I spoke to Ferman Mini in Tampa, last week and they tell me that since they are a very large dealer they can have a new Clubman S in 4 weeks from date of order.

Everybody else is about 8 weeks. Is this reasonable or are they just trying to get the order / deposit and when it comes it comes???

thanks,

 

Wow if they say 4 weeks hold them to it, and order your mini!!

 

4 weeks is almost certainly a lie, (well, at least a gross exaggeration) unless you've snagged a vehicle that goes into production tomorrow, and you have no changes to make on it. Figure a week in production, best case two days to the port and onto a ship, 12 days to Charleston, you're at three weeks right there. If you get out of the VDC in two days, and to Tampa in two days, you just make four weeks.

Throw in any changes to the build, get bumped on the production week, delay during production, delay getting to the port, bad luck at the port, shipping on a slower ship, bad weather, delay at the VDC, delay getting onto a truck, have the truck take the 4 days that it can take sometimes, even from Charleston, and you can see how easily six weeks can happen, and the average 8 makes sense.

Ask them if they'll "guarantee" four weeks and see what happens.

 

I think four weeks is just barely doable for East Coast delivery if as hoonu says, you don't get any extras added on at the VDC or the dealer. It's all about the production slots the dealer has available.

When I ordered my MCS last year, I got very lucky and it arrived five weeks after I ordered it - I live in Albuquerque so it came from the West Coast which takes an extra week.

gl

 

 

Four Weeks is possible, but EVERYTHING has to come together perfectly.

My Clubman S was ordered on May 26, 2008 and delivered on June 20. (25 days later). My dealer used an allocation spot he had pending and inserted my order. My car went into production the day after it was ordered. I got lucky when the car came out of the factory on a Tuesday and made it to a ship that sailed on Thursday. It was delivered to the NY VDC on a Saturday and made it to my dealer the following Wednesday. I took delivery two days later on that Friday.

But I don't think you can always depend on things going this smoothly. In fact, my dealer originally projected a delivery date in the second week of July rather than June 20. Even he was surprised it had moved that fast!

P.S. I also want to say that from what I observed, the dates the car is finished at the factory, transported to the port, makes a ship, and how long it stays at he VDC, are items that are completely outside the dealer's sphere of influence, so I would be cautious about a firm 4 week delivery date as promised by the dealer. My MA said they always add a couple of weeks to the expected delivery date so that the customer won't be angry if there is a delay.

I also just noticed that you are located in Florida. From what I saw in tracking the ships that transport these cars, they usually make first port in Nova Scotia, then NY, then possibly Baltimore, then Charleston, then Savannah. So, given you are in the Southeast, I think your transport is going to take several more days when compared to a car delivered to NY.

 

Pretty much what I figured, on the phone she made it seem that 4 weeks is something they do all of the time. I'm going to give them a call again and ask some more questions.