I know that a lot of dealers give discounts on parts and accessories to their customers or to club members. Does Schomp MINI give any discounts? My MCS Cabrio is on order, and before I start mail ordering stuff from other dealers I thought I would ask about Schomp.

 

no i dont think so.....i haven't heard any thing...sorry wish i could help you!

 

Schomp won't come off retail price. My best recommendation is to order through Morristown MINI. Discounts and free shipping (plus no sales tax if your not in NJ). I've bought a lot of OEM parts from them including a wind screen, mirror covers and floor mats.

 

Same experience here! I had to buy my floormats a list price the day I picked up my MINI. Still for some reason, this irks me!!

 

On the BMW side of the fence, most of the local dealers give some sort of discount on parts and accessories to members of the BMWCCA (CO's in Colorado Springs gives 15%, Winslow gives 10%, I think Murray gives 10%). Past dealers where I purchased BMWs gave 20% off if you bought your car there.

I did call Schomp and asked - they give 10% off on parts (BMW or MINI) if you are a member of the BMWCCA.

 

Even though there is no obligation for Schomp MINI to give discounts to club members (other than BMWCCA), they are very generous in other ways to this club and others: major MITM sponsors (2006, 2007, 2008), free one-year membership to MINI5280 or MOTR for new or used MINI purchasers, and various prize donations for major MINI580 events (such as Yalla Yalla). While it would be nice to get discounts on MINI items, MINI5280 members and friends enjoy other benefits from the local dealer. Just my $0.02 worth.
Rick

 

While I agree Schomp is very good dealership in general and a very good sponsor of our club specifically, I'm not about to hand over huge chunks of money just because they are great guys. Small stuff, fine - I buy touch-up paint some smaller replacement bits & pieces at Schomp. When it came time to buy floor mats and the windscreen I went to Morristown after asking Schomp if they would match the price even disregarding the sales tax consideration. When they said no I bought from Morristown and saved $160. That is some serious change to me.

 

Since I started this thread, I thought I'd add a few comments. First off, I recognize that a lot of dealers throw in "free" stuff (floor mats, etc) but also charge a "dealer fee" on the purchase that balances it out. I'm not asking for something free (although that would be nice too ). Every BMW dealer (and every car dealer for that matter) that i've dealt with in the past gives some sort of discount to their customers when it comes time to purchase accessories, just to keep a happy experience. Schomp says "no." In fact, I was told by my MA today that "if I even gave you a free hat I could lose my job."

The feeling that they give is that you can buy from them or not, they don't really care. I'd like to feel that my business is valued, especially when I am paying well over $30,000 for a car that I spec'd out online, with no price negotiations.

On a little bit of a tangent, please forgive the following rant but it explains my feelings.

When we went in to order our MCSc, we asked about a trade-in value on our old car (a 2001 Honda Accord). What we were offered was WELL below the lowest trade-in value I found on line. The "finance manager" told us that they would have to wholesale the car so he couldn't offer us much. I said I would try to sell it privately. I found a buyer yesterday who offered considerably above the trade-in offer (still below book) and we agreed to a deal. I had been advised by others on NAM that I should ask if the dealer could do an "in and out" where we would trade the car in and they would sell it out to the buyer for the agreed to price. No real hassle for the dealer, and we would save about $500 in sales tax by having a trade-in. I called my MA today, he checked with the manager, and the answer was "no way."

This is something that Schomp could have done easily, lots of other dealers do it, and it would have made a customer very happy. Instead because of the "very strict rules we have" (quoted from my MA), they simply said no and had no interest in having a happy customer. Will I be buying ANY accessories from Schomp? NO! Will I have them do the clear bra and window tint? NO! Will I recommend them to another buyer? NO!

If not for the fact that I've been told by several people that Schomp's service is great, and that they treat their customers much better than those who purchase elsewhere, I wouldn't have purchased my MINI from them.

And I will look elsewhere when my wife decides to buy her BMW X3 in a year or two.

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now!

 

Not going to post much on this thread but I sure hope they work ok with people who buy cars from other dealers. Again I think Mini needs to look into having only one dealer in a state!

 

SPF ZERO: I'm sorry to hear that you had such a terrible experience with Schomp. From what I have heard, not only is Schomp the best dealer in the area, but one of the best dealers in the country. The reason Schomp can't give stuff away, is the ideal and philosophy is that each customer is offered the same price, the lowest price. Ask the people that told you Schomp was one of the greatest places for service, did they get any special discounts on parts? Did they get anything thrown in for free?

