I went to a MINI dealer in New jersey with my cousin to check them out. We were in there a good 20 minutes or even longer and no one asked us if we needed help. It was like we had the plague or something And it wasn't like we were dressed up like bums or anything. OK...I could've shaved this morning. We even rolled up in a nice car...a brand new Honda S2000. Is this a basic policy with MINI dealers? Very low pressure, you come to us first that sort of thing? I guess I shouldn't be complaining b/c when I'm at a typical dealership just browsing around I would like to be left alone most of the time. But I'm really interested in a MINI and I wished someone came to introduced his or herself. I had some questions to ask and I wanted to know if I could go for a test drive. Oh wells.

 

I got the same treatment at Assael MINI here in So Cal

 

Ralph Schomp in Denver remains very responsive when I stop by. Maybe they know me, but I doubt it.

 

I would actually prefer to have the sales people let me just look around for a little while but I would expect someone to come up to me in less then 30 minutes.

Little strange I think.

The dealership in richmond has always given me about 5-10 minutes to look around before they came up to me.

 

unusual

 

I VERY GOOD FRIENDS WITH A MINI ASSOCIATE, I STOP BY FREQUENTLY SINCE ITS ON THE WAY TO WORK, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH WE HAVE GOTTEN CARRIED AWAY TALKING EVEN WITH CUSTOMERS IN THE SHOW ROOM, I RECOMEND YOU DO SOME HOMEWORK AND READ AS MUCH AS YOU CAN AT MINIUSA.COM THAT SHOULD ANSWER ALL YOUR VEHICLE QUESTIONS, THE ACTUAL NUMBERS GO TO THE DEALERSHIP, SEE WHAT THEY HAVE IN STOCK FIRST LOOK, IF THERES NOTHING IN THE SETUP YOU WANT ORDER IT 8-12 WKS, MINE TOOK LONGER SINCE I ORDERED IT WHEN ALL THE RUCUS WAS GOING ON AT THE DEALERSHIPS AND $$$ PREMIUMS I DO NOT RECOMMEND ANY DEALER INSTALLED OPTIONS $$$ IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.



DAN.

 

My purchase experience was flawless at Motor City MINI, by far the most telepathic automobile purchase to date.

The first time I walked in the dealership, I was greeted soon and my questions were honestly and promptly answered. My salesman was very courteous and helpful, and showed me all the controls of the MINI before heading off alone on a test-drive. It was good stuff :smile:

I hope your experience was a rare exception, and perhaps the salespeople were overbusy at the time? Give it another shot, and perhaps a bit of initiative on your part wouldn't hurt either
Cheers,
Ryan

 

>>I hope your experience was a rare exception, and perhaps the salespeople were overbusy at the time?
>>Cheers,
>>Ryan

From what I saw, the sales staff were far from busy. But like you said, I should've of initiated something on my part.

 

>>From what I saw, the sales staff were far from busy. But like you said, I should've of initiated something on my part.


If you entered the showroom then you did initiate something. Yes it's nice to walk around the lot checking out cars without being bothered with sales pitches. In my opinion once you enter the showroom then they need to know you are there to talk. Give it another try or maybe find another dealer. The Mini buying experience is too much fun to be ruined by a dealer you don't care much for. :smile:

 

Who knows why you where left to wander and leave?

It really amazes me how people can not just say "Hell-o I Need Some Help Please"

I would find it hard to believe that any Dealer would deliberatly ignore a potential customer.

Give it another shot and if you have to be assertive do so.

 

Depends a little on the supply and demand for this dealer.
If supply is low and demand is high then they don't have to lift a finger to get people lined up for sales.
If supply is high and demand is adequate to low then they need to go out and drum up some business. Go to a chrysler or ford dealership and within a few seconds they vultures are circling and on top of you in a hurry.

Mini does not need to go out and drum up business generally. It has great reviews and most people are there for one of two reasons. One is they have had their other car (usually BMW) serviced and were wondering about the Mini for a spouse or family member and two- they are interested in checking out the mini. Some are serious buyers that have done their homework while others are just casually interested and want to see the Cooper vs Cooper S up close.

If you send the sales staff "vibes" that you are window shopping only (like avoiding eye contact or facing away from them) by your body language then they will give you some time to take a look and them later come over to ask if you have any questions. If you feel this is not a good approach for you then you can easily pick up a brochure booklet and some info papers or search the internet or visit MCO and see what the cooper is all about. Then later come into the dealership for a test drive and anything you want. Waltz in and ask for help, shake a few hands and go out for a drive because that is where the fun really starts. Get out on the road and you will forget about the dealership. Drive every color if you have to. It's all about having fun and whatever it takes to make you smile is the name of the game.

I'd advise you to be more direct and go for the test drive. "Drive it like you stole it"

 

At my dealer, the first time I went they were totally packed (there was a 2 person wait to test drive a MC standard..).... but someone came to help me soon after I actually walked into the dealership..

Rocketboy_X

 

If the dealer in New Jersey wasn't Prestige, I would give them a try. I had a very good experience at this dealer!

 

....better than having someone pestering you and asking...
"What would it take to get you in this car today?????'
If you had questions and asked I'm sure you might have
gotten answers.....

 

Being an MA, I can say that that I dont like to pressure my customers. I let them look around for a few minutes before I even approach them.

 

I had a similar experience at MINI of Pittsburgh... and I loved it! The first time I went into the dealership I was with my boyfriend and we're both pretty young (23 and 24 respectively) so I thought it was just a brush-off cause they didn't think we were serious. Anyway, made me happy as I just wanted to be at peace while browsing the MINIs and getting a sense of the car and dealership etc. Went back the following day with my mother (as I was planning on ordering) and got the same treatment. However, as soon as I engaged a salesperson, they were completely committed to answering my questions. Seemed like this was the treatment everyone got. I thought it was great. Too hard to find a dealer where they leave you alone to play...

 

Go tp Prestige in Mahwah, see Jim Finnegan. He is a good salesmen and we still keep in touch. I had the same type of experience at Morristown Mini. They ignored me and when I asked for help they acted as if they where being bothered. But like they say, everything happens for a reason. Because of that I went to Prestige and things went great. The sales manager Augie is the friendliest genuine person I have met purchasing a car.

Sergio

 

>>Is this a basic policy with MINI dealers? Very low pressure, you come to us first that sort of thing?

I don't think this is any policy, but every MMA I've run into is low key and low pressure.

 

>>Go tp Prestige in Mahwah, see Jim Finnegan. He is a good salesmen and we still keep in touch. I had the same type of experience at Morristown Mini. >>
>>Sergio

I think I'm gonna go with Prestige when it's my time to buy. I've heard nothing but good things about them. I guess it's b/c they mainly deal with high end franchises. But I'm gonna try Morristown first though. My brother works in one of the dealership that's part of Morristown BMW/MINI. Perhaps through his connections my buying experince will he hassle free.

I guess from this post one could figure out which dealership I went to

 

When I walked into Mini of Sterling (VA) I was helped within minutes. They were pretty busy also. But the salesmen were very nice and bopped between customers as we each looked and test drove cars (on our own, they didn't come with us).

However, once I purchased the car, they've been poor on answering phone calls.

And as I said before once the car came in, I never got the big cute bow! But...
I got 2 mugs and a gift certificate of $25 for their Mini Store.

And this week I got a box with some more goodies like a pen, notebook for keeping track of trips or gas useage, flash chat cards and two auto bingo cards!

I have yet to receive any survey from BMW or JD Power and Associates.

Dealers have their own little quirps. Mine is great in person, hates to answer phone messages, won't let you keep the big bow, but sends all sorts of other goodies as compensation!