Hi,

I'm fairly new to the DC area, and I am looking to purchase my first Mini. I wanted to know if anyone had any advise on which of the three dealers that are around the area people have had the best experience with.

Any other advise for a newb, such as myself, would also be greatly welcomed.

Thanks!

 

I bought mine at Tate Mini in Annapolis. Great buying experience, but after that, forget it. Their service SUCKS!. I took mine to Mini of Towson. They were incredible. I have no experience with Mini of Sterling. Good luck.

 

Bought Ms. Brahms (my 2007 MCS) from Evan at Towson.... super experience so much so that I wrote MiniUSA about him. The sevice is great there as well.... especially the "best SA on the PLANET" as she reminds me everytime I go there .

 

Same here. Tate was willing to throw in some accessories whereas MoT was not.

Service... hands down, MoT is the best in the area and I hear Tate is a nightmare.

 

Since price diffs are about nil, you may want to consider that you may only be provided a service loaner vehicle at the dealership from which the car was purchased. You would need to contact the individual dealerships service dept to ascertain their current loaner policies.

 

Not a factor. Haven't bought ANY of our MINIS from MoT but get a service loaner every time I request one.

 

That is actually supposed to change soon, so be prepared.......

 

I'm not worried, Jay. I don't foresee getting treated any differently in the future. But thanks for the heads up.

 

I bought my MINI from MoS a month ago. I wasn't really all that impressed with either of the two sales people that i went through. They were both really nice, just took a while to get back to me and didn't seem like they really cared if i bought the car or not (which can be good, yet bad too) From what i've heard, Towson seems to be the best place for cool MA's ... Someone named Rose, i think??
Anyway, good luck!

 

I ordered mine from Sterling and couldn't be happier so far. It is due to arrive in about a week. My MA, Ahmed, was extremely helpful even on my initial visit when I informed him I was only looking and would not be buying. He still spent all the time I needed, answered all questions, provided a test drive, all without any pressure to buy. Since my order he answers all emails and returns my phone calls. So far Mini of Sterling his batting 1000. Of course service is still a question mark. Time will tell.

 

Yep, Rose. She's she's not an "MA", she's an "SA". And the best one this side of the Mississippi. Or the other side.

 

Hi Minikart, and welcome aboard

You've seen this disclaimer on ads: 'Results not typical. Your experience may be different'. Same with the dealers. There are so many of us here in the DC/Balt metro area that you'll get reports going from one extreme to the other at all three dealerships. Granted, the results will probably be unevenly divided, but they will be divided.

If I had it to do over again I would make a point of visiting all three dealerships to see how they 'felt'. Maybe observe how the staff behaves when they're not trying to sell somebody a car. Meet the service advisor(s). No matter how wonderful your car is, sooner or later you're going to want to be on good terms with the SA.

Ask how many MINI service technicians they have, their level of experience, and how long they've been working at the dealership. If there's a high turnover, that should tell you something important.

Find out what the average wait time is for both an emergency and a non-emergency appointment (like an oil change). Ask about their loaner policy, and how may loaner cars they have. If you get any evasive sounding answers, there's probably a reason, and take that into consideration.

If you have the time, join us at the monthly breakfasts that we have at the three dealerships. Definitely talk to folks who have bought their cars and get them serviced at all three places for their experiences.

And don't be afraid to just walk away if you get an uncomfortable feeling with a particular salesperson or the entire dealership. Bottom line... take your time, find a place where you feel like the most important person in the dealership when the employees talk with you, and then make an informed decision. Best of luck!

 

Good points, Ed.

I nominate that for DCMM Post Of The Month.

Laura, maybe a new column for your newsletter.

 

Since you are not a Virginian, it's not relevant to you, but MoS would not provide you a loaner in all likelihood unless you purchased there. To many of us loaners are important since for some strange reason the closest Mini dealer to the DC line is roughly 30 miles and potentially well over an hour away.

I find these criticisms of MAs kinda funny. What are people expecting - a new best friend ? They are car salesmen folks, not people that are getting together for a myspace meetup who just wanna chillax. They are there to make money not hang out with you and coddle you while jumping up to address your every little whim .

 

Somebody mentioned a quote from Rose about back scratching (regarding loaner policy). She sounds like maybe she should reside a bit closer to the Mississippi with such a non-professional presentation of dealership policy. The DC area is a white collar professional region, and nebulous folks-isms don't reflect a level of professionalism that I would expect from a BMW branded entity.

 

- Everyone has their own opinion... but everyone that I know that has met Rose has only the highest opinion of her !

 

I'm not sure to whom you are referring, but I'm not sure how anyone could manage to "scratch the back" of their SA. What... we're going to bring her a box of chocolates and some flowers ?

How's the weather up there on your high horse ?

 

Well put Chris ! +1

 

Wow, thank you soo much everyone!

This is some great advise, especially hypnohealer!

Someone sent me the DCMM site last night, and as long as nothing is conflicting, and you don't have to currently have a mini to attend, I would love to come to the next breakfast.

Thank you again everyone!

 

I did see that post and I was wondering the same thing. Seems to me the dealship is the one that should do the scratching. And not to the paint..,...

 

Boy, El, if it gets me even better service, I'm going to take MY backscratcher with me next time.

Yeah, I don't have to put any signs in my MINIs anymore... they already know I'm a "don't touch the paint" customer.

 

The post to which I am referring is here:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...highlight=Rose

Below is the quote.

 

I don't know who that person is or if they have an agenda... but that sounds very odd to me. I can't believe *any* SA would say something like that. But when it's tied to Rose, it's even more unbelievable.

I'd take that post with one VERY large grain of salt. Remember... not EVERYthing you read on the internet is true.

Ps. Good Standing with the dealership might mean "not be delinquent on any bills". The rest... I call BS on.

 

Dwayne at MINI of Towson is right up there with Rose...as far as SAs go..always gives me a very high level of service.

Buying your car from any of the dealerships..the experience is probably going to be about the same. It's the service departments that you want to pay particular attention to. Having said that, I'd avoid Tate for service, but apparently their sales staff is good. I haven't been there in over a year tho' I live less than 10 minutes from them. I bought my car from them, but that was in '02..I imagine the sales staff is entirely different as Tate can't seem to hang onto any MINI personnel for more than a few months.

 

I would recommend that the individual that is seeking to purchase a new vehicle verify this policy with the service departments that they will potentially use. This is the correct effort on the part of the buyer rather than believing anecdotal accolades from individuals skeptical of other poster's veracity.