I am the original owner of this car and it is in beautiful shape! Always garaged, never smoked in. I previously ran a detailing business so this car has always been extremely well taken care of. My wife and I just had a baby and unfortunately some sacrifices have to be made.
Feel free to call Matt @ 310.387.3104 or email:
uclah2oskr@yahoo.com
Additional pictures available.

Chili red w/ black roof, mirrors, and bonnet stripes
Anthracite interior
Black leatherette seats.
Only 19,000 miles!
$23,000
Los Angeles, CA

Options Include:

• Premium Package (automatic AC, dual pane panoramic sunroof, on-board computer, multifunction leather steering wheel w/ radio controls)
• Sport Package (dynamic stability control, front fog lamps, Xenon headlamps w/power wash, 17" web-spoke wheels w/performance run-flat tires, black bonnet stripes)
• Limited slip differential
• 8-Speaker Harman-Kardon CD/MP3 player
• Side-impact airbags
• 6-way adjustable sport seats
• Flat tire monitor
• Black floor mats
• Tinted windows ( I just got a ticket, so the tint has been removed on the two front windows)

VERY Safe/Reliable Modifications Include:

• ULTRIK Cold Air Intake w/ reusable air filter
• ULTRIK 15% pulley reduction and belt
• Denso IK22 spark plugs
• Honda S2000 Radio Antenna (good looks, good reception)

Balance of 3 year/36000 mile FULL MAINTENACE Program
Balance of 4 year/50000 mile warranty
MINI Roadside Assistance (4 years/50000 miles)

 

BUMP
Price reduced to $24,500
This price is below Blue Book and others listed on AutoTrader.com, am I even in the ballpark?

 

I have mine for sale also...at almost the same price...I don't think it's too high...it's a reasonable range for the car and its condition.

Have it alerted here, craigslist and recycler...obviously not trying really hard....and am having the same type of response....almost none!

And what a coincidence...both having babies.

 

Although we have never put the baby seat in our MINI, our friend has two older kids in booster seats that fit just fine in his MINI. Our problem is that our baby is still in a huge rear-facing seat and our dog goes everywhere with us...makes it kinda tight even for the short weekend trips.

 

Well, I don't want to tick you off, but KBB and NADA are notoriously bad sources of pricing information. One uses dealer asking prices as it's basis for pricing (as reported by dealers) and the other isn't remotely used by dealers (dealers don't use the blue book, they use the black book or Manheim auction prices).

Best sources for actual transaction prices are: eBay completed auctions, Edmunds' TMV, or Manheim if you can somehow get access to it.

Edmunds lists your car with those options and those miles as being worth $21k from a private individual. Not saying you should lower your asking price to $21k, but certainly a price that is within negotiating distance of $21k (i.e. $22.5k-$22.9k) would put you close enough that you would attract genuine interest. Also am not saying that you can't sell the car for $24k-ish, but if you're really intent on getting around $24k you'd better be prepared to wait 3-6 months until someone who wants your car badly enough and is willing to pay over market price for it "finds you". The other issue is that the new Minis are just around the corner . . . which is going to take a nice little piece of your value away (not huge, but noticable). So time isn't on your side.

Think of it this way . . . in a "normal" market -- excluding really "hot" or "it" cars or speculation situations -- who is usually more motivated? Sellers or buyers?

 

I'm not ticked off, but I do find your info hard to believe.
I have had dealers offer me over $22K as a trade-in! I know you are thinking "well go ahead and trade it in", but in SoCal there are very few '06's left so demand is fairly high. With the '07's coming out, I would anticipate a price increase plus an even larger dealer mark-up (most dealers in SoCal have never sold a Mini at or below sitcker).
In my opinion, now is the time to pick up a nice clean Chili Red '05 before the dealers start gouging people on the '07's!

 

And we truly don't know yet if the 07s will be better or bomb....

We might even get a price boost if the 07s continue to get paned and the consensus is that the 02-06 Minis are finer....especially the 05-06 years as the bugs are less frequent.

 

The numbers are not great. The dealers are paying under $20000 for the 05 MCS. The lowest was $19435 for an MCS with 26k miles. On the high end an 05 with 8820 miles sold for $22957. I am also concerned when dealer offer you a great trade in specially they need to fill up a certain quota. I am with the general consensus and think that 05-06 are probably the finest of all Mini's however there are those who just cares that a car is the new model and will dump there older model just to be seen in a brand spanking new bodied type car. I think you are very close to the general retail price bearing in mind that dealers do buy them cheaper but they have cost associated with transport , cleaning and advertising and profit. We also can't forget that most people would have no access to these dealer auctions. (fake dealer auctions does not apply) These cost usually push the prices past the average retail prices. Best of luck with both your sales.

 

chautofu -- agree, probably 95% of consumers won't really care if the new model is technically superior to the 2005s and 2006s . . . they'll just care that it's the new model. I can't speak specifically about the Minis, but in many instances, the changes made to new models to make them saleable to the general public (the aforementioned 95%) make new models less capable from a performance perspective.

