Disagree. Yes, options can only be sold at profit once, and will also depreciate faster than the base car does, but they will also help boost both the total value and desirability of the vehicle before sale. Unlike most mass-produced cars, MINIs are built largely made-to-order, and the secondary markets understand and expect this. You won't have a similar experience to some guy/dealership saying, "Oooh... I dunno- it's a nice Mercury Mystique you have there, but I'm not sure I want to pay extra for that nav package / moonroof / mini-bar."

Wow... Thanks to all for the input and suggestions. All were carefully considered and I just ordered my new JCW. I went a little high on the options but everything I selected I did so with the intention of resale value. Thanks in large part to you guys this car will be both a blast to drive and easy to resale. Thanks again. JL

really, that's why Cooper S are now going for the mid to high teens? I bought my 2007 Cooper S in March of 2007 for 25k. I thought I was buying a car with great resale value. Not quite two years later, if I sell this car I'm looking at 18k private party resale.

Who knew that the first time I didn't lease I'd take it in the shorts on the car with infamously great resale. Gas prices fell, market tanked and Cooper resale bottomed out.

I feel like a tool for not dumping this car in June/July of 08.

A 30% loss in residual value over the first two years of owning a car is taking it in the shorts?

BGDC: I'm not a Mini owner yet, but I've owned several vehicles over the years and the one thing I can tell you is the market is fickle and unpredictable. There is a reason that the NADA black book is printed every two months. Auto auction prices fluctuate wildly week to week. In my previous vehicle I missed the window to get out of it by two months. In 20/20 hindsight I screwed up, but to be objective there were no indications that my car was going to be worthless in two months.

Here is the best advice I've ever received and I try hard to follow it every time I buy a car. "Do your research, ask all the dumb questions, even the ones you already know the answer to, then in the end only pay as much as you're willing to loose." (My father)

But what do I know, I'm not even a Mini owner yet.

First rule: Buy the car for yourself, not the next owner.

But.... if you look at the data, the base car typically depreciates slower than the options. So if you're interested in losing the least amount to depreciation when you sell/trade, you want as few options as possible. The base car is the best value. Sure the options add value to resale, but compared to what you paid for them, you get a smaller percentage of your money back compared to the base car. And IMHO, there is no car out there with such overpriced options as the Mini. Stuff that would come standard or in a relatively inexpension option packge on a Japanese car costs thousands on the Mini. $500 for an armrest and a different color headliner? That's just stupid.

In homes, you usually improve the bathrooms and kitchen first as they add more value. Likewise, you avoid the swimming pool and fancy outdoor grill. Are their "bathroom" and "swimming pool" options? Perhaps, although beyond selecting colors like silver over metallic plum, and avoiding the crappy nav system, I wouldn't know what they are. Use your judgment. But remember that first rule, because you really don't have much idea who the next owner might be nor what they might like.

- Mark

I strongly suspect that MINI resale values have fared better than most other cars, however there is no doubt that dealer sales have fallen which mean discounts from MSRP will become more common which means used MINI valuation will fall in relation to where it had been.

That being said I am still enjoying my car and I suspect that when I sell it in five to eight years I will recapture a larger percentage of MSRP than the other cars I considered.

My mental math equation is 28K paid less 8K sell value in 6 years (hopefully worst case situation) = 20K / 72 months = $278 / month. This is less than it would cost to lease some car I wouldn't like or have as much fun in.

So I still like my car and am happy with the purchase whether resale values have fallen or not.

You should be better than this. I think a six-year retained value of between 45-50% is feasible for a well-cared for car with reasonable miles. Some of the early cars have done better even than this, but the bubble has definitely burst and we're going to see Mini's trend more or less with the averages of small cars.

- Mark

We plan to drive our MINI's until the wheels fall off so the resales value does not concern me.

There just too much fun to get rid of.

Pat

I admit I screwed up by not dumping this car over the summer when frugal gas mileage was the rage but right now I'm so regretting my decision to buy the Cooper (ironic as I swore after my last two BMW leases I wouldn't lease again). I knew going in that I would be able to keep it for about 2 years but I looked at leases, resale value and decided a purchase would get me more when I dropped the car in 09. Best laid plans...

Now 23 months into it I'm stuck with the sad fact that if I drop this car now I'm only gonna walk away with about 17-18k - not even close to the 80% residuals I was seeing in 07 for 05s.

I can only hope gas shoots up massively in the near future. Bummer too as there are some insane deals on 2008 3 series leases - $325-375 a month with no cap reduction for loaded 328s and mid-level 335s.

For now I guess I'm stuck with the car...

it's currently being printed every two weeks.

Interesting. I can't see a future scenario where buying a new car is a good idea if you plan to sell it in two years. Granted, the MINI actually had AMAZING resale values back in '05/06, but that was due to limited supply.
Is there really a viable 2 year lease scenario out there? Cars take their biggest depreciation hits in the first three years - that's just how it is.

Totally agree should be better than 8K in six years (on a 28K MSRP). I was just using that as worst case numbers for $ / month purposes and anything better just makes $ / month less (i.e. better).

Also agree that the Mini bubble has burst and that it will trend with small car averages blended with premium / luxury car averages.

y'all are forgetting one huge factor in the MINI's ability to retain good resale value:

name/moniker recognition, including the car's contribution(s) to Postwar automotive and racing history, and pop culture in general. After all, having the names "MINI" and "Cooper" together carry big-time weight in the automotive world

Maybe not on par with "Bugatti" or "Ferrari," but you get the idea...

