This is just a rant posting. I found out my dealership closed and it greatly upset me.

I've had my car serviced there for many years and just recently purchased another Mini a couple of months ago. I called yesterday to inquire about an accessory and found out they closed down.

This dealer was in the city, easy to drop my car off and take public transportation to work/home. Now if I need to get service I have to drive far away and if I can't get a loaner I'm stuck or need to spend a lot to get to work/home.

I heard of other dealership closings and it's making me wonder about the state of Mini and if I should keep the car long term like I did previously. I wish they would have informed me about the closing, but of course they knew I probably wouldn't have purchased another Mini had I known.



Rant off.

 

Most of the time only the top level folks know of impending closure. MINI is in dire straits in the USA, that is why they are having to let MINI consolidate with BMW in many areas to keep it going. Check with your local BMW dealership if you have one and see if they will be able to service your car.

 

As a former MINI owner, who had a 2012 built to order, that was the main thing that appealed to me about the brand. I wasn't stuck with someone else's design choices. I could construct the exact car I wanted.

So just recently again looking at MINI's as was disheartened to see the customization (Youification) of the brand has decreased.

I heard one of the main reasons it was done was to cut down on the number of odd ball cars that were difficult to resell.

One would think the focus should be to sell as many new cars as you can.

Maybe there are deeper rooted issues, but it seems like MINI may have cut off their nose to spite their face (as the saying goes).

 

I think more than anything else, small cars, other than expensive sports cars, are just not very popular in the US market. Also, MINI has had a hard time surviving from the repercussions from the poor build qualities of the first two series cars.

 

I definitely agree with you. I wanted to factory order a MINI (mainly because the manual transmission options were low), but in the end just bought one in the area since it was "close enough" and the customization wasn't that great. I would have made tweaks here and there, but nothing that would have moved me.

It seems to me that MINI (and probably most dealers) have gotten too focused on 3 year leases then certified pre-owned. I imagine lots of options and features are designed with that in mind. When I buy a car, I want it for a long time. But sadly, that doesn't seem to be the state of cars anymore. When my wife's new (to us still) car got to 30, 36, 60, etc month intervals, she'd get spammed by the dealership tell her to get rid of her old car and get a new one. I can't imagine buying or leasing a car that those intervals, but it must happen since I remember seeing so many 2016s when I was looking.

 

It sucks.... Mini is hurting pretty bad. The cars are getting larger, and the customization of them is almost nil. If only the quality/reliability of Gen1/2 were better, they would be KILLING it right now.

 

What dealership is it?

 

I buy a car every 3 years or so. Sometimes less, sometimes more. I get bored and life is short. And I pretty much never settle. I either find exactly what I want (almost never happens) or custom order.
But cars are like a hobby to me. Not just transportation.

 

Mini of Chicago

 

Daytona Beach closed earlier this year as well.

The BMW dealer will do service for $$

The word put out about warranty work was arrangements could be made thru Orlando MINI for no fee tow to their facility . . . .

 

I just have a completely different mindset, I guess. I like to research, customize, tinker, and really keep things that I care about. But it's also to a fault because I kept my previous car too long. I literally drove it until the wheels fell off (control arm broke!) and couldn't do much with it. But it was a great car that I so fondly of. I just can't get behind switching things so often: cars, phones, computers, homes, etc. Most people seem excited when they get new stuff, but I always miss what I used to have. (It was emotional when I was detailing my previous car to get it ready for a sale).

I'm not saying it's normal or right, but it's the angle I come from. So it just seems so unthinkable for me to start the process every few years.

 

It bums me out to read of these dealership closings.

I'm an old Saab enthusiast and it looks like MINI may become a dead marque too if this downward spiral continues.

This story puts the seriousness of the matter into perspective:

https://www.autonews.com/dealers/min...mall-car-slump

I have a great relationship with my local dealer, MINI of Kennesaw, but I never get service there, only parts (I drive an R53).

I can only hope that MINI somehow survives.

 

MINI is trying to occupy a very narrow and challenging niche. $32,000 ~ $48,000 is not the typical "small car" buyer's entry point. So MINI is defining itself as a premium, lifestyle, fashion-statement, enthusiast vehicle. Against this the Korean and Japanese, and, to some extent, domestic brands have brought forth products that offer feature-laden vehicles at lower price points, often with more incentives. So the $199/month lease deals and 0% interest deals, and all the rest, for zippy little cars are countered with the only remaining argument, "But it's not a MINI!"