MScott -- $22k on a trade in? Trade in on what, a new Mini or a different vehicle? Whichever the case, whenever you're talking trade, there are lots of different ways for the Dealer to get their 'inflated' trade money back. To name a few -- selling the new vehicle at above market prices (depends on the car, but other than exceptionally "hot" or exclusive luxury cars, most vehicles are selling between MSRP and Invoice), adding fees or dealer installed options, getting your financing approved at an above market rate (for which they get a premium from the financial institution) . . . .just lots of things they can do to recover. Ask yourself, if a Dealer can buy a used Mini at auction for $20k or buy yours from you at $22k, why on earth would they buy yours unless they were counting on somehow getting that money back from you somewhere?

True test as to whether or not your vehicle is priced correctly is how long (or if) it sells at that price. If you sell it within 30-45 days, then you were correct and it was priced well. If it takes 60-90 days (or more), then it's a different story, and you've located that "special" buyer (i.e. someone with more emotion than intellect) -- which is not a bad thing, just not indicative of the overall market.

 

BUMP
Price reduced to $24,000

 

And again...
$23,750

 

$23,500
Registration was just paid yesterday and is now valid through Sept. '07

 

You people are crazy..... My wife is pregnant also and due up with our first baby boy next month. We own 2 MINIs ('05 MCS and '02 MC CVT) and neither is going away.

I never understood the prevalent "Mentallity" that baby = SUV or huge Minivan.

I have researched all the "baby gear" that fits in the MINI best and I foresee no problems. In fact we have bought the car seats, strollers, everything fits in the MINI really well.

Oh well guys. I think that people overreact when they learn they are going to have a baby and run out the door and purchase the biggest car and biggest house money can buy. Sorry, I don't subscribe to that way of thinking.

 

I bet you bought the wrong kind of baby car seat. Britax makes only one model of baby car seat that fits PERFECTLY, both front and rear facing in the MINI, without pushing the front passenger seat against the dashboard.

 

Our baby is 5 months old, so I wouldn't say I am "overreacting". I am basing my decision to sell the car on first hand knowledge that when we go out of town for the weekend, we CANNOT fit everything into the MINI. My baby and dog have never been in the car and never will. Can you imagine what a 55 lb hunting dog would do to the inside of that car? He is extremely well trained, but there isn't a single material inside that wouldn't scratch at just the thought of his claws (seats, doorpanels, armrest, etc.).
I appreciate the info that I can buy a baby car seat specifically for my MINI, but I "subscribe to the way of thinking" that my car should fit me and my family, not the other way around.
Don't get me wrong, I love the car. However, I have to believe there is something between an H2 and a MINI that would be a better fit for my family.
Now, back to me selling the car.....

 

$23,000?

 

If you can get trade in for 22k or alittle more i would go for it. If you think the payments will be lower, it will pay off. I have been trying to sell my car for awhile now, and if i can get rid of it for $22,900, its sold.... Also right now is a bad time of season to sell cars. X-mas is coming and everything else. I am trying to sell mine as well and its a 06 MCS. If you find anyway to sell, please let me know. Good luck and talk to you later Spike

 

I have had several leads from AutoTrader.com that have been promising. Several have bought other cars for color or location reasons, but I have asked what they paid and three have said $24,500 for similar cars.
Everyone on NAM has so much info on these cars that I think people are going to get a killer deal here (at least as buyers). I think the outside world is willing to pay more for these cars than we realize.
Heavily moded mini = post on NAM
Stock to minor mods = sell somewhere else
Anyways, the car is still for sale and the price is less here than anywhere else I have it posted.

 

yeah same here. mine is posted on autotrader online for 23k.... i hope it sells soon. I just need lower payments. Plus i am going to buy a house soon. good luck with your sale.... Spike

 

Car is sold.
According to the post I quoted above and other posts on NAM, I think most people are selling themselves short (or at least their cars).
I got $22K on a trade in this weekend, which I knew I could get all along. As we all know, you can get more money private party which is why I was holding out. That means for a clean '05 MCS, you should get OVER $22K.
dhodory - I know you think I got taken to the cleaners on the new car since I got such a good deal on the trade-in, but I paid $2500 UNDER invoice for a 2007 before rebates (helps to have a friend with the GM supplier number!)
Thanks to everyone for their input and help, but the more people that give these cars away, the more it affects the resale for the rest of us.

 

Depends on the GM car -- Mfgr to Dealer (i.e. not rebates) $$ is big right now (brother-in-law owns a Pontiac-Buick-GMC Dealership). If I knew the model and your zip code, I could look up the M2D cash, but I have trouble imagining that M2D cash would be more than $2,500 though . . . so it certainly sounds as though you got a good deal, and I have no reason to doubt you.