Hey there Nam, So I have the bug again to go out and grab a MINI, seeing as there is 1.9% financing there really hasn't been a better time to buy. Right now I have my eyes set on a clubby that is pretty well equipped, but it is a "dealer Executive car". I have already talked to my MA and he did say that the dealer cars are included on the 1.9% financing. My real question(s) are first and foremost, the car looks immaculate and looks brand new minus the fact that it has almost 5,000 miles on it but should I be staying away from a "dealer" car? If not, then my second question is, the price is 27,800 and he said that the sticker price was an already reduced price, do you think so, and how much could I knock them down? I only think I can knock them down a good amount because it has the 5k miles on it.

The car is a Hot Chocolate Clubman S w/ premium,sport,Cold weather, and I think convenience (they don't have the original sticker in the window) and Hifi. So the MSRP on the Car is roughly 31,100 from what I calculated out.

thanks in advance for your help! Hope to be motoring soon!


-Jonathan

 

Welcome to NAM - With 5,000 miles I think there would be some negotiating room here, Ask for the sticker - mine had one with the owners manual.

 

We bought our Clubby a few months back from a non-Mini dealer... it was an 08 with 3500 miles on it. Sticker (which we had) was $28 and change and we were able to get it for a hair over $20. Now I think we got a great deal but just as a compairable for you.

Good luck and welcome to the maddness

 

Totally different market (I'm in Canada) but I just bought my 2008 Clubman with about 5,000 miles on the clock (9,000KM).

Non S, but all the other packages including Sport with 17" rims, Tuscan Leather interior etc.

Full price would have been $33K Canadian, and out the door with Dealer prep, taxes etc. was $39K. I paid $25K for it, and am very happy with the price. My car was one of only 2 private sale Clubmans available in the WHOLE COUNTRY (at least from what I could see from Autotrader, Kijiji and Craigslist).

Depreciation was $8K on $33K in the first 14 months, or almost 25%. Your deal looks like about 15%, so there should be room to wiggle or keep your eyes open for a private sale. Longer you wait, the more inventory will be on the market.

I'll likely never buy a new car again. This car was extremely well cared for (prev owner rented 2 parking spots in his condo complex to keep the car far from others), was low mileage, and I got a bunch of options that I likely wouldn't have shelled out the money for.

 

I can't really comment on the pricing.

Check out the tires to see how hard the car has been driven. I attended a Mini event last summer (Mini Takes The States) and they let us drive Mini's on an autocross course. Some of the drivers were attacking the course pretty hard and beating on the cars. I'm not suggesting that this car was involved in that event, but it could have been used for something similar. Looking at the outside edge of the tires -esp the fronts if they haven't been rotated - would give you an idea if it's been driven extremely hard. Even if it's been driven hard, it's still probably a good car to buy, but this may give you a bargaining chip.

 

You must be talkin about a Dealer Demo.
Offer them 5000 less than sticker, or 1 dollar per mile driven that you didn't put on it.
I did just that, once, and it worked. Wife got a bueatiful 2000 Durango loaded nowhere near what the salesman was tryin to get her to pay.
What can they say? No?

 

And right after this MINI's Take the States they were selling those cars for full sticker price as dealers could not get enough of them at the time.

 

DookiePower,
I just purchased one of the "North American" Clubbie's. (2 weeks ago) They told me that the price did not have very much room to move on it but in the end the dropped the price about $4k off the origional sticker. It has EVERYTHING but the JCW package. I am very happy with the car and this is my first Mini and I am very happy I made the choice to buy it. FYI here in Florida we only have a few dealers and that leads to price staying pretty close to sticker, the sales manager told me that Mini does not title these North American cars so you can get the 1.9%apr. Good luck and Happy Motoring.

 

Yep it is a dealer car, ma told me that the price was already a dropped price, but because it does have 5000 miles in thinking that the price is fairly moveable, I was going to start with 26000 out the door and move from there. Sound about right?

 

I'd offer at least $1000 less than what you're planning on offering. I took a new Clubman S off the lot in April and I got $1800 off just by negotiating. Not as loaded as your car, but not far off and it was brand new.

Honestly, I'd hold off for now and look to see what's out there. See what else they have on the lot, check other dealers and I'd even check AutoTrader.com. I've seen a few deals on there over the past few months.

IF you get this particular car from the dealer, make sure it has floor mats. If it doesn't tell them to throw them in.

Negotiating might be painful, but don't worry about it. They go through this process all the time and most folks if they're smart will try and negotiate, so it's not like you're asking for the World. Also, crunch some numbers and have a few ideas in your head before you go back.

GOOD LUCK!

 

Hey everyone, I'm just lurking about here, gathering information for my future purchase.
Anyway, good exchange of numbers banty'd about. Just wondering if certain sales people might be passing time by reading these blogs? Possibly getting a heads up on their customer, mmmmaybe? I'm skeptical they'll use any trick to get us at their price.
I group them with lawyers and insurance agents.
But, that's just me.

 

In every profession there are good guys and bad guys. You've simply jumped on the bandwagon and stereotyped folks who sell cars. Feel better about yourself?

 

Not yet, 3one3, but then I've only had one cup of coffee so far . My 2 cents worth to Dookiepower was meant only to caution against announcing financial plans on the web.
Dookie, try starting out even lower........perhaps 25,000. Like KdF stated: "What can they say? No?". I appreciate a good deal like any one else, but don't expect too much lowering. After all, MINI's hold a certain higher value. That's partly why we all like them so much.
In addition of BLAUGRANA's advise of floor mats, also make sure they top off the fuel tank .

 

You're lucky. Stupid laws in my state forbid car dealers opening on Sundays. I don't know why. I had to wait an extra week to get my hands on a Clubbie because of my work schedule. The only thing not bad (that I can think of) is that I can ogle the cars on the lot without running into a sales person but then, I was in the market for a new car anyway!

 

Ask for the ORIGINAL window sticker (it's called the "Monroney sticker"). By law, the dealer cannot sell a car without it.