i am going to order my wife a new coper s in december or so. i have never ordered a car from a dealer before, is there any way to negotiate the price as if we were going to buy one off the showroom? how would i go about it if there is? thanks for the help.

andy

 

Typical with Mini.....there is no negotiating. Sticker is what you pay.There is a cheap lease out there of $249.00. But that's it in Mini world as far as I know. I've read other threads here and everybody says the same thing basically. The best I have seen is floor mats included (it's what I got) or some consideration towards accessories. This goes for in stock as well as ordering.....no differentiation. Good luck.

 

I ordered a 2010 Clubman s last Oct and got $1000 off. My dealer said they never negotiate and said I never buy at full price and I won.

 

I asked in an email for the best internet price and got $1,000 off $22,600 as well as 1.9% financing. Look at Edmunds and or KBB and you will see what people are actually paying in your region of the country.

 

Best way to pressure them is to contact 2 or more dealers when you are ready to buy and tell them you want the drive out price including all taxes and fees for the car you spec. Tell them you are talking to two dealers and that you will make your decision and place the order immediately. It varies but I think you can squeeze about $1,000 - even on a custom order.

 

Yeah $1000 is about as good as you will get, but depending on the competition in your area, you could get zip. Ask for a break you might get one, then again.........?

 

Be sure to go to the MINI web site and 'build' your MINI online.
http://www.miniusa.com/
Take the printout to the dealer give a deposit and you are done with ordering.

I paid MSRP as shown on MINI web site + $295 (Dec '09) which included floor mats (front, back & boot), Wheel locks, A tank of premium fuel and a fairly expensive detail.

My dealer would not budge off of MSRP for any '10 on the lot or ordered same price. They would take a few hundred off of some '09s on the lot at the time, but not enough to make a difference to us as all the cars on the lot had lots of $ options we did not want. Note that there is only 1 dealer in my entire state (OR).

We did get a free option (AT=$1250) and 3.9% financing which came as a surprise. (Financing through MINI). No sales tax in OR

 

While it was true for a long time that MINI was selling for full sticker, that is no longer the case everywhere. There are too many dealers, too much available inventory, and not enough demand to support it any longer. Even the manufacturer was offering up to a $1750 rebate within the past couple of months.

Wait until you are ready to act and contact a few dealers via the Internet. Somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500 is becoming pretty standard if you work at it.

 

thank you for the ideas, I will have to wait and see what I can get in december.

andy

 

OP it is usually like this in areas of America with only a couple dealers like the Pac NW, no deals or a little off. However, in more MINI-dealer populated areas some discounts on ordered cars is possible. Depends on where you are at.

 

Just wait for the 2011...it will be a refresh including the engine.

 

if I order it in december won't it be a 2011?

andy

 

I believe a December order will be a 2011.

 

Actually I paid close to dealer's invoice for my 2010 MCSa. I did all my shopping via the internet and found the exact car I was looking for. I called the dealer up and told him this my offer, all cash. They took it. I went in the next day to pay, decided I wanted the JCW Stage 1 kit, and got them to throw in the strips on the car for free. It's all about negotiating from a power stance. I don't have time to **** around. I made them very aware of that.

 

Here in NY/ CT, there were specials on inventory cars when I was shopping around 3 months ago. Went to (3) dealers, paid cash...I was shocked I got the same discount on a ordered a 2010 MCS HT for 2,450 off MSRP w/ free mats, PLUS they threw in the 380 sport stripes AFTER I paid for it when I picked up the car.
Took about 7 weeks to get here from England.

 

I received, after writing in, a notice in the mail that my dealer was offering $2,000.00 off. Caveate was that it had to have a premium package. They offered $1,500.00 off cars with the sport package. There was also .9% financing...had to be an automatic. So some deals if these are what you want.

 

Everything is negotiable at the dealership. Heck, if a salesmen at the stealership could negotiate to rent out his grandmother to you on the weekends, he would.

When I was casually looking for a MINI a few months ago, I spec'ed up a 2010 and sent it to a local stealership, not expecting anything but a few annoying emails. They send me back a deal, nearly $2K off the sticker.

Still, it was too much for my budget, so I started looking at used MINIs, and found a nice example at another local stealership. After some negotiating, I got them to come down $3K on a CPO. Thanks NAM for educating me on what to look for in a used MINI, and how to spot issues and shortcomings. The car I ended up with definitely has issues, but minor enough that I entered used MINI ownership with little fear.

Don't be afraid to be a total 455-hat when negotiating. You're swimming with sharks; They make deals all day, this is their job - for most other folks, it's just a painful part of buying a car that they experience just once every few years. Play rough, don't be afraid to be pushy. You don't need to give them your business, they need to earn yours.

I once heard a story where a guy got up and walked out over a $500 difference. The salesmen incredulously asks, "You're willing to walk over $500?" The consumer wisely responded, "No, YOU are willing to let me leave over $500."

 

My wife did the same thing. We were going to trade in her Rav4 for an FJ with all the fun aftermarket offroad stuff already put on at the stealership. She told the guy that she wouldn't pay a cent over 300 a month on it. He came back and said he could get her 310 a month. She said no, he went to his boss, came back and said 301 and that is as low as he could go. She basically told him to 'f off in a little nicer way, not too nice, and got up and started walking off. Have never been so proud of my wife.

I just put in my order last weekend for a 2011 JCW. I'm in the army stationed in the Netherlands. We get a pretty hefty discount from them. I put the navigation, premium package, and the aero kit on and the order was 31,687 including tax/delivery. But the dealership got the word that the aero kit can't be ordered on the 2011 JCW since they are coming from the factory with them standard now. So I have to wait to hear back from them about any other changes to what is offered with it. Fun, I want my car already!