Hi,

OK, I've been trying to sell my MINI for a few months now (cars.com, craigslist, and now I put it on this forum). I've lowered the price, but still no takers. Perhaps I need to lower the price even further; however, I added about a $1,000 to the Kelley BB price due to the newer tires it has as well as the 3M Paint Protection I paid for when I bought my car ($1,200).

It's a 2010 Mini Clubman with 42,800 and in great condition for $19,500.

If you have any advice for me, I'd surely appreciate it.

Thanks for your help as, unfortunately, I really need to sell this MINI!

Have a great day,
Deb

 

Another poster, I believe, is having trouble selling his/her Clubbie as well, and some speculate that the Countryman has made the Clubman a bit harder to move. Those who want 2+2 get the hatch, those who need to seat 4 are shopping the CM.

Personally I wouldn't pay over KBB value for new tires, paint protection, etc. It would help sway me towards one car over another, but I wouldn't necessarily pay extra for it.

 

Thank you kindly for your reply! This is good advice. I think I need to lower my price...makes good sense (although I didn't want to hear it

Have a great day,
Joy

 

I hate to say it but paint protection adds nothing to a car's value in most peoples eyes; many turn it down when purchasing a vehicle when being up-sold in the finance office. Therefore, I am afraid that the chances of someone seeing it as valuable is minimal. I would certainly consider the tires as a factor in any pricing because it's very obvious what you are paying for. Good luck with the sale.

 

Selling MINIs I've found KBB to be optimistic, Edmunds predicted the price I could get better. Also as mentioned, new tires and paint protection aren't going to add to the price.

 

Here is a list of 2010 clubmans in my area.

ones at the dealers with about 20,000 miles are going for about $19,000

http://www.cars.com/for-sale/used/20...102&yrId=27381

Have you considered taking it to CarMax to see what they would offer?

 

Lower the price further.

Less than 2% of all used cars sold meet the 'Excellent' standard, and rarely do those cars have over 2,000 miles. Good tires are ultimately something that helps make a 'Great' condition car, but really does not add value on top of it. As already stated, paint protection will not add value to your car unfortunately.

The goods news for you is that since you have these things (paint protection, new tires, etc) someone that does consider your car will be more inclined to buy it, vs the other MINI with the same mileage and no clear bra & mediocre tires. Getting pricing right can be tricky. GLWS.

 

Perhaps the rather high mileage paired with the rather high price is part of the problem. A new 2012 Clubman starts at $22,600, and gets to $24,500 to $25,000 with $500 worth of color and a couple of packages.

I went to KBB to get an estimate of the market value for your car; entering my own ZIP code (in SW Virginia). The estimated market value from a private seller was a little over $17,000. You may get a different price using your ZIP code.

Unfortunately, you probably won't be able to get a monetary return on the paint protection and newish tires.

My guess is that you'll start getting some contacts as the asking price reaches market value. If you start getting several contacts a day, you probably went too low.

An old fashioned sales strategy is to park the car with a For Sale sign where a lot of people will drive by it each day. I had a car listed for sale in various places for months when a friend offered to display it in front of his shop. It sold at asking price in less than two weeks.

Good luck.

 

NEVER price over KBB unless there's a very compelling reason to, and paint protection isn't one.

I've always found Edmunds to be MUCH more realistic.

Ebay is your friend! If you really need the car gone, it'll be gone in a week on Ebay. It'll sell for closer to wholesale, but if you need it gone, it'll go.

 

I sold my R53 recently, and found that the nice-to-have add-ons (such as new tires, etc.) may pique a buyer's interest but has no effect on price. The most important factors are mileage, overall condition, and maintenance history. Even mods can be a detriment (unless you provide the OEM parts along with).

If you are motivated to sell, then lower the price to the point that it stands out from other comparable models. If not (and your price analysis is thorough), then be patient, and the right buyer will come along.

 

Try CARMAX, they won't give you top price but they will buy your car.

 

Take really good pictures. We sold my son's Mitsubishi Eclipse (finally, after weeks and weeks of no-shows) on Craigslist by taking it to a nice place and getting really good shots of it. Study how people's pictures of their cars on this forum are taken, see the low angle and how it makes the car look more aggressive.
Then, drop the price. Unfortunately. And then prepared to negotiate after that. We ended up with about two thirds of our asking price, but it was cash and we were tired of the people who ask endless questions and then don't show up, or the ones who promise to bring their mechanic friend back next time and you never hear from them again... or the ones who make a crazy lowball offer. Frustrating. Good luck!

 

I just sold my Mini a couple of weeks ago after having it listed for months. I took better pictures, lowered the price a couple of hundred dollars and made sure to list every feature and added why I was selling it, which was to buy another Mini. Sometimes brand loyalty shows credit to what you're selling...realizing that might not work in your case, as I don't know that you're intending to buy another Mini.

Good luck! I know how frustrating it is.

 

I sold my Mazda3 hatchback in less than 24 hours in March. I REALLY wanted a MINI lol. I explained every feature it had, and why it was such an awesome car. The first person to see it overlooked the missing fog light lens, the gauge in the rear bumper and other tiny imperfections, and offered me exactly what I wanted for it. I listed it on Craigslist for $8200, hoping for $8000. I got $8000. Maybe that is something you could go for. I think $19k is a bit high for what you're asking, but then again, I don't know the whole story

I also did LOTS of research to see what my car really was worth. It had brand new tires, a nice intake, automatic (which seems to be in high demand these days) and it had just hit 111k miles. The guy who bought it didn't even let the mileage phase him. I found it odd though, because he didn't seem to know much about Mazda3's and how good they really are. He even said my '05 with that mileage was MUCH better than an '08 he had looked at. I just took GREAT care of the car Also, taking awesome pictures can really help. I took soooo many pictures of the car over the 4 years I had it, so there were definitely some good ones to use.

GLWS :D