My little factoids are simply "facts" , if it bothers you that you're paying too much or that rental companies have minis, then you're a little over sensitive there. There are dealers that are dickering on minis, up here, in New England, the same as (Shock) any other car. You may have to shop around and that's not for everyone, but deals are out there, why do you think they are offering 1.9%... because they have inventory they need to move. Some dealers may try to hold out for msrp or more, but others are ready to sell cars.

As for depreciation, any car (again, except for a few exotics) will take their biggest drop in the first year........so yes, the minute you drive it off the lot, it starts to devalue. If you lost your job and had to sell that shiny new JCW you just bought 4 months ago, but it has 5k on it, well you're taking a 4 to 5 grand hit just to get rid of it. I don't know what it is you think you're driving, but it's a "Mini" for god’s sake, not a Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M. So since it is going to depreciate like "any other car", then it makes sense to get the very best deal you can up front. Yes, that means "never" pay more than msrp, because the person buying it from you when you sell it, will "only" look at what the original msrp was. The same with Edmunds or the Kelley Blue Book, they will depreciate the car based on the manufacturers original price, not on what you over-paid for it. As for rentals, not only do some of the national companies have them (Thrifty has them in their fleet, thrifty.com ), I can even rent them from Image Rent A Car in NY, FLA and even in good old Jersey. A car going into service with rental companies, doesn't necessarily mean it's going to hurt the value of a new one....it simply means that there will be more used ones on the market. Bottom line, Mini is a "great" car, but it isn't going to go up in value after you buy it, so keep as much as you can in your pocket up front. Makes sense to anyone I know.

So here's the deal - the information I put out there, is just that...information......from someone that has done this for along time. It wasn't a lecture, it wasn't meant to be arrogant, I was trying to give some facts that "may" help keep money in karmavore's pocket. He asked a legitimate question about how to avoid paying msrp and I spent 30 yrs trying get customers to pay just that.

 

A dealer will charge whatever the market allows, and a customer will pay whatever he feels is fair. It's called capitalism.

I don't know or care what the dealer profit is when I buy a car. I research current market conditions and try to get a decent deal based on those market conditions for the car I want. There's tons of info on the internet, and it's easy to get a good idea what the market is for a particular model.

Whether the dealer's making $5, $500 or $5,000 on the deal is of no consequence to me.

Anyone who arbitrarily creates rules such as "never pay msrp" or "never pay more than half the dealers margin" will find themselves without a deal on any car that's in high demand or short supply.

If I can sell all my apples for 10 cents you're not going to get one for a nickel!

I paid msrp for my Clubman, and I'm very happy with the deal. I got $7,500 off a brand-new Infiniti G20 a few years ago, and I was happy with that deal, as well.

Both prices paid were driven my the then current market conditions for the car I wanted, and were in range for what I was willing to pay.

 

Thread temporarily closed, cleaned up, and reopened.

Let's see if we can discuss this topic like adults now, shall we?

 

Fair enough M.

 

I think a lot of folks who paid MSRP or very close start to worry when they see that others are likely getting much better deals. You should try to remember every market and every buyer is different. It is still a buyers market right now and that wasn't the case when many of you bought. If you are happy with your car don't worry about what is in the past, but don't begrudge folks who are resolved to getting a better deal.

If getting a great deal is important to you the first thing I would do is forget ordering a car. Make a list of your "must have items". For me it was JCW clubman with Nav, Xenons, and Comfort access (which already put me at a huge disadvantage compared to most of you folks who are looking for MCS or Justa's). Then look nationally not locally. If you broaden your serch you will be able to find a car on a lot equiped with what you need. If you will consider a Demo or low mileage pre-owned, or managers car you can save a lot more.

The idea that you might hurt a sales associates feelings is really pretty silly, and building good will at your local dealership is way over-rated as far as I can tell. I just took my car to Mini of Ontario and got A+ service including getting in on the exact day I wanted, got a 2010 MCC loaner and got all the service done in one day which included replacing all the moonroof seals, inner and outer and oil service plus inspection, fluids topping etc and got my car back in one day. And I told them I bought my car from a MB dealer accross the country and it didn't affect how I was treated in the least.

Anyway, good luck in your search.

 

So you're cross shopping it with a VW GTI?

I think that question comes down to what car do you want to own then - it's less a matter of money spent than value rec'd, isn't it?

That's what I was trying to get across before - either a car is worth what it costs or not, and the determining factor for that is to always buy the car you like, not the deal you like, 'cause weeks, months or years later you'll still be driving the car, and the deal will be a distant memory if you get the right car. Buy the wrong car and all you'll do from there on is either second guess your decision and/or wish you'd bought the other car.

So, regardless of which one has more equipment or is cheaper, which one do you like better? Which one brings a smile to your face when you look at it and drive it? That's the one to buy then.....

Your mileage may vary.....

