WOW... cool can I still sell mine for those high prices? I'll sell

 

I got my PS/B '02 MCS for $19,900 with 30k on the odometer. Full sport, luxery, and cold weather packages. Maybe I got lucky?

 

An individual cannot expect to get the same price that a dealer can get. The dealer must warranty the car (even if it is still covered by the manufacturer's warranty. The dealer can provide assistance in finding financing. The dealer will be servicing the car. The dealer may provide assitance in registering and getting tags for the car. Plus the dealer has much more exposure to the public than the average car-owner. Expect to get "wholesale" value when you trade the car in to a dealer. Expect to pay retail (or more) when purchasing a used car from a dealer. Expect to pay somewhere between wholesale and retail when purchasing from an individual. In general modifications do not add value to a car, and in some cases will actually reduce the value. If possible it would be best to remove any modifications from a vehicle prior to selling and then sell the modification seperately.

 

I've had my '03 MCS on the market for a few months (listed on cars.com) priced under book, and it's still sitting in my garage. I've had a few calls, but no offers. I can't figure out why it hasn't sold. The mileage is normal (23,750), it's in perfect condition, it's located in a western state (Arizona). Is it the color (electric blue/white)? Why doesn't anyone want my car? If the market for used MINIs is so great, what I am doing wrong?

 

I dunno you tell me. I tried selling mine for a while too but no offers so now I've decided to just keep it till it dies.

 

No sunroof is a good thing in my opinion.

 

I shopped used before buying my new 05 mcs prem pkg, armrest, dealer installed chrome grill.

I found the best used deals at VW, Subaru, Volvo, and Saturn dealers. Trade-ins. One 03 and the others 04s. All were around $1500 below msrp. All were under 20k miles and in excellent condition except for one 04 that had a sticky shift...sort of like shifting in pudding.

That was this past Feb and March. The dealers seemed very anxious to move them...they all indicated to me they were ready to DEAL! Seemed like they just wanted to blow them off the lot real quick.

Over the years, I always seem to get my best deals starting Dec 26, through January, February, and March before it stars getting warm.

hs

 

You might want to broaden your reach a bit. Yahoo Autos, Autotrader, Craigs List, etc.

That being said, I just checked Cars.com and was shocked. There is a certified butt load of S's listed right now. Pretty scary. When I sold my Cooper a little over a year ago, there were very few cars on Cars.com and only one or two within 100 miles of me. Very different story now.

I think the incredible secondary market we have enjoyed to date is headed for a major "correction." Sell!!!

 

While the value may be still be strong for used MINIs the market is fairly small. Not many people are going to be willing to pay almost the same price for a used car as for a new one just to avoid the wait, but there are some. Also, the interest rate on a used car is usually higher than on new, so unless you find someone able to pay cash for your car, their payments may be higher on your used car than on new. The problem is in reaching enough people so that you can find the buyer for your car. That is where a dealer has a big advantage. They have people looking for cars visiting their lots all of the time. It is very easy and inexpensive to add another car to the full-page advertisement they were going to run anyway. After all is said and done, it is all about marketing. You can't sell what nobody knows you have.

 

I agree wholeheartedly - again, that is why eBay is the best place to sell your used MINI. You will reach the fanatical audience you are searching for and do it for such a low price, it's ridiculous.

 

I Disagree.....Try doing a search on completed auctions for a MINI. There are a hundred listings but all were reserve not met or buyitnow with no buyers

 

Here are screen dumps from ebay........No body is getting the prices we think they are

 

The problem with e-bay is that people do not understand what an auction is - either buyers or sellers. It is not a fixed price sale. I usually will not bid on anything with a reserve as most people use the reserve to insure that they get retail price for their car. You cannot expect to get retail on an auction site. A dealer gets retail; where you can see the car, kick the tires, drive the car, smell the leather, and have some assurance that you have a dealer organization and reputation to ensure that the car you are buying is a reasonable purchase. When you buy at auction you really do not know what you are getting. Has the car been wrecked and repaired? Was the car stolen and then recovered? Is the seller geeting rid of a lemon? Did the seller purchase the car at a used car auction with the express intent of re-selling it, so the seller doesn't even know the history of the car? With that many unknowns you cannot expect retail at an auction. Now sometimes auction fever will take over and two bidders will "go to war" on an item, but it is hard for that to happen when the seller sets a reserve at retail price or higher.

There is also the problem of arranging transportation and financing of an item purchased on e-bay. While it can all be done, some people just don't want the hassle. This all leads to lower prices. You will notice the majority of the vehicles did not sell because "reserve not met". It would be interesting to see what happens if a good condition MINI is sold with no reserve, but not many of us can afford to take that risk.

 

I agree, but again if you look at the very few that DO NOT have a reserve price they sell WAY below market value, Note I said market. Because of those reasons you point out, sight unseen, shipping...etc

Point is ....Ebay is not the best place to sell from what I have seen. I see lots of people ASKING top dollar but I have yet to see much proof of these resale values. I would be intrested in selling if I could get the rumored prices at resale

 

Are any of the sale prices public information? When I write that I think of the various dmvs and the taxes that need to be paid when newly purchased cars are registered. But I don't know if you could get that information or not without having to pay or if it's even available to the public. Plus, how many people tell the truth when they register the car? Okay, don't answer that.

Anyway, if there were such a thing that would definitely give you the pricing information you needed. I think.

 

That is supposedly how NADA and the other price guides gather their information, by tracking what people are actually paying for cars. At least in Maryland, you will pay 5% of the "book value" of a used car when it is registered, regardless of what you actually paid. I am sure if you paid over "book" they will try to tax the entire amount, but I know that you can't get a reciept for $500 on a car that is valued at $10K and pay the lower tax amount.

 

That's interesting to know. I remember reading about the markups on various cars being built into the value of the car. But I wasn't sure how they got that information.