I guess i must have been living under a rock for the past few years when it comes to negotiating a deal on a new vehicle, i was devastated after leaving our local dealer,oh the salesman was nice enough and we even went for a test ride as i have never driven a mini before. I have a 2008 ford f250 FX4 pickup fully loaded with 11,000 miles and no lean its free and clear,its a cream puff and was over $40,000 new.well they offered me 23,000 and would not come off MSRP. The mini i wanted was 28,300 . I was told thats it. I was ready to buy and they let me walk out the door with out any dickering. How do you come back after that, all they had to do was come up some what on my trade in, i could have lived with MSRP. Now i am looking at a 2009 S with 14000 miles from a non mini dealer and he is ready to deal. should i go used or suck it up and let the local dealer whip me like a redheaded step child..........

 

Why anyone buys a new car from the dealer is beyond me, but I am sure glad they do. It allows me to buy the car I want for thousands less. Save yourself some money and buy used.

 

i mean if you want it personalized with specific options that are hard to find then i would buy new, but if not used is not a bad option... so many great used minis out there.

 

If there's a carmax near you, see what they'll give you for your truck. You don't have to buy a car from them, just ask them what they'll give you for your car. They'll give you a written offer that's good for 7 days. If it's more than what the mini dealer offered you, go back to the dealer and show them the carmax offer and tell them that if they'll match it or beat it you'll buy the mini from them.

It's worth a shot...

 

Premium cars like the MINI are rarely ever sold for less than MSRP..........but you should have been able to negotiate the trade-in if they were really lowballing you compared to bluebook. And you should always be able to get some freebies from the dealer, like floor mats and other options.

 

Sell the truck yourself and go to a different dealer with cash. You'll always do better selling your used car yourself.

Regarding buying new or used, when I bought my Clubman last year, I looked for a used one. The Clubman had only been out a few years and were only a couple of thousand dollars less than a new one. I thought it was worth it to get the full length of the warranty and got a new one off the lot.

Dave

 

When I bought my '10 Clubman in Dec '09 the dealer would only do MSRP on any '10 ordered or on the lot. They would do a few hundred off on some of the previous year models. Most had options I did not want.
I ordered and paid MSRP + about $300 for dealer prep items. Floor mats, tank of fuel etc.

In my case there is only 1 dealer in 200 mile radius. It has been reported here on NAM that people do better where there are several dealers to choose from.

Also my dealer wouldn't even take a trade that was not a BMW or MINI.

 

You know. It is possible that they are busy and in the habit of giving the best price first. Meaning all the money was on the table. If youare car was only worth $22000 to them (ACV-acutal cash value) then they could have been overallowing $1000 on the trade..There is only one price when you buy a car it is the amount you have to pay and that is what you need to pay attention to for comparison (That and list of the mini).

The were at $5000 plus your car and if that is all they can do, giving you the price immediately saves everyone time, but it makes you feel cheated. In other words, it is what it is. Just try another dealer. It is possible their first price is a good price.

Another thing is if they are low on allocation, they may be in a position to take top dollar only. It is hard to tell, but not changing price doesn't mean they were doing anything wrong. When I sold cars and it was busy as hell, I would give them the best price and move to the next guy. I can't say what they thought, but that was the price I could do and I have found once someone lets you leave, all the money is out.

 

Actually it is pretty well known that BMW/MINI don't haggle. From time to time you can get a small incentive. If you're looking for a deal, used is your best chance.

 

motor12,

Don't let the dealer screw you. You can get discounts on Minis, although it is much more difficult compared to Honda and Toyota dealerships.

You may have to expand your range further to travel to other dealerships. I had hell of a time trying to buy a Mini at my nearest dealership. Luckily, there were 3 other dealerships near by that I can go to. If there are no other dealerships near by, then try carsdirect.com. I almost went with these guys before one of the dealerships near by my place gave me a good discount.

Personally, the dealerships want to give people the impression that they don't sell these cars at anything less than MSRP. As long as people are willing to pay for it, they will continue to sell them at MSRP. It's simple as that.

I would suggest that you do some searches in the General and 1st sub-forums to get ideas and read stories about other people's experiences.

