Hi,

I am looking to order the mini this month and have a few questions:

1) What dealership do you recommend in the Bay Area? just looking for an honest dealer with fast shipment date and hopefully zero dealer markup.

2) Are you happy with your six speed automatic? hows it compared to the BMW SMG?

3) What do you think are some must-have options? is the basic sound system good enough?

4) and finally im torn between PW top/astra black or just black all around...any suggestion will be appreciated.

 

I don't have any experiance in the bay area so I couldn't tell you what dealers are better. I recall seeing a post by MINI of the Hamptons that they will order your car for you, take delivery, and ship it directly to you for free (Maybe that was on the old ones, either way it's no more than $500 to ship it through the dealer) just check out the vendor posts.

The automatic in the MINI is NOTHING like the SMG. The SMG tranny BMW offers is NOT an automatic. It's a sophisticated computer controlled manual transmission. The automatic in the MINI is just a simple every day automatic transmission with a torque converter and the ability to select your gear with the paddles.

I wouldn't order the MINI without the HK system. I've heard less than thrilled reviews of the new Hi-Fi System on the 07 MINI's, sit in the car and listen to it for yourself, that's the only way.

I personally like Astro Black with a white roof (I like the contrast) but other people are all about blacking everything out (I don't like that, black wheels, roof, etc, just doesn't look good IMO). Ultimately it's your decision.

Let us know how it goes!

 

I like the AB/AB combination and especially if you're getting the sun roof, it won't be as noticeable as it would be on a white roof, just seems more seamless.

 

I'm in Monterey County and chose to go with the closest dealer, who isn't very close. That is MINI of Mountian View. They charge $1500 over MSRP, although there are some who claim they have negotiated it away. I hear that there is a dealer in Concord who may not charge as much. Call around and find out:
a) Do they charge over MSRP.
b) Do they have any slots left in this month's allotment. If they don't, you could be waiting an extra month or more.

I ordered manual.

Limited Slip Differential is an absolute must. I think DSC is a very good idea for safety reasons.

Regarding the sound system, the question seems to be is the HIFI upgrade good enough. Some say yes, some say no. I've only heard it once at the dealer's and it was not under very good circumstances. I ordered it anyway.

I ordered the NAV and Parking Distance Control feature. With these two together, you get a graphic on screen of how close objects are. Also the NAV takes the place of the pie plate size cartoon speedometer. IMO it improves the looks of the interior immensely.

I ordered the rear fog lights to help other's see me in dense fog. I ordered the Sports Package. I'm not sure if the front fog lamps were part of that package, or standard.

The Multi-Function Steering Wheel includes cruise control. That is a must for me.

How hot does it get where you are? Rumor is that the air conditioner in the MINI is not very powerful. A white roof will be cooler than a black roof.

 

East Bay Mini in Pleasenton charge MSRP on all their Minis and I believe they always have, even on the previous model. I bought my Mini there and found them pretty good to deal with.

There is another Mini dealer in Concord, who have a history of charging around $2k over MSRP, but I heard they've stopped doing that recently.

 

1) I ordered through East Bay, will be paying MSRP and will have my car either 8 or 9 weeks after ordering, depending on VDC time (but ask dealers whether they have production slots left in the current month before ordering).

2) The Mini auto is a conventional torque-converter automatic...haven't driven it but I am also not terribly enamoured with the E46 SMG.

3) The LSD is a must if getting the manual, other than that, I could probably stand to live without anything else but optioning Minis tends to be an extremely personal preference. I heard mixed reviews of both the standard and hi-fi audio setups so if you are a real audiophile, consider going full aftermarket instead of upgrading through Mini.

4) Sorry, can't help you there. There are quite a few pics of both floating around the forum.

 

sorry, double post.

 

Mini in Concord is now MSRP, no mark ups on anything. Good people to deal with, no pressure, younger sales people I have noticed, but very pleasant indeed. I was going to buy mine there, but their allotments were gone and it was going to take 4 months!!!

