Loyalty:

Does anyone know if this is a lease only credit or is it also finance with Mini financial? If finance, any minimum an how long the loan has to be in force? I would think in CA, credit is at time of purchase, and since all loans have to be simple interest with no prepayment penalties, you could pay off (or refinance with credit union) the next day.

DriversEd credit:

A few here reported they received it. Did the credit get applied at delivery, or is this $ that will be mailed to you later?

General credit question:

Were these applied to the selling price, i.e. reduced sales tax, or just a credit against price + tax total -- realize this may vary by state...

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I personally like to know everything before getting to the finance office. Other than hating the typical negotiating a deal, I hate the paperwork part almost as much where some dealers (not my one Mini purchase, but that was a different dealer than this purchase) make the process painful. I have no problem saying "no" to all the pitches, but when it goes overboard and takes forever or tries to be high pressure, then I hate it.

Thanks in advance for any and all info.

Could be any day now -- hopefully!!!

 

I was one of those who reported success with DriversED. It's a $500 credit applied to the price of the car above the line so here in PA it means that we saved $530. There's not a single word in the T&Cs that ties it in to any financing product.

I don't know anything about the loyalty promotion, since I'm usually a disloyal cur.

 

Thought the drivers ed discount was on any Mini EXCEPT the hardtop! No? Customer loyalty is $250 off price ONLY if you finance or lease, and this is you second Mini/BMW. The discounts are applied BEFORE tax, title, and licensing fees.

 

Follow-up question about the driver's ed discount: I see that driversed.com offers in-person training (using a Mini) in some states, and for other states there are online classes (called adult driver's ed). What is required to get the discount on a Mini? The in-person training or the online classes? I'm looking to purchase/finance a new Countryman. Thanks.

 

My wife took the online CA mature drivers course for $12.49 after 50% off coupon (expired 9/30, but there are probably other codes out there if you search). This qualified for getting the discount certificate sent (you have to call in and ask for a Mini certificate after completing the course).

As far as whether the class qualifies for a discount on the 2015 Hardtop, nothing on the Mini site says it doesn't. When I got the certificate, it did say excludes 2005 Hardtop (but the PDF was messed up and you couldn't see it). I sent an email to Mini HQ contacts (from the EPA email exchange) and asked if DriversEd credit was good with my delayed 2015 Hardtop and was told to bring it to the dealer and it would be paid -- but left unsaid was whether this was at delivery or something I would be mailed later, hence my question. Perhaps the certificate has old terms and the terms at the Mini site that say nothing about excluding the 2015 Hardtop no longer apply.

With CA sales tax of 8%, if the $500 becomes $540, that's additionally sweet.

 

Sorry for asking a question that has probably already been asked: what program did you complete? Adult Drivers Ed?

Thanks!

 

You didn't direct this question to anyone in particular, so here's $0.02 - The adult course. However, this was a result of conferring with my insurance agent who suggested that this would be the best one for scoring the insurance discount. The sticker price for that course was $65, minus the Summer50 discount. Most I looked at were about the same price, none were under $50 IIRC. Maybe pricing varies by state.

FWIW, I hated every minute of taking that course. It was very slow paced, many ridiculous videos, and MISTAKES. The lecture on cornering was preposterous, as they tried to use both centripetal (the correct term) and "centrifugal" (there is no such thing) as "opposing forces" that make a car go around a turn. OMG. It's like they turned that section over to a 9th grade physics class as a project in the second week of the semester, and it was written by a committee that couldn't make up its mind. Horrifically bad. Unless there's a compelling reason (such as $500) to suffer through it, DON'T.

 

i wanted to do it, but the small print says if you ordered before July 1 you're not eligible.
why not????

 

They hate you.

 

i knew it!

 

That's why I emailed my Mini HQ contact (from the EPA mess).

He said take certificate to dealer and it would be paid. Hence my question here was to see if the "paid" happens at delivery, or later direct from Mini.

I think because of the EPA fiasco they are likely ignoring the before July 1 statement. If you think about it, this offer did not start until on or about Sept 1, and when it was originated set up there was no EPA delay and the before July 1 orders would have been delivered. I recalled in my email exchanges about the delay it was noted by Mini HQ that the delay would make some additional incentives available at time of delivery -- I think this was the known (by Mini) upcoming DriversEd incentive.

Just based on my email Mini, I'm fully expecting to see my $500 one way or the other -- if not at delivery, then later by Mini when I send them my certificate and the email from the Mini contact.

Still waiting to hear about the car. Owners lounge still has Oct 7th estimate.

 

The "loyalty" credit is for those who choose to use Mini financing. When it was offered to me I had to make 6 monthly payments before I could pay it off. I think the interest rate was under 5% but I didn't do it.

 

The current interest rate is 1.9% for the 2015 hardtop with excellent credit.

I don't see how they can enforce a minimum loan time period, but I will be checking it out when the car comes in.

They may say you have to keep the loan for 6 months, but I'd have to see it in writing. I suspect they may not earn their commission if it's not 6 months, and thus would be highly motivated to convince you that you can't pay it off for six months. I have no doubt that the six month limit was in force years ago and possibly in other states today. But any state that requires "no prepayment penalty" more than likely has a "no minimum time period" also.

 

I think you are right that these rules will vary from state to state. And you are also right to be suspicious of what comes out of their mouths, since the only thing that matters is what the low-contrast 4-point type says on the back of the contract. Which, naturally, they don't make readily available until you're sitting there in their office. You certainly could request a blank financing form to review ahead of time. I'd recommend this to everyone who's considering indentured financial servitude.

BTW, I have actually done this. The low-contrast 4-point type can be enhanced to readability by high-resolution scanning, OCR, and making a PDF out of it. It's amazing what you'll find in there.

 

I wish I had known this earlier. We ordered on 28 Jun, just missed the cut off. And we pick up the car on noon Monday so I don't think we can get it worked out in time. Sounds like a good deal though