So everytime i get a car wash my salesman asks when i am gonna get another mini? I always laugh it off. I still have about 1.5 years left in my 3 year lease. So 2 days ago he calls me and says they are having some killer deal on Black Friday and i should come in a n talk. So i say sure, what the heck. I don't need a new mini, but if the deal is sweet (like really sweet), why not. Either way i will get a car wash while i am there.

So what do you all think. Are what can i expect tomorrow? My requirements for a new mini now would be same monthly payments, no money out of pocket. Long shot but whatever.

 

Seems odd to me....why is he pestering when you only have a one year old car???

 

I wouldn't say he is pestering, but it is amusing. It will be interesting to see how desperate they are for a sale.

 

It's the end of the month and perhaps not a great month, that is when you can usually deal best.

 

Make sure they throw in some extra goodies... Like your floormats and a jacket or something...

 

Where are you located? I know some dealers by me that are like that. Just wondering if its the same or not.

 

You let the dealer baboons wash your MINI?

 

When I've had my car in for service I have had the salespeople there try to put me behind the wheel of a BMW (a 'real' car, as one of them put it ), and I've only had my MINI for a year. They are only half-joking; I'm sure they could find a way to make it easy for you, and profitable for them.

 

+1

I NEVER allow a dealer (or anyone else for that matter) to wash my cars. Unless you love swirls, that would be nuts.

Sounds like they either have a buyer for your car (or need a preowned) and/or have to move some inventory.

 

i do not know about the OPs dealer but my dealer does a great job of washing my mini, they are great!

 

Why wouldn't they want to sell you a new car? Their performance is based on how many cars they sell. They've taken your lease money and can probably resell your trade-in for a huge profit. Either way its another sale chalked up for them, and some more guaranteed income for the dealership.

 

If you can get the deal you want ($$ wise) and don't mind waiting for a new one, why not?

I am definitely considering a new MINI every 2 years or so....if the $$ work out. We drive 20-25K/yr and having a car under warranty is peace of mind. That said....I kept my last vehicle almost 10 years. Nice not to have car payments and if the vehicle is not costing you in repairs, why not keep it?

 

Resale value on MINIs is about the highest of any car. As a result the lease payoff might be above water which would let you roll out of your current lease without a penalty. I have heard of people doing just that.

 

Alright, got back from the dealer to think it over. Here is what they offered me

Deal #1:
Cooper S
All Black Ext / Red & black interior - leather
Premium Package
Cold Weather
Chrome mirrors and accents
USB/iPod/Bluetooth
MSRP $27,350
$2623 down (1st month, and all inceptions)
45k miles 3years
$369/month

Deal #2
Cooper S
Dark Silver w/ Black top and bonnets
Premium Package
Cold Weather Pakage
USB/iPod/Bluetooth
MSRP $25,450
$1669 Down (1st month, and all inceptions)
45K miles 3 years
$365/month

The second deal is more in line with what i would spend. I have $420 in CitiCard rewards and $900 in a savings account earmarked for car emergencies (or downpayment). Add 1st month that gets you to the $1600 downpayment on Deal #2.

Plus the dealer is throwing in $500 in accessories this weekend.

 

It's up to you, of course, but I designed my MINI to be the perfect ultimate car for me, and I have never, ever seen anything on the lot that even came close. It would have to be that close (or better) to make the deal worthwhile.

That said, I have friends who view things quite differently, do exactly what you are talking about, and have great fun along the way. Yes, they are car-hoars but what the heck.....the $$$s work out. I do the configurator-thing and get far more attached to my MINIs, so I'm much harder to budge w/ a "deal."

Either way....have fun!!!!

 

Honestly, if they could do deal #2 and just make the monthly $360 that wold only be $10 more a month.

My current car has almost 28k miles so its only a matter of when not if i hit my limit of 45k miles. Reseting the clock on the milage woukdn't be horrible.

The other thing that is different about this car is the headlamps. They are regular and right now i have xeon. I am not sure how i feel about that.

 

From me, a salesman for over two decades:
In sales, we call that what your SALESMAN is doing, "Playing with the house money". What's he got to lose by asking you? NOTHING. You ask enough, sooner or later, usually sooner, someone gives you a YES! Haven't you ever seen a guy go through a singles bar, engaging every single woman in the place? He knows that sooner or later, someone is gonna say YES. He's gonna be there drinking for a while...what's he got to lose by ASKING?

"but if the deal is sweet (like really sweet), why not." Because it's going to COST YOU A BUNCH OF MONEY, that's why! You've got a great car already...go drive the wheels off of it!
Anybody that ever gets the idea the salesman (or MA, a more delicate and PC term for a salesman) is their friend needs to wise up.
Tom

 

I worked in sales for a while in HS and college and spotted each of his attempts to close. Accessory closes, transfer of ownership, trial close and assuming the sale. All the sales people at the dealership and the manager are nice but i know that they get paid when they move a car. They could be calling me an *** right now and i am ok with that.

I think i will keep my car for a while longer. i got a buddy who will be car shopping in March and has expressed interest in taking over my lease to buy it out. So i might just sit on this and see what happens after the winter is over.

 

side note: my car's buy out right now is $20K and the KBB for a tradin is $22k. Cool huh? Love the minis!

 

Also: I am 21 months into my 36 month lease and I am at 27775 miles. That is 1322 miles a month. 15 months go to would put me at 47614 miles over by 2614. Which would cost $522 Not that bad at all.

 

You are in the driver seat so negotiate that deal and have them add in the Bi-Xenon headlights ($500) and to lower the monthly payment.Besides sales are slow and that is the reason why they have quite a few cars on the lot today.

You can also try to negotiate a lower finance rate that they are offering too.

 

I wish I read this thread today.... before I let the dealership wash my car.

Ohh yeah... theres lots of swirls.... swirls swirls swirls... I guess seeing swirls would be fine if I was Timothy Leary.

So now I wonder if I should just wax the thing now... Its not as horrible as I make it sound but the thing is only ~2 months old and I want it to be _perfect_ for as long as humanly possible.

 

+2

First time they washed it without asking me and I could see all the strands from the cloth in the edges of my vinyl (a few bits lifted up). Never again I always stress to skip the wash. They rub it down way to hard, plus I'd rather do it myself anyway

 

The wash quality must vary from dealer to dealer cause prestige mini does a great job.

 

Keep in mind that you can do a mid lease mileage adjustment up to appx. 6 months before your lease ends. Call MINI FS and you can purchase additional mileage at $0.16 per mile. Better than paying $0.20 when you turn the car in over mileage. Instead of $522 it would only cost you $418.