Nice!

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/..._top_10/4.html

 

Would you expect anything less from such a great car? We've been near the top of the resale value list since the beginning.

 

The BMW Mini has been consistently on top on resale value. The design to me is timeless art. It is also the best looking among the retro look modern cars currently in production to date equal to the Ford GT (IMHO).

 

Well the more I read about these little cars the better I feel about purchasing one . (except for the rust issue) My wife is signing the papers on an 06 MCS today. It's what she wanted and the more I read about them, the more I want it too. I have always been a muscle car type guy. I'm quite fond of the "steer with the rear" characteristic of rear wheel drive cars. But, one drive in this car was all it took to give her the go-ahead to purchase it. I've been reading every thing I can about this car since I had no knowledge of it. You guys have been a great help in my quest for info and I'd like to thank you all for such a great site. Terry

 

Wow...I don't want to be a downer on this, but weren't we the number 1 car last year?

When I got mine back in June, I recall reading the KBB value and being shocked that the vehicle had not lost any value.

Actually in looking at KBB now...my suggested retail is still 30250 (or as some put it, 4250 over what I paid ), even after adding 7000 miles on the ODO.

Truely amazing, especially since my 33.5K MS6 was purchased new for less than what I got the used Mini at...

 

I find that kind of crap. I bet if I wanted to sell my MINI today, I could get the same ($17k) I paid for it a year and a half ago. Bought with 47k miles, now has 56k. And of course we are not #1 anymore....the 07's are fugly.

-Cody

 

This helps...
as quoted..."Parent company BMW has worked hard to keep the supply just slightly behind the demand, meaning prices have barely flagged."

One of the top reasons I bought a Mini was resale. I'm used to buying motorcycles for toys and they hardly lose any value. Switching to a car made it a must have issue. (resale that is)

 

Unfortunately, I think the Mini resale bubble is bursting... just like the Harley bubble bust...
Used MK 1s that are not priced to account for the typical depreciation of any other car are starting to languish on the market ... KBB is often quite slugish in responding to changing markets, but most people who have actually tried to sell a MK1 lately know the reality.

 

Why would anyone want to sell one?

 

Why would anyone want to resell their previously-loved MINI? To buy a newer one?

 

Guys, look at the values for the other cars. I think these cars were put in alphabetical order. The MINI tied for 1st place the Infiniti G37, Civic, and the three ToyoScions at 52%. The VWs were 51% and the Corvette 50%.

 

Yes, they are not as strong now as they once were but are still doing very well. I've noticed a few things, primarily that the cars taking the biggest hit are the late model ones (low mileage '05 and '06 cars) because of how close they are in price to new '07s. Also, the people that tend to lose more money are the ones that get all the options, because they do not hold their value as well percentage-wise as the basic car itself does.

 

Honestly, I think the drop we've seen is just the begining. I just went through this recently as a Harley seller and the Mini market seems to be have some the same signs that signaled the begining of the Harley resale value collapse. The first gen Mini resale value may be in for an even harder fall due to the strut and strut tower problem which is very distrubing to informed potential buyers. Structural fragility is not a good trait in any used car, no matter how cool it is.
I hope no one is buying a Mini because they beleive the resale magic will continue to work I'm afraid that party is over... but the fun to drive party is alive and well

 

I agree with you somewhat on the informed buyers statement. However, as an informed buyer last week when I was deciding to purchase one, I checked the struts, saw they was straight, and bought anyway. I figured the price of the strut bracing/reinforcement in with the total price of the car and it was still a deal. However, I'm sure some will become "partially" informed and keep window shopping. Too bad for them because this car is fun.

 

hopefully the supply doesn't outnumber the demand... look what its done to Harley!

 

Harley still doesn't do too bad. It's just not the reckless raping it was 10 years ago. I remember back in 1988 while I was in the Navy and broke as all get out. I could of bought a new 883 Sportster for their intro price of $3995 (if I remember right). Then they doubled in price in two years because you couldn't get one to save your life. The used ones jacked up the price of the new ones since they were reselling them for a profit.

 

most all now not just the 883's but even the big twins are getting over produced and yes you can't get what you paid for them...even if you put more than a few in them...

My Dyna which is garage kept and harley serviced and well added to for some reason the average buyer doesn't even want to touch blue book... and the dealers have too many of them on hand

just too many of them on the streets these days

 

Owtcast: I remember that deal on Sportsters. In the late 80s it was $3995 and Harley guaranteed a trade in value of $3995 toward any Big Twin within one year. I wanted one bad too...but was still in school.
Integral: This spring I sold my hot rod Dyna Wide Glide for about half of what I could have got a couple of years ago and have only seen prices go substantially lower in the last several months. I hear ya, KBB is still too high on Harleys too.
BTW, I drove a C5 Vette last night...I hadn't driven one for a while... I love those things.. .I owned a ZR-1 and an LT-4... but I gotta say, the Mini holds its own in the fun department against anything.

 

They didn't indicate a difference among the top ten other than to say what percent of original value was retained after 5 years. The Corvette and a couple others had the same % Value retained: 52%. You can still argue we're at the top.