Hello all. In the market for a new car and the Mini came under serious consideration. The car has so many wonderful attributes, it's small and very manuverable, it's great on gas, has excellent handling, is very safe despite it's small size, is cheap to insure, and has amazing resale value. I've done my homework on this car. Plus I really like the change for the 07 models going from supercharger to turbo charger. So before I went to my local Mini dealership to test drive one I built one on-line to my specs. That is when the excitement died down considerably...

$31,500 is how mine came out!!! I was just happily clicking away at options, I got the four packages (premium, sport, cold weather, and convenience), plus the LSD, Xenon's, anthracite headliner, navigation system, rear parking sensor, and a bunch of dealer installed accessories (door sills, all season mats, mud guards etc.) I guess I really wasn't paying much attention, and then when I clicked the download button and saw the price I freaked a bit. So then I went through and looked at all the options and thought about what I could take out, and everytime I thought to myself "I don't really need that" I then changed my mind.

So I have a real dillema here. I was really not prepared to pay $31,500 for a Mini. That seems like a lot of money for that car. However, I really like the options I selected, and think I would have buyers remorse if I tried to cheapen the price by removing them. In true BWM fashion, a base BMW is usually priced fairly, but when you start adding the options it gets real expensive. It's no surprise Mini is owned by BMW.

Well, I have some thinking to do. I'm going to test drive one this weekend, and the dealership said they would take $500 off MSRP on a special order, which I guess is decent for this car. I'm used to buying cars at invoice, but that doesn't seem possible for a Mini. Are you folks happy with your options, and did any of you not choose an option to get a cheaper price and then have buyers remorse?

 

IM(humble)O- I have about 10 saved MINIs on the configurator. . . some just for fantasy!

I wouldn't get any dealer options (#5) if there is a way to do any of the work yourself. Why pay finance charges and interest on labor? There tends to be lots of trade and buying/selling opportunities on NAM, and occaisional MOD parties.

I would only get what you KNOW you can't do easily on your own, based on your level of car expertise (or those friends you can bribe with a few six-packs and pizza! )

I don't regret the stuff I didn't order, and I love what I did!
Good luck!

 

get a mini . if you dont you will still want a mini. pay the money and get a mini you will be happy you did. i am.

 

Mine came out closer to 36 and I have been extremely happy with going all out.

 

Whatever you do, just have no regrets. I promise it will be worth it if you get the things you feel you have to stretch to get. The LSD is probably not necessary, the rear parking sensors, the anthracite headliner, and some of the accessories you can get later on. That's at least what I would advise....

 

I think too many people think of a Mini as an econobox. It's not. It may be small, it may be good on gas, but it's not a Toyota Yaris. The interior fittings are much nicer, the sound insulation is better, the engine has more power. If you change your line of thought to think this car is a small sports car, or a tiny luxury car, then you may be able to take the hefty price tag. I know this does nothing for your situation, but remember you are not buying a Yaris, Versa, Rio, Accent, Aveo, Focus or any of that cheap Sub-Compact segment.

 

excellent point giantjoe - I swapped a 2004 M3 for my 2007 MCS. There is no way I would have made that move for a ricebox or worse.

 

Yeah...buy that car. You can get all that at the base price!!

This different for different folks, or course, but I've had two MINIs and both were reasonable and a total blast, probably moreso in that they were reasonable. I'm not into gadgets though. I avoid packages, get what I will use, and maybe a few things that I want. Buyers remorse can work both ways....I get a giggle from driving reasonably-priced MINIs!!!

 

Yes the MINI is VERY expensive, Im glad I saved more than a couple Gs through military sales here in Germany. Heck i even got free floor mats LOL

 

Well the one area you could save a bit would be the rear park sensor. Cool as it is I don't really know how necessary it is on a non-convertible MCS. I also went fairly all out on mine. It came out to close to 34k. The only option that I really have not used much is the SAT radio. Everything else has been useful in it's own way. The Nav system really changes quite a bit in the car and how you interact with it. It also is one of the bigger changes you can perceptually make to the car. Almost everyone who has seen the interior of my Mini has inevitably asked "What the hell is that?" upon seeing the nav screen.

LSD is suppose to go a long way in reducing torque steer and improving the handling of the car so I would leave it in.

As far as the rest goes it becomes a question of what you can afford. I would not recommend stretching yourself thin economically to get the options, but if this is more the case where you can afford it but just are not comfortable with the "principle" of spending that much money on the car keep in mind that though it may be possible to add this stuff aftermarket it is usually more expensive and less well integrated with the car than doing it as a factory option.

 

There are several threads in this forum with many opinions on options. i suggest you spend some time and read through those. Then decided what is truly important to you for YOUR car.