Well, guess what? MINI buyers are not returning to the brand in sufficient numbers and new customers aren't buying their first MINI in sufficient numbers and not enough MINI drivers are using MINI dealership service departments, and, BMW/MINI USA isn't providing the right level and types of marketing support.

International support for MINI remains robust in other parts of the word. The report is 45,000 pre-orders for the new electric MINI in Europe. My dealer told me he used to sell 100 cars/month and now is lucky to sell 60. With small margins, that's a huge drop in gross profit, with the sales staff having to work harder for each sale they do manage to snag.

Not a pretty picture.

 

Agreed on most points.

RE: dealership service dept. --- I do all my own work and maintenance, but I could be swayed for certain gut-wrenching jobs I'd rather not do myself, for the sake of easy convenience, however, I am not willing to pay the astronomical prices and if ever need be I'll take my car to an indy mechanic simply because the scale of economics.

RE: parts --- I am a parts counter customer already, but MINI could win my heart forever if they had "heritage support" where they remanufactured no-longer-available parts, some of which are in high demand, and offered some support to us people who love their older cars. They could also be more realistic with some of the price points, I mean I know quite a few R53 folks would flock to the dealer to buy a GP intercooler if the price was more realistic --- but it is total bonkers...



...and that price above is actually lower than most!

I'm lucky I live so close to MINI of Kennessaw because they have good pricing compared to many of the others.

RE: fun and/or activities --- Although the dealer has my address (both physical & email), I've never gotten anything from them besides a how'd we do? survey. Couldn't they do something silly like have a bangers 'n mash cookout one weekend or sumthin'???? (bangers & mash is much more British than hotdogs and hamburgers LOL) or hell, fish 'n chips would be even better! The point being to get people on the premises. A cars and coffee type show featuring local MINI people of all stripes and vintage. An outdoor screening of The Italian Job.
Whatever, but the possibilities are plentiful if they'd be creative NOT NORMAL about it!


RE: international sales ---I'd like to see the numbers broken down by country,
like this chart from 2015:

Note: the numbers next to the country name is their sales ranking number, for instance in the chart above the USA was #1, but dropped to #2 in 2015.

Apparently, charts like that aren't possible anymore as the author of it wrote this:



The site I found the charts:
https://raycee1234.blogspot.com/sear...and%20-%20MINI

:

 

The local MINI dealers around here tried to do a DIne and Drive event.

It was a total disaster. I asked for a 9 AM appointment but they gave me a 1 PM appointment. When we got there, they have already ran out of food and were an hour behind. Their excuse was that they had to accept the walk ins. So me taking the time to RSVP didn't matter, we still had to wait in line behind the walk ins. The food truck running out of food was also bad, that meant that everyone that came after 12 didn't get the food they were promised. No attempt was even made to bring in other food. Many people were pissed. They shot themselves in the foot.

 

I would use dealership service for some things if the prices weren't so outrageous. I understand that it's going to be pricey but it's beyond that and well into ridiculous territory. We bought my son's Paceman used from a Mini dealer. It had close to 100K miles so I inquired about having the timing chain done. They quoted $3500. That's not a typo (I double checked). No way to justify that. I'll never have service done there, even if more reasonably priced, because I refuse to support the mindset that can justify overcharging to that degree.

 

When I bought my car, the dealership said they had events like food trucks since "it's like a little family". I have seen stuff online about activities, but it's only been a few weeks. And honestly, I'm not even sure that I'd go since I'm somewhat a hermit at times.

But while reading this thread, I did realize that I can't really think of a commercial or ad for MINI really. The last ad must have been many years ago. So maybe those dealers are right that BMW doesn't advertise MINI enough.

 

The very thing that drew me into MINIworld is, I think, a big part of the problem. I'm an aging-out, child of the 60's, post-yuppie now well into my real 60's. I was at a BMW dealer looking for a replacement for my Range Rover that was nearing lease end. Ended up with a MINI, by choice.

I couldn't believe how much car, and how much fun, could be had for what, from my perspective, was a bargain price. And all the little "premium" design features of both the cars and the dealership, felt familiar to me. And, just like the succession of other high-line vehicles I'd had over the decades, MINI was up there with the free scheduled maintenance and the free towing and the dealership will bring a MINI loaner to my house and drop it off and put my car on their flatbed and haul it off for service and then return it, all washed and shiny, and all at no charge to me.

So, as a lease customer, parts and service costs are invisible -- I never even have to replace the battery at my expense. I don't even have to replace the fob battery at my expense if I want to pop into the dealership, enjoy a free latte, and have them open up my key fobs and pop in new batteries and wash my car while I enjoy a second mocha or whatever....

