My 2007 MCS has been a nightmare. I have hired a lawyer to try for a lemon law buy-back, but it seems a long slow process.

In the meantime, I contacted the dealer, Lauderdale Mini in Ft Lauderdale, to allow me to trade it in on a BMW 328. After a lot of begging on my part to help me out of a real bad car, we reached an agreement.

Lo and behold, when the Sales Agreement showed up they had tacked an additional $499 to the price, labeling it a “dealer services fee” They had a VERY well rehearsed argument to get me to pay more than we agreed to.

In my business (real estate development), we negotiate deals all the time. When we formalize them into a contract I can assure you that the contract reflects what we agreed to. I would be out of business real fast if I agreed to a price and handed someone a contract with a higher price.

Car salesman have a horrendous reputation, and tricks like these show that their reputations are well deserved.

I am telling everyone I can reach: Do not buy a car from Lauderdale Mini (or Lauderdale BMW).

Pass this message on. They are dishonest people.

 

Being a former new car sale manager, I can tell U this: any dealer prep/doc fees above about $50-70, depending on market, is pure dealer profit. Since new cars are the most unprofitable items of any dealership, they tack on these prep/doc charges assuming that the customer does not know that the destination charge, the amount worked into any new car's MSRP, means mfgr to *customer*, not mfgr to dealer. The DC is a partial subsidization to the dealer to prep the car for delivery and to take care of any paperwork for the customer's benefit.

The dealer I bought my MCS from does not, and has never done this, over the last 64 years he has been in business. Zero. He sees it as way to bring customers back w/o them worrying about extra prep/doc charges, and glady eats the $55 or so he loses out on each new car. Now this is a sound business practice.

 

Another manager at a dealership and what sequence says is correct. However if the discount the fees for one that can cause them problems. So I had my dealer add floor mats, bonnet stripe and arm rest. Since I had to pay the doc fees. Maybe you will enjoy the BMW.

 

As a two time customer of Lauderdale MINI, I feel that I should chime in here. I have had nothing but excellent experiences with this dealership and have been treated with respect each and every time I have been there. Both of my purchase experiences have been honest and more than fair.

I am sorry that you did not have a good experience with this dealership, and that you feel slighted by the dealer fee (you'll find it is a standard practice if you call other MINI dealers), however I assure you that you are the exception to the rule.

 

The dealer "fee" is NOT a standard practice. By far the majority of MINI dealers will charge MSRP with no additional "fees".

 

I've never paid more than $100 in "documentation fees" on any new car. Both of my local-ish MINI dealers have charged under $70, but I'm not the most stellar negotiator, so I could've left that money on the table.

$500 seems like a pretty outrageous fee for filing some paperwork to me.

 

Wow, I'm used to dealer processing fees as an unfortunate part of buying a car, however, $500 IS abusive.

One (of several) reasons I bought my car from MoT is because their processing fee was 'reasonable' (like $90 or so and I was not able to have them waive it).

A dealer in NC that I had wanted to purchase from would not budge on their $300 processing fee. They said even mgmt paid it there....whatever, they lost my business.

There isn't much you can do if you can't negotiate your way out of it than just take your business elsewhere.

 

NY dealers, by law, can only charge up to $45 for processing your registration and title paperwork. It's printed right on the sales contract, and it's what my dealer charged. Dealers can add other dubious fees, but they can't claim that these are for obtaining a registration or title documents.

 

I should have stated that in Florida it appears to be a standard practice. While shopping for my car, I was quoted $350 at Downtown MINI and around $400 at both Tom Bush and Ferman MINI.