I suppose we can use this post as both an introduction and an inquiry to everyone's thought around pricing now that the CM is a year old.

We are looking to replace our 2007 Q7 with something far more practical, albeit still entertaining. For a family of three (wife, son, and myself), a seven passenger vehicle is absolutely absorbent and overkill. Why we bought it in the first place I still ask myself daily.

Long story short, we have test driven a slew of cars (Q5, A4 Avant, Murano, EX, X3, etc) and the ONLY one we have walked away from which left the impression of *fun* was the CM.

Now comes my dilemma of cost... (If you pay sticker for things, or have the mentality of "if you really want it pay for it", none of which I'm going to say will click ).

I get the whole Mini doesn't have a dealer hold back, much like Jaguar, Scion, etc., however with us special ordering our CM the dealer will be incurring zero lot costs and will basically pass this order through their system. With the MA telling us they could only extend a $500 discount for special orders did get my blood boiling.

We are at a bit of a disadvantage in only having a single dealership in our city, but could capitalize on traveling > 4 hours and tap 4-5 additional options. What have been your successes in negotiating both a great deal for yourselves AND being fair to the dealer?

It seems to me splitting the difference between invoice and MSRP would be a great starting point, and then if we were to hold back and wait for factory incentives to compile would be our best shot. I have seen listings online for the coupe test drive offering $750 to any vehicle, but can't find if it's a factory incentive or a dealer perk. Ideas?

I am eager to hear everyone's thoughts, as I know several of you were early adopters and have had a close eye to see what has been offered during the last calendar year. For those of you that are shopping today, what has been put across your plate?

Bottom line, the CM is a great and niche car, but it's no longer the new kid on the block. Our dealer has had five 2012s on their lot of the last several weeks, and still has a 2011 around back that no one touched. Expanding out four hours there are 40+ CM's, which tells me (especially coming into the slow winter season) customers are going to find more dealer flexibility.

Look forward to the dialog and great site you have here! Hope to potentially join the family in the next few months.

 

When we ordered our ALL4 they had none in stock and has filled up their next allotment, the MA actually chuckled when we asked about a deal from MSRP.

 

It will not hurt to call/email those other dealerships to see what they will give you. Then go from there.

 

Some people seem to have gotten heavier discounts ($1k+) from cars on the lot. But for custom orders, I've not heard many people getting large amounts taken off... I also got $500 off.

As Skids said, try calling around and see what you can get. Perhaps a dealer in some other state is anxious, and you can get a discount - then you also get an awesome road trip as well driving it home. I did that with my first MCS in 2003.

 

I leased mine and am waiting for it. When I ordered it they had exactly one CM on the lot and that was borrowed from another dealer so they would have one for people to test drive. I still was able to work about $500 off what they quoted me for the lease and down payment, but no more. They seem to be flying out of dealerships in CA.

 

Sounds about right considering where you are shopping. This part of the country doesn't really have a lot of room to negotiate when your next option is to go up to one of the 2 Seattle area dealers who are both owned by the same group.
Try to go to the sales event at the end of the month and see if you can use the discount from that when you pick up your car.

 

My experience was using USAA auto circle (I think Costco might have a similar deal via ZAG). Ended up with invoice + $2500 on my ordered vehicle (saved me over $1100 from MSRP). I had to travel a bit to get that, but seeing how the dealer in town looked down their nose at me and wouldn't give me any sort of service, I happily trek the hour for the better service, nicer people and overall more welcoming environment. Oh, and the discount didn't hurt either, but I would have still made the trip since I'm a believer that my money goes to folks that treat me well, discount or not.

Just so happens I wasn't forced to do that in this case!

 

Costco quote was $1750 over invoice

 

just shop around, call the other dealerships and get quotes. I know the vehicle is getting more popular but sometimes you can sway a deal. My brother got a $1000 off coupon from the dealership in the mail so I used that + another $500 off for a manual (this is a national deal) and lastly another $600 off negotiating. All said and done, I think I did pretty well, granted I got if off the lot and didn't order it.

 

Shop around, but be aware that MINIs are simply sold closer to sticker than some other brands. I think a lot of people that MSRP is the number you negotiate away from, but other brands may simply have higher MSRPs and offer deeper discounts. It doesn't mean the car is actually cheaper or a better value. Jacking up an MSRP allows you to "discount" more deeply but doesn't offer the a deal that's actually empirically better.

There's no reason to get upset when you can only get ~$1000 off MSRP. My local Jeep dealer will give me absolutely insane deals off MSRP, but that's only because the MSRP is higher relative to the value of the car (in my opinion) in the first place.

Look at the price and look at the car and see if you're happy with what you're getting for the money. If not, go elsewhere. If yes, then buy the car. Take advantage of every ethical negotiating tactic and every promo you can, but don't walk away just because of the size of the discount relative to MSRP. Save any coupons the dealer doesn't know about until you have a floor from them. I did this with my "rocks the rivals" coupon and was able to get a couple of free options and a 40% increase in the offer on my trade in over the course of a hard negotiation (it was one of the last dozen or so CMs in the state at the time), but I was a motivated buyer, so it was uphill the whole way. I then announced my coupon after we had a deal and got $1000 off what we had worked out.

So negotiate, see if they can make you happy, and buy if they can. Walk if they can't. But don't let offer relative to MSRP be your main judgment of the deal you're getting.

 

One dealership in NJ is selling a used CM (Company Car) w/ 12,000 Miles for $30K.

You are better off custom ordering yours.

All complaints (negative comments) about the CM on this website only makes up less than 1 percent that do own CMs...don't let them get to you.

I have 14K on my odometer and my CM since last December 2010.