i have an 05 MCS and cant say enough good stuff about it. its manuel trans & have had no issues at all with the trans. awesome, awesome car. i wouldnt even considr a non-s if i were you. will regret it if you do...

 

I have an 06 manual mcs with 49k miles.. its really not too bad considering that on average a car is drive about 15k miles a year. having said that I would say keep searching for a manual cooper s because auto just isnt any fun to drive anymore. lol.
ps: keep us posted on which one you get.

 

It is a tough economy and car sales arent all that wonderful right now. If they have had the car on the lot for awhile you might get it for less since they want to move it. On the other hand, if it hasnt been there long chances are they didnt pay as much for it since they probably bought it when the market turned down a bit. Either way, dont be afraid to ask for more than you think they will give. The worst they can do is say no. You often get the best deal when you demonstrate you are willing to walk out the door.

 

I like a manual. But I like the additional power the S offers. I think you should wait for an S with a manual. One WILL come available. Just be patient (unless of course you NEED a car RIGHT NOW).

 

Hmm.... Very interesting point. It seems like the car's been up for sale since early March (granted we're just now getting into prime car-buying season). I'm not looking to rip the guys off -- we actually have a mutual business connection -- but I obviously don't want to pay more than I have to.

Again, I'm taking my Audi over later this morning to get a trade-in value estimate from them. Since I suck at haggling, any suggestions for how to approach them about lowering the price any further?

The timing is a little weird: My financing won't actually come through until the end of June, so I'd be putting down a deposit to hold the car -- so I have some time to play with on that end. However, I'm a bit boxed in on the other end as the Audi won't make it through June state inspection without some serious $$$. So I have about a 4-week window to find something.... While there are a few '05+ Minis on the market up here, as noted in the OP, there still not especially common. (And no, I'm not trekking halfway across the country -- or even up to NH, though perhaps I should look -- to get one; I've had my share of out-of-state car purchases and am not up for the hassle.)

BTW, thanks to all those who those who recommend the MCS w. manual transmission. While I'd generally prefer the manual myself, the Steptronic transmission is actually pretty cool, IMHO, and it means I won't have to give my wife a refresher course on how to drive a stick.

 

This is true. Its also a reason why they will not get the amount there asking for.. when i got my mini a few months ago they went down about 3k and bumped up my trade in 1k. So i got the deal i was looking for. Also look around the end of the month because thats when they really want to get the cars out.. good luck

 

Forgot to answer your question Tim.. Since were in a recession they know they wont get as much as there asking for. Tell them you had your buddy look into the mini and he told you that it was only worth (said amount), id check kbb and give them a price around that much, and he also took a look at my A4 and said i should get (said amount).. what can we do to make this happen? again like i said they agreed to my numbers.

 

The best way to get the most from your deal is to sell the Audi separately. The dealer will offer you a wholesale price for your Audi regardless of what he says he is giving you. If you want to find out what he is truly giving you for your car take your car to a few used car lots that you think might actually SELL your Audi. Ask them for a price. Most likely if the dealer selling the MINI is going to sell your Audi on the lot then you will get a similar price as what those independent dealers are offering for your car. If the MINI dealer is not going to sell your Audi on their lot then they will probably give you a bit less than the price you have received from the independent dealers.

So, now that you are armed with the information of how much your Audi is really worth (are you still standing...not too insulted are you?) You can go to the MINI dealer and ask what they will give you for your car. The difference between what the independent dealer was going to give you for your Audi and what the MINI dealer is offering would be how much they are willing to take off the MINI to move it. Then you can sell your Audi independently in a private sale or shop it around to various used car dealers to see how much they will give you. If you choose this route then look for a used car dealer that has Audi's on the lot since the car will be more valuable to them. Then you can go back to the MINI dealer with the knowledge of how much they are willing to discount the MINI. Make sense?

The wild card in this mayhem is when you said the Audi wont pass its yearly inspection without lots of $$$$. That could hurt you pretty well. If the Audi is not worth that much money then it will be worth pretty much NOTHING to the MINI or any other dealer. Then you really should sell it privately as you will easily make more money that way then if you try to trade it in. You can always sell it cheap privately and make an extra $500 in a private sale over what the wholesale price would be from the dealer. I sold cars for awhile so hopefully what I am spouting out makes sense. If not, just yell.

 

Wow.... I really can't thank you all enough for your advice, particularly ACEkraut.