Good luck.

 

The same thing happened to me. They gave me a price, were firm on no negotiations and let me walk out the door and I was ready to buy. Luckily, a couple of weeks later I found a 2011 with 5000 miles on it and there was a new sales manager who gave me above trade in value on my car and I got a great deal. Just be patient and keep looking.

 

If you would like to really find out what your truck is worth you can get a ball park figure from kbb.com and nada.com. Just make sure you look at the trade in price. That will put you in the ball park for what you truck is REALLY worth to a new car dealer. The MINI dealer has no market for your truck unless you see that they are selling similar vehicles on their lot. I would guess that they are not. I would take the truck to a few dealers and just ask to see the Used Car Buyer, or Used Car Manager and ask them what they would buy the truck off of you for. Choose a place that deals in that type of vehicle, and visit two or three. You may find out that the price that you were getting from the MINI dealership did include a discount. Trading in a vehicle is always the easiest path to take when purchasing a new car but usually the least profitable for you.

 

About 4 months ago I bought a 2011 Mustang, it was a good car but really wasn't useful in my daily life. Saw one of my local dealers (4 in a 30mile radius) had a Hampton Ed clubman with everything in it and I wanted it. Hit carmax 1st and got there price (only $1000 less then I paid out the door so didn't lose much). Went to the dealer with title in hand, got them to come close to the carmax deal (came at me with 22k 1st, got them to get to 25.5k, paid 27k for the stang). Got them to knock off all the dealer add ons (low jack, pin stripe, bunch of other small things) and walked out the door with it at sticker +++ about and hour later.


It was easier getting the mustang for cheap, ford was almost giving them away lol but I love my clubman. If there is a carmax near you, that offer paper is almost as good as cash.

 

Having traded an '01 Dodge Durango for my Husband Kia Soul last July I can share my experience. I knew we wanted the Soul, perfect Dog Hauler and my Husban "had" to have it.

The MINI is MINE!! (where'd the Smileys GO??!!)

So anyway we went in NOT telling them we would be trading in the Durango, but I had done my Homework. I pulled the three major Used Car Pricing guides on the Durango 175,000 or so miles and needing some engine work, Fully Loaded too except for a CD Changer. All 3 Pricing Guides came up with of course 3 different prices, I took those 3 and averaged them to be $3300, so that is what I went in at but still new I wouldn't get it...we ended up @ $2950 Trade In I think. Moral of the story, don't go Car Shopping "blind" now what you want and what you are willing to $$.

When it came to Ordering Molly I had a $25,000 Buget the Configurator added $550 to that and I exceded my Budget at the Dealership by $3550 due to "must haves" and cost of installation of those "must haves" and the Tire/Wheel Warranty Package, no trade in but did put $10,000 down.

 

Autotrader.com will give you an instant trade in offer that any number of local dealers will honor. It's a great anonymous way to get a ballpark figure of what your truck is worth.

 

I just purchased a new Clubman S this week. (Ice BLue with Black top) While I did pay MSRP, I got back the $1,500 Factory "Option Credit" that is good until the end of the month. I noticed that the sales guys were not always playing this card up front, but would determine if the customer knew of the incentive. I also attended one of the "Mini Rocks" test drive promotions that got me another $1,000 of sticker.

They took the $1,500 discount off the sales price and showed the 1,000 as a rebate. Point is, as far as the dealer is concerned, I paid MSRP, as the total discount of $2,500 is kicked back from the Mini Corp.

They technically didnt move off MSRP, but I paid much less with the incentives.

Will report on the new car later, but so far all is good.

 

As I said they don't really haggle. They can flex a little, but BMW/MINI don't really do it and if you look back you will see that this has been the case for a long time. Heck, search the BMW forums as you will see it as well. That being said, I bought my Subaru and got 5K knocked off by playing the walkout tactic.

You might get something off it you ask the dealer but it won't be what you would normally think it would be.

