I've been itching for a new MINI since GreyTay turned 5 in July (this will be #3 for me). Test drove the Coupe on Friday (not for me - too claustrophobic!), which makes me eligible to receive a $750 discount on new order. Built my new "S" model on-line, talked with dealer and am ready to take the plunge today. They want to offer me $13,500 trade-in on GreyTay (2006S, excellent condition, only 34,000 miles); also thinking about going to CarMax for another opinion. Any words of wisdom on the best way to negotiate and not get jacked around? How do I get them to throw in stuff like the chrome-line interior that I don't want to pay for since I'm not getting the premium package.? Would love to also have that run-flat tire warranty for being such a loyal customer for the past 9 years. "Double Nickel" will need to be ordered from the factory so I'm looking at January 3 for delivery. I hope I'm a bit wiser since 2002 when I walked into the dealership with my tongue hanging out...ordered that one on the spot. Thanks in advance for your advice...I trust you guys!!

 

I am thinking about a custom order as well, but have no history with Mini's. Going backwards from current these were my Daily Drivers:

2006 Honda Element EX-P AWD - Not a single problem in 96K miles and going strong!
2001 Porsche Boxster S - Bought w/7K on it for <50% MSRP, sold it with 47K @ $2K more than I paid.
1999 VW Turbo Bug - Great car with the Audi engine & 10yr/100K warranty, but VW dealers were the worst!
1996 Subaru Outback AWD - Bought w/9K on it, went through 3 engines!!! Piston pin oiling issue that causes knocking. Dumped after the third engine all under warranty.
1987 Porsche Carerra Cabriolet - Bought with w/32K - Flawless! Sold for what I paid at 57K.
1991 Toyota Landcruiser 4X4 (new model year big one), only $27K brand new then (over $60K now), handed up to my father when I bought the Cab. Great SUV!

Okay, that's far enough back. I'm looking for a fun DD that will compliment my 1968 International Travelall 4X4 that is being set up as an Adventure Rig. That beast can do all the hard work, so another sporty and economical DD is in order...

The reason I'm posting here is to get your feedback as an experienced Mini owner.

What exactly did you order on your 2012 and why? What would you avoid? Are run-flats any good or should I wheel down on purchase and wheel up on my own? S vs. Non-S? Auto vs. 6spd?

Thanks for your valuable input.

 

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Ignoring the thread hijacker above...
The price for the trade in sounds at least in the ballpark. For your new one, discounts aren't usually given. But I have heard of some doing them. Just try and try, leave without signing anything first time in...but be prepared to pay msrp.

If they've been your dealer for 9 years they should hook you up in one way or another.

Good luck!

 

This has been my experience as I am looking to order a 2012 MCS. Only dealing might be done on the trade but not the new car. Only new car to deal on might be one on their lot.

 

Lol… No I’m not D. B. Cooper BrewSwapGuy. Discussions are give and take. Mini MOI and I have something in common; we are both considering a new purchase. Hopefully we can help each other out here.

Mini MOI don’t even consider paying MSRP! As I stated above $500 came off the price without me even asking or starting price negotiations. The Mini’s I’ve built on their site have approximately $2,000 to $2,500 price difference between invoice and MSRP. $1,000 to $2,000 off MSRP still gives the dealer plenty of profit margin with the kickbacks and incentives they receive. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

If you plan on leasing make absolutely sure you read the fine print and fully understand it. The current Mini 3yr/10K $199 lease program is based on a $23,200 car with a $2,368 down payment. The $2,767 due at signing will actually be about $3,800-$4,000+ out of pocket depending on “dealer fees” and that dealers “Acquisition fee” (lense fees and taxes will vary by location too). The 3yr residual is $15,776 or 68% of MSRP and the money factor works out to 0.0016. I’ve been told residual values for 12K per year are 67% and 15K per year are 65%. IIRC there is also backend fees to be aware of. All that is not to say it isn’t a good deal or not worth considering, just understand what it all means, if you or others are considering it.

The Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds sites will allow you to input your specific car and get a range of values, including trade in values. Give them a try to see if what the dealer is offering you is in line.

Remember price is always negotiable and when it comes to leases just about everything within them is negotiable and can be very confusing to many. Whether buying outright or leasing, don’t let them throw monthly payments at you to base your decision on without fully understanding the total costs involved. Also, negotiate the pruchase price and the trad in price independent of each other.

IMHO MSRP is for suckers and rubes! Don’t be a sucker or a rube…

My 2-cents. Hope it helps.

 

Definitely go to CarMax - get one of the trade in appraisals. If it comes out at 13500+ sell it there. You'll have a week for the trade in. If the dealer gives you 13500 for it, awesome. You may get more for it at CarMax. But BrewSwapGuy said, I wouldn't expect to pay any less than msrp for a MINI.