I agree with pauhana on this one. The dealer is a big contributor to a lot of MINI events, and this is very important in quite a few ways. Again, sorry to hear you've had a bad experience with Schomp. It's unfortunate to hear that our only dealer in the area gets a bad reputation.

 

I just picked up my car from Schomp a couple days ago. I knew, from reading this board, not to expect any freebies. My MA was okay. The finance person was great. I went from a rate of 7.0 to MINI finding me a 5.25% rate. I asked for mats and was told "no way". When I picked up the car I did get one little freebie. My MA gave me one of those "Actual Size" stickers (worth a couple bucks). Sooo, sales was okay and I'm hoping service is great. I got some nice mats and mp3 hookup at Sears. Purchased my Checkered Flage Dash and Union Jack Mirror Caps at Morristown MINI.
Morristown I highly reccomend. Their prices are great and they deliver quick. Got an awsome shirt from them also.

 

Forgot to mention, it's nice that Schomp is really good about contributing to the MINI events but there are way more people who don't attend those events and still have to buy from them because they are the only dealer around. It would be nice if they offered some little freebie, even if a coupon off if you buy mats from them.
Someone said they give a free one year membership to 5280? I didn't get that, unless they send me something in the mail?

 

I didn't get a one year membership either -- I've purchased both years myself. Even though they did mention the club and gave me the website, they never offered to enroll me.

That said, they have taken good care of Bean and that is what is important to me!

 

HI SCRIBBLEDPAPER,

WE SAT TOGETHER AT MITM/WINTER PARK.
WE'RE WAITING FOR OUR ICE/SNOW MONDAY.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.

JIM AND CAROLYN

 

Hi Jim and Carolyne!!

It's good hearing from you again! MITM was good, good times! I can't wait for 2009 and hope that you will be going again!

We have one degree and snow right now -- I'm so ready for warmer times and great drives!

Merry Christmas to you guys too. Any new Mods on your car?

 

HI,
WE WILL BE CHANGING THE FLAG ON SUNROOF. IT'S
BLEEDING WHITE ONTO THE CAR...I'M THINKING CAMO..
TO GO WITH THE HOT CHOCOLATE..
LEAVING THIS WEEK FOR MORTON,IL..AND THEN HOME TO
FLORIDA...YEA...HAVEN'T SEEN OUR HOUSE SINCE APRIL..
JIM AND CAROLYN

 

Im on my 2nd MCS from RS, and despite my 2005 being a frequent shop queen that devoured clutches and CV joints, the VIP attitude towards my compleat satisfaction, both in sales and service, did not sour me on the brand. I plan on being a loyal customer until the day I no longer own a MINI, and if I ever buy a BMW or Honda RS will be my first choice

Why do people who buy cars seem to have an inflated sense of entitlement, that somehow they "deserve" some kind of freebie? I could care less; they knocked $250 off msrp for my 09, did not require a deposit to order, gave me top $$ for my R53 on trade (plus found new run-flats to put on it, saving me a $1200 dock off my trade), kept me well informed during the wait, filled the tank up at delivery, did not charge an outraegeous doc/prep fee, made damned sure everything was correct THE FIRST TIME, and installed my JCW components in a timely and courteous manner once the parts arrived.

And Im supposed to ask for freebies on top of this? get real. (actually I got one, a nifty locking key chain, w/o asking.)

 

sequence -

Before you go off on people for feeling that they "deserve" freebies, please reread the original posting. It was a question. DOES RS give any sort of discount for MINI purchasers as they do for their BMW customers and for members of the BMW CCA? I never said that I or anyone else "deserves" something free (although I did say it would be nice). I think it would be great if the MINI side of the dealership provided the same "extras" that they do on the BMW side, but no one claimed to "deserve" freebies.

My biggest issues with RS were over their attitude (I never felt valued as a customer) and their complete lack of communications during the process. This was MY experience, you had better experiences. This doesn't make my experience or opinions right or wrong, just how I feel.

Everyone has their own experiences. Everyone has their own opinions. Just because you disagree doesn't make others' right or wrong.

 

Yeah, but you both got sweet looking cars that are a blast to drive so cheers to that!
Someday if the economy ever turns around I'll ask Schomp if the MINI club can get the same deal as the bimmers do. Now however would probably not be the best time.
I did get a 10% off coupon from MINIUSA in the mail last night. I'm going to see if it will work on a 2010 JCW MCS Convertible.

 

Good luck with that, Maybee!

There are lots of ways to make you feel like your business is valued. The most common way is to provide very good service. I believe this is where Schomp tries to earn your business.

