Just browsing through the autotrader and I was looking at used MCS' with low milage and I see that some are asking as much as I paid for mine including tax tag and title, without all the options.....like aero package and leather.

Are people getting those kinds of prices or are they just dreaming?

A lot of them say "firm" regarding the price.

If true, thats unbelievable. Corvettes dont hold their value as well. Heck, you could buy the car, drive it for 4-5 thousand miles and sell it for what you paid for it and basically have owned it for free......minus gas and insurance.

Another reason to love this little car.

 

It's all supply and demand in the end,
Loaded MC for $20-21K not unusual and more if CVT since it happens to be popular.
MCS is $23-25K new so with more add ons could go for more if in good shape and in short supply new which is the case in Calif. Some buyers don't want to wait to order a new car so used market is heated.

 

It seems to be true

 

I have a feeling that pretty soon the initial hype of the MINI will fade a bit and prices on used MINI's will drop significantly. But for now, I think people still are able to get very good resale value on low mileage MINI's

The same thing happened when the new beetle was released. People paid several thousand over MSRP just to get one and now everyone is sick of looking at them.

Of course, I will never get sick of looking at MINI's!

 

I think I recall seeing something here or elsewhere regarding MINIs resale value. I am thinking that they were re-sale-ing at 110% of purchase price at one year old.

Incidentally, I drove an MC for 16 months, and it only ended up costing me about $2000...

 

>>I have a feeling that pretty soon the initial hype of the MINI will fade a bit and prices on used MINI's will drop significantly. But for now, I think people still are able to get very good resale value on low mileage MINI's
>>
>>The same thing happened when the new beetle was released. People paid several thousand over MSRP just to get one and now everyone is sick of looking at them.
>>
>>Of course, I will never get sick of looking at MINI's!


I doubt it. Here is why....BMW will keep import numbers low (In the 25K to 30K cars per year) to avoid flooding the market and thus eroding resale values. This is the BIG mistake VW made wih the Beetle and Chrysler with the PT Cruiser. Today those cars fetch very average resale values because their makers felt that in order for the model to be successful they had to churn out every single one they could make out of the factory. This resulted in large, unsold inventories and the removal of any kind of exclusivity about owming either one of these cars.

The MINI, on the other hand, still after 17 months in the US market is still fetching obsecenely high resale prices in dealer's only used car auctions around the country. The car is still scarce, demand is high up and the dealer network is very few and far in between. There are many parts in this vast country of ours that have never ever seen the new MINI let alone know about what a Classic Mini is all about.

According to ALG (Automotive Leasing Guide), the MINI Cooper in both models, will fetch 64% off MSRP after 2 years of service and 50% off MSRP after 5 YEARS OF SERVICE. Those resale values are in Mercedes Benz, BMW, Acura territory .

If you don't believe me, go to a dealer's only used car auction and see for yourself how 1 year old MINIs with average mileage and in good condition are going out for these days. It is cheaper to buy a new one, for sure.

 

Sorta like the Harley phenomenon...

About 10 years ago when I bought my first, demand was far outstripping production, there were year long waiting lists and used bikes cost as much or more than new.

Walked into a dealer on Saturday, as I'm starting to think of a new bike again... and ... BINGO ... still true. 5-10 year old models selling for as much or more than new (jeeeezzz, what an awesome business to be in).

 

The reason the Coopers are staying in the BMW, Mercedes range is because BMW knows how to market and keep its cars in that range. Magazine articles concerning the MC and MCS talked about that before the release of the cars in North America. This was expected.

There is a side effect. Classic MINI prices in North America have been going up. I have seen some that are now in the same price range of the our New MINI's. Classic owners like the idea of selling them that high but than again they don't want to pay the prices to replace and or get another classic at that price, so there are mixed feelings.