[quote=3one3;2349357] I'm finding out that car buying sucks and is confusing.
quote]

I agree with you completely. Car buying sucks. Reading these threads about the way that many of these MINI dealerships are treating people disgusts me. Here you are, a 22 year old with the best intentions, excited about the prospect of getting a cool new car, and then they want to hammer you for 600 bucks. Lord knows what other tricks they have up their sleeve that you have yet to see. I wish you luck. Just be patient as you work this viper pit.

 

Yeah man, I'm nervous since it's my first time. But as I mentioned, I contacted another dealer to see what they could do. It seems like alot of times if you go somewhere else for a product because you weren't comfortable buying it from the first place, the new place will treat you better to prove that they are better than the other place. I hope that made sense, I couldn't figure out how to word it!

A 200 mile round trip doesn't seem so bad now that I think about it. It will be a nice, long drive home to become aquainted with my new ride!

 

I'd suggest you call them and speak with the sales manager. I shopped around the country via email for a while (I tried my luck in CA, TX, OK, NJ, NY and MA) and got NO WHERE. When I called, I had a much higher success rate. Web and Email services do not seem to be strong points for MINI dealerships.

I'm not sure how firmly you are tied to your morals, but if it were me I'd exaggerate your situation when talking with Orlando for the first time...

I would inform them you are ready to abandon your deposit for a new MINI order with Ferman and instead place a new order with as fast a production slot as possible because you are extremely disappointed with Ferman's service. The reason for your dissatisfaction? How about they ordered the wrong options twice and have been charging you the order fees each time) Ask the Sales Manager to have one of their most knowledgeable MAs call you (you want the best, not just who is working at the random moment you call) to arrange a time for you to drive up to Orlando and place your order. In order for this to be credible, you're going to need to be pretty set on your order options so make those decisions now. This will hopefully get an MA who knows their stuff and will be able to walk through this first time process with you. When they call you back, you can discuss the dealer fees, etc. etc.

Above is what I did, and I got a great MA who was more than happy to work with me on anything I needed, answer any questions I had (though I often found myself more aware of things than he was -- thanks NAM!) and walk through the financing numbers with me, even though I wasn't using MINI Financing.

 

LMFAO, you crack me up! I suck at lying though!

Buuuut, on the way home from work the GENERAL MANAGER of Orlando called me. Asked my story, I told him, and here's what he said: $389 fee instead of $600, $200 off the price of the car, and free floormats!

Thanks to your suggestion, I just received a highly coveted DEAL on a MINI!

 

Lying? No no, just creative communications. I've been told I'd make a great politician many times in my life.

Order today! The sooner you start the wait, the sooner it ends. $200 off will offset the gas no matter what you're driving, and it sounds like you might be going up there regularly on a business related affair anyhow? Glad things worked out for you. Good luck.

 

dealer fees is pure profit for nothing. they are making the whole profit from msrp minus invoice plus the hold back and now adding a dealer fee on top of it. run do not walk from them. there are more mini dealers in southern florida so i would expect that pricing reflects the competition. I could be wrong.

 

It is preprinted on the sales form (in Florida but not sure of other states) but like others said it is more of just a profit generator.They break it down as Services.(<--which is probably just pure profit) Preparation of documents.Affidavits.The other 2 items preprinted on the form are the Florida Law acid battery fee & waste tire fee $6.50.Motor vehicle warranty enforcement act $2.00.

 

I agree, this is uber-pricey even for a "dealer fee." What most dealers will not tell you, esp the ones that charge these exorbinent "prep" and "doc" fees is that the destination charge everyone pays means mfgr to customer, not mfgr to dealer. The DC is meant to underwrite basic costs to get yr car ready for delivery at the dealer--prep, detail, paperwork. Anything over about $50-$70 is PURE dealer profit; after all, new car sales are a dealer's slimmest profit margin, so they yeah U guessed it...

That's why I love my dealer (Ralph Schomp MINI, denver): in 64 years of business, he has never charged any kind of prep or doc fee, and eats about $60 per car for the sake of stellar customer service. RS has also NEVER charged a penny over MSRP for anything, even for a $150K Z8.

Prob is: dealers have customers by the ***** when it comes to these fees, because most are NOT negotiable. The only thing you can do is tell them to stick their fees where the sun dosesnt shine, and walk away. Be strong, grasshopper!

PS as far as the taxes, here in CO only the total price of the car and any added dealer accessories (minus the trade in, if applicable) are taxed, fees and any extended service contracts are not.

 

Ok, so I am ACTUALLY ordering today. Thanks to you guys, I am ordering through Downtown MINI in Orlando. They Offered me $200 off MSRP, floormats, and dealer fee is $389 as opposed to $599.95.

I told Ferman that Orlando offered me a better deal. They said they could match the $200 off & the floormats, but could not "legally" discount the dealer fees.

He tried the whole song and dance about his customer service skills will be worth it, and he will remain my contact and middle man. Also said that if I buy through them I will get a loaner car if needed, but if I buy through Orlando and take it to Ferman for service, I won't.

 

Great and keep us posted when you can.

Unfortunately the comment I put in bold is true for most dealerships if not all.
But keep in mind you will be saving more then if you bought from them plus you gave him the choice to meet/beat the deal which he wouldn't so you are ahead of the game.And most likely you won't have to visit the dealership for anything other then the free annual maintenance.