Hi everyone, I am new here. My wife and I want to test drive a Mini MC40 this weekend and we both fall deeply in love with Mini. I cannot express how much I enjoyed the sound of the supercharger winding up!! It sound so so much better than my Mercedes 2.3 Superchanger! I felt that I have betrayed my beloved Benz coupe, but I have to say Mini is one hot car. Therefore my wife and I are officially in the market looking for a 2005 model.

Now come the question I want to ask.
I live in Los Angeles area, which Mini dealer is the best one? and also what should I watch out for when making a deposit and order a new Mini, and also how long will the wait be?
Thank you all in advance!

 

I've heard Long Beach is the best in LA area. That may have changed though so get input from someone who has been there recently. I got mine in Salt Lake City. At MSRP and much shorter wait. Fun drive back home too!

 

Don't go for Salt Lake. I live in Utah and the wait for a 2005 is too long. I got ahold of Julie at Classic Mini in Ohio. They group together orders and send them out west. Mine should be coming next month whereas if I had ordered in Salt Lake, I'd be waiting until about Frebruary.

 

Thank you for your replies, I am looking for a dealer in LA. Has anyone shop in Long Beach before? Please provide me with more feedbacks. I am going to make an order this weekend!

 

:smile: Welcome to NAM, polojcp! I've purchased two MINIs from Long Beach, and it was a wonderful experience. But I understand that there is quite a long wait to order one, since they sell at MSRP....no mark-up! :smile:

I agree that you should consider shopping around out of state, and contact Julie at Classic MINI in Ohio, and MINI of the Hamptons in NY. Both have excellent reputations for selling to MINI enthusiasts all over the country. You may decide, like many have, to fly back to purchase your MINI and then drive it home, which is great fun! The other option is to ship it west. :smile:

As for the other dealerships in SoCal, you may find the MINI you want on the lot, but you will pay a premium for it. Be prepared for major sticker shock!

Good luck and let us know what you decide!

Clo/Wanda

 

These are all of the SoCal MINI dealers:

Assael 626-258-4269

Crevier 714-560-9525

Irvine 949-380-1200

Long Beach 562-427-5494

Nick Alexander 800-800-NICK

Universal City 818-505-7455

Bob Smith 818-444-1650

Brecht 760-520-3000

It might be best if you make eight phone calls and narrow down the field a little. Good luck!

 

Wow! Nick, thanks for the list, I will give them a call tomorrow! So I suppose so far the feedback for Long beach is the best? How about services?

 

It’s my impression that all of the SoCal BMW/MINI dealerships view the MINI segment as a low profit operation, and when you consider that the majority of their sales are $50k-$140k BMWs, it’s understandable why the $25k MINIs get less attention.

 

Jackie Cooper MINI here in OKLAHOMA sales them.

I was able to knock them down a few hundred bux off sticker. Great place. Alot of people buy there from out of town they say. Might check into them.

BTW if you think the wine is loud now get you an ALTA intake when you get it and let the music begin

 

I'm in San Diego and quickly gave up on getting my Mini anywhere near home. Between dealer gouging in So Cal and long waits anywhere in the western states, I decided shipping was the best option. The cars are the same regardless of where they come from, and FedEx and faxes make getting paperwork quick and easy.

I ordered my car from Jerry at Mini of the Hamptons. He was great to work with - I don't think he ever leaves his desk because he was there every time I had a question, and responded to email quickly, too.

He organized the shipping for me ($500 via train for 2-week trip NY to CA), and I pick up the car next week. Once I have it, I just have to get it smogged and go to the DMV to register it.

A bit of a hassle, but I'm saving at least $1000 over buying locally, saving several months of waiting over buying from closer states, and working with a dealer that isn't trying to take advantage of me.

 

Buy a car in SoCal go to Bob Smith in Calabassas! I purchased mine and had it shipped in from the Hamptons in New York. It was the best experience! Great price (if you throw in the free floor mats) below MSRp! Great rate and shipping was superb. Then onto SoCal dealers for service. Stay away from Crevier! First week I owned the car I went in for minor service and they broke the windshield. Check the So Cal threads and see what others have to say.

It is too bad the dealer listings aren't working, you could see the ratings on each dealers!

There are others to stay away from also. I've heard Long Beach has terrible service also. Brecht is so high priced it's crazy. If you're going to have to wait to get your mini (long wait) I recommend buying from Julie at Classic or Jerry at the Hamptons. If you're waiting it doesn't matter where you buy!

Good luck with your search! :smile:

 

I bought mine from Moritz in Dallas Tx. and drove it home. Once you start calling around to the dealerships in Ca. you will see why nobody is strongly recommending a local dealer. I'm guessing your options are going to be to either spend $5000 over MSRP or wait a good 8-12 months for delivery.

This is the name of the game out here so don't let it get you down. Decide what you want and what you are willing to pay then go to work making it happen. You will get lots of free advice here on NAM.

