R50/53 Stuck in TEXAS with NO MINI Dealers. Any ideas?
#1
05-18-2002, 10:48 PM
#2
05-19-2002, 04:47 PM
1. Think MINI is working out some issue w/the prospective TX dealers; the miniusa.com site has some info...well, it just says they're working on it.
2. I'm going about 500 miles away to pick one up. Just call around to some different dealerships to see what kind of wait lists and possible mark-ups - some dealers are gouging prices. There's a complete list on the MINIUSA website. I'm going with Roadshow MINI in Memphis, TN; so far, it's a shorter list (haven't checked recently) and they're charging MSRP. I'm hoping I'll be in my new S by Oct/Nov. Good luck!
_________________
I want my MINI!
2. I'm going about 500 miles away to pick one up. Just call around to some different dealerships to see what kind of wait lists and possible mark-ups - some dealers are gouging prices. There's a complete list on the MINIUSA website. I'm going with Roadshow MINI in Memphis, TN; so far, it's a shorter list (haven't checked recently) and they're charging MSRP. I'm hoping I'll be in my new S by Oct/Nov. Good luck!
_________________
I want my MINI!
#3
05-20-2002, 07:02 PM
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Sounds like an ego issue...on BOTH sides. Here's an article...
05/18/2002
By TERRY BOX / The Dallas Morning News
One year after Mini applied for a sales license in Texas, the manufacturer of the hottest square car ever has no dealers and no presence in the nation's second-largest automobile market.
The company's retro-styled sport/econo-box, the Mini Cooper, began arriving at dealerships in about 30 other states in March. A high-performance version of the car, the Mini Cooper S, is also headed for dealerships outside of Texas.
But the road-hugging little Mini still has no place to run in Texas. Nothing was settled in the last meeting between Mini and the state of Texas last month, and no subsequent meetings are scheduled, officials said.
The Mini's saga in Texas
The Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper S are being sold in about 30 states. Texas is not one of them. Mini, a division of BMW, has not gotten a state sales license. Here are some facts about the car and its sales:
Arrival: Began arriving in the U.S. in March 2002
How many: About 120,000 will be built this year, 20 percent more than originally planned.
Price: Base window-sticker prices range from about $16,300 for the Mini Cooper to about $19,300 for the Cooper S. Real-world prices are higher because of the demand.
Nearest dealers: Memphis, Tenn., and New Orleans.
Texas dealers: There are nine applicants for Mini dealerships in Texas, and up to five may eventually be granted franchises. It will take them six to nine months to open once they are approved.
The licensing process in Texas, which has some of the strongest franchise laws in the nation, normally takes about 30 days.
"We're just as baffled as anyone as to what the problems are," said Carol Kent, director of enforcement at the Motor Vehicle Division of the Texas Department of Transportation, which licenses automakers and car dealerships here.
Mini, a division of BMW, has objected to some of Texas' licensing procedures. The state, for example, wants Mini to provide a list of prospective dealers as part of its license application. The company prefers to submit that list after it is granted a license.
"We are not in a position to select dealers in advance of being granted a license," said Michael McHale, a spokesman for Mini, whose U.S. headquarters are in Woodcliff Lake, N.J.
Meanwhile, some of the Texas dealers who have applied for Mini franchises are concerned that the high worldwide demand for the car will subside by the time the automaker is able to get a license here. Citing the current demand for Minis, the company recently announced that it was increasing production by about 20 percent, to approximately 120,000 cars.
Ups and downs
When there is high demand for a new vehicle, dealers often order them loaded with options and sell them for window-sticker prices or higher. As a result, they have a short-term opportunity to get above-average gross profits for the vehicles.
But over time, demand usually slows, and a supply of the once-hot vehicles begins to pool on dealers' lots. At that point, prices start subsiding – and profits along with them.
"This hurts the dealers, but it hurts the manufacturer, too," said Drew Campbell, president of the New Car Dealers Association of Metropolitan Dallas. "Everybody knows with the introduction of a new product, you have a lot of excitement and a lot of sales."
Eric Maas, president of Classic BMW in Richardson and a Mini franchise applicant, said he doubts that his prospective customers will wait.
"I think they have already bought cars out of state," Mr. Maas said. "It's that kind of car. They want it now."
Nonetheless, Mr. Maas remains somewhat optimistic. He thinks that the last meeting between Mini and state officials, in Austin on April 30, gave both a chance to state their positions.
"As I go through this thing, my hopes have been on a roller coaster," he said. "It's bizarre. But I do think the end is near. Let's just mark this down as a difference of opinion."
