As of about 6 months ago, I know that a few dealerships (like MINI of the Hamptons) were offering below MSRP on the '07 MCS, even for special orders. Has anyone heard of any dealerships that have been offering prices below MSRP or gotten any discount on an actual order for an '08?

I'm dealing with Tom Bush in Jacksonville, FL, and they refuse to budge off of MSRP. They did offer to waive the $389 dealer documentation and notarization fee if I placed my order today, gave them a $2000 non-refundable deposit, and filled out a credit application with them, but I was hoping to get a little more than this. I heard that MINI of the Hamptons was giving up to $1200 off MSRP on the the '07s.

 

What you are experiencing is standard. The fact that they waived some of those fees is a real blessing and you should be grateful for that.

MINI doesn't like to negotiate on the sticker price. They'll generally work with you on accessories and other crap.

If you put the dealers against each other, you might be able to get a discount off MSRP. One guy told me he got $700 off MSRP for an '08 at Westchester, NY MINI.

 

Also, I forgot to mention this, but I've heard that it makes a difference - I'm not ordering a base model MCS. My total comes to just over 32K NOT including taxes, fees, etc., making it a rather expensive MINI. I would think they could do a little more than $389 for me.

 

Doesn't really matter, Mini makes about the same wether you buy 32 or 23 grand Mini. Still only a certain amount of mark-up, and it ain't much compaired to other companies.

Be glad that they got rid of the doc fee.

And to some people that think they are getting 700 bucks off of MSRP, check other fees. There is a dealership that will remain nameless that offers 1000 off MSRP but they also charge you a "detail", cleaning, fee on every car and they also charge a Pre-delivery inspection fee which adds up to around 1000 bucks. And they also always have accessories on the car. Always ask for out the doors numbers if you are comparing and don't just say, so-and-so is giving me 500 off, cause you still might end up paying more than the dealership that is charging MSRP but nothin else.

They make their MSRP and more , so be careful.

 

few people order the base model...the whole experience is about customizing and youifying your MINI. There is a high demand for these cars, so dealers don't generally give discounts. You need to go to a couple and ask them if they can work with you on the price and probably buy one off the lot.

Seeing as how you put your deposit down, you're stuck with this dealer.

 

I haven't put a deposit down or committed in any way. I'm sure that even though they are telling me that the discount is ONLY for today, I can get it later on. It was one of the typical, "I talked to my Sales Manager and he can do this for you if..." kind of things. If not, I may just have to drive a couple hours to the next dealer. No big deal. I'm in no rush, but I do want to make sure I'm getting the best deal possible.

The problem with buying one off the lot is that if I'm going to spend that much money, I want what I want. Most of the cars on the lot have very few features, which was actually pointed out by the MA I've been talking to. He said that the market around here is for lower-priced, less-featured cars, so I guess I'm stuck special ordering.

Believe me, if I could get one off the lot, I would. The idea of waiting even a month once I've decided to buy kills me!

 

Why is it possible to have an '08 for under MSRP when it seemed impossible to do so on the '02-'06?

mb

 

Eventually Minis will be discounted. It may or may not happen in 2008, but it will happen...Mini is trying to set sales records every year, and every year there are more used Minis on the road. The cars haven't change much, and it's unlikely that they will anytime soon. Supply/demand says that as long as supply increases and demand remains about the same, price will go down. Perhaps demand will increase with higher gas prices and Mini will be able to sustain MSRP transaction prices, but Smart and other small cars may become the new, cool, fun economy cars instead. We'll see.

 

[quote=Alan Smithee;1922741]Eventually Minis will be discounted./quote]

Yea, that's for sure. For the past two years my local Mazda dealers were not negotiating on Miatas with the power hard top. A month ago they told me same deal, MSRP only. Two weeks ago it was $1K off. Now it's $2K off. The same thing will happen with MINIs soon enough. I read recently that even though MINI sales are up worldwide, they are down for the last quarter of this year in the US. It appears that the second gen sales surge is already receeding in the US. This process has repeated itself on most every hot car in the past and there is nothing magic about MINIs in that regard. More and more MINI are shipped to the US every year. Soon there will not only be much more reasonably priced first gen MINIs on the market but also plenty of second gen used MINIs to consider. This combined with increased competition from other manufactures will bring an end to the days of MINI dealers refusing to deal. Many people said the Harley craze wasn't goning to end... look at it now... backlog of inventory... even on "special edition" models. You'll know sales have really cooled when you start to see even more advertising.

 

I am already looking forward to seeing the 3rd gen MINI. How much more power will it have? How much better will it be? What will it look like?

 

That's funny, I paid $500 under MSRP plus a free set of floor mats on a car that was ordered in October and received December. Dealer told me MSRP only, but I saw on the boards that a few folks got this deal, so I told him that a dealer a little further away offered this and would they match. I'm in the LA area with about 5 dealers so there's some competition. Sorry this is not a 2008, but I think the demand not as strong as in the past so 08's should be in a similar position.

PS. only fee was a $35 documentation fee
PPS. dealer makes the same profit margin % on a 23K vs 33K mini, but they make more dollars on the more expensive car and this may have a factor in their willingness to throw stuff in.

 

Man, it's too bad I'm all the way on the east coast. Anyone know of any dealers that have been particularly generous in the Southeast?

 

Sounds like words from a future MINI of the Hamptons customer.

We all seem to see what we want to see. I remember some pretty big price drops on '06's in September of 2006. $1500-2500 off the final few build slots and existing dealer stock where I'm at.

