Funny you should say I haven't done my research. You may feel that I am immature for believing I know all, which I don't claim I do. I have done my 'homework' and this is why I am asking what I am asking for the car. Go onto autotrader.com and type in 60516 for the area code, you will find plenty of MINI S's going for around 23K-24K. I guess were all too optomistic. Anyway, if anybody would like more information about the car, feel free to PM planeguy. He seems to know a whole lot more about my car than I do, perhaps it is due to my immaturity and young age. Oh and I apologize for not structuring my paragraphs correctly. I didn't think most people on here would mind that I didn't start a new paragraph for each new thought.

 

I live in the Chicago area and I looked at cars.com and found the following listings - these are all with car dealers.

2004 Mini Cooper S $24,795 22,035
2004 Mini Cooper S $23,997 34,000
2004 Mini Cooper S $21,995 15,000
2004 Mini Cooper S $21,995 15,750

Carmax had the following MCS locally:

'03 MINI Cooper S $21,998 Manual 29K

So his car seems to be in the ballpark of these. On the high side but not way ridiculous.

Personally I have not seen many used MINIs that are worth the asking price when you can custom order for not much more $.

Look at the good news. They have great resale value.

 

private sale price != dealer sale price

 

I love that line from the dealer. This why I always negotiate the price of the car I am buying before I negotiate the price of the car I am trading. I like having the real numbers as opposed to their fictional math.

By the way, I am amazed that you negotiated a purchase price $2,250 under invoice for a car that is not on their lot. Good job. With that good a job negotiating I am sure you will get what you want for the MINI.

Actually, the dealer saying that doesn't mean that your car is worth more, it just means that that is the "honest" value.

By the way, if the dealer is giving you $18,000 on the trade, then that means you would save about $1,200 or so in sales tax so you need to get $19,200 from a private sale to do as well. For those who don't know, the sales tax in a private sale in Illinois is minimal and is paid by the buyer.

If you don't succeed in selling privately, take it to Carmax before you trade. My guess is that Carmax would give you $20K to $21K.

 

Yeah, I just took it to Carmax on Saturday and they quoted me $16k. I thought it was funny too because they were selling a base model cooper, non S for $20K on the lot.
Yeah, as far as the EVO, my mom works for a company that is a manufacturer's supplier for Mitsubishi and other companies. So I am getting the car for dealer invoice which is $30,000and I have to pay $600 for shipping. It's great because it's almost impossible to get a discount on an evo and I was able to order it to my liking. The dealer said that they would give me $2,250 under dealer invoice if I came in and bought one off the lot so I went in. but, due to the lower quote they gave me for my trade in, I decided to take my time and sell it privatly. Also, the fact that they refused to bring the car over from their warehouse until I signed for the car turned me off. Yeah, ill pay $28,000 for something I haven't even seen yet, yeah right!

 

That is horrible. In my experience Carmax is usually pretty good. Not this time I guess.

 

My guess is that they have plenty of MINI's nationwide already. who knows. good news though is that I just recieved my order reciept and my final invoice price is $27,400 and I don't have to pay for shipping because a dealer already has one in stock. so, I guess I can take a little bit of a hit on my trade in.

 

Downsize, best of luck with what ever you do