My 2012 was right at MSRP -- but I did use the tactic of "I'll buy the car right now if you throw in a pair of those mirror caps..." after commenting on them.

PS. 2SorNot2S - go find your own post.

 

Lol… No I’m not D. B. Cooper BrewSwapGuy. Discussions are give and take. Mini MOI and I have something in common; we are both considering a new purchase. Hopefully we can help each other out here.

Mini MOI don’t even consider paying MSRP! As I stated above $500 came off the price without me even asking or starting price negotiations. The Mini’s I’ve built on their site have approximately $2,000 to $2,500 price difference between invoice and MSRP. $1,000 to $2,000 off MSRP still gives the dealer plenty of profit margin with the kickbacks and incentives they receive. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

If you plan on leasing make absolutely sure you read the fine print and fully understand it. The current Mini 3yr/10K $199 lease program is based on a $23,200 car with a $2,368 down payment. The $2,767 due at signing will actually be about $3,800-$4,000+ out of pocket depending on “dealer fees” and that dealers “Acquisition fee” (license fees and taxes will vary by location too). The 3yr residual is $15,776 or 68% of MSRP and the money factor works out to 0.0016. I’ve been told residual values for 12K per year are 67% and 15K per year are 65%. IIRC there is also backend fees to be aware of. Actual monthly payment will be $199+tax or $214+ in a 7.75% tax area. All that is not to say it isn’t a good deal or not worth considering; just understand what it all means if you or others are considering it.

The Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds sites will allow you to input your specific car and get a range of values, including trade in values. Give them a try to see if what the dealer is offering you is in line.

Remember price is always negotiable and when it comes to leases just about everything within them is negotiable and can be very confusing to many. Whether buying outright or leasing, don’t let them throw monthly payments at you to base your decision on without fully understanding the total costs involved. Also, negotiate the purchase price and the trade in price independent of each other.

IMHO MSRP is for suckers and rubes! Don’t be a sucker or a rube…

My 2-cents. Hope it helps.

 

Good on you if you can get it for less than MSRP, but my experience of car dealers is that no matter what your number is, the dealer already has their number. No matter what you haggle down to or how much research you do, you'll be paying right at what the dealer wants you to pay give or take a few. The trick is to know when to walk away and be smart about it.

With MINIs, I wouldnt expect to pay less than MSRP. But you can get those extra things thrown in if you play your cards right.

And...your post 2Sornot2S was NOT along the same lines. MINI MOI clearly knows what they want. So you asking about all the trims, options etc IS hijacking. Go use the search function. You've already made another thread about your car anyways.

 

Go with the prem pkg- young everything and save about 750.... I like stuff for free. I screwed up and didn't- rats! But I am sure I will still love my car!

 

Why not? I negotiated and got them down $850, then added the additional $750 for showing up for the Minitober event. So that's $1600 off MSRP. I'd still rather be closer to invoice, but it's much better than MSRP.

 

Merlot, it is truly a dealer to dealer thing. The more MINI dealers in an area the greater the chance you can find a discount. Both areas where I've bought my MINI were limited with dealers and they weren't hurting for customers. Combine that and you're stuck at MSRP. These days though MSRP and Invoice aren't THAT far apart anymore anyway.

 

Do not pay MSRP! I ordered my MCS a week ago and I got $1,150 off MSRP PLUS the Motor-tober $750 discount for a total of $1,850 off MSRP and, as I said, it was an ordered car. MSRP on my car was $32,500 and I'm paying $30,650. As another poster said, $500 is the customary discount. You can get that just by asking. If you're willing to do some work and pit one dealer against another, you can get the discount close to $1,200. I don't know where this idea came from that you can't get a deal on an ordered car, but I can tell you it cost me a lot of hassle because when I ordered my first 2012 MCS, I thought the $500 they were giving me was a good deal based on what I read here so I ordered it (it's due into the port in CA on Wednesday, but I'm not taking delivery of it). Then they announced the Motor-tober deal so I decided to shop around. That's how I ended up with a total of $1,850 as compared to $500 off. It sucks that I had to start the waiting process all over again, but a little patience is saving me a lot of money. Oh, I forgot to mention that the other dealer ordered my second car wrong and before we caught it, it went into production so now I'm waiting on the THIRD version of my car! I have one car coming in on 11/2, another on 11/30 and yet another probably on 12/12. LOL I hope you went to a Motor-tober event and got your $750 certificate because that's not chump change. For me it meant a free HK sound system. As for your trade-in, definitely go to Carmax and get a number from them. I was offered $21,000 for my 335i at the Mini dealer and got $25,000 from Carmax. It was quick, clean and easy. They're great to deal with!