My buddy is buying a 2007 car from a dealer where he was financed (bankruptcy, basically no credit history forces him to buy from this dealer). They have the following three cars that he is interested in:
'07 S, 6-spd, premium, sport, lounge leather, xenons, 57k miles- $16995
'07 S, 6-spd, premium, 43k miles- $16995
'07 Mercedes C230, 7-spd auto, every option except xenon and panoramic, 53k miles- $16995

Essentially, we can get any car for 16995 out the door (or so I believe). He obviously chose the pimped out S with 57k miles right off the bat, but at the pre-purchase inspection it was found to be leaking a little coolant from the water pump, and a little oil from the crank seal. The big thing was that they said it will need a new clutch, though it may go another 5-10k. The clutch releases RIGHT at the end of the pedal stroke and is very hard to compress. The work adds up to about $2200...

So, it is between the 43k miles S or the Mercedes. The cloth interior and lack of options on the S has him sort of turned off, not to mention the $500 registration he will have to pay and it has 4 bald 16" run flats, but it does have another 4 months left on the warranty. The Mercedes is a really mint condition car and is registered, has new tires and brakes... all of the normal used car costs are paid. Plus on a day to day basis, it really is the nicer car. I sort of want to encourage him into the Mercedes, but the MINI owner in me wants to encourage him that even though the S is a base model, etc, it has the sunroof and factory warranty remaining and will be a fun car in the long run.

Oh man, the responsibility of helping someone else buy a car...

What would you guys say to do?

 

That seems like a no-brainer to me. Even though I love my MINI, and even though this is a MINI forum, the Mercedes sounds like the better buy. But if I were you, I'd try to stay as far away from this decision as possible. Put in your 2 cents but then let the ultimate decision be your friend's. He's going to be the one driving it every day so he should pick the one he feels most comfortable with. I'm sure he'll have the opportunity to own a MINI at some point...unless he totally falls in love with the Benz.

 

good call on putting my .02 in and then stepping back. He's never bought a car before and I have bought nearly 10! The dealer is so cool and very understanding, so I am really happy about all of that.

One other side note... he can't drive a stick and will have to learn, so he can't actually drive them back to back to see which he likes, and he also doesn't even know if he will really enjoy a stick shift a year from now... especially in LA traffic. The plan was to purchase the MINI in the morning and then spend the day practicing. However, it hit me that learning to drive a stick in Los Angeles is probably more of a challenge than a day or two can take care of.

 

I would encourage your friend to continue looking. I know its tough but buying power is the power to sometimes walk away. If he really likes the loaded MCS then wait for another gem to show up. If he can get financed through one dealer im sure he can go through another. check craigslist and autotrader. I got a steller deal on mine that i just bought last week, 07 MCS premium, sport, leather, convience packages all from craigslist for under 13k. Just trying to say dont let him "settle" for an OK car! And definately go for a MINI!

 

how many miles? what's the catch? That's almost 50% below blue book... unless it is loaded down with miles or other issues

He's actually going to pass on the Mercedes because he wants a MINI, but he is going to check out the one with checker cloth interior... it's still under factory warranty, has 43k miles, and at least it has bluetooth and the sunroof (the two things he really wanted). The perk is that it's an S model for the price of a justa.

I would imagine that we could find a number of dealers to finance him, but I'm telling ya, this is over a year in the making. He still has to put approximately 40% of the selling price down to make the deal work, and it needs new tires pretty soon, so if it ends up having issues as well he will walk. There's no other choice!

 

mine does have 70k in miles but it is in mint shape, all service work done and recorded, the oil and internals looked great, the guy drove it from jacksonville to ft lauderdale weekly for 2 years and now got a car from work. Before that is was owned by a snowbird that put 1000 miles in the first year. They still owed on it 12200 and just wanted out from an unneeded payment and i gave them 12700, I would consider it an act of God that i got this good of a deal but they are out there! I went through a private seller even tho I didnt have cash, I went through my local bank and got a 2.99% loan through them.

 

So let me get this straight...your friend has to buy from a buy here/pay here dealer, because he can't get financing due to bankruptcy.

Buy something else that is NOT 17 THOUSAND DOLLARS. You can get very nice, reliable cars for much less money. Sounds like he needs to learn to manage his money better and needs to buy a cheaper car until he gets back on his feet.

I don't mean to sound harsh, or an a-hole, just my $.02

Pat

 

Have the friend go about $3/4k lower on the ride. That's enough car for him. And believe me, there are plentyo good rides out there for that price, and plentyo loans to be had if you have a job and the downstroke. Mini front brakes are $500 at about 50k, and the rears are about the same at about 70-80k.

 

well, today we went out and found a 2007 Cooper justa with lounge leather and premium package and 40k miles... it has factory warranty through 2/2012 and is MINT. Beautiful car. It was 14,9. He put $7k down on the car, so essentially he financed under 10k. He wants to build his credit and wants a good car as well.

MiniShini, thanks for the .002

I love the psychology/sociology that gets mixed in with Mini Cooper forum speak... you guys are great and we both appreciate the help. He is in love with the MINI.

By the way, the justa really isn't as slow as I assumed it would be. It's a pretty fun car and I'd be happy to own one if I didn't have the S.