I was at the MINI dealership the other day and was offered what I thought was a pretty good deal, so I placed an order. Then I came to NAM and started reading through negotiation threads and felt as if I may not be getting the best deal possible. I emailed a few other dealers in the area and some were willing to match, beat, or match and throw in stuff.

Is it too late to negotiate a better deal with the dealer I placed an order with? Production hasn't started on my order yet. I like my MA and don't won't to strain the relationship or anything. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

 

It's never too late. The deal is not done until the final paperwork is signed and you drive off the lot. You can negotiate up until that point. You can also use the deals from the other dealerships as leverage. However it may not endear that dealer to help you in a pinch should you have trouble down the road. You need to measure your gain by comparing it to the long term relationship you wish to achieve.

 

Could you share the details? It could be very helpful to others going through the process!

 

Yeah, I don't want to push it if it's not worth it. Thanks for the input PatM.

 

I looked through a number of threads and have added links to some of those below. I just emailed various dealers in my general area and told them what I was offered by one dealer and asked them if they'd be able to give me a better quote. Some said that they would match it, some beat it by $250, and one would match and throw in free window tinting. I'm still emailing back and forth with the dealers and feel as if I could get a better deal based on what I've read here at NAM.

One interesting thing I've learned from this process is that I could have hypothetically make up a quote (MSRP minus $X). I didn't, but I thought that was interesting. It could come back to bite you though if your "quote" is too aggressive and no one is willing to match/beat.

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When I ordered my car I had to put down a $1K deposit. So if I were to back out, I'd be out a grand. Not sure if you had to do the same, but that can certainly change things. If you didn't then you're only real risk is upsetting the dealership, and if it's the dealership closest to you and you upset them then you'd probably not want to go there for service.

As far as bluffing on a quote. If you're pitting two or more dealers in a bidding war then at some point someone is going to no go any further. At that point they might actually go a little further, but you don't want to get to the point where no one wants to sell to you at all.

Also keep in mind that if a lease or loan is involved an amount like $200 probably isn't going to change your life.

In my case the dealers were starting at a $750 off MSRP discount and after 24-hours worth of email-only negotiations (which was quite easy on my behalf) it turned into a $1750 discount.

Now, the only problem in your case is you already signed an order. For $250 I'd be almost tempted to just save face and pay it and chalk it up to 'lessons learned'. In the grand scheme of things that's not even a very expensive lesson. It's probably worth mentioning, and I'd suspect if you're not talking a super steep discount (there are a few I've seen where they got an extremely good deals) and the dealer knows you know that you could have gotten it cheaper elsewhere they probably would at least come down some just as a measure of good faith.

 

It really depends upon what model you are ordering. When I ordered my Roadster, the dealer only had 2 units allocated for July, 2 for August and no word on how many for September. If I didn't take the slot for July there was no way of telling when another would open up. Some dealers are using their unit allocations to bring in spec units loaded with options. I haven't heard of any add-on stickers for Roadsters, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Now, if you are ordering an R56, a model that the dealer has a dozen of sitting on the lot you might be able to get some consideration on the price.

 

As a past Auto dealer sales manager, here are a couple things to keep in mind: If you're thinking about making up a quote, car dealers do talk to each other. If they find out you're playing games with them, it could end up costing you more money. Also, I know state laws vary, but in WI a dealer can charge you a penalty up to 5% of the purchase price of the vehicle if you cancel your order after signing a purchase contract. The contrct is binding, even though you haven't taken delivery of the car yet. It's illegal for the dealer to raise the price after the contract is signed, too. Car dealers tend to give the best service to the people who deal with them in a straightforward manner, and that 's worth a lot more than the couple hundred $ you might save.

 

qrysdonnell - All good points, thanks. I agree with you that $250 isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but I'm just kicking myself for not being more patient and doing my due diligence before actually placing an order. If I had taken their offer and then shopped around I now know that I could've gotten a better deal. Even if I hesitated at the dealer and told them that I'd think about it, I think they may have come down even more. I just hope there'll be some sort of promotion in the near future before I take delivery.

Retired Rev - Fortunately it's an R56

 

NinerfanWI - I only mentioned making up a quote because so many dealers flatly state that MSRP is the price you have to pay, nothing less. I didn't state which dealer gave me the quote in my emails, the dealers just took it as a matter of fact. I just thought that it was funny that I've seen threads on pricing and dealers not going below MSRP, and I had dealers not questioning my (real) quote.

 

After spending forty plus years in the business, there is one thing I can assure you. There has never been a car purchased that couldn't have been bought cheaper somewhere else!

You are spending $20,000 plus dollars. The least of your problems is getting the last $250. How would you feel if when you go to take delivery, the dealer wants more money?

You made a deal. Be a Man and stand by it!

 

Also, if that MA and dealer are good to you, that's wroth WAY more than $250 in my book. A good dealer/service dept/MA could be worth a lot of money later on if a need ever arises. AND when you go to buy your next one, you're likely to get a much better deal as a repeat customer. There's a guy in our local club who got a good discount on a gorgeous JCW Coupe because he knows the people at the dealer and he's bought lots of stuff over there. Your -250 today may end up being +1000 in 3 years, and that's a good return on investment!

 

Like PatM said - never too late until you drive off the lot.

http://beatthecarsalesman.com/

 

You ordered a car and signed a CONTRACT (probably paid a deposit) and now you want to renegotiate. How would you feel if the dealer tried to change the price after the car arrived?

 

That has been a tactic by other make car dealers I've bought from before.

My experience when I bought my MINI (and MINIs were in high demand and not discounted at all back in 2005), was when I picked up my car, the car came with the premium package ($2000 option - sun roof, 17" wheels and tires, Sport suspension +, heated seats). The dealer made sure I knew it was a $2000+ package and told it to me in a way that might guilt trip somebody into paying for it. I offered to walk away, so they "gave it to me for free" saying it was a factory mistake since I didn't order it, nor was it on the order.

Once you are satisfied with the deal and put down your deposit, best to stand by it and be a man of your word. If you foster good business relationships with those you deal with, your business dealings are much more cordial in the future. I have a great relationship with my dealer and they always alert me of new things coming down the pipeline in a non aggressive way. Maintaining my car has been more a partnership rather than one trying to rip the other off.