My new MINI S will be a second car for me. I'm in a company car for most of the week. The S will be my "fun car" on weekends. (when I get weekends) Anyway, to ease my pocket book a little, I'll probably lease. (I tend to want to change every 2-3 years...I know, it's a character flaw) So my question is this:

I ordered the '04 (so far DS/W) to save depreciation, new car, etc., yada, yada, yada. But now I'm wondering whether all that is worth an extra month/month-and-a-half waiting and a slight price increase. If I order an '03 now I could probably be driving it late August instead. But it would be an '03...

What do you wise Mini-afficionadoes think? :

 

I placed an order in Philly in April and was told to expect it to be in October (for MCS). So I'm probably in the October club... Exactly when is the cutover to 2004 production?

 

In terms of depreciation, I'd think that with the numbers of used cars on the market in 2-3 years, mileage and condition will matter so much more than 03 or 04 model year.

For me, I drive a car for five to seven years before thinking about trading it in. So it really doesn't matter.

 

There are 03 MCS,s on the ground now. Mini of Hawaii and Mini of the Hamptons are just two of the dealers that I know of that can fill an order now. Why wait? Chances are they may have the car you want right now with no wait. Yes you may have to pay for shipping or maybe not. Work the phones and check the phone numbers at the dealer rating thread here at MCO. I don't where you live, but check around your area. And remember to work those phones. There could be a cooper out there with your name on it. Good Luck!!

 

If you can get one RIGHT NOW, go for it.
If not, wait for the '04.

 

This late in the model year, unless some dealer is offering you a helluva deal on an 03 (ie, EXACTLY what you want at significantly less than MSRP), I think you're better off waiting.

Why pay MSRP for what will become "last year's model" in a few weeks?

Yes, there will be a price increase. But there will also be some improvements and perhaps one or two of the current options will end up as standard equipment. There might even be a pleasant surprise or two!

I'm waiting for an 04 for exactly these reasons.

 

Hey, thanks to all for your input. More to follow (including my decision, on Monday!!)

 

I don't think that depreciation will be a huge issue for you as you probably won't want to part with your car once you own it a while - there're addictive. Second, while there were undoubtedly teething problems in the '02's, most (if not all) of the issues seem to have been resolved in the '03's (mine included) so waiting for a "newer" model on those grounds doesn't make sense either. I'd probably follow some of the advice already posted; if you can get one now that meets your specs, do so.

Good luck!