Hi - I've been thinking of buying mini convertible for quite some time. I found a 2005 S that has only 6,500 miles. It has a year left on the warranty and has quite a few options: Packages: Premium, Sports, Cold Weather and Convenience. It has full leather interior with the interior and exterior chrome. Premium sound and a rear mounted CD changer. The Carfax report is clean. The KBB price is $29,900. They are asking $27,000.

Does this sound like a good deal? I'm not sure I need all the extras and am debating if I should continue to look for a more stripped down version to save some $$$$.

I did find a similar mini - same year, different color but most of the same options plus this one has DVD Nav system. They are asking 23,000 but it has 37,000 miles.

I'd appreciate any feedback on these deals. Thanks!
KC

 

If your price range is in the mid to upper 20's why not buy new? 27K will get you a pretty nice new Cooper S.

 

If my budget is above 21K..I'll probably just buy new.
2005 and newer mini's are pretty reliable so I won't be too worried buying one with 25k miles on it.

 

$29.9k !! -- a prime example of how over-inflated kbb values are -- how much was the same car new 3 years ago? Not much more.

$27k still seems very high to me.
I bought an '05 with 11,500 miles a year ago for $23,750 (see sig for OEM options . . . pretty much all but NAV and automatic tranny)
-- granted I got a good deal by taking the eBay gamble . . . but $27k a year later for a similar car seems very high.

By the way, how much does edmunds.com say the car is worth?

 

We got our 05 MCSC about a year ago. It's a manual, and has everything but the Nav, but it had about 32K miles on it. We paid just under 21K.

If you are worried about the miles and warranty, you can always get an extended warranty and probably still come out under the 27K price.

Of course this is in Texas, and your location may be different.

Good luck. Either way, you won't regret it.

 

Thanks. I priced it on Edmunds and it came out at $26,601 which is just shy of what he's asking.

I priced new but I couldn't get the "S" with the items I'd like under $31,000. I priced the non-S and added a the packages I wanted and it came to $28,600. Maybe I just need to wait a bit and go new.

I found a similar used at around ~$23 something. It had the nav system but also has a ding in the windshield and a ding in the front bonnet.

I'll keep looking (and dreaming!!)

Thanks
KC

 

If you buy used, buy a 2005 or later (much better gearing ratios) with less than 50000 miles and spend the $2000 for an extended warranty. You'll need it.

 

and it's hard to find a pre-05 cabrio

 

Not if the previous owner used a can opener.

 

Windshield dings are going to happen...do a search and you'll see how often they occur. And they usually spread to cracks. I'm on my second windshield, and it now has multiple dings and one large crack. I'm waiting for it to get worse before replacing it since I know it will only happen again. Maybe it's just the roads here in Houston, but the windshield problem seems widespread.

Sorry to hijack the thread

 

I bought a 2005 MCS Cabrio w/ 4200 mile on her off of ebay for a little more than $22k. "Winnie" is loaded out just like your listing without the CD Changer. They did all of the paper work and shipped her to me "free". Look around and don't be in a hurry, I waited on my MINI almost a year before she fell in my lap. I even had my wife of 28 years blessing. Now she wants one. Not mine!

 

I just paid 21999 for an '05 S convertible with 15K miles. Granted it's not as loaded, it has chrome, convenience and cold weather but that's about it.

Though there are deals out there, if you're going to pay mid to upper 20's, I'd really consider a new car because with lower interest rates and longer payment options (if you have to) payments will be the same if not lower.

Good luck, let us know what you do.

Mark

 

Personally, for the difference I would go new. You are almost there already. No dings no scratches, new car smell, no wondering how it was treated, full dealer warranty without any questions... and - there is always something special about driving a brand new car off the lot.

 

What's special about driving a "New Car" off of the lot? The fact that it drops about $5k in value. Be picky, and always buy used. Better value for the money unless you have money to waste or just can't wait to drive that MINI.

 

Thanks for all of the advice. Long story but... I took it and went in and test drove a new 2007 at our local dealer. They were offering good incentives and I made what I thought was a great deal. They had 2 automatics that were identical except for color and the color I liked (BRG) also had both the premium and sport pkg (the other car was yellow with sport only). The one I liked best was on the showroom floor so I test drove the yellow one.

I ran the consumer report's price report to know what everything cost the dealer. At first, we couldn't get the price to come out to what they had listed as MSRP and I realized we'd left the automatic off. When I added it, it came out to the penny.

So, we negotiated the price on the BRG one (with racing stripes!) that was on the showroom floor. We were signing paperwork when the salesman had to go print up the final contract. I went to take another look at the car and sit in it. I mentioned to my husband that the "Leatherette" was really nice - felt like real leather. Well, he looks at it and says "It is leather". No way, the price would be higher. Then, I look at the shifter and it's manual!! Ugh! So, it was leather with manual not automatic. Pricewise, leather and automatic are the same which is why my numbers worked out when I didn't include leather but included automatic. My heart sunk!

So, here I thought I was driving home a new car and instead had to back out. The yellow one is nice but I really don't think I'd be happy with yellow...had my heart set on BRG.

So, I'll keep looking. Maybe I'll wait until the end of the 2008 and wait for the incentives. (They were giving $1500 off plus not charging for the dealer adds).

They did have another 2007 BRG in automatic but it is an S with leather so the price is more than I wanted to spend. The salesman thought he might be able to get a bit more off of it but probably not enough to bring it to the price I wanted to pay.

