Well, I currently have a deposit on an '06 M3 (E46) for April delivery and I managed to negotiate a $3.5k discount on that.....which most M3 owners thought was a pipe dream. If I don't get the MINI then I guess it'll have to be the M3 instead....what a shame.

 

Well if you want to call it a discount...here's my deal. They would have usually maked up my Mini $3375.00 Plus added LoJack and Perma Plate (more extra dealer profit). Instead I got to build it my way; pass on the LoJack and Perma Plate. All for the additonal mark up over MSRP of $1000.00. Okay so that's really not a discount...I just didn't get hit as hard as some.

 

I'm not trying to buy so this is easy for me to say....but, I find it impossible to belive you can't negotiate at least a $500 discount off MSRP. Still paying more than list seems pretty incredible to me.

 

What I couldn't understand is that the dealers max out the options and did not have cars in stock that were not fully loaded. I had never ordered a car. I have always bought off the dealer's lot.

Paying more than MSRP is STUPID! Remember that BMW limits the number of New MINIs and BMWs that come into the states low to ensure maximum price for the dealers. This also caries over to resale value.

 

Hey there Royal Cooper.....your hood is unlatched (check it out in your photo gallery)

 

Thanks Jimbo...I took engine pics just prior to that and closed it when I moved the car. Actually if I had paid the full $3250 mark up they would have closed the hood on delivery

 

At Checkered Flag of Virginia Beach I just ordered MCS 2 weeks ago. MSRP and they'll give floor mats. Any car delivered by !2/31/05 (not likely me) gets an iPod Nano "gift." They have had 12 to 20 on the lot at least since I've been looking for the past 2 months, some of which have been there that time period. A NY dealer offered to sell at MSRP and pay my air fare and pick me up at the airport if I bought from him. It appears to me that there is some "softness" in the demand. Perhaps more off MSRP will becoming as the next generation (07's) get closer. Lots of used Mini's (including an 03 MCS at CF) have been sitting on local lots for a while.

 

There are a couple of used MINI's at the BMW dealer in Little Rock, Arkansas, that have been there for at least four months. Every few weeks the asking price in the LR newspaper drops another $1,000 bucks. My guess is a good deal is waiting there.

Also, there is no question but that it is "possible" to get a decent discount on a new MINI. You just need to work at it and consider getting the discount a challege. Don't ever let emotion drive your car buying. A dealer with 10-20 unsold MINI's that have been setting on his lot for a while is ready to deal.

 

Wow... a Nano!!! Thats pretty cool. All I got were mats. At least they were the nice $90 ones!. What NY dealer was that who made you that offer? The dealer I bought from in NJ had 2 MCS on the lot for sale that were probably gone by the next week. When I went into the dealer in Manhattan they had no MCS's!

 

I am in the Chicago area where we have three MINI dealers within 20 to 30 or 40 miles. I bought my MCS in January went to the nearest dealer and paid MSRP with mats given free and labor on some extras and the usual little insignificant gifts. I presumed there wasn't much negotiating to do and so i didn't do any negotiating.

A couple months later a client of mine who admired my MINI went and bought an MC. He played the dealers against each other and he tells me he got about $1,000 knocked off MSRP on a basic MC which he ordered (not in stock).

I can't actually vouch for the truth of this but it does not seem that far fetched to me.

 

Nope, ordered mine a week ago at MSRP. At a 9-10 month wait

 

We ordered it and agreed to the price before pricing was confirmed and settled on slightly over MSRP BUT did get some sweet JCW 18" wheels for a steal since ours was shipped with the style 85's and we had ordered a different style. OH WAIT! WE ALSO GOT AN INSULATED MUG! WOO HOO!

Edit: Actually upon taking a closer look we did get a small discount as we paid $750 over the MSRP BUT that price incuded all PDI, Freight etc. ($1,500 - $2,000 value). So I guess we got a Smmmmalllll discount.