Important market
Dutch Mandel, editor of AutoWeek magazine, said he doesn't think dealers in Texas should worry too much. Mr. Mandel, who has ordered a Mini Cooper S for himself, says the Mini has long-term appeal.
"I think there are greater legs on this Mini than on other iconic cars like the Volkswagen Beetle and PT Cruiser," he said. "It is inexpensive enough and not that many will be built."
Launched originally in England in 1959, the legendary Mini quickly established handling and fun-to-drive standards for four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive cars. Though larger than the original, the new Mini is intended as a spiritual successor to the first cars.
Mr. McHale, the Mini spokesman, said he has no estimate as to when the company might begin awarding franchises in Texas. With thousands of style-conscious young professionals in Dallas, Houston and Austin, Texas is an important market for the Mini, Mr. McHale said.
"We want to be there," he said. "We just can't say when."
In the meantime, Texans who buy Minis out of state may have to go back to those dealers for service. The Mini dealers nearest to Dallas are in Memphis and New Orleans.
The list
When Mini initially clashed with state officials earlier this year, some industry observers speculated that the mystery might be related to an earlier Texas lawsuit against BMW.
BMW had wanted its dealers to apply for separate franchises to be able to sell the German automaker's lucrative X5 sport-utility vehicle. At least one dealer in Texas sued and won, and some think that BMW might be seeking to extract a little vengeance for that suit – an allegation that BMW and Mini deny.
Ms. Kent of the Motor Vehicle Division said her agency "just doesn't understand what their problem is."
The meeting last month was requested by Mini, and state officials asked the automaker to bring the list of prospective Texas dealers needed to complete Mini's sales license.
"The license is ready to be spit out of the machine," Ms. Kent said.
Instead, she and others said, Mini provided the state with a list of all nine dealers who have applied for franchises. The automaker has indicated that it will probably award four or five franchises in Texas.
"We asked them is it likely that they will be entering into an agreement with most on the list," Ms. Kent said. "They said no. They knew when they got the original application that they had to supply us with a list of dealers that they were likely to grant franchises to. It's part of the procedure."
Mr. McHale said Mini is not accustomed to providing such a list in advance. "We both gave our points of view," he said. "We both reiterated our positions."
Texas was supposed to have been part of the "smile" territories where Mini was launched. The "smile" refers to the strongest portion of the new-car market that stretches down California, across to Arizona, Texas and Florida, and up the East Coast.
Now, however, "I guess we'll have a bit of a gap-toothed smile," Mr. McHale said.
05/18/2002
By TERRY BOX / The Dallas Morning News
One year after Mini applied for a sales license in Texas, the manufacturer of the hottest square car ever has no dealers and no presence in the nation's second-largest automobile market.
The company's retro-styled sport/econo-box, the Mini Cooper, began arriving at dealerships in about 30 other states in March. A high-performance version of the car, the Mini Cooper S, is also headed for dealerships outside of Texas.
But the road-hugging little Mini still has no place to run in Texas. Nothing was settled in the last meeting between Mini and the state of Texas last month, and no subsequent meetings are scheduled, officials said.
The Mini's saga in Texas
The Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper S are being sold in about 30 states. Texas is not one of them. Mini, a division of BMW, has not gotten a state sales license. Here are some facts about the car and its sales:
Arrival: Began arriving in the U.S. in March 2002
How many: About 120,000 will be built this year, 20 percent more than originally planned.
Price: Base window-sticker prices range from about $16,300 for the Mini Cooper to about $19,300 for the Cooper S. Real-world prices are higher because of the demand.
Nearest dealers: Memphis, Tenn., and New Orleans.
Texas dealers: There are nine applicants for Mini dealerships in Texas, and up to five may eventually be granted franchises. It will take them six to nine months to open once they are approved.
The licensing process in Texas, which has some of the strongest franchise laws in the nation, normally takes about 30 days.
"We're just as baffled as anyone as to what the problems are," said Carol Kent, director of enforcement at the Motor Vehicle Division of the Texas Department of Transportation, which licenses automakers and car dealerships here.
Mini, a division of BMW, has objected to some of Texas' licensing procedures. The state, for example, wants Mini to provide a list of prospective dealers as part of its license application. The company prefers to submit that list after it is granted a license.
"We are not in a position to select dealers in advance of being granted a license," said Michael McHale, a spokesman for Mini, whose U.S. headquarters are in Woodcliff Lake, N.J.
Meanwhile, some of the Texas dealers who have applied for Mini franchises are concerned that the high worldwide demand for the car will subside by the time the automaker is able to get a license here. Citing the current demand for Minis, the company recently announced that it was increasing production by about 20 percent, to approximately 120,000 cars.