I almost decided not to ever go back to Schomp when they low balled me in excess of $4000 for my trade in, and I was insulted when they acted like they we doing me a favor. I was really insulted when they tried to explain why their offer for my car was really OK, and my expectations were unfair. I sold that car on my own, and they lost out on that part of the deal. I did some soul searching and decided to order a new Mini from them anyway. My experience was a good one for the most part. They earned my business not by giving me a price break, but by making sure I was ordering what I wanted, explaining the option packages to me so I didn't overlap and pay for anything I didn't want or need, and explaining the entire production process in detail before I placed the order. I must admit, I got a little tense when my request for a discount on a JCW Tuning kit was denied without apparent consideration, but it was still worth it to me to pay full price, so I did.

Here is the cool part. It worked out that my car got to CA on Dec 16. I figured getting it delivered to me before Christmas was pretty much out of the question, but I had already mentioned to my MA weeks earlier how cool it would be to have my son see it when he came home for the holiday. When it got to CA, my MA was on the phone determining when it would arrive in Denver, and greasing the skids with the service dept to get all my dealer add-ons installed. In the end, thanks primarily to her extra efforts and the cooperation of the service dept, I was delivered the car on 12/22. Just 6 days from the boat to me!!! There was a screw up, but they never hesitated to take responsibility, and eat the expense to make sure it was made a non issue. Over the course of the rest of the week, I received 2 calls and an email making sure I hadn't run into any issues that needed their attention. This was the week of Christmas!! I don't feel like I was unappreciated or cheated at all. I admire them for sticking to their principles at the risk of losing the business of those that expect discounts or freebies.

That is service, and that is how Schomp earned another crack at any more business I might be able to send their way.

 

RE: Trade-in at Schomp. In all my years of buying/selling personal vehicles, I accept the fact that no dealer has or will ever give me the retail or street value of my trade-in. The dealer must resell or otherwise dispose of the car, so they will only pay wholesale or trade-in value, which are always less than retail value, no matter what. Even a MINI trade-in is most likely not an exception to this time honored rule-of-thumb, especially when the new car price is not negotiable. To expect more than wholesale value on a trade-in (anywhere) is naive. Sorry, no offense intended.

 

Why would I take offense at being called naive because you made an incorrect assumption?!?!

Maybe I wasn't clear. I sold the car at wholesale.They offered me more than $4000 BELOW wholesale for a 6 year old Z28 with 40K miles that was in near perfect condition! All it needed was tires, because it still had the originals. NADA has my car today at $11,000 for and average condition. They offered me $6K. I sold it for 10.2K

 

One other point. I understand that NADA does not set the value of a used car, the market does. When I went into Schomp, I was not interested in taking the time or making the effort to sell my car on my own. I was interested in getting a new car soon, which necessitated the QUICK sale of my existing car. There were other nicely cared for comparables on Craigslist priced as high as 17K to 19K. I think they were a bit overpriced, and 13K to 14K would have been a fair private sale price. Like I said, I wanted a quick sale, and it sold in less than 2 days. I would have taken 9K from Schomp happily, and 8K with less happiness. I found 6K personally insulting due to the care and upgrades I had given the car over 6 years. Personal choice, not naiveté.

This chapter of the story served as a reminder to me that Ralph Schomp MINI is a car dealership in the business of making profit, and that is OK by me. I want them around a long time. I (my naive opinion only) just think they got a bit greedy in this particular case, and they lost whatever profit they might have made from my car. This is the nature of a free market, and I like it!!!

In the end, I am happy with the deal and I'm glad I didn't walk away from Schomp. That was the real point of the story.

 

... all's well that ends well. And they lived happily ever after.

 

Well, part of it is timing. they did very right by me last July, striking a nice balance between wholesale/retail, but at that time they had >zero< used inventory, needed low-mileage cpo's for a hospital burn unit sale, and gas was 4.35/gal. the only catch is that I had to give up the car then, and wait 108 days for my R56. And given all the documented major and minor problems with my R53, I sure as helle did not want to try a private sale, when that PS wouldve netted me only a thou or a little more at most. Simply not worth the hassle IMO

But last week when I was there getting my JCW exhaust tightened up, they must've had nearly 100 MINIs on the lot, some cpo, some used, some carry-over (thru dec/jan) new dealer stock, and some customer rejects. It was like being a normal car dealership: sales folk standing around BS'ing or working the phones. amazing how times have changed.

and spfzero it was not my intent to jab you the way I did; I misinterpreted yr post. My entitlement rant was generalized and directed at other posters on NAM (and M2) who moan and groan and gripe and have ulcerative conniptions about how they pay msrp, or more, and not get freebies and/or discounts from their dealers. (BTW yes every now and then RS does discount parts, but those days are few and far between). Peace?