Sorry to bug you guys, but I am totally inexperienced in buying cars. Can anyone tell me how much they paid for the deposit of their MC Auto? After paying the deposit, do you just pay the rest of the amount upon the delivery of the car? Please let me know. Thanks a bunch!:smile:

 

I gave them a $1000 check which they just put into a folder and hold until delivery.

They said that once I took delivery, I could tear that check up and pay whatever way I wanted.


Hope this helps.

 

Same here...put $1K down to get things rolling. Everything else financial happened when I took delivery.

MrV, love the sig!!!!

 

So when you guys purchased the MC, did you get to see and test drive the actual mini model that you were ordering? I live pretty far away from all the mini dealers (the closest is 3 hours of drive) and I just test drove my friend's mini (which was a 02 model). So I'm wondering if you guys actually ordered the car after seeing the actual product.

Another thing is that, I noticed that when I tried to accelerate my friend's mini (w/ auto transmission), it was slightly..."shaky" (I don't know if that's the right word to describe the shock or stir). And when I tried to make turns, I heard some faint noise coming from the car. Do you notice similar problems when you are driving your own mini?

 

I walked into the dealership,found the car I wanted sitting on the lot,still with some of the shipping stuff on it,they let me test drive it,gave them $500 and picked it up the next day.
I know I was lucky,I had never bought a car from a dealer,let alone a new car.But I had done my homework,knew what I wanted and could afford.
Never looked back

 

I am fortunate to live close to a MINI dealer. I went down and test drive all 4 models (MC, MCS, MCS-JCW, and MCSc), so I knew what I was getting into. If you are looking at an 05, you shoudl probably drive an 05, because they did make major changes to the transmission this year, even for the MC. However, my dealer didnt have anything in stock and couldn't order anything within a reasonable period. So, I called up Julie @ Classic MINI and put down a $500 refundable deposit on a car they have coming (HyperBlue/Black MCS w/all 3 packages).

But, on the MINI, expect to pay MSRP, or nearly so (I got mine for about 500 under MSRP, but thats rare). In some places (like CA) expect to pay 3-4K OVER MSRP.

 

I had configured a car on miniusa.com, took a trip to Chicago, test-drove a MC CVT, and ordered the one I had configured. $500 deposit at the time of order. I didn't see my actual car until the day i picked it up, exactly 2 months after ordering it. And I couldn't be more pleased with the entire experience (except for the finance manager, which is a different story...).

As for the transmission, there is some jerkiness in my car below 10 MPH/2000 RPM...is this what you are experiencing?

The steering is operated by an electric power steering pump, which (in my car at least) produces a sort of whirring, whining noise.

 

That's exactly what I'm talking about, the jerkiness during acceleration and the faint whirring noise during turns. I don't know if they've made any major change to the '05 model to improve these 2 conditions. But so far I'm still in the process of deciding when to order a mini. I might order it as early as in a week or as late as a month later. It all depends on how my agenda goes...

 

Most dealers have cars set aside for test drives. In Nov, 02, I was able to test drive an MCS before ordering it. The same dealer had an MCSC in August for test drives. Call ahead and set up an appointment with a Motoring Advisor. The 05 and 02 should be pretty close, but you want to make sure before you order. Your friend's car may or may not have all the latest upgrades. Worth a 3 hour trip before you spend 20,000.