The fact that the '07's are now discounted a whopping $500 here and there with the pending arrival of the 2008 car (not to mention the 2008 Clubman) shouldn't be of any suprise.

What does suprise me is the lower interest rates coming from MINI USA lately. 4.9% was just about unheard of just 10 month ago. I would tend to believe that it's an indicator of a pretty ratty economy more than anything, though, as housing interest rates have just taken a similar dive into the basement.

 

I would love to buy from them if they are able to offer me what I saw on the '07s on an '08. Only problem is that I would have to register it in NY and pay NY taxes, then bring it all the way back to FL and register it here. This means:

-2 sets of registration fees
-Higher taxes than I would pay here in FL
-A plane ticket to NY
-A weekend of my time (although it would be a fun road trip)
-The trouble of making a 1500 mile trip while trying to adhere to the break-in rule that says you aren't supposed to keep your RPMs constant for an extended period of time

Somehow, I think I wouldn't be coming out ahead... which is why I'm hoping I can find a dealer in the Southeast that can do better than my local dealer.

 

Since your in FL. Call MINI of South Atlanta, ask for Amanda. Tell them what's going on. They may be able to help you out.

 

Awesome, thanks!

 

which dealer was this? Im planning to check around soon and see what kind of deals I can get...but Im in orange county, so I would like to limit the number of dealers I check out in LA. did you contact them over the internet or phone first or just went there directly?

 

I'm the guy that got "700 bucks off of MSRP" off of an 08' MCS and here is a list of the fees I will be paying:

Doc fee is $45
NYS in-transit is $10
NYS waste tire is $10
NYS inspection is $10,
NJ registration is $331
NJ tax is 7%

I'm still trying to find out the details on the NJ registration, but I didn't get the sense that my MA and the dealership was trying to tack on anything extra here. He even advised me to be wary of bogus fees when comparing prices of different dealerships.

I know there is high demand on this car and all, but I don't see why more owners don't put more effort in trying to negotiate what they can off of MSRP. Perhaps it's a "must have at any cost" kinda mentality. The Subaru Forums have an awesome sticky thread on how to negotiate, but here's what I did in a nutshell. I test drove the car at two dealerships, NY and Westchester. Afterwards, while we sat down to discuss brass tax, both MAs told me they wouldn't discount, maybe a $100 or so at best. I thanked each for their time, said I would ponder it, and walked out.

I went back to the NY dealership a week later with an offer of $1000 off MSRP. I knew this was kinda ridiculous, but I had to start low. They said they wouldn't be able to do anything on an 08', but amazingly they said they would be able to do $1000 off of an 07' claiming they had 2 spots left. I was really tempted to jump on this, but sat on it for a night.

I wanted to see what I could get off of an 08', so I called up a few dealerships the next day. I told everyone that miniNY would do $650 bucks off of an 08' and if they could do better, I would buy then and there. Some dealerships outright refused and some said they could possibly do 300-400, but that was it. Westchester finally came back and said they'd do $700 off. *Sold*

My point is that, exercising some patience and shopping around will sometimes save you a few bills. Even free mats is better than nothing.

It also helps to:
.Be or live in a metro area with many dealerships. (At least 7 within a 100 mile radius of me)
.Wait to purchase the car via phone or some period of time after your showroom visit. (I know this is impossible for some due to distance.)
.Purchase your car at the end of the month.
.Do financing with a 3rd party so your offer is "full cash".
.Be ready to purchase the car and be very clear that you'll purchase the car if the MA is willing to go with your offer.
.Be firm, be tough, it's your money after all.

Not looking to flame bait here, or sound pretentious. Just my 2c.

P.S. For what it's worth, my dad was also able to get a few hundred off of his 05' MC. Granted, we did a group buy (2 cars) with someone else, but it took us a while to find a dealership that was 'workable'.

 

PM Sent.

 

No way. Dealers actually make relatively little on the base (as a percentage) compared to the options. They make much more on an optioned car. However, in the case of a Mini, the dealer counts on the typical purchaser buying a good amount of options, so that will not impress them in terms of offering a discount from MSRP.

And, no, this post does not "prove" I work for Mini, as some birdbrain may allege.

 

Didn't see that here, no matter how much I would have wanted to But thanks for sharing what you saw.

mb

 

Purchasing out of state shouldn't require that you pay fees in that state. I purchased in UT and received a temporary plate. When the paperwork was finished it was mailed to me. When I registered the car in WA I had to pay state sales tax and license fees. The only fee UT saw was for the temp plate.

MINI of the Hamptons sells all over the US so I think you should give them or another dealer a call if you are considering an out of state purchase. I think you are mistaken about having to pay fees twice.

Greg

 

Ok. Thanks. I'll have to check into it. I seem to remember a few years back, my grandfather went to purchase a vehicle in VA and they wanted to have him register it there even though he was going back to NJ with it.

 

The best way to get a good deal is to be actually willing to walk out the door. I did some research on where the market is headed, looked at a couple of cars at a MINI dealership and walked out and bought a used Miata and I'm having a great time with it ... so much fun in fact I don't really care if I get a MINI soon or not... which puts me in the perfect position for making offers on a MINI, which I'll get around to doing eventually. I've always found when I'm in the position of not really caring when (or even if) I get a certain car, the dealer recognizes that as genuine, and I always end up with a remarkably good deal, sooner or later. This tactic has never failed to work... the only downside is the patience it takes to implement.

 

Two local club members here purchased through them and had cars shipped out. Neither ever had New York registrastions. Everything was handled by the dealer through Washington's DOL. Pretty easy and MINI of the Hamptons sells so many cars out-of-state that they should be able to walk you through it.