Regretably, I get no commission, - but in the FYI and For What it's Worth Dept., I stopped by MINI of Towson here in Baltimore yesterday and noticed two just off the truck GP's on the lot. One of them, which is already claimed, was still wrapped in all its shipping clothes, while the other was ready to roll for test drives and has a dealer markup of $5000.00 over list.

If money's no object, and you gotta have a GP - here's your baby!

 

I might go up and try to test drive it

 

Man, and someone will pay that $5k markup.

 

I love the mini, but for that much money, what other cars are out there with more performance?

 

Much of it depends on how practical the car has to be. An Ariel Atom will spank a Mini in every possible performance category, and I think those start at $25k. Unfortunately, you get nothing in the way of wind/weather protection, virtually no cargo capacity, and the visibility leaves more than a little to be desired.

I was about to buy a year-old Lotus Elise when I fell in love with my wife's '06 'S' Cabrio, so I ordered another one for myself (Should be here within the week - yay!). The price difference was less than $5k between the two. I had to think about it for a while, though. Once you get up into the high 30's / low 40's, price-wise, there are a lot of attractive choices in open cars - Boxster, Z4, Lotus, BMW 330ci, etcetera.

Someone in another thread mentioned finding a brand-new 400 horsepower GTO on a dealer lot for $22k. That's some serious bang-for-the-buck if you like the GTO.

If you look at any one performance characteristic (horsepower per weight, slalom speed, top speed, 0-60, quarter-mile, etcetera), there will always be several cars that perform better for less money. The appeal of the MINI, at least for me, is that it does so many things so well, with a great deal of style and fun.

Scott

 

I agree completely. For the money, the cooper s with some aftermarket mods is hard to beat, especially for the smile it puts on my face. I was specifically referring to the price tag of the GP, lots of good performance cars in that price category (mid to upper 30's).

 

That's the price range I was talking about, too. My MCSC ended up being right around 37k, which is getting very close to the other open cars I mentioned (Lotus, Z4, 330ci, Boxster). I think a stripped-down MCS coupe is hard to beat at $21k, but once you're getting close to $40k, the choice becomes much harder.

Of course, if performance was all I cared about, I wouldn't have gotten a convertible in the first place, and I would have gotten the JCW package instead of most of the other options I chose.

Scott

 

Agreed, it is a good all around package.

 

I am not sure they let you test drive the GP..

 

Are you volunteering yous?

 

I think the MINI in most standard forms ie: MC/MCS is one of the best values going. We too looked at a convert, (I wanted something more "classic") and even in the low $30's, there were many other choices. But at around $26k, "out the door" w/tax etc, it's hard to beat. We got almost everything we wanted, less leather and HK stereo, but found it on the boat on its way and had it in about 10 days. We're happy, and that's all that matters!

 

Here you go Marina, I thought you wanted another GP?

Interesting that Towson did not sell out or maybe someone backed out.

BTW, why would they not let someone test drive the car? How would you know whether or not you actually wanted to buy one.

I understand that you and all the GP buyers bought, basically sight unseen, but most people are more touchy/feely and need to see and feel something before buying it (so to speak) I think making a mid-30s expenditure without driving it is not realistic for most ppl.

 

Why should I volunteer mine for a test drive if I'm not gonna sell it?

I had a friend, yesterday, who took GyPsy for a nice spin and since he is a professional racer (drag) and had heard about the GP from Fireball I had to let him feel the GP. Plus I trust him. BTW : He was impressed "Fireball was right it's a great car! and the spoiler has everything a spoiler should have !!" I was proud of GyPsy.

Yes, But I REFUSE to pay over the MSRP.

[/QUOTE]
You are right people like to try their cars but I never test drove a MINI before purchase. The MCS '03 was put together on MINI web site, went to Tate, put the $$ down and left. Did not expect to test drive one and I didn't.
For the MCSC '05 the same, I ordered and went to pick her up when arrived (TATE again).
GP was ordered from a dealer in NC (TATE was sold out) over the phone/fax - I don't even know what the MA looks like - when to NJ and picked her up ...

I know what I want and I buy it . Simple !!!
Life is full of uncertainties but a MINI is not of them.

 

Ahh, A Woman who knows what she wants and buys it!

Excellent answer.

 

The story I got was that MINI of Towson had an allotment of Seven GP's. Five of these were sold in the standard first come first served offering and the remaining two were set-asides for the dealer to offer as he wished. I'd say serious buyers would have no problem getting a test drive. They've even got the temporary mats on the floors!

 

I would bet that knowing you already have three in the family (correct?) and now want a fourth, that TOWSON will negotiate a deal.

If you know what you want ... then it won't hurt to ask them.

If you dont go talk to them ... in person, you will never know ... and won't that burn ya!

If I were you and knew exactly what I wanted, I would go talk to them.

 

Marina, does the DCMM discount work on vehicles Whats 10% of 28k....2,800 thats only 2,200 over MSRP

 

I was the guy that saw the GTO. I bought it too! I got one heck of a Deal! $24k out the door! Too bad the resell value is next to nothing haha