Have you been to MiniUSA.com to configure you dream Cooper? Also check the dealership listings for phone numbers and addresses.

 

Yeah, I have changed my idea on getting a Mini from So Cal, it just simply wont work. But I plan to lease my Mini, anyone has any experience on that with an out of state dealer? I will give Hampton a call tomorrow to find out more information and the other dealers you guys suggested to find the best deal. Thanks again!

 

Its amazing how the price gouging continues in full force at CA MINI dealerships well over 2 years after the car was introduced.

Here in Florida (South Florida) have a choice of 5 MINI dealerships and all sell at either MSRP or small discount depending on the vehicle and options.

 

Hi everybody!
We visited Global Imports in Atlanta 2 weeks ago... and just took home my new MC40. We have here only 2 Mini dealers, but besides paying MSRP, this guys service is astounding. Give them a call!

 

Hey polojcp,
Welcome to NAM! I too ordered my MCS from out of state and had it shipped in. I worked with Julie Saxa at Classic Mini in Ohio. They're one of the sponsors here on NAM. Anyway, I took delivery of my car just about 6 weeks ago - it was all pretty simple. I know Julie can handle leasing paperwork if thats what you want, cause she had it all set up for me, and then I changed my mind and did the purchase paperwork instead!

The only thing you have to handle yourself is the car registration stuff. After you take delivery you get the car inspected to make sure the vin# on the car matches the paperwork. You can have it done at AAA if you're a member, or go to a local police station or your favorite friendly officer. Take the car to a smog test station to get smogged, then take all the paperwork to the DMV for registration.

While you will still have to pay shipping, at least that cost doesn't factor into DMV registraton fees, while dealer markup costs do.

Shelly

 

I've bought two MINI's from Long Beach, and both times were pleasant. not to mention very fast. I spent no more than two hours total each time.:smile:

 

Can someone give me a more in detailed steps on what I should do if I get the car out of states.

Do I have to get it to AAA to check the VIN#? If I look at the VIN numbers around the car and they all match the paperwork do I still need to take it to AAA?

Smog I understand, what should I tell the smog station? tell them that I got the car from out of the state and they will know what to do?

I think the procedure might be different if I lease the car, might not need to pay the sale tax... thought tax was included into the monthly payment for the car. I have called the dealer in TX, I will call Hampton in NY tomorrow morning to find out more information.

 

Chief Charlie did a great write on about everything you need to do to register your out of state purchased car. I just followed the instructions. I'm looking for the thread right now, and I'll post a link as soon as I find it.

Shelly

 

It's really easy since the car is a 50 state model, which means that the cars in California are no different than any others. You will need to take it too the DMV, after a smog check, to get it registered which requires a Vin verification (walk around the car checking for safety and other requirements). Your dealer may calculate the appropriate Ca. taxes for you or you can do it yourself at the DMV. My dealer did it for be, probably because they wanted to include the extra fee in the final purchase price which I financed through them.

I picked up my MINI in Dallas on Friday night and spent the first night in Amarillo Tx and the second in Prescott AZ and was home in Santa Barbara on Sunday around 2pm, 1650 total miles, average approx 60mph. My MCS is very comfortable and great for long distances.

 

I live in Las Vegas and bought mine for sticker minus $300 from Crown MINI in VA. Previous post is correct; MINI's are "50 state cars" so all you need is correct paperwork (which can vary from state to state) and you can register. Crown's sales rep Kelly Atkinson was great; fed-Xed everything I needed and fielded a dozen or so L. D. phone calls.

Too bad the gouging continues, they're great cars but you really have to work at it to buy one at or near sticker and not get stuck with $500 floor mats and other crazyness.......................mgg

 

OK, you can find the thread here, its post #11.

It covers pretty much all the steps, I just did it all a few weeks ago.
Yes, you have to have that vin# verified by either a DMV person, a law enforcement type person, or someone at you local AAA office, if you're a member. I went the AAA route, took all of 10 minutes from the time I walked in. During the vin# verification they also look for the sticker that shows the car is emission legal in all 50 states. The sticker is 'neathe the bonnet, drivers side, kinda on the wheel well. Neither one of us knew where to look!

The smog test folks will know what to do, just tell 'em you bought the car from outta state.

Yeah, the nice thing about leasing is avoiding paying all the sales tax, but I can't tell you how that affects the DMV fees. The process would be the same tho. Actually, I think the DMV website has a page to help calculate your fees, so you can get a ballpark idea. The thread above has links to the DMV website.

Speaking of fees, when you're talking to out-of-state dealers (or any dealers) be sure to ask about additional fees, such as documentation fees or dealer prep fees, I've heard of some places tacking on unexpected and unexplained fees - nasty surprises!

Shelly

 

Didn't they just open a South Bay dealership near L.A. ?