I currently own an 04 MCS 43000 miles. I was wondering what the pros and cons would be to trading it in and buying an 06 MCS or an 07 MCS when they come out. I know Mini's dont depreciate much so why not? Please help me out.

 

you got high milage for a 04. sell it early or stop driving it until the
07's are out.

 

I think it really depends on the cleanliness of the interior, the condition of the exterior and the luxary options you have or do not have.

If you know of an Octaneguy type of detailer (this forum's best detailer), then pay them to polish and clean your car to perfection before bringing it in for trade in evaluation. It really works for me when I sell a car that was restored to mint.

 

This car is almost perfect. Very clean leather interior. Performance and sports package.

 

Not true ... sorry, miles are by FAR the most important thing. Just look at any rating guide. They will claim 5% of the cars have an "excellent" body or interior and give a few dollars more but MILES area a killer.

Three year old car, 46K miles, a bit high. Average more like 36K

 

Well you are selling your car to a dealer at wholesale price (auction prices) to turn around and buy at retail price (what its really worth + a nice profit for dealer) instead of selling at market price (private party to party trans) and buying at market price(used 06....stuck paying retail if 07) all the while absorbing the biggest cost by far of a new car......depreciation.

MINI's do have great resale.....but you have to understand that the average car losses 60% of value in first 4 years of ownership.....the MINI just losses 40%

 

If you want maximum $$$ for your '04 MCS, then you have to bite the bullet and sell it yourself.

 

It's strange how they figure 12K a year is normal. I had 15K my first year now I am at 44K.


Art

 

10K to 15K miles per year are acceptable annual mileage ranges.

 

'06 MCS: Most "perfect" MCS of the generation, most advanced anyway, with most generational issues taken care of. Warranty coverage. well covered in the aftermarket and serv ice communities. A "known" car but REALLY similar to yours, just newer. A few updates (gearbox) and different available options, that's about all. Few "new" ones left on the dealer lots (call around), several used available. Really "just" an update of yours. Cost.

'07 MCS: Brandy-new model with the accompanying status (+) and potential reliability issues (-) that ANY 1st model-year car has. Turbo motor vs. supercharged (different "feel"). Accessories/mods marketplace not yet fully developed for this model but likely will be in a few years.

I'm assuming "cost" isn't a major issue or you wouldn't be looking. Getting a "new" car is almost never an economically justifiable decision unless you factor in "quality of life" issues or have one that's just forever in the shop, which costs profitable work time.

Speaking of which, it's back to work for me... this forum's addictive!

 

I would have to look into how much sales taxes you will have to shell out when you buy your next car. If you trade it in to the dealer the amount of sales tax you pay is just the difference between the amount they are going to give you for your car, and the cost of the new car that you are going to buy. Check it out and see,but definitely do some homework....

 

I would say that the best bunch of the MINIs are the '05+. I am very happy with my '05 MCS, bought brand new 22 months ago.

 

on my commuter i only do 6k a year. even if i used it on the weekends
i would probably be no more than 10k miles a year.

my 03MCS is 4yrs old and only has 22.5k miles.

as chows said, the unfortunate truth is that the grading factor is
primarily based on milage. then model year. small damages are invisible as
they will be fixed by PDR and touchup service people. normal wear
and tear is expected. even rimmed wheels are invisible... most
people dont even care.

that's why i said on my original post to sell it quickly or stop driving it.
im not kidding.

 

Well for those that have such low mileageI can only assume or think that they have multiple cars and only drive them on the weekends. While this is my daily driver.


Art

 

Yes ... 12K is just average.

This is simple enuff to check out. If you go to a bank you can look at the true Blue Book which is actually an Orange NADA book. It clearly shows you the less mileage ... you get more money. Average is OK, more mileage, bad ...

Also, no dealer actually goes by those books, as I have said before, they look at last weeks auction prices ... However, just go to KBB and look up an 04 MCS ... to make it easy stripped with 45K miles for private sale

Good condition 18650
Excellent 19835 savings $1185

If you think your car is in excellent condition, read the fine print

Less than 5% of all used vehicles fall into this category. the vehicle looks new ...

compare this to Good condition

the paint, body and interior have only minor (if any) blemishes

Lots of luck having a "new car appearance" , the whole car would have to be under clearbra

Now lets look at mileage. First item 45K, next item 27K (9K miles/year)

Good condition 18650 20600 ...... $1950 difference
Excellent 19835 21788 ...... $1953 difference

$1185 vs $1950 ... Pretty big difference on a $20K car.

Mileage is ALWAYS the killer

Thats probably a bad assumption. What is the average commute in America? http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Tra...=485098&page=1

16 miles. Now the math ... 32 x 5 x 50 (your taking two weeks off) = 8000K miles. Now add in the weekends, I mean how far do you drive in a weekend?

Obviously some ppl will have smaller commutes and some longer but its easy to see an average of 12K miles/year.

Much of this is a matter of choice in your life ... where you live versus where you work. When I was in college I lived 15 miles from Boston to go to college. My commute ran 1 hour to NIGHTMARE depending upon the weather. Bad weather? It wasn't uncommon to come home at 11PM. When I graduated, got married, had a life, I made the conscious choice to NEVER have a NIGHTMARE commute again.

 

Another factor to consider is your location. I know the west coast cars are still getting all the money but here is the northeast it is a different story.

Put the car in traderonline and hope for the best. Me?, I'd wait for an '07.

RR

 

Just my $0.02c, but its better the devil that you know, rather than the one that is all shiny in the showroom

I have 60,000 miles on my '05 MCS, I absolutely know every scratch, blemish, dent and bruise, I know every single noise she makes, I know her service schedule for the last 49,100 miles, I know how the tires wear, the age of the brakes and the rotors and the exact frequency of top-ups of the washer bottles

In short, despite the miles and my driving, I know that my MCS has been pretty well cared.

I have no idea about the low mileage example that I saw at tge dealers this past weekend and I have no intention of finding out. Mine is a keeper as far as I am concerned, as and when I have issues, I will get them sorted, at least I will know then that it has been done well.

Oh, and my MCS with 60K on the clock is MUCH nicer to drive that then shiny 8K mile one that I would have to drop $10K to purchase......

 

after working in the car sales biz for a few "lost" years of my life, and gaining a lot of experience evaluating trade-ins, these are the considerations, in rough order of importance:

>Mileage. Less is best. Cars that are driven less than 10-12K/year command the most trade-in and resale $$.

>Demand. This factor can fluctuate from car to car, but used MINIs are always in demand--esp. if gas tops $3/gal--and that new ones are, comparatively speaking to the majority of cars on the road, fairly limited production vehicles.

(it's like trucks: a 2wd will command more in a warmer market, while a 4wd will command more in snowy and cold climes.)

>OEM features. leather, upgraded (OEM) audio, moonroofs, DSC, cruise, all sound small but figure heavily nto a car's estimated trade value more importantly than people think.

>Condition. this is the one aspect that can be changed, for example minor touch-ups and comprehensive I/E detailing can take a car in good condition and make it a real seller, esp. if it has low miles, high demand, and desirable features. Rust is the only exception here, for it trumps everything else.

I know some of you will argue that one factor may take precedence over another, but this is generally the "sequence" a dealer will evaluate a trade in on.