The deed is done -- or at least well underway. My wife and I put a deposit (refundable) on the car to stake a claim to it until the funding comes through from the bank in a couple of weeks. It may not be the absolutely best deal we could get, but given our time constraints and the seemingly good condition of the car, we're not feeling ripped off.

The dealer (generic used cars, not specifically a Mini dealer) also has a 3-year/36,000 mile extended warranty (HiRoad Tech+ -- for an extra $1700) which we'll take advantage of that covers pretty much anything that could go wrong with the car outside of routine maintenance. Seems like a prudent step to take given the age/mileage of the car.

Because of the condition of the Audi, it sounds like there will need to be some phone calls made to see if they can find any takers, as ACE suggests. I'm supposed to check back on Monday to see what the dealer will offer. The guy I spoke with today implied that I would indeed be better off going the private sale route. I'm not expecting a huge return on the A4, but anything that can go towards paying for the Mini will be helpful.

 

Which coop are you looking at?

 

This one.

 

Have you tried autotrader? If you want to settle with auto and thats the one you like then id say get it. But ive been looking around and noticed they have some nices ones in the lowell area.. i suggest taking a look there and seeing if you find one. hope you find what your looking for..

 

So is there a way to get a copy of the build sheet other than through a dealer?

 

I wouldnt take any of them. The S is the only one I would consider for a mini. it's borderline to slow by todays cars standards as it is. the auto takes a lot of driver input out of the driving equation. ( as well as a lot of fun).I would go 6 speed unless you have no clue how to operate one or have some sort of dissability which prevents you from using one.

just to remind you, you did ask "my" opinion so theres "my" take on the three choices presented to me.

 

The automatic transmission in the '05 Cooper S is the 6-speed Aisin (torque converter, not CVT), right?

 

honestly, i'm not sure.I think it's a 5 speed auto not 6 though.
I do know that jeep was notorious for problems with the Aisin trans back in the YJ, and TJ's.

have you ever seen how the CVT trans works? (think washing machine size rubber belt getting squeezed between two pully's) not a big fan.

Ive never heard of the manual trans going bad. A little concern over noise issues with the clutch system but not on the trans itself.

 

The Aisin auto in the S is a 6 speed.

 

thanks for clarifying. i wasnt sure and didnt want to give the wrong info.
But now i can seem like a brainiac next time

 

Thanks, Suzanne; that's what I thought, but I appreciate the confirmation!

Certainly the transmission on the S felt a helluva lot better (far less "sloppy") than the CVT on the non-S I drove the other week. (See above.)

 

The horse might have already left the barn, but you are making the wrong decision about buying the Cooper S. You already said it yourself that the Cooper S is really more than you need since you are driving it for the mostly to get to the train station three miles away.

A Cooper is a much better car for this driving situation. Better gas mileage, cheaper insurance, and a manual transmission, which is what you really wanted. Car number 4 sounds like a winner. Go drive it again and really think hard about it this time if the car really does not fit all your needs. If you really want the Cooper S, then fine, go buy it. Just don't be blinded by the fact that it is an S.

Enjoy your new to you car.

 

I'd go for choice number one, the '06 with the 5-speed. You might even find out that someone purchased the extended warranty for it. I recently bought an '06 cooper that now has 41,000 miles. Several weeks ago I had it serviced and found out that the extended warranty and service plans had been bought for the car AND the transfered to me. I was super excited, I picked the car up for around $15,100.

 

well theres a problem, you need a manual and you need an S for maximum fun factor : )

 

I agree on having the manual for having more fun. I don't believe you need a Cooper S to have the most fun from a Mini. Actually the Cooper can be more fun than the Cooper S. You have to work harder at driving the Cooper because it has less power, thus you become more involved with the car.

 

Good luck with your decision. Transmission choice is a personal thing - my husband couldn't stand automatics and raved about the 6 speed manual in his '98 Corvette, but agreed to order my MINI with the 6 speed auto since I wasn't interested in learning to drive a manual. Now, three years later, he's driven the MINI more than I have. He prefers the SD mode and said he was impressed at the speed (crisp - not sloppy) at which the transmission shifts into the next gear using the paddles.

 

Well, my wife and I just dropped off a large check w. the dealer and signed the paperwork, so we are now proud owners of the dark silver '05 MCSa. The dealer is taking care of the registry run on Monday morning, so we have to wait until the afternoon before we get to bring it home. This will be a very long 48 hours!

Thanks again for all of the advice; happy motoring!