Wow, I never thought I would say this. I have outgrown the '04 MCS.

I have had SO much fun with this car. I autocrossed it last year, I've been on rallys, and just zipping around town. I LOVE to motor.

Our little one Ben is now 21 mos., and he is just TOO big now to try to contort to get him into the back. AND, we are talking about trying to have baby #2!

I don't want a minivan. I don't want an SUV. I don't want a :yawn: Honda accord or Toyota Camry. I want a Clubman! At first, I thought it was really ugly - didn't like it in the slightest, but OMG, has it grown on me!!!

So here's my main question - I am fortunate to have Classic Mini in Mentor, OH in my backyard. Do I trade in my '04 MCS in good condition (has some hail damage) with 48,000 miles (warranty running out scares the life out of me), or do I try to sell it outright? W/O knowing when the Clubman will actually get here, I'm tempted to just take the trade. What are they taking in trade? Blue Book trade value? More? Less? The '04 won't be paid off until June 2009.

Ok, now...what color? I'm so excited to go through this ordering process again! I had a BLAST with it last time!

 

Hi there! Wooottt on the Clubman! I too thought they were kinda ugly when I first saw them - but it grew on us - hence ours will be here in a couple of weeks - Yayyy!!

I would try to sell your current MINI on your own first - give it a shot. If all else fails, then trade it. I know that dealers aren't great at trade in value because they want to make money and with the new models out, the older models are being put up for sale right and left.

Color is always (in my opinion), the hardest decision....

Donna

 

Sell your car. As a matter of fact, today I officially sold our '02 Cooper on a private sale. The car is going to a new MINI loving home across the country. Don't trade. You are going to lose not only your shirt, but your head. Trading in is a very expensive convenience. Only advantage is that you pay the tax difference between the new and old car, but other than that, it isn't worth it. We ordered our new Clubman S in early Dec and was built 2 weeks ago. Is currently awaiting shipping vessel at Southampton port. I put the Cooper in the market 9 days ago and officially sold the car today. Trust me it is worth the time and effort. Plus the car was purchased by another MINI fan so it makes me feel even better about the whole transaction. We have a 16 month old baby boy and he is also a big kid. We have managed fine with 2 hardtop MINIs since he was born. In fact the only cars he is ever ridden in its been MINIs, nothing else. The Clubman will be icing on the cake. The rear clubdoor, slightly better rear legroom and a trunk almost double the size of the standard hardtop all go a long way in making the MINI even more kid friendly of what it already is. We plan to do lots of roadtrips on this car for the next 10 years, hence we decided to get a Turbocharged S version of the Clubman. Best of luck in whatever you decide to do.

 

Hi Donna & Mike!!! Haven't seen you in awhile!

ClubmanS - thanks for the advice! If I may ask, what method did you use in selling her? Ebay motors? This site? Did you get the Blue Book private sale amount? Slap me if I'm being too nosey...

 

Also try to payoff the car if you can earlier. It makes selling it privately much easier as you will have a hold of the title. It takes about 8 weeks for a Clubman order to go through from the day you place the order until the car arrives at the showroom. Just to give you an idea: I ordered Dec 12, '07. Car was finished at the factory on 1/17/08 and its been almost 2 weeks at the port waiting for a ship to take it home. Add 2 weeks crossing the Atlantic, anywhere between 2-7 days at the VPC and another day or so while it reaches the dealer. I think you will have 2 solid months of wait, and that in my opinion, is enough time to sell the '04 MCS privately.

 

I put an ad in Cars.com and here in NAM (Marketplace). The gentleman that bought the car from me saw my posting here in NAM, so this time around NAM was very effective. He first contacted me on Saturday, and as they say, the rest is history. Cars.com is very good too. they have a 90-day money back guarantee if you don't sell the car within 3 months since the time the ad goes on line. Get the "Premium"$50 ad package. It Includes 12 photos, free Carfax report so interested leads can see the history of the car, free flyers, window sticker, Bill of Sale form and so on and so forth. Take good pics of the car and be as descriptive of it as possible. Post the VIN number and give people reasons to feel good about it. Price it accordingly. Use Edmunds.com or NADA.com to get an idea. Don't use KBB as their prices are too inflated IMHO. Good luck.

 

I listed it here on NAM, in Auto Trader, on Craigs list and just word of mouth and signs in the window. We have 2 interested buyers at this point. KBB says $19300 and trade in is a few thousand lower so we've priced it in the middle at $18K.

Donna

 

I agree with the previous posts: Get your Mini listed on the message boards (NAM and Mini2) and ALSO list on AutoTrader.com. The most important thing is to wash the car and take really good pictures (the more the merrier), describe the vehicle in a compelling way (ie one owner, low miles, always garaged etc.) and PRICE IT TO SELL.

Price it to sell to start and it will sell; price it too high and it will scare people off. AutoTrader.com has been great for me for both buying and selling. Good luck.
J

 

Agreed, much better deal to sell rather than trade.

Hi Donna/Mike!

We just ordered a MY/MY Clubman. Sherry gave in and let me get another tin top. Made the move from VA to Vegas, hope to see you and your Clubman on some of the CA runs. If you come to AMVIV, look for Sherry's Yellow MCSC with the Daisy wheels.

We hope to pick our Clubman up in MN in time to take it on to the dragon.

 

Hey Jim!!

We'll be looking for you in Vegas for sure! I'm jealous that once again we won't be able to fly back East for the Dragon this year...should be a blast in the Clubman - Congrats!!!. Ours will be here in a couple of weeks - just in time for the dealer launch...Yayy!!

Hugs to you and Sherry....

Donna