I just received a letter yesterday stating that as of October 1st MINI of Princeton New Jersey will be closing. They say due to recent changes in the local market.

 

Hope this is not a trend!

 

I'm pretty upset about it. They are only a five minute drive down the street. Now I will be driving about forty minutes to the closest dealer.

 

It's a shock to all of us here, too, sadly. This was announced to the staff on the last Tuesday of August.

Nothing like a nice 32 day notice before you lose your job.

 

Well at least they gave you a months notice. I had a job that after all the people left and locked up the owners came in and cleared the building out. The manager who opened the next morning called the cops cause he thought the place had been robbed. It wasn't till the cops called the owners that anyone knew they had done it themselves.

P.S. It does suck losing a job like that though. At least they found you a place at the BMW dealer.

 

I am brand new to the Mini world and love my new Mini Countryman ALL4 S...

From what I have been hearing lately sales of Mini's have been off by just over 10% this year which doesn't bode well and may be a sign that there will be some additional closures / consolidation of dealers...

 

Mini of Mt Laurel is a pretty high volume dealer it seems and in the year I have been looking at MINIs, Princeton cars were always higher priced. A shame indeed!

 

Interestingly both Princeton and Mt Laurel are Holman Automotive Group dealerships. Maybe it really is something to do with the expense of operating two independent locations 40 minutes apart?

I don't have any experience with Princeton, but we have been very happy with Mt Laurel so far!

 

I heard another Mini dealership opened within 20 miles of north of Princeton, and that is part of the reason for the closing?

 

Edison.

That's the blame for things, but I think it runs deeper than that.

 

The prevailing sentiment among younger people is that car dealerships are one giant scam. Certainly not to be trusted at all. The attrition is not unlike the dying of retail stores.

Adapt or die.

 

They "younger people" aren't all that wrong. I'm surprised that Amazon, Walmart or others haven't already broken the dealership market apart. I recall reading that Amazon was testing out the waters overseas.

 

Thanks, we don't often hear that. (I'm not that young either but I'm technically a millennial)

I do not remember the details but I believe there are franchise laws in place in the US (regionally dependent) that require the dealer structure. I'd have to research it a bit but I believe that is the major issue.

I think the bigger issue is (and now I'm showing my younger age) I do not want to spend that much money on a significantly depreciating asset. In another thread there was a mention of a $48,000 2018 JCW Mini Countryman or Clubman. $48,000 for a small car!

Young people are not buying new cars because of the decreasing value of the purchase. I have two friends who have ever purchased new cars and we are around 30 years old. Two out of 30+ people. There is your problem.

 

+1

 

It remains to be seen if the Tesla no dealer model will work or if it wont, will know in a few more years if Tesla becomes profitable and manages to deliver product. If not I think dealers are hear to stay. Most manufacturer run dealers are not as profitable as competing dealerships which is why most manufacturers have shied away from the actual business of dealing with the public directly. Apple is rumored to be looking into an electric car and perhaps could make another non dealership network. As a consumer I like the fact that I can have competition between dealers for my business allowing me to buy most of my cars at or below invoice. With an amazon like model everyone pays the same so no great deals for me. Incidentally im also that guy who loves stacking coupons and promotions.

 

I hear Dyson is also looking at auto manufacturing. Time will tell how this all shakes out.

 

I think the younger generation is shying away from wheeling and dealing as a result of their instant access to online shopping. I can't stand it, it's a waste of my time. Tell me the price you want for the product and I'll decide whether I want to pay it or not. It's that simple. The list of things I have to purchase in my life is small enough that I have absolutely zero incentive to waste my time negotiating prices.


Yeah, but their products really suck...

 

In the US there are a lot of state level laws protecting dealers from competition with the manufacturers. The irony is that these laws originally were meant to protect locally owned dealers from being taken advantage of by manufacturer owned operations which could run at a lower margin.

Today the state level car dealership associations have very strong lobbies. State legislators know who finances their campaigns and it isn't Tesla.

 

I think Amazon or others will have the financial wherewithal to stuff the pockets of whomever they think will help them out. Money talks, your right . . . but the money flow will be coming from different sources.

 

I agree with this forecast. As brick and mortar retail die they will have less money to grease politicians. I don't know how quickly the auto industry will follow but I imagine they will have to adapt sooner rather than later.


There's a couple young guys slinging motorcycles near where I live that are trying a "no show room" style. They are marketing online through various avenues. They are still a "dealer" in that they have a dealer license, but their approach is interesting.

 

Unfortunately there is truth to this sentiment. I'm currently dealing with atrocious post sale service from MINI of Edison. They have lied to me several times regarding the fees for title and registration. first stating the cost is a flat fee, when further pressed for evidence, they noted a large portion would be refunded. Four emails, 3 calls and three weeks later... still no refund. I love my MINI, but this behavior is doing nothing to support the brand.

 

I have had poor experience in the past with the owners of Mini of Edison. They are under the Open Road Dealer Group. . Took my case to the BBB in NJ and my problem was resolved pretty quick. You may also have some luck reaching out to Mini USA..