 

Exact same thing happened to me. Here's what I did:
I went shopping around online at other dealers and found out what they had to offer and what they would give me for trade-in. Turns out the deal they were giving wasn't that bad, but I still needed more for my trade.
Then I went back to the original dealer and "accidentally" mentioned what other dealers had to offer. I told them that the only thing that was stopping me from doing the deal with them was the fact that I needed a bit more for my trade-in. They asked if they could take another look at it and when I said yes, they miraculously offered more. The entire thing is a negotiation, whether they want you to believe it or not.

They just need to know that you are a savvy consumer and that they are in jeopardy of losing your sale to one of their competitors. Trust me, they don't want to lose that sale...
One more thing: Like RKHGC said, know and understand the MINI incentives BEFORE you go into the dealer, because some dealers aren't forthcoming. We got the $1500 credit PLUS 0.9% financing. Those two things together made it smarter for us to buy new rather than used.

 

Pick up trucks on a Mini lot wouldn't sell too well. People are looking for that "premium" car there. Your truck was $40 K new. Did you go in knowing what your truck with options was worth? I just saw on the news where high gas mileage cars are selling for more than original retail. On this lot maybe a low mileage truck wouldn't be attractive to a potential buyer. The right fit at the dealer is important to them. With a used car...I always thought that there was reason why it is there and why the owner got rid of it. My opinion is that it had problems. I buy new cars for that reason. Good Luck with the negotiations and search.

 

Thanks everyone for the kind replys. I'm going to keep looking and buy a new mini, there are other dealers in my area (central texas) this dealership is suppost to be the largest volume dealer in Texas. If the mini sells itself,the dealership could hire monkeys and hand out bananas on payday. Not to bad mouth the salesguy, he was a nice person just a poor salesman.

 

Order your MINI to get it exactly as U want option wise. Then take the month or so until it gets here to sell your rig. That's what we did, even a mint 2004 PT Cruiser GT HO was just going to be wholesaled by the MINI dealer, and the MA was upfront sayng they will pay what they can wholesale it for. The only non-MINI I have seen used on their lot was a SMART Car, and it looked redonk even there. Found a cash buyer for the PT for at least $3,000 more than what a dealer would of paid trade-in. Got along without an extra rig for a couple weeks, *PRICELESS*.

It's sad to say - But a $40,000 rig when new...... Now 3 years later ........ No matter only 11,000 miles and a cream puff....... Is only worth half of it's original value. That's why they invented GAP insurance.

Just plugged my 2008 GMC 2500 crewcab diesel into KBB.com and got $30K trade-in, $38K private party. NADA.com showed $29K trade-in, $37K private party. I would not even expect the lowest figure from a MINI dealer. You have to have money to burn to trade off a 3 year old rig at any rate.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...og&sa=N&tab=wi

 

Motor12...another thing to take into thought is fords don't hold their value at all...my girlfriend has a 2010 focus SEL...she got it new and I got her a steal of a deal on it the MSRP was 23.9 and she paid 15K...it is now worth 9K at the most...the market for small eco cars is sky rocketing and marketing for big trucks has been dropping...what is happening in the market has alot to do with the value of used cars and trade in values

 

It's not the amount i was getting on my truck, i know i will take a hit on trade in value, it's the not wanting to work with the customer. All he had to do was come up $1000 on my trade and look at his inventory. He had many many MINIS on the lot,this is a big dealer.I did not know what i wanted in a Mini, i am a first time buyer.The point is i was never offered any assistance never steered in the direction of a vehicle that would fit my needs and budget. Only steered towards the door, makes no sense.My last thought, i am 63 years old i was dressed in old shorts and worn out tee shirt,maybe i just wasn't worth his time......No i don't feel sorry for myself,i will just purchase elsewhere.

 

what kind of mini do you like?

 

Motor12, as mentioned previously, sell you car separately, private or dealer. Most times you can get a better price doing it yourself. You can now walk into the deal for the Mini with cash in hand. An old "geezer" in shorts with $25,000 in hand has more clout than a "geezer" with a truck. The dealer has to sale the truck to realize the profits on the Mini. Dealing in cash removes that risks from the dealer providing him more room to wiggle on the sale price.

For me I purchased a used Mini.. immaculate condition for thousands less. The money saved went back into the as MODS Loving every minute of it.