky folks with maturing leases are discovering that, for the first time in forever, their lease returns are worth close to, or occasionally more than, the residual amount in their lease contracts. The challenge of course is, at lease end, if the car is turned in or sold, you gotta replace it and possibly get something new on less-than-favorable terms.

Some people say this is the best time in a long time to custom order the MINI you want. This makes sense if one is flexible as to delivery date and, in the case of replacing a leased car, one orders well enough in advance so the new MINI arrives prior to lease expiration. It will just be more challenging to snag a killer deal.

My experience is that the better dealers who are truly interested in maintaining long-term, satisfied customers, are still willing to do a lot to satisfy the discerning returning buyer. And there are still opportunities to find good value.

But, bottom line is, when supply is low and demand is strong, prices are going to trend higher and sellers are going to be less open to being ground down on price or terms.

As has always been the case, people in a position to let the deals come to them tend to get better deals whereas those who need to act now will generally pay more.

Regardless of how the numbers may have changed, the same rules still apply: Do your homework, know all the numbers, master and pay close attention to all the moving parts in your car deal, find what you like, pay what you think is fair, or walk away if the numbers don't make sense to you, and motor!

When enough savvy customers start refusing to pay extra dealer mark-ups and walk away from bad car deals, prices will improve for all of us.

 

Dead on with the above. We just bought a 22 F57 JCW new. Everything above happened. Great time to sell. We sold our 2018 Wrangler for crazy money so not getting a deal on the new buy was a wash. Had we waited to add the fun car back in that would have been ideal from a money making standpoint.

The used Mini market was ridiculous. People and dealers asking about 5% or so off MSRP for 3 yr old cars with 15-20k miles. Less used they were almost at MSRP. We turned our search to new. We figured new would at least be at MSRP but you would have a new car. We found one a few states away and got $1k off MSRP and pulled the trigger. Cars were selling in days. This was the third attempt to buy as two others were sold out from under us by locals coming in while we were waiting for more pics and information. The JCW we found and bought literally came in the day I called. The first pics we got were literally right off the truck not detailed or PDI’d

The struggle is real if you want to buy now. It is a horrible time to be a buyer no doubt. I bet this same car in a year and a half will go for brand new at 10% of MSRP and that will be the standard deal again.

 

This is 100% accurate. Normally I would have waited to get back into the market, but a few factors have made me do a purchase in this rather unfavorable market. First, I knew I wanted a manual shift Clubman and I think both a manual and the Clubman in its current form are not long for this world. The second is the rather insane amount I got for my Volvo C30 (the car I traded my Ur-Mini for back in 2013). I had started checking trade-in values for my low miles C30 Platinum trim about a year ago (10K to 12K). Then the values started climbing which, well, that just doesn't happen outside of collectibles. I ended up getting $17.6K for it from Carvana. Soon, any day now, I will be getting by BRG/BRG Clubman in Iconic trim which is being shipped to me from a dealer in Wisconsin. I got it for $1K under MSRP, which isn't *great* but isn't horrible in the current market. That combined with what I got for the Volvo makes me feel okay about the deal.

Now I gotta update my signature line since I will soon be back in the family!

 

Congratulations to those who have put together very decent deals in the current market. At or below MSRP, with no added on "market adjustment" charges and good value received on the trade-in, is excellent these days.

Let's hope things improve in the future, but let's also be happy for those who are snagging new MINIs and let's be happy for MINI dealers who are able to stay in business -- we don't want the brand to collapse.

As always, in the end, we drive the cars, not the deals. That's what really matters.

 

Perks Run in the Family promotion.

For current MINI owners who are ordering a new MINI, there is a loyalty program running. Be sure to ask your dealer about the "Perks Run in the Family" offer and clarify if it is IN ADDITION to any national rebate incentives.

All the dealer web sites that mention this say "see dealer for details." If anyone has the exact scoop, please post.

 

 

Just placed an order for a '22 SE. Wouldn't budge at all on MSRP and then added 995 for "dealer prep". Wouldn't remove it at all. The only other dealership around me was doing the same.