Totally bummed...back to dreaming!!
KC

 

Sorry to hear that. Just out of curiousity, did you ask if the dealer can do a dealer locator? I'm not sure how mini does their thing but many dealers can locate different models all over the country and perhaps trade to them.

Good luck with your search, when it's meant to be, it will happen.

Keep us informed....

Mark

 

Wasn't that a Ricky Nelson song?

Sorry to be a "Manual Snob", but an automatic sports car? What ever! I had all of my children learn on a manual and now that is all they drive too.

Saves gas, cost less, feel more "one with the car" and besides it just out right sounds better.

My wife would have to agree with you, Auto is the only way. Easy in, easy out, don't have to think about the car just drive.

Which ever way you lean, MINI is the only one.

If your not drifting, you're not trying hard enough!

 

LOL!! My first love in high school and I broke up when he tried to teach me how to drive manual. I've had an emotional block against manual for all these many years.

BTW...Madison WI? I grew up nearby in Monticello.

 

Don't mean to hijack the thread but thought I'd share our used Mini "find". My wife deserved a convertible so I starting searching for ragtop. Knew a Mini was the way to go after rejecting the other convertibles (ie VW).

Located a 2005 S Black, with everything except paddle shifters, cold weather and navigation options. When I saw it had only 10k miles we picked it up for about $20k. Still has 10 months left on warranty. Has a few door dings, one scratch and the previous owner clearly had parking issues for the rims are banged up.

Two questions:

We live in SoCal near the beach without a garage. What is the recommended car cover for a convertible?

Is it worth trying to have the dings removed - would you take it to a body shop or one of those ding removers?

 

If you take it to a bodyshop, most don't use PDR (paintless dent removal) They'll have to actually grind, sand and paint the panel.

The ones that do offer PDR like both of my bodyshops sublets to a PDR guy that comes to the shop.

DO NOT GO TO A DEALER that offers PDR services. We do a lot of repair work for dealerships and typically dealerships will hire their own PDR guy so they can keep the profits.

The bottom line, THEY USUALLY SUCK.

Rely on word of mouth and referall for a good PDR guy. A poor one will create more damage than help. I can't tell you how many cars we've had to fix after a crappy PDR guy ruined someone's car.

Good luck.

Mark

 

Their are deals out there. You just have to wait and look. Just got mine this week-end. A 2007 convert S with sport and premium package 4 $24.

 

I paid about 24K last year for a 2005 S with 7K miles. It had a couple of dings in the driver side, Chrono Pack, HK Stereo, 6Spd. Cold Pkg. Hot Orange. You can't compare dealer prices to private. So ignore those who are giving you prices of private sales. You are going to pay a bit more at the dealer. If you want new, check with some of the other dealers here on NAM, as many will ship to you for free or a minimal charge. Don't forget sales tax.

Finding a mini with the right combo. of options at the right price can be a bit tricky. The warranty is important, and you want 2005 or newer. Be aware, you can only get a FACTORY extended warranty from a Mini or BMW dealer if you purchase FROM THEM, and most of the after market ones do not cover TOP issues (of which there have been quite a few). Also, BMW dealers can only service Mini's THEY sell to you used under the factory warranty. Otherwise you MUST go to a MINI dealer. (I was deceived on this fact by the dealer I purchased from, to be honest, I don't think they did it intentionally, but just so you know).

If you find one you like, negotiate and make the deal. While ours was not inexpensive as a used car, a new one with the options it had would have been about 30K. So Saving 6K (plus sales tax) is not trivial. We still have one year on the warranty. I'm hoping Mini will offer their extended warranty directly to existing customers, but so far that hasn't happened.

I would say if you can get a 2005 with low miles and it has what you like, if you can get it between 23 and 26K from a dealer you are doing OK.

As for dents, I have a excellent PDR guy. The dealer I purchased OB (Orange Bullet) from said their PDR guy could not get out the couple dents in my car. My guy came to my house yesterday, and he took out a dent above the gas filler that I thought was hopeless, a small crease in between the door and the wheel, and a dent in the upper part of the drivers side door. The car looks brand new. Total costs, $200. I have him come do my three vehicles once a year. I look at it like regular maintenance. He usually charges 100 a panel, and IMHO he is an artist. He took a couple dings out of my pickup door that were easy to get to no charge. The first time I used him, I had a 99 Miata that was subject to acorn damage (just like hail damage). Body shop wanted just under 3K to repaint the entire car. He took out over 25 dents, for $400. I purchased the car used, and it has less dents when he was done then when I purchased it. I was so pleased I gave him a tip. He saved me an insurance claim, and a repaint on a metallic car that would never have been the same.

With the new Cabrio models due just around the corner, the existing model is about to become yesterday's news. So you may very well do well on a new one that a dealer wants to move in order to get the next generation in. Personally, I like the smaller dimension of the existing model and the supercharger.

Good luck with your search!

Cheers!
Lee

 

Hi everyone! Thanks for all of your advice! I ended up finding my mini this weekend. When my first attempt to bring home the 2007 BRG non-S flopped, I started calling around to other dealers. I found a 2008 BRG "S" that was perfect for me. It was a customer order where the person had some sort of hardship right after delivery and the dealership bought the car back. It had just 52 miles but they had to sell it as "used". So, I got it for under dealer invoice!

I'll post some pictures later.

Thanks! Looking forward to being a member of this community!!

KC

 

Congrats on your find. 52 miles is about as brand new as it gets. Sometimes things work out for the best in the long run.

Glad you found what you wanted. Happy motoring.


Mark

 

That's as gently used as it gets! Happy motoring...