Hello all,

So, my 09 MCS is on order - set for week 36. I was wondering if those of you who have recently received their MC or MCS and live on the East Coast could give me an idea of how long it took your car to get from the factory to the dealer.

I am in kind of a silly situation in which I have to rent a car starting next weekend until the day my MCS arrives. I'm going to be renting the car for 60+ days, so hopefully the rental company will give me +/-5 days in case I'm off in my arrival estimate - but more information makes for a better estimate.

Also, how long does it take from day one production until the car is on the boat, in your experience?

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

What I have learned through this process is that delivery is based on your dealer's allotment. Regardless of when your vehicle is built, it all comes down to the slot in which your dealer was allocated by the factory.
My car finished on 7/16, and many of the cars finished in and around that date have already been delivered to their owners. My car is still making her way across the pond. I sat on the docks for ten days. All because (I found out later) that the dealer used an August delivery spot for my car even though I ordered in mid-June.
Ask your MA what is the allocation month they are using for your MINI.

 

DMAC,

I was told "about 12 weeks" which fits with the "build week 36, delivery in mid-October" scenario that I'm hoping for. It would also follow that my allocation month would be October, but I'll double check... I've already put in calls to my MA ("are you sure we ordered that option - it's not displaying in the Mini Owner's Lounge?"), so I'm trying to cut down on the number of times (a day) I call him by turning to the board here.

 

First off, congrats! The 09s sound like they will be awesome.

From day 1 of production, it took about 5 days until completion (I believe they usually start on a Monday and are finished by Friday), then about 3-4 days to be transported to the UK port. If you are lucky enough to catch a boat right on time, it could be loaded immediately, otherwise you may have to wait a few days for a ride. All said and done, I had my MINI in hand about 4 weeks after it went into production and that included a temporary work stoppage at the Oxford plant due to a trucker strike in Spain.

If you are on the East Coast, near a Vehicle Distribution Center (VDC), I would expect a similar wait time, maybe a little longer because I am in NYC right at the port. If you are in the South, Midwest or West Coast, it could be much longer waiting for transport from the US port to the dealership. I would ask your MA for an expected delivery date as they will know how long it has taken for previous MINIs to be delivered to the dealership. Also, I'm not sure whether the 09's take longer for production and delivery for some reason.

I feel your pain. It is an agonizing wait, but well worth it in the end!

P.S. I think my 4 week experience was probably much shorter than usual. As mentioned above, the single most important factor is when your dealership has an allotment open. Once that order is in, it should be about 4-8 weeks depending on where you are located in the US.

 

Mine was built quickly after ordering (see my Sig), but it sat on the docks for almost 20 days in NJ. After getting no response from my MA, I talked to the Sales Mgr, and my car arrived the next day.

 

I'm still waiting for a build date. I just sold my car and now in a rental for at least 2 months. Where did you order from?

 

Took:
A week to build.
A week to get on a ship
8 days to sail the ocean (Southampton to NY, no stop in Nova Scotia)
6 days to get to the dealer.

 

All this points to a late September delivery for me, rather then a mid-October - which is what I expect given my "about 12 weeks" scenario by my MA. Certainly, MAs should give conservative estimates, but...

If I get a rental car for 60+ days I get a break from $25.xx/day to $22.xx/day... I plan to get one not this weekend but the next. I need to call Avis, where I'm renting from, and see what happens if I bring the rental car back before 60 days have elapsed. Hopefully they will just charge me the $25.xx rate instead of being like "No, you have to keep this car for 60 days!" me:"Where am I going to put it?" them:"Not our problem." me:"The bottom of the Delaware river is okay, then?"

For the record, I would never intentially put a car into a river... hopefully that will never come back to haunt me.

 

I got the best rate from Champion Car Rental $579.00 per month plus taxes.
The're located in Paoli.

 

Good ole Champion. I've had several of their cars over the last 3 months... I purchased a VW Jetta Wolfsburg in April that's been at the Fred Beans shop pretty much since then... VW is finally going to take it back, allowing me to get my Mini.

Fred Beans gets loaners through Champion when they are all out of their own. BTW, Fred Beans has been super good to me, especially considering I didn't purchase the car there. If you're in the market for a VW or a VW repair and you're in the area - go see them! (they have been very generous with thier loaners - several of them I have had for more then 2 weeks at a stretch)

Champion's cars aren't as nice as the Fred Beans cars... They can... smell funny, but maybe I'll call 'em. That rate puts it at $19.1/day versus the $22.xx from Avis.

 

Hey Zarote,

Who did you talk to to get that rate at Champion? I'm getting quoted about $23.xx/day through their website... more then Avis.

Any advice?