 

You probably "missed the boat" (no pun intended) if you wanted to negotiate a discount. Best time of year to deal was to order in mid November to get a mid December build and on the boat by December 31st. MINI dealers are no different than others in this regard and are eager to get sales booked before the end of year to help out their 2005 sales. I happened to luck out and get the last build/ship slot for 2005 at my dealer and got a very nice discount from MSRP. MINI's are marked up about 10% so there is a little wiggle room if you time it right.

 

Classic MINI in Ohio just announced yesterday a $500 off coupon on any IN STOCK MINI this month!

Give Julie Saxa a call and have your new MINI right now!

 

Looks like a $500 coupon on dealer accessories according to their website.

 

I certainly agree with that

 

It wasn't hard to get a discount. I got $750 off MSRP and I ordered my car exactly the way I wanted. It was a 7 week wait, and arrived earlier than they told me. I got free carpeted floor mats, free tank of gas, and a $50 gift card to use in their gift shop(I haven't used it yet, because they didn't have the shirt I liked in my size). I also got 20% off all dealer installed accessories, which for me was just my Ipod adapter. I just took delivery last Saturday. You guys....mustn't be trying hard enough. I went in the dealer with the mentality, that they were going to hold to sticker. And of course I got that line more than a few times. Even the Saleman told me he had to buy his at sticker. I told him that I wasn't going to, nor was I ever going to...ever. I offered him invoice,(about $2000 off sticker), and he came back with $750 off, and I said OK if he throws in the floor mats. Done deal! He got my $500 deposit, and I paid in full when the car came in.

 

I ordered my 06 in Sept picked up the car the end of Oct and was surprised that they gave me a very nice discount when I didn't even ask for it...my payment was also less than orig. quoted and that was after they included the Gap Insurance. Thanks Hank Aaron Atlanta you are the best!

 

That's the way to do it. It amazes me that people are afraid to play a little hardball just because demand is high. MSRP is the STARTING point. Even Harley's can be had for under MSRP now. Isn't it worth $500 - $1000 to at least try? That's why they are called "Dealers" not "Retailers".

 

I think it's great if you can get yourself a discount. As I mentioned in my previous post (edited) we did get a small discount when everything is considered. According to Car-Cost Canada there was only a 10-15% markup.....let's not forget they pay their staff from that too. So they're not making a mint on your $20-40k purchase.

We faxed offers off to 4 Canadian MINI dealers for about 2K under the MSRP and were litterly laughed at by the dearler in Saskatoon who wouldn't even counter offer. He also mentioned that (since we ordered a JCW) they are only alloted a small number of JCW MINIs and they felt they could get full MSRP sooo...
I think it's fair to pay MSRP if they are willing to throw in some discounts or purchase incentives like waiving the labour charges for install of driving lamps for example.
No matter what the price - as long as you're happy nothing else matters

 

There's a real good point and an excellent way to put it.

Each time I have purchased a new car I delay it like going to the dentist to have teeth pulled or a root canal. It is so many times such a stupid painful experience and I can't stand it. The thing I hate the most is being treated like I am stupid and I haven't been through their game a million times before.

This summer the American car companies had their employee pricing and they sold a lot of cars (although maybe at a loss). I think a major part of the attraction to buyers was not simply the price reductions but the no - haggling. I will never understand why the business is done this way and I would love to see numbers on how many people are like me and avoid car buying simply because of the ridiculous process.

I suppose it's a license (especially for the American cars) to rip some people off.

 

That simply is NOT true. MINI is making cars as fast as they can. They are not limiting anything. Go to motoringfile.com and read about the production capacities.

 

This may be true in Kansas but here in NJ where there are 3 dealers and another 1/2 dozen in NY within 100 miles I've never heard of anyone paying better than MSRP. Heck, I went to 2 of the NJ dealers and neither of them had much of anything even to look at! They sell 'em as fast as they get on the lot!

 

Speaking as someone who lives here in Kansas .....you wont pay more than MSRP around here.

 

Boy i'd like some of whatever you're smokin, dude

MINIs are not Porsches, or Audis, or VWs, or Kias, etc etc., due to 1. limited production #'s 2. high demand, and 3. resale value retention.

Just bite the bullet like the rest of us and pay MSRP.