 

Well... much of it is a moot point now, we signed the deal today!!

Thanks Mini of Annapolis!

• Clubman S
• Sparking Silver with Black Roof and C Pillars
• Convenience Package
• Premium Package
• DTC
• Auto
• Aero Kit
• Lounge Leather (Hot Chocolate)
• Rubber Floor mats (F&R)
• Sport stripes
• Shift **** and e-brake in leather

Out the door for $35000 flat! (1200K discount and no installation fees)

Seriously though, thanks for the positive replies and encouragement!

 

Awesome. Glad you were able to get what you wanted at a fair price!

 

Thanks for making me feel sane. I wish I could have said it as well as you did.

 

Congrats, sounds like a nice ride indeed and a fair deal. Post up some pics when you get a chance.

 

That is where I went. I am wondering if you were there when we were picking up yestereday.

The whole staff there was/is fantastic.

Cheers,

 

They said someone was picking up a car that had sat in port for three weeks... was that you?

 

A 1200K discount! Now, that's a big discount!

Congratulations!!!

 

If this is a 2010 model something is wrong. On the 2010's you should have received a $1750 option credit NOT $1200. There is an option credit going that should have covered the cost of the premium package on your car. It looks like they gave you the option credit of $1200 on the automatic transmission instead. Might discuss that with them. See if you can get the other $550 bucks. My car had both the auto and premium and I didnt qualify for the special finance rate but my dealer still gave me the premium package credit on my deal.

 

That's only if you do the 3.9% financing. We wanted the 1.9% for obvious reasons.

 

35 out the door and 1.9% financing, with those options is a great deal karmavore....Congrats!!

 

Just got him Saturday, if you can believe it!

Rolly:

 

What obvious reasons?
I ran the numbers and with my down payment, the 3.9% with free option deal turned out to be several hundred $ cheaper over the life of the loan.
My option was the AT= $1250 discount.

 

"...with my downpayment"

With a high enough downpayment of course it makes sense.

Anyway, we got .9%! Woot!

 

For all of us that plan to order, what's the most you can squeeze out of the dealer? I'm ordering soon and hoped to get at least $1000.00 of MSRP in the way of free Bluetooth etc. I'm hoping this isn't a pipe dream.

What is the best deal anyone's heard from someone ordering.

 

It is a lot more difficult to negotiate a price when you are ordering a car rather than buying something on the lot. Dealers like to get rid of stock, not order cars for you. That's just the way it is. Sure they still make money, but a certain measure of their success comes with smacking a SOLD sign on a car on the lot, and striking a deal with what they have in stock. I'm 31 and this is my 5th new car since I turned 16. I think I have enough experience now to safely say that when you are ordering a car... it is much more difficult to get money taken off. Look to get freebies instead.

I ordered EVERY option for my MCS except for Nav. They had never configured a car like that before. I got JCW floor mats, four mud flaps, sport stripes and window tint for free... but I paid the MSRP. My car is being financed at 3.9% for 3 years. Financing rates in Ontario Canada are 0.9% now.

You have the final say. Get exactly what you want. Don't pay the price you want though-- pay the price that you feel is fair. These people have to make a living and have families to feed. They are on comission. Remember that. Be respectful, but have the final say.

 

I could never act like a jackass in order to get a great deal, just wasn't raised that way. However, even though the sales force have families they wouldn't hesitate for a minute if they saw an opportunity to make more money at your own expense. IE. lowjack, Floormats, cilajet (some Teflon coating they are trying to get 900.00 for). I also have myself to feed don't forget.

BTW isn't charging extra for floor mats like selling a pair of shoes then charging for the shoelaces.

 

I have a $22,600 msrp Cooper hardtop sitting at the dock in Southampton. I got $1,000 off just sending an email and asking the sales manager for his best internet price. I'm also getting the 1.9% financing.

An order is an extra and low-cost sale for a dealer. If they aren't restricted by the manufacturer in how many cars they can order, they'll always order one more if they can make money on it. Money talks and it doesn't preach morality.

 

In the past they were limited severly by the capacity of the plant, they seem to have been able to ramp that up considerably, coupled with the overall downturn in the economy means that dealers can pretty much get as many cars as they can take, and they will deal on them some. The more options or packages ordered, the more room there is between sticker and cost - but it's still not very much considering the price of the car.

A year ago Feb I ordered my Clubman S with fairly minimal stuff on it, cold weather pack, Zenons, MFSW, armrest and auto tans - that was it - I got $1350 off and felt I did the best deal I could. They had over 125 cars on the ground the day I ordered mine, they have less than half that now as business has picked up and they reduced inventory somewhat.

So the answer is - it depends on the dealer and his market area......

Go make your best deal and order your car, you won't regret it whatever the number turns out to be!

 

Great, that is the exact feedback I was looking for. 1,350 off... good show.

I'll cross my fingers and hope for the best.