Ups and downs
When there is high demand for a new vehicle, dealers often order them loaded with options and sell them for window-sticker prices or higher. As a result, they have a short-term opportunity to get above-average gross profits for the vehicles.
But over time, demand usually slows, and a supply of the once-hot vehicles begins to pool on dealers' lots. At that point, prices start subsiding – and profits along with them.
"This hurts the dealers, but it hurts the manufacturer, too," said Drew Campbell, president of the New Car Dealers Association of Metropolitan Dallas. "Everybody knows with the introduction of a new product, you have a lot of excitement and a lot of sales."
Eric Maas, president of Classic BMW in Richardson and a Mini franchise applicant, said he doubts that his prospective customers will wait.
"I think they have already bought cars out of state," Mr. Maas said. "It's that kind of car. They want it now."
Nonetheless, Mr. Maas remains somewhat optimistic. He thinks that the last meeting between Mini and state officials, in Austin on April 30, gave both a chance to state their positions.
"As I go through this thing, my hopes have been on a roller coaster," he said. "It's bizarre. But I do think the end is near. Let's just mark this down as a difference of opinion."
Important market
Dutch Mandel, editor of AutoWeek magazine, said he doesn't think dealers in Texas should worry too much. Mr. Mandel, who has ordered a Mini Cooper S for himself, says the Mini has long-term appeal.
"I think there are greater legs on this Mini than on other iconic cars like the Volkswagen Beetle and PT Cruiser," he said. "It is inexpensive enough and not that many will be built."
Launched originally in England in 1959, the legendary Mini quickly established handling and fun-to-drive standards for four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive cars. Though larger than the original, the new Mini is intended as a spiritual successor to the first cars.
Mr. McHale, the Mini spokesman, said he has no estimate as to when the company might begin awarding franchises in Texas. With thousands of style-conscious young professionals in Dallas, Houston and Austin, Texas is an important market for the Mini, Mr. McHale said.
"We want to be there," he said. "We just can't say when."
In the meantime, Texans who buy Minis out of state may have to go back to those dealers for service. The Mini dealers nearest to Dallas are in Memphis and New Orleans.
The list
When Mini initially clashed with state officials earlier this year, some industry observers speculated that the mystery might be related to an earlier Texas lawsuit against BMW.
BMW had wanted its dealers to apply for separate franchises to be able to sell the German automaker's lucrative X5 sport-utility vehicle. At least one dealer in Texas sued and won, and some think that BMW might be seeking to extract a little vengeance for that suit – an allegation that BMW and Mini deny.
Ms. Kent of the Motor Vehicle Division said her agency "just doesn't understand what their problem is."
The meeting last month was requested by Mini, and state officials asked the automaker to bring the list of prospective Texas dealers needed to complete Mini's sales license.
"The license is ready to be spit out of the machine," Ms. Kent said.
Instead, she and others said, Mini provided the state with a list of all nine dealers who have applied for franchises. The automaker has indicated that it will probably award four or five franchises in Texas.
"We asked them is it likely that they will be entering into an agreement with most on the list," Ms. Kent said. "They said no. They knew when they got the original application that they had to supply us with a list of dealers that they were likely to grant franchises to. It's part of the procedure."
Mr. McHale said Mini is not accustomed to providing such a list in advance. "We both gave our points of view," he said. "We both reiterated our positions."
Texas was supposed to have been part of the "smile" territories where Mini was launched. The "smile" refers to the strongest portion of the new-car market that stretches down California, across to Arizona, Texas and Florida, and up the East Coast.
Now, however, "I guess we'll have a bit of a gap-toothed smile," Mr. McHale said.
#4
05-24-2002, 10:14 PM
#5
05-24-2002, 11:46 PM
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BLACK AND WHITE MINI for sale IN CALIFORNIA
$20500 Fly in and drive back with about $80.00 worth of gas
maurciormelgar@yahoo.com
$20500 Fly in and drive back with about $80.00 worth of gas
maurciormelgar@yahoo.com
#6
05-27-2002, 12:07 PM
Hi,
Sorry I meant Cooper 'S' that I have for sale.
>>I live in the Dallas area and as of yet, there are NO MINI dealers in all of Texas. I have a few simple questions:
>>1. Anyone know when a dealer will be in Texas?
>>2. If not, then anyone know where I could purchas a MINI Cooper S?
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Nitrocode :smile:
Sorry I meant Cooper 'S' that I have for sale.
>>I live in the Dallas area and as of yet, there are NO MINI dealers in all of Texas. I have a few simple questions:
>>1. Anyone know when a dealer will be in Texas?
>>2. If not, then anyone know where I could purchas a MINI Cooper S?
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Nitrocode :smile:
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