 

Hello, first post I ordered a new JCW 2 dr hardtop yesterday; white over moonwalk grey. Dealer wouldn’t move off of MSRP (no dealer fees) so I left to think about it. Contacted the other local dealer (they have dealer fees), and my call wasn’t returned. I went ahead and placed the order at MSRP, $1000 non refundable deposit. Good news is that I recently sold my 2019 4Runner Trd Pro back to the dealer for more than I paid new. Cheers!

 

Congratulations to those who are acquiring new MINIs, especially in this tight market.

For those who give dealers deposits, please remember that, until you sign the final contract and get the key fobs for your new MINI, you are under no obligation to complete the transaction. You get to test drive the vehicle once it arrives and if it is not to your satisfaction (you don't have to even give the dealer a reason), you can say no thank you and walk away and they need to refund your deposit. This is why any deposit should be done ON A CREDIT CARD so if the dealer pushes back you have your credit card company behind you. The dealer owns the car until you buy it!

Of course, we all enter into these deals in good faith, with the intention of completing the deal as per the agreed upon, out-the-door price and terms, which we ALWAYS get in writing up front. But "non-refundable" deposits are not something we believe in, ever!

And, remember, at TIME OF DELIVERY, you get the best manufacturer's offer available. So if you're entitled to $500 or $1,000 bucks and/or a special interest rate, make sure that comes off the final price of the car. If the deal is at MSRP, it is MSRP MINUS whatever MINI USA is offering AND whatever special rate you qualify for.

As for add-on profit fees. Well, that is an indicator of how car dealers view customers. They look past us, right into our wallets, and they are after every last dollar.

 

And WE WILL REMEMBER!

 

Hi All , just I want to decided that order a countryman All4 Oxford edition. But 2 dealers in DC area doesn’t recommend to order these type vehicle because no ETA?

they tried to sell me Countryman All4 Basic which is with loyalty program around 33K , other hand Oxford edition All4 countryman around 28K .

and also dealer says that Oxford edition not allow finance which is so strange . He says that this special edition because of that doesn’t accept for finance .

Guys , Do you have any experience about that ?
Edit

 

Here's what it says on the MINIUSA web site:
Must take vehicle delivery by 11/30/2021. Available on select new 2022 MINI models at participating MINI dealers, excluding Oxford Edition, Cooper SE Electric, and Plug-in hybrid models.

$1,000 off Cooper S Clubman, Cooper S Clubman ALL4, JCW Clubman models ; $500 off Cooper S Hardtop 2 Door, JCW Hardtop 2 Door, Cooper S Hardtop 4 Door, Cooper S Countryman, Cooper S Countryman ALL4, JCW Countryman models; $250 off Cooper Hardtop 2 Door, Cooper Hardtop 4 Door, Cooper Countryman and Cooper Countryman ALL4 models; Certain exclusions apply. Customer can choose to apply incentives against the MSRP of the vehicle at contract inception, or authorize the dealer to remit the credit to MINI Financial Services as payments on the customer's behalf. The credit can be combined with certain other MINI offers that are available at the time of purchase.

 

Traditionally, this is THE time of year when the best car deals are done.

The challenge today is lack of inventory and weak incentives.

Is it still possible to walk into a MINI dealer on Christmas eve, or, even better, New Years eve, and buy or lease a vehicle that is in dealer inventory for an insane deal? Maybe.

Usually dealers are pulling out all the stops to increase the total number of units moved for the year so any sale counts toward their calendar year sales goal.

The problem this year is that dealers haven't had inventory to sell, so the lofty sales goals that pay big dividends for dealers are more elusive than usual. Thus dealers may not have as much back end profit to snag and, therefore, they may have less incentive to move metal at a loss just to hit sales goals.

But, if you find that needle in a haystack car on a dealer's lot, it's always worth a try to come in low at year's end. One never knows. Santa may smile.

 

No good deals to be had in the DC Metro if you go to MINI of Alexandria. They are adding a mandatory $1,500 market adjustment on top of MSRP to all cars and requiring financing through MINI/BMW Finance. Not a good move in my opinion. I have purchased three new MINIs from them over the last 12 years. I won't forget these new tactics and will go to other dealers when the time comes, or even buy from other areas of the country.

 

I am going to dealer tomorrow...want to up grade my 2011 to a new Mini cooper S. I have made my mind up if they hit my trade in price I am going to buy...if not I will wait.
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