I'm in Houston and we have 2 Mini dealers, Momentum & Woodlands....if there are any Texans out there, with any insight on which one is better, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
drew

 

No clue...I'm in DFW. But "hi" anyway!!

 

I live in The Woodlands and bought at MOTW. Sales guy owns a Classic Mini. Very good guy. Had real real bad luck with Service Manager (not even regarding aftermarket mods). If she is still there and not fired, I can not recommend them.

 

Another Houstonian here!! I just ordered my MINI last weekend actually. Go with MINI of the Woodlands over Momentum. The people there are FANTASTIC and they sell at MSRP, and almost always throw in things. My parents got their MINI from them, and recommended them over Momentum. I called both, and found Momentum to be generally unhelpful and they charged higher prices on accessories. When I first went up to MINI of the Woodlands to inquire about drive-out cost, they already threw in free floor mats and free installation of the bonnet stripes (saving me about $250 right there). Who knows if I'll get anything else when I finally take delivery, but I've heard of people also getting free T-shirts, keychains, hats, etc.

Avoid Momentum like the plague! They are primarily a BMW dealer and tend to be kind of snobbish. They also have a $497 MANDATORY dealer fee (Woodlands' is $50).

Talk to Keith Sutch (my MA) or Aka at MINI of the Woodlands - they are both awesome and extremely helpful and non-pushy!

 

Thanks....I'm taking next Friday off to schedules a long test drive!!!

 

Ooh! I can't help you, but my family and I are off to Texas in 2 weeks to talk with realtors/developers. Hopefully by the fall I'll be a Texan. This thread just got me excited.

Then, not too long after that, I'll be moving to Los Angeles with my bro.

 

we just moved from Houston to Orlando... we used MOTW and had good service, so much so that we ordered a second one from them as we were moving to Orlando.

 

Why the move? Which area do you prefer?

 

I moved for a job.

Which area do I like best? I REALLY enjoyed my time in Houston. We met great people and it was very hard to leave. If I compare Houston to Orlando and remove the theme parks, there is a lot more in Houston. Better shopping, good food at better prices and housing is more reasonable. If I look at what I can drive to, Orlando wins- NICE beaches an hour in either direction gets me everytime. Honestly, either way....both are enjoyable.

PLEASE get with the Houston Mini Motoring Society, they are a great group and we plan to remain members. If you get together with them please tell Julia, Simon and Kris (MiniNana, MrGBMINIGIRL and GBMINIGIRL) we said hi, they are just a few of the great people in Hosuton. Go to www.metroplexmini.org and scroll down to Houston.

BTW, going back to the food part....make sure to check out Central Market on Westheimer. I cry everyday knowing we no longer have that place at arms reach. If you need shopping advice....I'll direct you to my wife.

Best of luck.

 

God, I WISH we had NICE beaches - that would make Houston complete (well apart from maybe a few hills and decreasing the heat a bit!) Galveston is just a tad too 'ick'

I heard HMMS was great too, and plan to join once I get chili onyx

Central Market is AMAZING! That is all that needs to be said!!

 

Drewser....let us know how it goes, okay?

 

Sounds like Niello in Sacramento, primarily a BMW dealer, very snobby, manadatory "accessory" paks w/HUGE markups, and outlandish "doc" and "prep" fees. And $50 for the doc fee is about the most one should have to pay, if at all, for most paperwork and prep/delivery costs are subsidized to the dealer by the manufacturer. $497 is a pure ripoff. My dealer (Schomp, Denver) does not charge prep/doc fees. My MA told me that Schomp eats "about $50" for every delivery, but just makes up for it elsewhere. Good business practice.

Glad U found some good feedback in this forum, Drew. Good luck Jimbo

 

Drew:

Just thank your lucky stars that you are going to have such wonderful MINI support through Mini of the Woodlands. Joel failed to tell you the situation we are in here in Florida. As he said, we have his Mini ('05) and mine ('06) which was ordered from Aka at MOTW as we were in the process of moving. Without going into detail, all I can say is that Downtown Mini here in Orlando is DEFINATELY NOT what we are used to. It is quite unfortunate to have two cars and feel like you can't rely on the local dealership representing the brand. The impression we are getting is that unless you bought it from them...they aren't going to go out of their way to do anything for you. For many of a Mini owner in Texas...thank god that isn't MOTW's line of thinking. It really stinks. Please tell Aka we said hi should you make it in there.

Best of luck!

 

I live closer to Houston,but I bought mine from Chris at Moritz in Arlington and take it there for service

 

Awesome, thanks for the info. I have one last question for you that has been bugging my mom for months. We'll find out in 2 weeks, but a heads upn would be nice.

Is Houston humid like Florida or is it a drier heat? I personally dont care, but my mom can't stand high humidity.

 

I feel that Houston is worse than Orlando... just my opinion. Houston is just as humid but little air movement. Also the fall and spring are much shorter it is very much like you go from Summer to short winter then back to summer. Feel free to drop us a PM or email any time!

 

Haha, uh oh...

Well I'll let you know how it goes once we get out there. I think we'll be looking more in the Dallas area anyway...I'm sure the humidity is less intense up there.

 

Houston is mucho humid! Sometimes it is just unbearable (like August)... My top five peevs about Houston are:

1. Heat
2. Pollution / Ozone Days
3. Flatness
4. Traffic
5. Fitness

Otherwise, it is just like any other big city I guess... I don't plan on staying here too long - just doesn't fit with my hobbies, etc. (I'm VERY outdoorsy).

Basically, late-September - early April are bearable. The rest of the year is not so great

Dallas is a lot less humid.

 

I live in Dallas and the allergiest told me that I would probably be dead in a couple of years if I ever moved to Houston. Nice huh!

Definately come check us out at http://www.metroplexmini.org. Even if you are a Houston-ite, there is always something interesting going on with the board. You can sign up and don't have to be a paying member.

Welcome!

 

Mini-mine you left out mosquitos! Its so humid in Houston you can drink water from an empty glass. But the people here are friendlier than anywhere, unless they are in their cars.

 

Yes.....Houston is humid...I should know being a native. Yes, traffic sucks like any big city, but the we're the friendliest people in the state and the beer is always cold!

 

Just noticed this comment. Galveston isnt good? We planned a couple days at a resort on the ocean in Galveston to give us a little break from house-hunting, etc. I was hoping it would be good being on the gulf coast and all...oh well.

 

Galveston is fun....don't expect blue water. Check out the Strand District, anyone can get you there once on the island.

While at the strand, check out Colonel Bubbies, it's an army surplus shop, they supply Hollywood with most of the war props for the movies....great store.

 

Galveston is supposed to be a very interesting place...don't let one person's comment about it being "ick" sway you.

Why don't you google all the places you and your family are visiting to line up some fun things to do? Google map 'em all....will give you an idea of how much time to allow for in your trip planning.

 

Sorry, didn't mean to make it sound like ALL of Galveston wasn't fun! I just meant the ocean is 'ick' The mighty Mississippi doesn't really give us a break

Galveston itself is pretty fun! I like to go down there a lot, I just dont' like the brown ocean, haha... You should go to Moody Gardens and the new Schlitterbahn water park!!