Hey All,
Three days ago I came across a 1:18 scale Mini Cooper at Sam's Club. This replica car appeared to be the same as the cars that sold for $75.00 at the dealership. After having to pay for my floor mats ($125.00), I chose not to purchase the miniature then. Sam's Club replica's look just like them! They are made by Maisto, and sell for $9.95. I embarrassed my wife to no end, as I dug through the multitude of Beetles, and PT Cruisers, to find one. As far I know, they come in three colors, red, black, and yellow. All of the cars have the white roofs, and the spoke style wheels. The body is all metal, with doors, bonnet, and hatch that open. They even have a working steering mechanisim, and suspension. I found them in the seasonal section, along with some of the Christmas items. Get' em while you can!
:grin:

WHat was your "ordeal" at the dealership?

The ordeal included arriving at a dealership at 9:30 A.M., ready to purchase a Chili Red Cooper. At nearly 4:30 P.M., we drove away in an Indi Blue. What happened in-between goes beyond explanantion. I actually helped sell a pepper White Cooper to a couple who had arrived at 10:00, and decided to return late in the afternoon. They were amazed to see me five hours later, waiting. A lot of "waiting". When you think it's going to take a half an hour, add two hours to the estimate. EVERYTHING took forever. I guess I was partly to blame when I learned that all of the in-stock cars were being sold for $1,500 to $2,500 above sticker. I was told by their Internet Coordinator that they did not practice those tactics. She was wrong. It's called True Market Value. I hated to pay what I did for mine, but I am impulsive. I don't regret the car however, as I have grown very fond of blue in the past two weeks. :razz:

I guess I'm lucky but so far Mini of Nashville where I purchased mine has been great. Paid sticker, 23,600 for my Red/Red MCS with sport and premuim package and also got leather, although I thought at 1000 that was a tad high. I took it in yesterday for a minor problem, the weather strip at the top of the windshield popped up whenever I reached above 85 mph, anyway they found that I had not been installed with the silicon glue the way it should have just simply placed in the slot. They fixed the problem and in about 30 minutes I was back on the road. :smile:

Cooperman,
Which Sam's club in nashville?

These are a common 'christmas' item at all Sams' clubs... so whatever sams you go to, they should have them... I was just sad I couldn't find a red one... and I'm still waiting for the S to come out...

Rocketboy_X

Cooperman:

I am a die cast model car collector. The 1:18 scale Cooper currrently being sold at MINI dealerships (And MINImotoringgear.com) is made by German diecast model maker "Autoart". The 1:18 Autoart MINI Cooper replica is considered to be one of the finest in the market due to its precise details, assembly quality and overall finish. The Autoart MINI replica retails anywhere between $60 and $70 depending on the color of the model (I think the most expensive 1:18 Autoart Cooper is a Chili Red with white hood stripes). And yest you will never find Autoart replicas in Sam's, BJ's or Costco wholesale stores. These are only available at hobby stores and diescast-hobby internet stores such as http://www.exoticar.com.

There is a big difference between the Maisto 1:18 Cooper model (They are very good for the price and are excellent for those who wish to start a nice collection without spending a lot of money for higher quality models) and the Autoart 1:18 Cooper replica sold at your local dealer.

If you look at each replica side by side you'll see many differences. Open the hood in the Maisto and you'll see DECALS. In the Autoart model these are PHOTO ETCHED, the engine is fully plumbed to perfection (Wires, hoses). In the interior, the Autoart replica has "Real carpeting", real cloth or leather seats and even the seat belts are made of fabric with a chromed metal buckle. In the Maisto, there is no carpeting, plastic seat belts, etc. If you look the undercarriage, the Maisto's is made of plastic and in the Autoart is made of metal. The body paintwork in the Autoart would almost make you believe you have the real thing in your hands.

So, not to rain in your parade, but just wanted to point out some differences (Among many others) between a $10 1:18 Maisto Cooper replica and a $70 Autoart/Revell German made 1:18 scale MINI model.

>>Cooperman:
>>
>>I am a die cast model car collector. The 1:18 scale Cooper currrently being sold at MINI dealerships (And MINImotoringgear.com) is made by German diecast model maker "Autoart".


