I was at MoMV today to get a water pump. While there, I looked at the mark ups...

GP - $5000 (one in stock)
S - $1500
Cooper - $1000

Doesn't matter if it's a convertable or coupe...

Matt

 

Wierd parts department too. The parts deparment is out back, no direct access.

 

Gotta love Silicon Valley.
Did your water pump give up the ghost, or are you doing something special?
If the former, what was the failure mode?

 

Are people really that lazy that they wont drive to the east bay? You would think with all the dealerships in the area no one would mark up.

 

Some dealers are begining to realize a demand for 2006 models, and of course the finite supply of those models. Raw capitalism I'm afraid.

 

You're a world away in Fresno. The time-is-money/convenience factor is huge here. I think SF is worse, and East Bay MINI (MSRP) had 6-12 month wait times for ordering. Heck, a friend of mine paid $2K over @ Niello to get an '04 when she wanted it. I couldn't convince her to fly to Salt Lake.

Don't look at me though. I flew to VA to get a good deal on a used one.

 

See post below.

 

Your right i thought with the 07's coming out i would be able to get a great deal on an 06. Not the case here, everyone i know to at Niello and East bay Mini say that the 07's aren't doing well atleast in Norther Cal.

I was at Niello getting get some work done on my wife's Mini, this was before i got mine. I told them if they would sell me a MINI at MSRP we would be leaving with two mini's, They wouldn't do it. So i shoped around and found a great deal on one in Elk Grove. I know about the money/convenience thing i used to live in stockton and work in livermore. And your right those people will pay .35 cents more a gallon for gas if it doesn't mean they have to cross the street.

 

and a lot of buyers there don't want the hassle, and can afford the convinience. Same when I bought my MDX. I said I wouldn't pay over MSRP, and that if they forced me to find another source of the car, I'd never spend any money at the Acura dealer, just warranty stuff. The sales guy (a good guy) said he understood completely, but between the owner and all the costomers with tons of cash and little time, he'd never be able to drop the mark up.

I bought elsewhere.

Matt

ps, I got the water pump because I have the front end entirely appart, and can't find obvious signs of my slow coolant leak. But I did see some evidence of some weeping out the water pump gasket.... Since it's such a pain to get to the pump (have to remove the SC), I figured that I'd just make the change.....

 

We got ours at Niello, and getting it at MSRP was so easy, it was laughable.

 

Well i guess you just have better luck than i do.

 

Ordered it last June. Wade was our MA. There might be a difference between cars on the lot, and those who ordered theirs from the factory.

 

Yea maybe so, I was going to order mine from the Factory but decided i wanted to mod so i didn't see the point. But when we got to Niello i saw a Black on Black MCS with the Chrono and i feel in love, but they wanted 2300 over MSRP and i decided i could wait. Oh well it all worked out in the end.

 

When I ordered mine from East Bay, i waited about 2 months. Which wasn't bad at all. I feel bad for my MA though. He was supposed to get an 06 MCS at the same time I was, but ended up getting an 07. he was trying to be diplomatic about it. :trying:

 

My wait at East Bay was a little under two months. I spent roughly 15 seconds on the phone with someone from MoMV and when they told me the markup, I told them thanks but no thanks. It's too bad, because they're closer...but whatever. Driving the half hour to place my order and again for deliver was worth the $1000 I saved.

 

they mark up because they can. the west coast typically has an additional 2+ weeks of delivery time so the coopers are more rare. I suppose other than the impending hurricane to ravage NYC, its one of the only perks of being in the north east coast here. We get our mini's in 3-4 weeks from day of order to delivery

 

The markup is why I bought my MINI from Classic in Ohio. They were charging $3K markup at the time (sept 2005).

 

It's all a matter of timing, patience, and negotiation skills. While I bought my Mini at Mt. View, I paid a bit over MSRP and nowhere close to the $1.5k the good Doc listed. I bought a new E46 across the street for $1k over invoice (MSRP was $4k higher); Stevens Creek had the same car for >$10k more than I paid. I think I've just spent too much time in Asia and learned negotiation techniques there.

FWIW, February is coming up soon and is the best possible month to get an outstanding price on not only cars but any big ticket item (i.e. TV). Just Ask!

 

I just bought a Cooper there and said I did not want to pay the mark up and they said OK what color would you like. I ordered it in September and am now driving my MINI the way I ordered it.

He said they have a mark up because they sell so many each month. If the cars just sit on the lot I am sure that markup would disappear.