any feedback would be appreciated.

Tom

"2003 Cooper S 36K miles everything except nav. option.
asking $21,975
http://portland.craigslist.org/car/73245579.html "

 

I think you can find someone who willing to pay for this price

 

I use the Edmunds guide and the NADA guides and then I go to Cars.com and autotrader.com and see what they are asking and kind of figure out an in-between price. There is all kinds of variabiilty in the market. A guy in my neighborhood sold an 03 with like 21k for 17,500 with almost as much equipment. I bought mine in a used car lot in NYC for 21,100 and mine is an 04 with 13.5K on it and is one package short of yours (cold weather). So, it also has to do with how motivated you are to move it.

 

thats a pretty good price. i work at a dealership that deals exclusively in European cars, and when talking to the managers, they say they can get over the original stickers for MINI's that are in good condition. you might be able to get another grand into there if the interior and exterior are perfect. the only thing that kinda hurts is the mileage is a bit high for an 03.

 

I don't think the mileage is THAT high for an '03 - just around average, especially if it's a early build '03. Our '04 had 19K on it when we bought it in January, we just turned 33K. Or course, out west, you do tend to accumulate miles a bit quicker. . .

IMHO, that's a good price if the car's clean. I've seen MINIs in Colorado going a LOT higher than that with more miles. Just my .02.

BP

 

Go to www.kbb.com it is the kelly blue book site... and book it out..

You can find three values...
1. wholesale price
2. retail price
3. martket value

I would find the wholesale price and add 3k.. that will general show a real fair price for the car... Dealers will usually give you 2k under wholesale...( that is in real $, not what thay show playing # games..)


Dealers and banks use the kelly as a consistant quide... so remember, most banks will loan only 80% of the wholesale value of a used car..( based on the persons credit history) so the person buying the car, unless paying cash,, has to come up with a boat load of money if you are ask a real high amount for the car.....

 

I had a very clean '03 with 15K miles, and without nav., that I tried to sell in the SF Bay area last Nov./Dec. In two months I wasn't able to find a buyer over 20K. That was the lowest price over trade-in that I was willing to sell for. So I ended up just trading it in when my '05 arrived.

Your price seems fair, but it all depends on whether the right buyer comes along, and how long your willing to wait for that buyer. Good luck.

BTW if you have another MINI on the way, you can go in and have the dealer assess the trade-in value of your current car. Then you've got a 'floor' to work from. Also, consider placing it somewhere visible (roadside, or a parking lot somewhere) with lots of traffic and a big For Sale sign. Sometimes seeing the actual car does wonders. That's why dealers can get a better price for used vehicles. They've got the physical car on display, and they have lots of floor traffic.

 

What does an '05, similarly equipped, go for?. I priced used MINIS and MCSs that were stickered for more than new, so I bought a new one for less money equipped exactly how I wanted it (and with 6 miles). Check what MINIs sell for on E-Bay, a lot less than you're asking.

 

True, but there are a LOT of people, myself included, who LOVE E-Bay but are hesitant to buy a car from them. I've looked at E-Bay for MINIs, but when it comes time to actually bid on one sight unseen, I get nervous. . .

 

Hey Tom. Honestly I would go for new but that's my optinon. I got my 05 MCS brand new for $22.800 with a bunch of features except the nav. Like H/k stereo, premium package, auto dimming mirror w/rain sensing wipers, fog lights, aux port, chrono package, auto air and a few others. I don't know If I would pay 21 for a 03 when you could get a brand new one for about 2-3 grand more with about the same options, All though I don't think that's an unresonable price and we all know the blue book value on our mini's stays very high. Were you thinking of getting another Mini or trading yours in. Has a dealer made you any quotes if you were to trade it in for another car? or another Mini? I heard that some Mini dealers were giving lower values b/c they couldn't move used mini's off the lots though. I guess that is totally up to the individual as if they are looking to buy a brand new car or a used one.

 

It's not crazy money, but at ~$4K less than new, that's ~11cents/mile, and the '05 has quite a few new features. I got my '04 for ~$7K less than new with 22K miles on it, as a datapoint. The used market finally seems to be softening a bit, but if you hold out, you can often get more.I'd say it's worth the money to put ads in autotrader and Ebay and see if you can find someone looking for what you've got.

 

Thanks guys for all your input. I got a lot of calls on our MINI, most all were dealers low balling me so I thought I better ask everyone here. Cant wait for a club wagon diesel.:smile:


Tom