What price percent off of sticker price is achievable in negotiating a price of a new MINI Countryman? Thanks.

 

We got 5% off without even asking, but it's our 3rd MINI with the dealership and 2nd with our sales manager.

 

Don't look at sticker and work down... Look up the dealer invoice price with your selected options, consider any incentives in play and work up from that price.

 

Almost like asking what the best color is. The real answer here is whatever the best deal you can negotiate. If the dealer is desparate for a sale and they've got a car that's been sitting on the lot a long time, you may get a steal. Also depends on how much hardball you're willing to play. Are you willing to "walk away" until the dealer goes lower and lower, and hope nobody else comes to buy it in the meantime?

I bought mine used, but I paid $2k less than what they had it advertised for. Could I have driven them down more? Perhaps a bit, but for me the price was right and I didn't want to risk having someone else snag it while I try to haggle for another $100. Turns out I made a smart choice. True story...when I was sitting in the dealership doing the paperwork, there was a lady sitting at a salesmans' desk near me. She overheard my salesman talk about the MINI. She turned and said to me "So you're the one who bought the MINI? I came here this morning to test drive it and buy it, but when I got here they said it was sold." She wound up buying a used Mercedes SLK convertible, so I guess everyone went home happy. But had I waited a single day more, I'd have lost out.

 

Depends on like what was posted above. Are you buying new or used? Used is no different then any other car. New is another story. If you order it you are not going to have any bargaining power. You pay for what you order simple as that. If you buy it off the lot you might be able to knock some of but, not much. They are not like most car dealerships. What has made MINI successful is that they only build what is ordered, be it a customer or a dealership. So at the end of the year there should be little to no excess stock.

 

I ordered my car and I got 5% off. I walked into another dealer to see if they can do better, got 3% off without me even asking, but they couldn't beat the 5% from the first one.

 

Unlike myself, who stood there drooling on the paint.
Now there's a negotiating technique...

 

Agreed. I ordered mine, got the car for a couple hundred over invoice and negotiated a great deal on my trade in (agreed on trade in price before ordering but kept the car until the new one arrived). Just be (not act) prepared to walk if they're not willing to negotiate - there are other MINI dealers out there. I'd thanked the salesman for his time and was on the way out the door after the initial "best they could do" on my trade.

It's easy to walk if you're ordering since you're not tied to any one dealer because they have the car you want. If you're buying off the lot, keep in mind you can always order an identical car from another MINI dealer.

Really if you're ordering and walk in with your specs in hand I'd think it makes sense from the dealer's perspective to be willing to negotiate the price a little - it's an easy, guaranteed sale without having to tie anything up in inventory.