For me, I love my Mini, but (again the key word is for ME), I couldn't spend 31K on a Mini. If I had optioned one out at that, I would have probably bought a 3 series, or waited on the coming 1 series.

The mini is such a great driving car bone stock. I would have been happy with a bare bones mini, added DSC and MFSW and been done. In fact if they had DSC and MFSW as standard items, I could pick a color off the lot and go. As it is, those aren't standard options and you have to add them. Which is the trap, because once you start it is easy not to stop adding options, all part of the plan. So I did add some other things in addition to DSC and MFSW, like Hi-Fi, oak dash, fog light, bonnet stripes, sport seats, and cold weather package. That was it. I stayed away from hi-tech electronics, like Nav, convienence package etc.) some love it, some are fine with portable unit. (My blackberry has a good GPS in it, when I actually need one.) You might also want to explore ala carte options and staying away from packages if you don't want all the options in a package or all are not 'must haves'. My only package was cold weather. I was out the door at 22K for a MC, and if I had to do over again, I could cut that back to around 20.5 to 21K.

Spend some time and decide what for YOU is a MUST HAVE and a Nice to Have and play around with the configurator in terms of ala carte ordering vs package ordering and see where you get to.

 

Mine was $24.5. I got the cold-weather package, LSD, HID lamps, steering wheel buttons, and that's it. Great car. I'm not missing any of the stuff I didn't get.

 

Go for it, you only live once. My Mini has yet to dissappoint me. Although I have to resort to an occassional diet of tuna fish, rice cakes and V-8 just to keep the payments on time , I feel so satisfied with the choice of taking that plunge and getting the car that I really wanted, instead of the one I could simply just afford. Hell, even sitting in bumper-to-bumper is a pleasant experience (considering you don't skimp on the A/C option of course!)

 

Minis need to be kept simple. I have a s model with auto ac, Xenons, sport package, arm rest, cold weather pkg. It came well equipped and i paid around 26,000. I'm happy.

 

First of all, drop all of the packages except the cold weather package. Then, price one out with just the options you want. The configurator wants you to believe that you're saving significant cash by buying the packages, you aren't.

My MINI came to just over $24k before taxes and I couldn't be happier with my options. LSD, Multi-functional steering wheel, sunroof, and some interior colored options.

Why not post the options you chose and have people give their opinions of whether or not they're must-haves?

 

Actually I was at first strongly looking at a 3 series before the Mini. The problem is that you can look at a 35k base 3 series and argue that a 33k Mini approaches that price, but if I was to option the 3 series I was looking at the same way as my Mini it would come out to about 46k. The 1 series (135) would also come out in the upper 30s lower 40s with the same options.

Yes, some of the options I got are less necessary than others but for me I would at the very least want to get the bluetooth package and hi-fi stereo. As well as DSC, LSD, MFSW....

What would realistically not be as necessary for my Mini are the cold weather package and SAT radio (although those heated seats are still pretty nice on cooler nights).

 

Do what I did and buy two; I have mix and match options on both to balance each other out...

Face it. It's an addiction.

 

I bought my CooperS used as a CPO...
its options were Multi-fxn wheel (cruise), LSD, and 17"s wheels.

If I was building a new car, I'd think about Xenons and a sunroof, and prob. skip the wheels for aftermarkets... but I don't really miss them
(the sunroof is a source of squeaks, so I don't really miss it)

Buying CPO, saved me about 5K, and extended my warr. by 2 yrs/ 50K mi.
and the car was only 1.5yr old w/ 8200mi.

When I build a car with the config. I usually hit the 30s!
Mine, cost me 20K

 

Mine was 30k (with no Nav either). I looked at BMW 3 series too, as did a few other folks here. The way I look at it is the Mini is about 5k cheaper than the 1 series which is about 5k cheaper than the 3 series. So I saved over 10 grand and got a fully loaded car too! Try explaining it that way to your wife. Then she'll want one too and will explain it back to you in about a year.
Seriously if you need to save a couple grand cut out the Nav. It's nice to play with and looks cool, but if you must have one you can get a much newer better performing unit for $4-500 and mount it yourself for $125 or so. And dealer installed stuff like the (goofy) illuminated door sills are pretty easy to cross off your list. I'd skip the black $100 floormats I bought and get Cocomats instead.

 

The 328 or 128i both come base fully loaded and in my opinion wouldn't need optioned like a mini. You don't have to add DSC, MFSW, and upgraded hi-fi to get the car you want. For a 31K mini, I'd drive out of the showroom with a 29K 128i or a 32K 328i and it would have everything that was a must have for me. The 31K mini wouldn't be saving me 5 or 10k.