So, I when to Mini in Sacramento to see what they had. They charge $950 over MSRP, but when I mentioned I was dealing with Concord, they said they would do MSRP and even throw in mats (I love how this sounds like a big deal every time I read it, LOL). Sacramento is also very pleasant to deal with, a more.... mmm.... seasoned group of sales people in general, again, no pressure when you're there. I think they go through a lot of inventory. I was able to order with a wait time of about 2 1/2 months, but it is going on the boat tomorrow and is about a month early. I orderred 4/17. I didn't want to support a dealer who charged over MSRP even if they were giving me MSRP, but with that time difference, I couldn't pass it up.

I have also dealt with Mini of SF, very little, because it didn't seem like they had the time in the day to talk to me. Could get anyone to talk to when I went there several times. Called several times and could never talk to a sales person and was told twice some one would call me back with no response. They also charge $2500 over MSRP. But this is just my experience and like I said, I haven't talked to them much.

Hope this helps, it's the only three I have been to and talked with.

As for the rest???? Still waiting for my Mini, so, :impatient

Good luck!!!

 

1) I'm in SF and bought out of state, but hear that East Bay Mini is the best local dealer. All of the others have historically gouged on mark-ups and/or "upgrades". Mini of Mountain View has an especially unpleasant sales force.

2) No data. No desire to obtain any.

3) Don't believe the LSD hype. Unless you spend a lot of time driving in snow or doing autocross, you won't miss an LSD. And the factory unit is pretty crude. I think a stripped car is the way to go, myself. Back in the day I spec'ed a base S and had the dealer (Classic in Mentor, OH) install the JCW tuning kit before shipping for ~$26k total. I agree that DSC is a worthwhile safety feature in theory and would recommend that. I don't have it myself, though.

4) I did a white roof on my first Mini, but got over it after a few months. I would go all black.

Good luck!

 

I bought my 2003 MC from east bay and just ordered a 2007 MCS from the same dealer. I like the no pressure sales people, saturday service hours, and MSRP pricing. Another dealer, mini of mtn view, is much closer to my home in the santa cruz mountains, but I have never been impressed with them in terms of pricing and service.

 

Just a thought but I must admit that I have been envious of those who flew to their MINI dealer and when the car arrived, had a great drive home! How about the new dealer in Iowa? Wait, do they have airplanes in Iowa?

 

We've got 5000 miles on our R56 and are very pleased with LSD, Hi-Fi, and Sunroof. We are also ga-ga over our lounge leather seats. DO NOT misunderestimate the difference that a good seat can make for your driving experience!

Every morning my wife and I race to the garage door. Winner drives the MINI loser gets to choose from BMW Z3, BMW 2002, MGA, or '48 Pickup

 

1. East Bay Mini in Pleasanton. MSRP, solid service. Speak to Robert Mathews 925 251-7063. He made sure my car was RIGHT.
2. You want the six speed manual. It's SMOOOOOTH.
3. Spend the $500 on the upgrade stereo.
4. Black means HEAT. Keep your color light... especially if you're commuting (i.e., sitting in traffic) in this car. But ultimately options and colors are strictly personal preference. I'll simply add that it's a helluva driving car without a bunch of options, so keep your price down. Oh yeah, you're getting the MCS, right?? YES!

 

"ga-ga"?? Same seat, different cover. Do you drive naked?? I'm betting that in three years the standard leatherette will look better than that expensive set of hides. Hey, it's your money.

 

Thanks alot for the inputs. I will definitely try out concord and eastbay. I work in concord and live in pleasanton...so those are actually the closest one. Eastbay told me the next shipment is in august hopefully concord will come sooner.

are people happy with the aero parts that come with the hypersport package?

 

Search this forum and the Modification Interior/Exterior forum. There have been two problems with delivery of the aero kit. IIRC on one, the VDC was going to install it, but couldn't get the color right. So, they balked and didn't install it. Another just showed up without the aero kit -- no explanation.

KarlInSanDiego painted and installed his and had trouble getting a paint company to match the color correctly.

I wouldn't order it unless I could be very certain it was to be a factory install.