Just to add a little additional data:
1. At this moment, I'm holding IN MY HAND the car I bought from my MINI dealer. It still has the $70 sticker on it. Underneath the car, it says "MAISTO". Mine is Chili Red
2. At work, I have a MAISTO model I bought from exoticar.com; it is ALSO a MAISTO (it cost $29). The only difference between the two cars is that the $29 version doesn't have the hood stripes. Everything else is identical. (and I looked at EVERYTHING)

So the question becomes:
1. Did you actually BUY one of the models from MINI (that really was made by Autoart)? or,
2. Did I just get screwed? (I'm pretty sure of at least PART of this last answer :wink: )

It sounds like some dealers may be "watering their liquor..."

I have bought several 1:18 and 1:24 scale models from my local K-b toys. They are normally on sale for 10 bucks for the 1:18 and about 7 for the 1:24. I have 2 mini models right now and as soon as Maisto makes a MCS, I will get atleast one of those too. Don't buy stuff like that from the dealership! I think Maisto models are the models I have seen, I have checked out the ones at the dealership and notice no difference. If you don't have a K-b toys around, go to Toy-r-us. Happy Motoring! :smile: :smile:

My wife just picked me up the HotWheels Mini today. I had seen the older one but this one is a new MC in yellow. Very nice and only $0.66 :grin:

Well, if you want one to play with head to target for $15.00 I got a RG mini. OH yeah it's a RC. Don't for get to get the AA and 9 volt battery. My cats have not had a moments rest :lol:

Well, if you want one to play with head to target for $15.00 I got a RG mini. OH yeah it's a RC. Don't for get to get the AA and 9 volt battery. My cats have not had a moments rest :lol:

Here in the Phx. area we have a large elect. store. Went in to buy some comp. components on the way out spotted a display of 1:18 scale MINIs for $15.00 each. They had about a dozen or so. Last place I'd looked for MINI die cast.

I tore apart the ENTIRE stack of cars at Sam's Club but no MINIs in site! = ( I'm bummed! I am planning on visiting another Sams tomorrow to search. I had a crowd of people who stopped to watch the search...it was pretty funny!

Friar, went to Target and picked up the RC car. That thing rocks for $15. Drives my dog crazy. All I need to do now is to add my bonnet stripes and attach rally lights.

>>I tore apart the ENTIRE stack of cars at Sam's Club but no MINIs in site! = ( I'm bummed! I am planning on visiting another Sams tomorrow to search. I had a crowd of people who stopped to watch the search...it was pretty funny!

Target and KB Toys both carry the Maisto models I also saw them at Toys R Us once. But there's almost always some at Target here.

What's funny is that my family is aware of my liking the MINI so much that they got me one of those Maisto MINI Cooper models. Chili Red, natch. :smile:

>>I tore apart the ENTIRE stack of cars at Sam's Club but no MINIs in site! = ( I'm bummed! I am planning on visiting another Sams tomorrow to search. I had a crowd of people who stopped to watch the search...it was pretty funny!

Hey KP,
My Sam's had 4 pallets of the cars..they were very helpful! In each pallet, there were around 4-6 minis. I later found the same Maisto version at Toys R Us. I had them price match Sam's, as their price was $19.95 for the same cars. I found the silver w/ black top at Target (Same Brand) for $15.99. No price match there, but well worth the price for the distinctive black roof and mirrors. The others are all white roofs. Walmart also carries the brand, they had black, green & silver. Kaybee carries Bburago. They are $20.00 here, and have the Chili Red and Indi Blue. If you can't find any, let me know, and I'll help ya. Happy hunting...


_________________
Brought home my Indi Blue Mini on 09-21-02.

I bought a little chili red/white one made by Corgi on Ebay......but I will be on the lookout for more as I intend to start a collection now.......

Cooperman, thanks for the advice! I'm going out hunting again today. I'll let you know how the search goes!

I found it! Ok, so two trips to Sams and no luck but I did find one for $14.99 at Toys R Us. It was a "Motor Max" Red with white roof. I am planning on painting the wheels white! The only odd thing: the box says 2001 MINI Cooper. Think it's a collector's item since teh new MINIs weren't released until 2002? :grin:

KP,
Glad you found it.

Cooperman-thanks for the help! :wink:

Can't wait for the big 'S' models coming out!

I had found a 1:24th Scale Diecast Mini Coopers
Very nicely detailed with opening doors and hood!
These desktop drivers measure approx 6.5" long.
$9.95
You can check this out at Gotmini.com :grin: