I purchased an '06 MCS this past March, now has 45K on it, in immaculate condition. Is an automatic, hyperblue/white, without going into the build list, fairly loaded car. I also have a 2000 Toyota MR2 Spyder that has 70K on it, but with a 15 year old waiting in the wings to drive, this 3rd car of ours will be sold in the next year or so. A new Mini dealership in our area sent out letters Mini owners like me saying they were interested in purchasing Minis (I guess to build up their used inventory). Anyway, I contacted them about an '09 MCS with a manual tranny (I've driven manuals for 15+ years), the Mini almost the same blue as mine and the features are similar. The '09 has 33K on it. I offered them my Mini plus the MR2 (MR2 wholesale value around 5K) in a straight-up trade, they accepted, now I need to decide to go through on this. Pro's- get an '09 versus '06 so newer car; car has 2 years/17K of factory warranty; drove the car and checked service records, very clean and runs well. Cons - have "sorted out" the '06, seems like a great car; say goodbye to my Spyder (which will probably happen anyway).
So anyone, not trying to make this an auto versus manual discussion, just wondering what you would do with a similar decision. Thank you!

 

I've got an 07 I bought a couple months ago and I'm loving it. It's the S and it is the automatic, however I can shift it with either the shifter or the paddles on the steering wheel. Six speed manual and auto. Really cool. Is the 09 an S or the Justa? I'm fairly new to all this but did alot of reading and from 07 up changes (for the better) were made.

 

The car is an "S". The manual vs. auto isn't as important as it used to be because the 6-speed auto has been pretty nice to use and would be better for wife and daughter. But maybe I don't want them to use my car (selfish me, but they don't take care of cars like I do!), so the manual is OK too! But where you state "the '07 changes (for the better)", this is what I am trying to figure out, are they better or are they just changes? I've done a lot of research on Mini prior to buying back in March. Saw some posts comparing the 2 gens enignes and read a few posts on problems with '07+ engines, but if you read enough forums on trouble shooting, you'd be paranoid to buy almost any car! Side by side the design differences are subtle, but today at the dealer, the more I looked at my car next to the '09, the '09 seemed "larger" not as taut as my '06. On my test drive, both cars feel pretty similar in handling, body stiffness, etc. Am wondering what folks would do in this situation, again, I do gain some years and less miles by trading, but the '06 seems to be a very nice car too!

 

I believe I read somewhere that the 07 gained 2 inches from the prior models. The worse thing I've heard on prior 07 models was leaking/cracked thermostats or the housing. Just my luck though, I noticed coolant disappearing from the bottle but couldn't find any puddles or leaks around the engine. Turned out to be a leaking thermostat. That plus the housing and diagnois ($450) but at least it's fixed. My MA said that is very rare for a 07 but prominate in prior models. I agree with you also, if you believe everything out there we'd probably not buy anything. I take care of my cars and everything else and I still have issues. Guess I'm just blessed. Choose the one that you like the best and go for it.

 

I't take the '09

 

Keep the '06 MCS. It is far more reliable than the turbo Prince-engined cars (see: timing chain death rattle, vacuum pump causing engine failure, etc). You have the ultimate evolution of the supercharged car (okay, next to a JCW GP).

If I was replacing my BMW with a Mini (the justacooper in my signature is my wife's car) I'd go with an '05-'06 MCS 6MT or an '11+ justacooper 6MT.

 

I say go with the '09. I got close to 34500 miles out of my MCS before I traded it in (for a 2011 MCS). Only issues were the timing chain rattle (replaced under warranty) and a faulty rear wiper motor (replaced under warranty).

Do it. You'll love it.

 

Whichever way you decide to go the "We need used cars on our lot" ploy is ageless and baseless. It is designed to do what it did, get you thinking about buying from them. There are other financial variables that you know about that should factor into your decision. You have said you probably will not trade the Mister 2 so that means you need to finance the 5K they are willing to give you for it. Chances are they are not giving you that much but are taking money off the profit of the 09 to reach that figure and if you did trade the car in they would probably wholesale it. They have way more room to maneuver with a used car then they do with a new one. Having worked at a dealership selling cars I understand how the "game" works. If you want more info, then ask away. I just thought I would point out a few things to help you make your decision.

 

Thank you so much for pointing this out! I tend to be impulsive with car decisions and don't think through the other possibilities like selling the MR2 on my own and getting actual cash, etc. So your insight is much appreciated! My wife who is the sensible one in our marriage is not into this transaction at all, I think her "instinct" is telling her that something isn't beneffiting me on this one! (BTW, I would be giving them the MR2 and my '06 for the '09 if I did the deal).

 

Well, here is the very short version to getting the best deal. If you truly wish to know how much your used vehicles are worth then drive them to a dealer who might actually sell them (one that has similar year and condition cars for sale) and tell them whatever story you want that lets them tell you how much they will buy your car for. You now know how much your car is ACTUALLY worth, not the inflated price the dealer will tell you.

If you want to know how much you can buy the used car for ask them...What is the lowest you will sell the car for? Then be prepared to walk out. Let them call you and offer a better price or if you are brave, stay and negotiate. Do NOT negotiate on payments. If you want a particular payment find out how much money you need to borrow to get that payment and try to negotiate the price down to that amount.

Now you have all the pieces of the puzzle and you can truly see what type of a "deal" you are getting.