I am very interested in buying a clubman, but have never seen one in person, only photos. If I wait to order after seeing one it will be February with a delivery probably in March or April. As I understand it (could be a rumor) but it might be hard to get one due to limited numbers. Do you think it would be wise to order without seeing one and for those of you that have seen one in person do they look better in the photo or in person? Also, they appear to be much larger in the photos (compared to the base MINI), but I can't imagine that adding 9 inches to the overall length would change it that much. Any input would be appreciated.

 

If the Clubman is anything like the introduction of any of the other models, if you don't like it you can probably sell it for just about what you paid for it and not worry about taking big hit.

 

I walked into the dealership in Germany Oct 2006... they didnt have any minis for me to see , let alone hear or get into. I told the dealership I wanted one.. ordered it, sight unseen..
and would do it all over again in a heartbeat.. i have never regretted purchasing my little union jackee..

 

I ordered mine sight unseen. Just like a baby. Half the fun is the surprise!

 

Hey clubmanbound, I did exactly what you are proposing to do over here in the UK, ordered one without even having seen a brochure! The first time I got to see one it was too late to change my spec as the car had gone into production at about the same time as the dealer launch. Stooopid I know???

Anyway the car is perfect exactly what i expected it to be, my main concern was fitting my two dogs (2 medium size!) in the boot area which is no problem once you have removed the flat load floor. The back seats are angle adjustable too which gives slightly more space. I have found it perfect for my needs, and very flexible in using the space available.

They are obviously bigger than the mini hatch but you would never know when driving, the colour and size of wheels also seem to optically make them look bigger, a pepper white on 17s looks huge! Weird.:impatient

I would go ahead and order, you won't be disappointed, I promise

 

I saw 2-3 of them at the LA Autoshow in various colors... pretty much the ugliest thing i've ever seen come out the doors of BMW. It looked like a cross between a Chevy HHR and a Cooper S, with a little honda element mixed in for the suicide doors. The barn style doors are hideous, and i'm not really sure I understand the whole concept of it, because it's really NOT that much bigger. The back seat is SLIGHTLY larger, still not really big enough to fit anyone over 5'8-5'9 if anyone other than a little person is sitting in front of them. The trunk size looked to be 2-3 inches deeper, which didn't really equate to any sizable gain in trunk space. Again, I don't get it .

It looks exactly the same in person as it does in photos.

 

I take it you've never seen the original M Coupe?

Clubmanbound,
I'm a try before buy kind of guy, but if it's what you want, you may have to wait a while if wait until they're in the showroom. Alternatively, hop a flight to the UK and try it out there.

 

Patience is a virtue... I've seen many things in photos that looked and felt different in the "flesh," sometimes better sometimes worse...
I plan on waiting to see and drive one first.

 

From all reports (and photos), it's pretty much a stretched R56 with doofy rear molding. I could see buying sight unseen. In fact, that may be the best way to buy it.

 

This is true, in Canada at least anyways. At the dealership I work at, we'll have 3: 2 Coopers and 1 S pre-specced to last us until (mid) Spring. I think those will go quite quickly/be pre-sold (?) because every day, potential customers are leaving their contact info for us to call them when we get Clubmans in. Then we will get apparently 2 more that we will be able to choose colours/options for. After that, I'm not sure what will happen. I do remember hearing that they expect to sell 25% of what they currently sell in R56s in North America, so that means that they will order only 1/4 as many Clubmans at the most.

I suspect that the US market will be similar, but you can ask your local dealership and they might be able to tell you. Maybe if you ask nicely!!

I hope there will be more than that around though because it's honestly a beautiful car. I've seen a couple hiding around the head office and it's very nice. 8 inches longer than the hatchback and I've heard it drives better than the R56 on the highway - more "stable" is the common way to describe it. My favourite is the hot chocolate combination - especially with the hot chocolate leather interior!! Very unique and the colour is stunning in real life. I've also seen a Dark Silver with light silver C-pillars and that blue/silver that is in all the press photos.

If you're still unsure, check out www.MINI2.com to see the UK owners and read how people like their new Clubmans. Clubmans went on sale at the beginning of November in the UK. Good luck!!

 

Regardless of our opnions on the look of the car the main question is should he buy it sight unseen? Next to a house this a major puchase......... IMO def need to see it in the "Flesh"

 

I'd order one sight unseen after seeing/driving a Mini.

 

I purchased my 2007 MCS in February 2007 sight unseen and have had zero regrets. Mine was the first or second one to arrive at the dealership. I would have no problems doing it again.

 

In addition to being sight unseen, you've also got to ask yourself if you want one of the first ones produced .. however that's mitigated somewhat since other variations have been in production in for other markets... still though, if you can resist the urge to have one for a while, waiting is the more prudent decision. In the long run, I've usually been glad that I was patient.

 

they've already delivered in the uk, so it wouldn't be one of the first first ones made

i think it looks terrific in person; in photos they look real long but in person i thought they looked great. there's more legroom in the back, and the trunk is a bit bigger. the barn doors are pretty small tho, smaller than they seem in photos. it's still a very small car, just a bit more practical than the regular car. i think if you're thinking seriously enough about buying it sight unseen, you'll probably like it. but if you feel funny enough, then there's no harm in waiting. your money will sit in the back a few months more and you'll still get what you want plus assurance in the end

 

I really appreciate the replies!!!!!!

 

I agree with all of the above (except that I don't think it's the monstrosity of revoltingly foul ugliness some have predicted!)...my concern was that the 4 dealers I talked to (assuming they're correct) said there will only be a limited number available for sale in 2008, and in most urban areas at least, they're all pre-ordered up through the first 2 (and sometimes 3) allocations...and there are predicted to be only 4 allocations total.

Which of course made me think it possible that I'd be locked out of even getting one in 2008.

The sensible option, presumably, would be to get in on a pre-sale for the April/May or August/September allocation, and play it safe.

But I like the option where I'm driving it in February.

 

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