 

East Bay is EXTREMELY conservative in quoting delivery times unless you really press them. I was initially told late July to early August but will be getting mine in early June, just about two months after ordering. If they have May production slots, you should be fine.

 

1) I ordered mine from Mini of Mountain View. They are always VERY busy, so I made appointments. The test drive was great, the order process was fast. Of course, I researched and came fairly well prepared. They were nice, informative- but always seem a little rushed, they do try to make sure they handle all their customers nicely. (in my opinion) They sell at MSRP. No hassles. They had production slots when I ordered in mid-April. Meaning, they modify a Mini order they had already with my custom order. If you order, you should wallk out of the dealership with a production number. If you don't, you might have to wait for the dealer to get his allocation before he places your custom order. (and who knows how long that might take?) My MA was quite knowledgable about how long it would take, he was spot-on in his estimate... (OK, I haven't taken delivery, but my mini is loaded onto a ship now!)

2) I ordered 6-speed. Didn't even consider auto. I thought this type of car deserved a manual. Yes, manual is a hassle in traffic, but I'd rather have the manual for spirited driving and better mpg. This 6-speed manual is silky smooth in my opinion. It is a truly nice machine. Again, opinion, I certainly never considered an automatic....

3) I ordered just about everything, so I can't say what is a must. But I'll render an opinion anyways: Manual Tranny, LSD, DSC. DSC for safety and possibly resale... In a few years, the gov mandated all cars come with it. So, I really wanted a vehicle with DSC. I got the HiFi even though I didn't think it sounded great- the idea of trying to get a new headunit into the custom stack didn't seem fun to me. (again, my opinion, I'm sure there are aftermarket options). The lounge leather is awesome, but I didn't want black or red... I thought the leather seats were more comfy than the cloth/leatherette...(and the lounge leather most comfortable of them all) Just about the only other thing I opted out of was the backup sensor. Now I kind of regret it. Mainly for the gadget aspect, I'm pretty sure I can park a Mini just fine after spending the last 8 years as the pilot of a Land Cruiser!!!!

4) color: OK, that's a personal choice! You just have to wring your hands and decide. I did my hand-wringing over the Tuscan Beige interior, of which at the time there were few photos of.... In the end, I think I made the right choice, but who knows?

 

My experience with east bay mini (robert mathews) was just the opposite. Response was limited at best and ultimately ordered the wrong color car after I waited for 3 months. Add insult to injury he tried to blame me for it but I had proof. Ended up ordering from somewhere else. When you have a product that sells itself, the order takers are rarely up to snuff.

 

Oh, the one thing I find essential in my 05, the back up sensor. I am lost when in our other cars! I have a very tight downtown driveway (no garage) from the era of burro carts . . . a foot or two makes a difference. These days I even rely upon it to save old women and cats foolish enough to walk behind a cabrio backing up! Buy it where you will but don't fail to buy it.

Oh, I really regret not getting the LSD. Timothy Leary all over again. I thought the traction control would meet my needs. It does for winter driving but it doesn't for performance driving. I thought I wouldn't be doing performance driving. That was before I had the MINI!

 

Ditto!!!

 

One more vote for East Bay. They do tend to have slower delivery times, but that's because they charge MSRP and up until recently were the only ones in the area to do so. I understand Concord has dropped that, so that's good. As far as I know, Mountain View still does, unless that's changed VERY recently (like in the past few weeks).

But really, your best bet is to round up the numbers of all the dealers that you're willing to drive to, and call around and ask those two magic questions - do they charge MSRP, and do they have slots available (i.e., when do they expect delivery).

I had an excellent experience with Robert Matthews at East Bay but mistakes happen and I'm sure there's no dealer out there with a spot-free customer service record. DO keep a record of what you ordered - print it out as they place the order, check it over, whatever you have to do to feel comfortable (I called ASK-MINI constantly for reassurance).

 

• honest dealer
• fast shipment
• no markup

Pick any two.

 

lody0080,

Don't overlook Niello in Sacramento. Dave Bashaw will give you a good deal. It's a lot of money to spend, so call around.

 

Got mine from Mt. View - $500 over - great exp - Russ is the Guy!