And everyone is so polite and calls me sir.

Meanwhile, the profit margins on the cars are collapsing and the sales volume is dropping and the overhead is killing off independent MINI dealers and the manufacturer has the dealers by the throat, dictating what kind of tile the "independent franchisees" have to put on the showroom bathroom floors. And the back end holdback dollars are linked to all sorts of dealer performance benchmarks and that 2.5% holdback is not guaranteed money. The manufacturer can decide to not pay it if they determine the hoops haven't been jumped through properly.

So the second owner of a first or 2nd, or now even 3rd gen MINI who likes to turn his/her own wrenches, is SOL as far as reasonably priced dealer support. And now that dealers are disappearing and sales of new MINIs are falling, true, hard core MINI enthusiasts are being pushed farther into the wilderness.

My current, fully loaded MINI, which had a $42,500 MSRP in October 2016 and is still almost as new, now has 19,500 miles on it and will be sold at a wholesale auction for maybe $18,000 ~ $19,000 and will show up at a MINI dealer to be offered for retail, with a warranty, for less than $25,000. Or I can buy it at lease end for the $27,500 residual plus tax and tags, or I can just rinse and repeat and motor off in another brand new, custom-ordered, fully kitted 2020 Yuppieman S All4, built and delivered to me just they way I want it, which is exactly what I intend to do. Renting my toys.

MINI actually understands all about this -- they spent a fortune building the brand and they know who the viral marketing targeted, and they know where they want the brand to go. They want people who think $500 ~$600 per month for a MINI, forever, is a good deal. And they want to sell cars not only to track day enthusiasts, but also to aging boomers and millennials who think it's cool to motor in a MINI. A $45,000 MINI.

And, at $500 over invoice on that $45,000 MINI, before payment of sales commissions and other delivery costs, the gross profit for the dealer, if the dealer gets the holdback, is $1,625 dollars. And, out of that, after payment of whatever sales commission, there's the light bill, and the janitor who cleans the spotless showroom restroom, and the accountant, and the web site support, and the receptionist, and the gardener, and the coffee for the free latte machine…. I don't waste any sympathy on auto dealers -- but I think we can all understand the numbers. If that $1,626 gross profit nets the dealership owner $500, and the dealership sells 100 $45,000 cars in a month, at $500 over invoice, that still ain't bad. If the dealership only sells 50 cars a month, and the overhead is the same, that's bankruptcy. And there is no MINI dealer in America currently selling 100 MINIs a month with $45,000 MSRPs. But that's where MINI USA is trying to go.

Kind of reflects what's going on elsewhere in our society, where, if you've got three quarters of a million bucks, you can buy a nice tract home with a two hour commute... step right up. Just sayin'...

 

I was born in the States but spent my "formative years" in the UK. My uncles both drove Mini's (high miles) exclusively. So while they weren't the most comfortable ride, they were cool (to me) cars, and started my love of small cars. When something needed repair they did it. I realize that cars have become much more complex today, but for me, the cost of parts to repair a Mini ($50 for a small piece of weatherstriping for my third door from a third party seller), is hard to swallow. I've owned two Mini's the 2006 (which fortunately a lease) needed a new transmission at trade in (38K). I'm not an aggressive driver.
I've always owned "non-traditional" cars, (Saab, VW) so the Mini was a natural choice. My dealership (which is split between a BMW and Mini) even when the Mini was under warranty treated me like the unwanted stepchild. It wasn't just me, heard similar complaints from other Mini owners. I moved in 2011 to northeast Ohio and bought my second Mini from Classic Mini just outside Cleveland. The difference in service was night and day. Sales person kept me up to date on my Mini build, service department went out of their way to accomodate me, one of my scuttles fell off and they replaced it for N/C.
I frequently travel to Milwaukee and one time stopped in a Mini dealership in Chicago. Not sure if this is the same one, but despite the fact that the showroom had no clients the sales people ignored me. They could see my Mini parked outside. How did they know I wasn't a customer shopping or if I had mechanical issue with my car? They didn't, but their cold reception spoke volumes. (I realize that being female could be a detriment, but seriously?)
So it makes me sad to hear that Mini is having financial difficulties, but on one hand they've done it to themselves in part. I am in the market for a new car, I find the 40K/4yr.warranty quite attractive in comparison to the other vehicles I've been looking at (Honda/Mazda/Kia), but have also heard (and read) some of the increasing lack of consistent quality in newer models. Additionally, I'd like to have a bit larger car and find the Countryman and Clubman models unattractive,
I'm conflicted, especially now the brand is having troubles. I'll continuely come back here to listen, as NAMI has been a huge help both in opinions/diagnosis and how to when I do repair my Mini.