My dealer doesnt even use NADA Black Book, they use Mannheim Auction.

My dealer is MSRP-only, and even on stock they simply arent dealing--the dealer stock that was there back in Nov and Dec is still there as of last Fri. I keep telling people that if MINI starts heavily discounting off msrp and offer other incentives, back-office or otherwise, that is a very slippery downward slope no one wants to negotiate.

IOW: selling at MSRP, with no incentives = a good thing for all.

Galves.com has the most up to date trade in values for your area (You have to pay to get access to current values).

Used car prices are just opinions.

The car industry is going through a really tough time. People are postponing buying cars (new or used) until the tide turns the other way (When will that happen is a discussion for another forum).

MINI's have solid resale values. But that doesn't make them immune to the sucky economic climate we are living in.

And when you are selling privately you are also competing against new MINI dealerships, used car dealers, auctions, etc.

Price your car realistically and it will sell.

When I buy a new car I get all the extras - I then use them often as possible while I own the car and then get reimbursed for these options at about 80 % of the value I originally paid for each of them....

Sunroof
Automatic
Air Cond
Climate Control
Prem Sound
Leather Heated seats
NAV
Homelink

are just a few I can think of...........

If you can afford the extras, then enjoy them - that is the way to go IMO.

Article today in USA Today: now Dodge Durangos are in very short supply. Dodge quit cranking them out last summer when gas was $4/gal. Then the price dropped, and they're hot again. Around here gas has risen from $1.50 to $1.90 in about 3 weeks. Go figure. Bill O'Reilly has it right: the price of gas is determined by speculators, not supply from Iran, et al. It'll be crazy for awhile, and frugal cars will take over eventually. Minis will sell for sticker price, that's the way they work (like Apple-no deep discounts). Because there are so few of them in circulation the resale price may fluctuate quite a bit because the number of buyers and sellers is lower than Toyotas and Hondas.

Going back to the original topic, this is what I would consider essential:

MCS (I need a turbo to feel fulfilled)
6-speed (mo' fun!)
Sunroof (wouldn't have a car without one, and there are lots of us around)
DSC (safety, plus new laws make people expect it)
LSD (essential for autocrossers, but mighty helpful to tame that torque steer for anyone)
Auto wipers (one option that really works well)
Xenons (I like to see at night)
Bunwarmers in cold areas (Houston, too!)
Rear fogs (bad weather, or to fill the stupid cutouts in the rear)

I wouldn't get:

Automatic (expensive to fix)
"Comfort access" (why bother?)
Nav (GPS is much cheaper)
MC (I want mo' power!)
Auto air (doesn't work well)
Leather (vinyl looks very good; this is my first non-leather car in many years)

If you have the bucks for fun:

"Funny" mirror caps. The Union Jack caps were my hubby's idea, and I thought it wouldn't be worth the $135. Turns out, it's very popular, and often a conversation starter. Who knew?

These are strictly MY opinions, based on my desires, needs, and experiences. YMMV. Notice that the list pretty much parallels my own options. I'm happy with everything except the auto air--no good in Houston, in contrast to our BMW's--and the rear fogs (didn't get them and wish I had).

Just buy what you want to drive and be happy. Putting "stuff" on a car with the thought being the day you sell it just doesn't make sense. It's a CAR, not real estate.
I see language in this string that makes me think you're talking about trading in to a dealer when you buy a new car? IF that is the case, you're gonna get hammered anyway, because dealers don't pay beans compared to what you'll get as a private party seller, so the entire conversation about minimizing depreciation of value is meaningless. I would NEVER trade my car into a dealer unless it has 250k on the odometer and was basically ready for the crusher; i.e., all but worthless.

You wouldn't get 80% return on what you paid for these options if you turned around and sold the car an hour after you bought it.

- Mark

It's just that the right buyer needs to be out there at the right time. I sold my '06 to a guy who wanted more than a typical Mini. He loved the 17% supercharger pulley, GIAC tuning, rear sway bar, cold air intake and all-dark silver color. He would have liked a sunroof, but it wasn't a deal killer. He also wanted a car that was kept in excellent condition.....not a minor factor in selling privately. I was able to sell it for $4,000 more than the dealer would have given me, but it could just as easily have ended up as a trade-in.

Order the features that will make you happy and don't sweat re-sale until the time comes. It all works out in the end.

It is also getting harder to sell a Mini privately. I was surprised by how many used ones were on the market competing with mine. Over time there will be even more of them.

Interesting comments--before I decided to order a new one, I called on several ads. One seller talked me out of the sale the more mods he told me about. I figured he'd been driving the poor thing into the ground! I decided new was better...
What do you mean by "harder to sell a MINI privately"? I've never traded any of my cars in, from rare to common. Why lose so much money? My last car, a 13 year old BMW, original everything at 190,000 miles, sold for well over Blue Book. That's especially remarkable, as we live out in the boonies where it's hard to get buyers to come see anything. A free ad on the company intranet and it was g-o-n-e! Yes, full disclosure as to its faults, and it's still seen in the company parking lot from time to time. The van before it? Sold at a dealership, all right, but under the table to a mechanic. That one was pretty much ready for the crusher but it was cheap; the guy had about 19 kids and needed the seats.

Stuck with the car... why would you buy a car just because it has good resale value? Seems kind of silly... at least you can sell this car when you are done with it. $375 a month for a two-year lease = wasted money on a car you can't keep.

The resale will go up because gas will go up again. It already is... it has jumped, what, sixty cents from $1.30 to $1.90 in the past three weeks? Sounds like deja vu.