Hi, I own a 2004 R53 (great car) and recently test drove a new R56. I came away impressed with the improvements and started fiddling around with the idea of ordering a new car in a year or so. It's always great fun to fiddle around with the configurator.

Whiling away the time in the configurator, I was always surprised that my new $28,200 R56 ended up costing about $4.500 more than my $23,650 R53. Now, I know Mini has been bumping the price over the years and I did check a couple extra option boxes which were not available back in 2003, like LSD, an anthracite headliner, and some wood on the dash. But I was still surprised how much more it was for basically the same car. So I went back to my original window sticker and was surprised to see that $3200 of the price bump were simply increases in prices of the base car and options.

Here's the breakdown of the stuff that has simply gone up.

Base MCS +$1800 (with dest)
Sport Pkg +$600
Leather +$600
MFWheel +$200

The leather may be unfairly $400 high - I had to go with a higher trim line of the leather to get something other than basic black. And while I like the MF wheel, now charging $550 for some steering wheel buttons seems way out of line to me.

$3K price bump in four years. That's not too bad, I suppose, but with cars like the MS3 and GTI around, it does give you second thoughts. I've got a year to think about it.

- Mark

 

Did you compare to 2006 R53 prices?

 

Just shows you that they make most of their profit on the add ons.!! make most

 

Haven't there been some major changes to the car, like aluminum engine instead of cast iron, etc.?

 

Yes, but the basic program was also to cut the manufacturing costs of the car down.

I don't think the price increase in the USA (there was virtually no change here in Canada) has anything to do with the new car (really) and everything to do with how poorly the American dollar is doing against the Euro and Pound.

 

LOL!!! That was to increase profit, not to make the car retail for less.

 

I thought he was asking if the car got more expensive because it got more expensive to produce?

 

That makes sense.

 

The pricing on the R56 is actually a FANTASTIC deal.

The base price I believe only $600ish more than the base price of tne R53 and for that you get a car with a bit more leg room, premium interior, much smoother ride, no cost on-board computer, hidden storage compartment, much more comfortable seats, etc. And on top of all this, the higher gas mileage can easily lead to savings of $300-$500 per year depending on how much one drives.

And on a slightly different note, the R56 in the US is roughly $10K cheaper than UK for the same specs. And the UK cars don't even have to incur the shipping cost.

 

Oh did I start another R53/56 war?

 

In my original post I was comparing 2004 pricing to 2007 pricing because I made this same value judgment back in late-2003 when I bought my R53 and am doing the same judgment now.

The R53's did march up in price through 2005 and 2006, so the $3K bump for the same spec is not just a 2006-2007 R53 vs. R56 bump, it is a series of bumps over the three years. I would agree with the poster who says the R56 appears to be a good value against a 2006 R53. I was looking at more of the big picture.... is Mini pricing itself into an area where there simply are a lot more compeling choices?

Certainly, you can look at a R56 and see improvements all over, but it's a competitive marketplace and other car companies are making the same, if not bigger, improvements and generally holding the line on price better. Most cars are seeing yearly price increases of less than a percent or two, while Mini has been doing a 6%/year bump.

At some point, much as you like a Mini, you have to say that the car is simply too expensive for what you get. At $23,650 for a nicely-equpped MCS, I had no issues with pricing back in 2003. At $28,200 for basically the same car with LSD and a couple other minor upgrades, I'm not so sure anymore.

- Mark

 

There is not much difference (if any) between an 06 and an 07 with the same options. I was about to order an 06 before the fantastic reviews for the 07 came out and I decided to wait.

 

I haven't actually looked at the specification for my 2004 MCS vs. the R56, but I believe, from reading a number of reviews many improvements and upgrades were made to the base vehicle. I don't see 1800 over 3 years being a big deal anyway.

 

Certainly, you can look at a R56 and see improvements all over, but it's a competitive marketplace and other car companies are making the same, if not bigger, improvements and generally holding the line on price better. Most cars are seeing yearly price increases of less than a percent or two, while Mini has been doing a 6%/year bump.

At some point, much as you like a Mini, you have to say that the car is simply too expensive for what you get. At $23,650 for a nicely-equpped MCS, I had no issues with pricing back in 2003. At $28,200 for basically the same car with LSD and a couple other minor upgrades, I'm not so sure anymore.

- Mark[/quote]

Even with larger than standard price increases they still generate some long wait times, and even select markups to sell product. Imagine if they held the line on pricing how much longer would you be waiting,(off topic but...) Another thing to consider this company seems to spend very little money on advertising, I can't remember a TV ad just an occasional billboard or magazine ad.

 

Even with the larger than normal price increases there are still only MSRP sales and even some markups, imagine how long the wait might be if MINI had held the line on price.

 

If you have to do this kind of analysis, you probably shouldn't get another MINI. The MINI is definitely made for people who want them, as opposed to those looking for a cheap ride, or a status symbol. There are enough Corollas, Civics, Fits, etc. for a value price for people who aren't driven to drive a MINI.

 

that is pretty interesting stuff, Chopperace. Thanks for sharing actual numbers

 

MS3 is not an option for me because it is Japanese made. GTI is too much like a teenager car for me.

 

It's not $1800, it's $3200, at least from the persepctive of someone who wants a Mini with some common upgrades over a stripper.

- Mark

 

Where did you get a $600 price difference in the Sport Package?

2004 MY = $1300
2007 MY = $1400

 

But there is much more in those upgrades than there used to be. Based on my prior car buying experience, the price increase does not seem out of line.

 

I didn't keep all my old 06 paperwork, but I remember the price with options was about 26,500 and it had cloth seats. My 07 on order is the same except I upgraded to leather 1500.00 and the 200.00 piano black dash. It came in at 28,500. An increase of 300.00 for the new model seems pretty fair to me.

 

I wonder if some of the pricing increases have to do with us the consumers buying all MINI sends here. Over 50% are custom ordered so adding more to the price with a still high demand is good business.

 

Not in the options I'm looking at. Same stuff, significantly hiked price.

- Mark

 

Good catch. It shows $1900 on my 2007 build, but I forgot I selected a different wheel in the sport package selection. That helps the comparison.

I went back and spec'd a R56 which is as close to my R53 as possible - no upgrades or significant changes and selecting the lower-end leather. It's $26350, so a $2700 bump. This is a fairer comparison for the actual hike over the three years. I can probably live with this, but the $550 for the MF wheel still seems ridiculous.

- Mark