I however, prefer the Mini, optioned lightly, and that has saved my 8-10 grand over the 128 or 328i.

 

Mine was about $30k when I added in everything, all fees, etc. Sticker was something like $27,600.

Go drive a base-as-they-have Cooper and see what you wish you had. Some think nav is worth it - I don't mind getting lost. My favorite features on Lewis are the heated seats, sunroof (even though I only got it for my boyfriend), and the steering wheel controls.

I had to go through with each individual option and ask myself if it was worth it. White markers worth $100? Yes, I'd do it aftermarket for more with no warranty support. Dimming mirror worth $200? Nope - spent $150 on tint with the same effect and looks badass. Park distance? Nope - I can look out the window (plus the car is TINY, come on!), and it cost more than my comp deductible. And on and on - you get the idea.

I also made myself a spreadsheet that had entries for sticker price, dealer add ons, down payment, loan interest rate and term. It caculated my total cost (w/ tax!), payments, etc, etc. I played with all of those to see how I got myself the best value for my monthly payment.

Try to bargain with them for dealer add-ons, don't go in and just order them. I got hosed on the white sidemarkers. Most of them are pure profit, and they'll be willing to make you a deal if it sells a car. $500 off is good though!

 

Keep the MINI simple. That is my philosophy. Think of it this way..... High dollar options often do poorly at resale time. More gizmos and gadgets means more things to break and go wrong, especially post-warranty. And yes, the sunroof is a constant source of squeaks and rattles. Why pay nearly $1K for a sunroof that doesn't even have a decent solid sunshade? The "meat and potatoes"of the MINI experience is in the driving and handling prowess of the car. When you are behind the wheel, you'll realize that gizmo A and Gizmo B are not really needed. Trust me. I have a new Clubman S on order. here is my spec: -Hot Chocolate/Silver Roof - Automatic transmission -16" Bridgespoke wheels - Leatherette - MFSW - Rear Fog light - iPod Adaptor Total $26,200 My '05 R53 S was ordered like this: - Leatherette - Harmon Kardon Stereo - MFSW - Front and rear fog lights - 6-speed manual - Chrome exterior pack - Convenience pack - 16" V-Spoke wheels - Trip Computer. Total MSRP $22,900 Get the options that are MOST important to you and uncheck those you can live without. I agree, the second gen MINIs are very expensive and it pays to excercise restraint when ordering in the configurator.

 

+1

Don't think about a MINI in comparison to an econobox. Think about it as a car that is designed to be fun to drive. When I compare my MCS to my friend's $85K Porsche, the MINI is a great bargain. It isn't quite as refined or as fast as the Porsche, but it is as much fun to drive.

The MINI is a rather sophisticated car. The direct injection engine with twin scroll turbo is seems like a state-of-the-art engine, to me. The extensive OBC control is also something I wouldn't expect in an econobox.

 

I guess I got spoiled...when I ordered my first MINI in '02 I had been used to classic Minis w/ few (if any) amenities and so the new MINI looked pretty loaded up in stock form by comparison. I mean...it even had AC, power windows, and all that safety stuff!!!!

So I looked over the then-available MINI options (much fewer than now) I wound up (with some help from my MA) with sport seats, a leather wheel, and front fogs (there were no rear fogs yet). Anyway, I loved that car to pieces and had such a thrilling ownership experience that on my second Cooper (an '07) I decided to splurge a bit and go for everything additional I thought I wanted. Having been well-schooled in the art of minimalization, however, that only amounted to adding DSC, a rear fog, a MFSW, and oak trim. Came to under $21K for ultimate my dream MINI.

I guess it all depends where you're coming from, but I know lots of owners of lightly-spec'ced MINI who are having just as much fun as those more heavily optioned. Why?? Because, gadgets aside, the superb motoring quality of a MINI is the real, true draw of the car, and it's hard to engage in that factor when clicking boxes in the configurator.

I'm not trying to talk anybody out of their favorite option...just saying it is a heckuvacar bone stock.

 

While I totally understand the keep it simple philosophy with the car (it would "feel" the same as far as driving even at about 22k) for me since the Mini is my daily driver I decided I'd get some of the extra "luxuries" to keep my self happy. If I was buying this as a secondary weekend car I'd probably go with a more basic one.

Also saying a base 3 series is equivalent to a optioned mini is IMO untrue. On a 31k mini you basically have every package there is except nav. You have hi-fi, lifetime sat, hd radio, convenience, cold weather, bluetooth, mfsw, xenon, etc....

A base 3 series (I'm talking about the coupe) would not begin to approach this level of equipement unless you add on the premium package and that is more than 3k. After that you still wouldn't have convenience key, audio upgrades, or cold weather stuff.