 

Happens all the time to me. I think they get frustrated with how much time they spend with tire kickers not turning into sales so they wait for you to approach them as a serious buyer. And if by chance they are the kind of dealership that pounces on people walking in the door, then people claim they are too aggressive.

Never happened to me @ MINI. They call me other names silently and ignore me generally.

OLDBOY - They don't really want customers with old cars unless you are going to pay top dollar. Isn't worth it to them to stock the old parts inventory or have older experienced techs who know those cars. They have younger guys generally who know how to plug in the computer and replace parts as directed by computer. They want you to buy a new car.

 

SO true! On one of the many occasions when we've had to have one of our older Jags towed, the nearest place of repair that the tow service took our car to was a Jag dealer. They took one look at our 1989 car and told us they had nobody on staff who knew how to work on the old V12 engines. Probably saved us a ton of $$.

As a "good will gesture," that Jag dealer arranged and paid for a second tow to take our car a few miles further up the road to our regular independent mechanic who laid hands upon our car and did the needed repair, for a fraction of what the Jag dealer would have charged us had they anyone on staff who knew how to fix the problem. Sometimes these things work themselves out.

Oh, and the Jag people called me sir.

 

The MINI dealership that I bought my car at was very good.

I was looking at a few models outside and a sales person came out and asked if I needed help in a non-aggressive manner. She was really nice, polite, and patient even though I made it clear that I wasn't going to buy a car that day and probably for about a month. After another month or so, I contacted her again through e-mail and she was very accommodating, even suggested that I could do everything online or through e-mail, if I wanted. I eventually bought a car with them and had a few follow-ups. They recommended someone who does stripes for the dealership who I used. I had minor dents fixed (at no cost), after I learned you can't push down the hood too hard the first time I popped the hood. And I picked up my plates. Every time, they were very polite and nice. So that definitely left a very positive feeling. Oh, and I even saw a dog in the waiting area one day, so another positive.

I'd say that dealership was better than all the ones which I went to when my wife bought her car and when I looked at other models. I wasn't sure if it's just this specific dealership (MINI of Edison), but it seems that people's experience at MINI dealerships vary heavily.

I'd say the negatives were:
-It took a bit of time getting in contact the second time.
-They push somewhat expensive options. You can say no, but they try their confusing tricks.
-They didn't have a ton of color options or variety in their cars (isn't part of the point of MINIs), but maybe that was just because it was the end of the model year?
-They seem a bit too hands attitude with car ownership, like the sales person almost made it sound crazy that I wanted a spare or asked about maintenance. She was a bit too "just follow what the car tells you" and "if you have problems that your run flats don't solve, call road side". But maybe that's the luxury idea that you don't have to do anything to or with the car?

 

Just drove by there a couple weeks ago while I was in Chicago. I remember when they added this dealership. 2012 if i remember right. Nice big dealership and some very expensive land to build on. I have personally been to maybe 25 MINI dealerships over the years and travels with MINIUSA. Sad to see it go.

" MINI of Chicago is MOVING! We're headed over to MINI of Glencoe North Shore! We will maintain drivers at our location for 90 days for drop-offs, for the convenience of our Service Customers. Visit our new location at 2100 Frontage Rd, Glencoe, IL 60022." Thats what they had on the FB page from aug 15."

 

Yep, that's the one. I believe it was late 2011 and I was with them from beginning to end. I think MINI of Glencoe was originally Knauz MINI, then was bought out or turned into MINI of Glencoe about a year ago. I speculate MINI of Glencoe owned Chicago as well, but decided to close it down and merge it all into Glencoe. Which is unfortunate because there is no longer any MINI dealers located within the city.

Nothing against MINI of Glencoe, I'll probably end up going there, but it is much much more inconvenient for me which may lead to me replacing my new MINI in a few years instead of holding on to it long-term.

 

Mini of Louisville closed several months ago. Was owned and operated by the Mercedes dealership. It's gone! BMW of Louisville will not cover warranty work from what we're told. Closest dealer is Indianapolis or Nashville. Pretty sad for those who've bought Mini in the last 3 years. I'm a Gen 1 guy; think that Mini made its bed going too close to premium brand, softness-type cars. I also believe the 2nd Gen Mini problems burned a lot of the "community" who loved the brand. Blown head gaskets at 75k or less miles and oil burn without gauges were motives for owners to quit the brand.