I do care about resale, but my point was that most new car buyers don't have a clue about it. They want their new car because of other things. Forums aren't used by most car buyers.
Minis are unique in the ultracompact class. They're expensive for one thing, and they offer myriad options. My wife got a Mazda 3 two years ago for $19k, much less than my Mini (30k). Nice car btw. There were 3 body styles and 2 engines. Once you pick those and the color there were 3 options left: AT or stick. ABS/side airbags. Sunroof. No interior colors, leather, trim, wheels, heated seats, lights, stripes, climate control, sport suspension, comfort access, nothing else to confuse you or get you to order. I couldn't believe all the Mini options there are when I started researching the car.

 

It was just a point relating back to a "MINI in every driveway". Nothing more. The less of the marque on the road, the more value the car retains. Obviously no one can do anything about it.

I would agree that the "majority" of owners are not thinking about it. But just do a search here and the fact that in the past, MINIs have retained their value well has been repeated over and over again, ad nauseam. MINI enthusiasts LOVE to point that out in many, many threads. So they care and this IS an enthusiasts forum. My reasoning, and Skips, are valid reasons why you do NOT want to see one in every driveway.

BTW, MINIs are not expensive. At $22K they dont come close to the average price of a car sold in America at $28K. You can throw a bunch of options at it and yes, they can get expensive but that is your choice.

Sorry to disagree here Skuzzy but I have ordered an American car exactly how I wanted it from the factory. In fact, take a look at Muscle Cars at BJ. Some with the rarer factory options you know were factory ordered and that was 40 years ago. You dont have to take what is on the showroom floor. You just have to tell them to factory order it and wait, just like MINI

Glad you asked that. See BMW, Mercedes mull subcompact partnership recently quoted on Motoringfile.

Quote:

"BMW (BMWG.DE), the world's largest premium carmaker, and its closest rival, Mercedes-Benz (DCXGn.DE), are in negotiations over a partnership to build subcompact cars

Heavy cost pressure means Mini runs the risk of losing money should its Oxford, England, plant not run at full capacity, so parent BMW is considering finding a partner."

If BMW is wondering if it can keep Oxford busy in the future, what does that say about BMW future predictions for MINI sales. This is not to mean doom & gloom. Only that it sounds to me like BMW thinks the tipping point may be quite soon.

As Sowellman noted early in this thread, the pent up demand for the first new gen cars may certainly be a reason for higher sales. But partnering with MB or even talking about it may mean that BMW knows something that the general public does not.