Surfink, who's the troll?

You asked for info, people gave it to you , but because we don't post up our invoices somehow we're ALL lying? The fact that you keep pushing for written documentation tells me you have an agenda, and we're not willing to play into it.......

Gimme a break........

I've said all along that different markets will deal differently, depending on state and local rules, but that really isn't part of this discussion, is it?

The question was has anybody gotten a decent sized discount lately, even on an ordered car - the answer is YES, depending on your definition of "decent sized".......

If you try to get a big price break on a new convertible, chances are good that you will fail - in any market, not just California. They're just being intorduced and summer is just breaking, the car will be in demand.

I wish you the best of luck with your purchase, and I hope you learn to enjoy it no matter what kind of deal you get. Remember, you're buying a car, not a deal.......

 

Thanks again MiniDave.
When I was contacted off board re: my purchase, I had no problem sharing my dealers info with people and know a sale resulted.
I appreciate all your experience in this realm and will certainly enjoy my vehicle.
After reading back through, I realize that we are not talking about ordered cars, rather on the lot vehicles.
I prefer to order..
Thanks Again

 

I plan on ordering a PW/B 2009 Cooper with a minimum of options (MFSW, Xenons, Sport seats, Bonnet Stripes). The final MSRP is $20,300, and I live in PA. Should I even bother trying to get a discount out of any dealers in my area or is it not even worth it? Thanks.

-Sabastian

 

First off, see if they have one on the lot that is close to what you want. Out here in Ca. there are dealers with 60-70+ MC on the lot, not even including MC'S and Clubmans. Second, with the economy the way it is right now, why not ask for a discount? If the salesman balks, say, "ok i'll go check out Mazda, I heard they are trying to get rid of inventory", and see what he says. If he says "bye", just go back and talk to different salesman to buy your car.

 

It never hurts to ask, politely..........on a base car there's not a lot of markup, so don't be surprised if they say no. However, is it the price you're after, or the car?

If the price is too high for you to afford, then maybe you need to look at a different or less expensive car - maybe a 1 or 2 year old MINI would work better? If you can afford the price for the MINI you want, a discount is icing on the cake - if you don't get one, does it really impact your being able to buy the car?

Remember, you're buying a great car, not a great deal. If you get $1000 off a Mazda, but it's not the car you wanted, is it still a great deal?

I think people worry far too much that someone else got a better deal than they did - it really doesn't matter, does it? Buy the car you want.......that's what you'll be driving every day.

 

+1
this is definitely the trick... I've been in the process of getting a pretty bare bones MCS in auto for the wife and i've been getting a range of $500 to $1k off msrp from dealers with existing inventory..... I'm sure there's some wiggle room even on the basea car but all in all, like someone else said, if you get a discount on the car you like/want then that's gravy... Cheers... wish me luck... I hope to close a deal before the end of the week I'm in So. Cal. by the way.....

 

It's definitely the car I'm after. If it was the price, there are a lot of great deals on slightly used cars here in PA, but none of them meets my needs like a Mini: Fun to drive, cheap to run (mpgs & free maintenance), cheap to insure, tons of character, etc. I can afford the car as configured, but I am a graduate student so every dollar that stays in my pocket is good.

The MA at Mini of Sterling that I talked to was a great help, but he told me that getting a discount off of an ordered car with such a low MSRP wasn't possible. He had a couple strippers on the lot, however, that he said would have more flexible price tags, but none of them were what I was looking for. My next move is to check out Mini of Pittsburgh...

 

Hey keep us updated We are also in the market right know for my wife also. She too wants a auto. Which dealer are you trying to work with? It's cool if you don't want to say here, maybe you can PM me? Thanks.

 

im also looking for a new mini in socal. Are you guys planning to get soon to beat the sales tax increase?

BTW..for the rest of you non-californians. our sales tax rate just went from 8.25% to 9.25%. thanks governator.

also i wouldnt mind PMs on what your experiences are and i will share mines.

 

Most dealers list their entire new car inventory online these days, I'd definitely spend some time loking around, you might just find exactly what you want, and your local dealer can't be upset about you buying a car from out of town if they don't have what you want.........

 

My car was ordered.........

 

From my experiences looking at the dealer websites in LA, some include prices (msrp), some include color / transmission but most are very vague in terms of exact options on the car. Sometimes you can guess what the options are based on the msrp.

for example, the largest dealership in LA (as well as the country) does not list ANY details for their inventory besides year, color, and their stock number. For price, it says contact us.

i guess i dont blame them though but dont know unless you contact them or go in. thats exactly what they want a potential customer to do.

