HI, I'm new to the forum (And to "Motoring") and have a question...

My wife and I have finally decided to go for it and order a Checkmate MCS We went in to the dealer today and the sales rep said that as of yesterday (16 Dec) Mini was no longer offering the Checkmate package.... SAY WHAT?!?! So I guess my point is... does anyone know if this is BS, or know where I can find out? I've seen references to 866-ask-mini, is that a customer service number?

Anything y'all can tell me woould be appreciated.

Thanks

 

Well -- space grey cloth was apparently discontinued, & the checkmate interior does make use of it....

 

So it seems your question has no clear answer....

Matt

 

What???? Is that true? I kinda liked the look. I guess that will make the checkmates ultra rare. Some one should keep one MIB or MOC. I dont know which one a MINI would be cause it dosent have a box and isnt on a card.

EDIT: Ummm, how is it that Drillslinger has 0 posts?

 

How can they discontinue Space Grey cloth? It is the only cloth interior offered. What are they going to replace it with? :impatient

 

Australian Leather

 

Gray space cloth was not discontinued it became unavailable from the manufacture. As in they went belly up. I am sure mini is looking for a new supplier. I'd bet that the dealer is wrong on the checkerboard. Have them put the order thru.

 

I hope you are right about the cloth.

 

I guess I'm "Here" but not "really here"

As for getting a Checkmate, I guess I'll talk with the sales guy tomorrow and see if the news came from his company or from Mini themselves I already tried 866-ask-mini but they're closed on the weekends

Thanks

 

They found a stash of "Rich Corinthian Leather" buried outside of Detroit....

 

The space gray cloth can no longer be selected on the MINI USA site as part of a configuration, the Checkmate package CAN still be selected.

As others have stated, the space gray cloth problem should be temporary and it's a good bet that anther supplier will be lined up.

 

Space Grey cloth seats are not a part of the Checkmate package.

 

I expect a ton of changes prior to the arrival of the '07s and foresee little carryover. Frankly, nothing would surprise me. I always thought of the checkmate as simply a special edition to close out the current MINI w/ a bang. That it may go sooner rather than later is no shock, imo.

 

I guess the most frustrating part is that there was NO WARNING If we had known that they were even thinking about cancelling it, we would have ordered a week sooner

Good point about the Mini USA Site still having it up, any chance the dealer's wrong??

Thx again

 

It does have cloth-leather combination seats though. Maybe this is why the dealer assumed the Checkmate can't be had. With the temporary loss of cloth. Would this affect the Checkmate seats as well?

 

that they are usually wrong.

Matt

 

I've got a collectors item!

 

Just spoke with Mini Customer Service and the guy on the phone said "What?" when I told him what the dealer said He assured me that the Checkmate IS still available with Mini NA so I'm starting more and more to believe that this guys is pulling my leg for some reason... Do dealers have to have a specific allocation for the Checkmate? Or do y'all think they've used up the allocations that they DO have, and are just trying to shift Mini's that they have in stock?

Thanks again for the advice

 

these things can happen.

Matt

 

Whoa. Well I'm happy for you, that you can get what you want

If it were me I'd be inclined to moving to another MA and/or dealer; I'd want someone who would check the facts better (a simple call would have resolved any bad info) and, if it were not bad info, then I would certainly not want to deal with a person/place that was not up front and rather was lying for whateever reason..

 

Hey dont jump to conclusions. Maybe the MA just dosent like the checkmate package. Maybe the MA really is trying to get rid of on hand stock. In either case I think you should buy from this MA right away. He/she obiously wants you money, so you should give it to him/her, and kick in a little more than the mark up to let him/her know that it is ok to lie and cheat your way though life. Why should someone have to use all their energy just to get your money? You work hard for it why should they have to too?



This post paid for by the Lying Cheating Car Dealers of America (LCCDA)

 

With MG Rover's demise earlier this year, it should come as no surprise that suppliers to the "motoring trade" are hurtin' puppies this year. If GM's woes surrounding Delphi's bankruptcy aren't enough, now we gotta worry about sourcing the Brit bits on our MINIs once they wear out (or fall off) as the case may be.

 

 

Yeah, the Frau figured we should talk to someone else (Not many options for US Spec here in Germany) and see what they have to say. THEN I'll mention to the first guy that his information seems to be wrong and see what they have to say

Thx

 

Update...
Apparently the Checkmate is NO LONGER available for the US market
I just got back from the dealer (Different one) and he actually found one that's close to what we wanted that has already been built. If the customer who ordered it doesn't pay up in full by 1000 tomorrow morning, then we can get it. "Problem" is, it's not quite what we were looking for...

MCS Checkmate, Astro Black w/Silver roof and bonnet stripe. (Wanted)
Premium Package (Wanted)
Cold Weather Package (Wanted)
Chrome Interior Pack (Didn't want)
Chrome Exterior Pack (Didn't want)
NO Harmon Kardon
NO LSD
No Anthracite Headliner
No Armrest
No Rear Fog

But it's also cheaper without those options

What do y'all think?
Is the Std Stereo "Acceptable"?
Can I live without the LSD? (Can it be retrofitted w/out selling my first-born?)
What about retrofitting the armrest?
And does the std headliner hold up well to everyday wear and tear?


Thanks again for helping me deal with my neuroses (SP?)