This line needs to be deleted and then stickied to the top of the MINI Talk and 1st Gear.

How MINI are sold and delivered.

You have trolled on the forums a while, sat in one at the local auto show/ dealer lot, talked a current owner into letting you drive their MINI. The bug has bit, You now are ready to purchase a MINI of your own

MINIs are sold one of four ways...

1. "MINI 4 Life" (Pay MSRP + local fees)
2. "West Coast style" (Pay "MINI 4 Life" + Additional Dealer Profit)
3. "(ab)Used" (Dealer Price / previous owner price + local fees + ADP / POP (Previous Owner Profit)
4. "Unwanted / RARE FIND" (Dealer may discount to move NUS "New" Unsold Stock near end of model year change or "Screwed Up" Dealer orders a funky combo that looks dorky) Please note that the dealer doesn't "feel for you" or you have some special negociation skills! Also note that this is HIGHLY discouraged by BMW/MINI North America.

If you want a discount, buy a domestic (GM, Ford, or Diamler Chrysler), Pacific Rim (Japanese, Korean...) There are no other ways that you will purchase a MINI.

Once you decide on the way you want to buy your MINI you have one of Four ways to pay for the MINI. Though not all buyers will have all four options.

1. "Normal Joe/Jane" (Finance the MINI by making a down payment and arranging montly payments, or lease the MINI) MINI select option is the long drawln out version of Normal Joe/Jane
2. "Bill Gates Method" (You pay Cash / Certified Check outright and drive away with with a smile and a much thinner wallet / empty breifcase)
3. "Lucky Dog" (You purchased the winning can/bottle of pop or candy bar and won. Your new MINI is paid for by someone else but you pickup plates and pay taxes on your "Winnings")
4. "Rich Kid / Foolish Parent" (Your parents are too rich and too foolish to know that a kid needs to WORK to pay for their own car and the insurance on that supercharged all JCW optioned convertable contraption requires)

Now that you have found the way you will pay for your MINI you have the following options for delivery of your pride and joy. All Choices include the standard "Delivery Sit and Wait Process" (wait while they teach you what every dial, button etc does, where to put in the go go juice, How to open he Bonnet and get the explain the all important "No fun untill broken in clause")

1. "Get in que" (Dealer has a waiting list for production / or has filled that months orders)
2. "Prerequisite Sit and Wait" (Wait for the car to be built. Wait some more for the car to get on a boat. Wait for the boat to avoid the huricane. Wait for the boat to come into port. Wait for the car to come off the boat and into VPC. Wait some more for it to be put on a truck. Wait for the guy to drive the truck to your Dealer. Wait for the dealer to go over the car. Wait for a day when you don't have to work so you can attend the "Delivery Sit and Wait" Process)
3. "West Coast Sit and Wait" ("Prerequisite Sit and Wait" plus an additional 2-4 weeks wait as the car goes through the Panama Canal) Special for those on the Pacific coast as well as Alaska and Hawaii.
4. "Intelligent Motorist" (West coast person who buys the car from an East coast/ Midwest dealer, Does "Prerequsite Sit and Wait" But gets on a plane and flies to east coast / mid west to pick up the MINI. May or may not have to do the "Hotel Sit and Wait" and spend the night in a hotel as waiting for the dealer to open. Intelegent Motorist then drives the car back home observing the "No fun untill broken in clause"
5. ""Bill Gates / Impatient" (Has too much money and can buy off lot with tons of ADP or just can't force themselves to order! Though they still must go through the "Delivery Sit and Wait" process.

At the time of "Delivery Sit and Wait", They offer to DIG & DSG you for more ADP. (Dealer Installed Goodie) (Dealer Sold Goodie: MINI apperal, toys, etc) You will be offered another opportunity to DIG & DSG when comming in for service as well as dealer / club events. You may or may not get more opportounities to DIG & DSG through the mail.

If you purchase used you may or may not have to go through the "Delivery Sit and Wait" Process depending if you purchase used from a MINI dealer or from a lesser car sales facility. Also depending on mileage you may not have to go through the "No fun untill broken in clause".

Then there are the "Brave Soul" (Live in a state with out a dealer / Drive 4+ hours to the dealer/ Serevice). They are typically found in Alaska and between the Missippi River and West Coast. They take delivery like an Intelligent Motorist but occasionally drive to dealer rather than fly.

I hope that this simple explantion of your options and enhances experience of buying a MINI.

I did not intend to make anyone angry in this post. I am simply being honest about one of the many quirks of buying a MINI

 

How much discount can I get on a Mini?




Good post

 

It is possible to get a MINI under MSRP, even in SoCal.

A Friend bought an 03 MC at a SoCal MINI dealer notorious for charging 2-3K over MSRP for their cars.

How did he do it??

He bought a car that nobody else would buy from the dealer.

What kind of MINI would nobody buy, you ask.

Strange as it may seem it was a BRG/White MC 5 speed with white x-lights. A very nice looking car. The problem was that this car had red interior and everybody called it the watermelon car. It sat on the dealers lot for 6 months and nobody would buy it. My friend picked it up for somewhere between $500-$1000 dollars under MSRP and the dealer threw in floor mats and a couple of other things. They really wanted to get rid of that car.

Strange things happen.

I also heard of another SoCal dealer that does normally sell for just MSRP that was giving some pretty good discounts on the dozen or so MCCs they had sitting around their lot at the beginning of winter.

So you never know what you might stumble on.:smile:

But for the most part, DrDiff you are 100% correct.

Bill

 

this is all true!

 

If you are going to create West Coast style it needs to include the buy at MSRP and wait. There are plenty of places that do sell at MSRP but due to the demand in the Western states there is more of a wait then perhaps elsewhere.

Of course, we didn't have to wait excessively beyond the normal production time/shipping time and paid straight MSRP from SoCal, so there goes the stereotype :smile:

 

I got 1500 off the top and mine was a Limited Edition MC40.

Go to the right dealer...you can get the right price.

Time is also money, if you don't care to spend the time to try to get the price you want...that is your fault.

 

Yes you can buy a "MINI 4 Life", Pay for it any of the 4 ways, and then Do the "West Coast Sit and Wait". I hope you didn't go that route.

Added new stage "Get in que" just for you

CooperSS: Added 4th Sales option just for you!

I also explained "DIG" & "DSG"

 

Deleted

 

So that means I am a "Normal Joe/Jane, Mini 4 Life" Doing the "Prerequisite Sit and Wait"

 

How about the one where the state you live in has no dealer

I'll take a MINI 4 life
with a side of #1 finacing
and West coast wait with a I'll drive it a really long ways home

 

Then you would be a "Brave Soul"

Why to the "West Coast Wait" if you have a long way to drive home. it might be wiser to be an "Intelligent Motorist" Remember it is better to get through the "NO fun time" done before you get near your buddies. You do want to have fun with your buddies right?

 

No offense, newdl, but this falls under #4 scenario of how MINIs are sold. The MC40 was, for various reasons, not a popular seller. There were several around the country that sat on the lot for quite a time. Congrats on getting $ off MSRP.

Good summary Dr. Diff.