 

You have to do your research. For example when I started searching I knew what I wanted and what I could live with and without. I had an idea what the cost of the car was. I don't know about other areas of the country but in south Florida there are 5 dealerships within less than an hour of each other. 4 of which were less than 30 min from my home. I sent e-mail to each and I put each one to work against each other until I had an idea what they were capable of doing regards to price. Once I was comfortable with one I started working with that one and it has been the best buying experience I have ever had. I was lucky that I ended up working directly with the sales manager. I was able to get a great discount on an ordered car that arrives on the 24 into Brunswick.
Good luck to all.

 

I am sure many of you will be interested in my research over the past two weeks. The southern California dealers are still pretty much set on charging MSRP on their stock vehicles. One dealer was willing to go 1000K below MSRP on the new Cooper S models on the lot but would not budge on any of the used vehicles. I ended up buying a slightly used fully loaded '08 Cooper S (Lightning Blue) from a dealer that was closer to my house since it had all the options I wanted for a better price. I had tried negotiating for this car through email last week but they wouldn't budge. I went in just to see if they would bargain with me and they took 1,200 off the already low internet price! Just after I bought my Mini, I got an email reply from a dealer in Northern California. He was willing to beat the deal I had found at another SoCal dealer. He offered me 500 over INVOICE after I told him I could get 800 over invoice in LA. I am still glad I got my used Mini because it's still the better deal for all my options. So if you work hard enough, there are deals to be found....just not in the immediate LA area on new minis.

 

PM sent

 

 

sebastian i am in pa and mainline mini was offering 1K off and ottos has a declilng scale off depending on what week you order but i am sure you can get the full 1K off. also morristown mini and towson min have many many mini exec cars for sale. some with 8500.00 off. look at their used inventory. the cars have very low miles like 4K. they might have what you want.

 

All the bashers here who say you can't get money off on an ordered car in Southern California don't know how to purchase a car at the best price.

I got $500 off MSRP on an ordered car in summer 2008 when the market was at its peak. I'm certain if I ordered today it would be at least $1000 off MSRP. PM me and I will provide you with contact info.

And my purchase was straight up, no trade, my own financing, free mats and wheel locks. No BS fees or dealer add in junk either.

 

I received $500 off an ordered, very lightly optioned Clubman. The only options were auto, sport seats, bluetooth & MFSW, along w/ ft & rr & trunk mats. It appears discounts are harder when a car doesn't come with any major pkgs or a combo of them. Besides the trans, I think my options were $1k total.

It will be delivered to Socal in April!!

 

You can get a $1000 discount on all instock MINIs at Roadshow MINI in Memphis TN, even states it on their website.
I ended up dealing with Brian Harris MINI in Baton Rouge LA as they are a little closer to home and matched the discount.

 

Prestige Mini is advirtising that they will make the first payment. Not a lot, but they are probably in the negotiating mood for on the lot cars. I am going to see if i can get out of my lease a year early to buy a new one for keeps. No more leasing for me.

 

Funny car buying story: My dad was ahead of his time. In the mid 70's my first job out of college was selling Toyotas in Scottsdale, AZ. My dad wanted a new Chevy Blazer. I, of course, was the car buying expert. I told him how to go in and get the best price, walk out, deal with the turfs to the mgr, etc. He said BS. He sent a certified letter to each Chevy dealer in the area saying that on XX date he would walk into the dealership who wrote him back with the lowest price on a new ordered Blazer with XX equipment. He'd give them a cashier's check for the total and order the car. No phone calls, no test drives, no cars off the lot. I told him he was nuts, that's not the way it's done. The range in price quotes was amazing, some didn't take it seriously, but he did exactly what he said and I thought he got a better price than he could have gotten live in person. He did the same thing on a couple other cars after that too.

 

Hi Guys,
I'm in the market for my first MINI Cooper. Any buying advice or experiences you want to share regarding getting a discount on a new MINI Cooper Hardtop S or JCW?! I will probably order unless I get lucky and find what I'm looking for on a lot. Should I expect to pay MSRP? Thanks!

Also, any idea what the typical commission for the salesperson is? I'm not planning on negotiating based on their commission; I'm just curious.

PS I know this is an old thread, should I have started a new one?
I'm new here on NAM so any help is appreciated!

 

I would have started a new thread, yes. You should expect to pay less than MRSP. I got my Clubman S in 2010 and got $2,000 off MSRP. I am pretty sure I could have gotten more, but the dealer took my first offer. Of course, that was over 2 years ago, so I'm sure it's changed some. It helped that I could pit two dealers against each other just an hour apart too. Good luck.

 

I got $700 of MSRP on a 2012 R56S that I ordered last April, with no options other than the "Sport" package which was 17" wheels, Xenons, and DTC, and I didn't try very hard. It was about half way between dealer cost and MSRP, I figure they have to make a living too.

I would expect to get a bigger discount with more options, or a car that had been sitting on the lot for a long time. There was a Goodwood model in the showroom that was over $50K, sure it was nice, but come on, that's ridiculous. It is probably still there.