First off why the cost difference? Is the Accessory Catalog Sirius nothing like the factory installation in terms of equipment and hardware? Or do they knock something off the price in order to make up for the install labor? Is it something that can be installed on your own, but need dealer activation? (ie Starscan or whatever the BMW/MINI version is called)

SWMBO loves in it my Charger but it came standard, and when it was an option it much cheaper. Is MINI gouging for these or what? Or does it come with a lifetime membership or something?

EDIT:

Answered my own question. Factory Sirius has a lifetime subscription, whereas the accessory catalog Sirius has one year. For a lifetime subscription the 1k for the factory unit is totally worth it. Provided you keep the car for a while.

 

50 views and no answers?! Would this be better off in more general forum?

 

I'd like to bump this and ask what others are paying for the Mini - dealer installed interface. My Dealer is quoting me $800, which seems very high when compared to other sirius installations. Anyone here getting a better deal than $800?

Thanks

 

When my SWMBO ordered her MINI we had this discussion with the salesman. $800 is what they quoted us.

You might as well spend the extra $200 to get it installed at the factory and get the LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP that comes with the factory unit.

 

Here’s my .02. First, find out about that lifetime subscription; it probably runs with the car. So it’s for the lifetime of the car, not you. Might not matter, since you already like Sirius. I assume it’ll all work out after the merger.

Frankly, I think the best Sirius receiver is the Stiletto 2. It’s portable, can hold at least 8G of your other MP3s, and it can record songs and programs. It really rocks. You can hook it up to the factory antenna with a SMB antenna cable and then all you have to do is find a place to install the car dock and get power to it. Since it’s radio I don’t care that I can’t control the features except volume from the steering wheel. Small price to pay for the portability.

Rob

 

Yep, the lifetime membership is locked with the vehicle vin number